Start with a cocktail by the pool

When travelers to Grenada envision their stay on the tropical island, the daydream often includes a frozen beverage or two on the beach or by a crystal clear pool. At Laluna, Guests enjoy relaxation with a view; it won’t take long lounging on an Indonesian daybed and sipping on a fresh and fruity drink for fantasy to become reality. Ask our bartender to surprise you with an island favorite, or sample one of our specialties, including the Magic Mojito and Agave Margarita. Our signature Laluna Spritz it also a must-try; made with Aperol and Bluette, the drink is a taste of Italy in the Caribbean. To fully take in the experience, we recommend heading to the Laluna Sunset Bar and Lounge around 6 pm; facing the Caribbean Sea, the bar is the perfect place to take in a stunning Grenadian sunset before dinner.

Insider tip: if you really want a taste of the island, ask the bartender to pour you a shot of “under the counter”. This self-brewed liquor is basically the Grenadian version of moonshine and is sure to “put hair on your chest”.  Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

Begin your meal with a unique glass of wine

Laluna has one of the most developed wine cellar on the island; stocked with delicious and hearty wines sourced primarily from Italy, our cellar has something for everyone. The carefully selected bottles match perfectly with our Chef’s Italian-Caribbean cuisine, with offerings including everything from sweet Rieslings to intense Brunellos. The cellar also includes a few Prosecco varieties and Roses, ideal for special celebrations or when enjoying a light seafood dish. Guests can pop a bottle before they eat, or pair a glass with a scrumptious meal at our beach-side restaurant. For those wishing to sip on a glass of wine while enjoying the view from their private patio, our room service will happily bring a bottle up to your suite.

Have an authentic Italian dinner

The beach-chic ambiance of our thatch roof Italian restaurant sets the stage for an intimate meal full of culinary delights. The relaxed, open-air layout of the restaurant provides diners a wonderfully pleasant spot to listen to the ocean waves and enjoy authentic Italian cuisine. To experience the bounty of the island, the Grenadian Pumpkin & Ginger Soup is an ideal appetizer, followed by the Sea Crab Linguine. For an even more romantic experience, the Laluna restaurant can even arrange a private dinner for two right on the beach!

Special events

While couples favor the restaurant for its private, romantic feel, the open dining area can also be arranged for larger groups or parties. Couples hosting their destination wedding at Laluna often choose to hold group meals at the resort’s restaurant, culminating in a reception following the ceremony. Please visit the Laluna website for more information on food and drink at Laluna, or to view the full cocktail menu, wine list, or restaurant menu.

Ciao,

Laluna

The post Plan Your Perfect Meal in Grenada at Laluna Resort appeared first on Official Blog of Grenada Hotel Laluna.

1. The Destination

It may seem silly to even mention, but choosing the location should be your top priority when beginning to plan a destination wedding. When first engaged, it can be fun to spend time flipping through bridal magazines and looking at dresses, but first and foremost, a destination should be selected before any planning is done.

Call us biased, but we find that Grenada is an ideal destination wedding location; in all seriousness, it really is, because it fill so many different needs. The small island nation is composed of sandy beaches, lushly forested mountains, and beautiful waterfalls, all perfect for saying “I do”. Adventure-seeking visitors to the island have even gotten married under the sea while scuba diving! While Laluna’s wedding package is designed for an on-resort ceremony, we allow for flexibility, and our helpful staff will work hard to make your dream a reality. For instance, if you’ve always dreamed of getting married next to a lake, we can arrange for the ceremony to take place at Crater Lake. Maybe you’ve got a future spouse that loves to sail; a chartered yacht could be a fantastic location to marry or enjoy a post-ceremony cocktail sunset cruise! The options are limited only by your imagination.

2. Know Before You Go

Whether you have two years to plan or two months, it’s important to start reaching out to potential locations as soon as possible. If time is an issue, you may need to be flexible with the day of the week you choose to get married. It is important to familiarize yourself with the travel requirements to enter your location of choice; for instance, are travel visas required, or does a passport suffice; are there any immunizations needed; will they take your national currency or will an exchange need to take place? To enter Grenada, guests entering from the United States, Canada, and Mexico need only a passport and return ticket. Be sure you (and your guests) have time to prepare everything needed for travel. While the Eastern Caribbean Dollar (ECD) is the standard currency of Grenada, the American dollar is happily accepted at Laluna and around the island.

Also, be aware of the local laws of your destination; some governments require couples to spend a set amount of time on-location before allowing them to legally wed. Know what kind of documentation is required for you to get married; some locations require blood work, signatures from witnesses, or marriage license applications. When marrying in Grenada, the betrothed couple must be on the island for at least three days before getting married, and must bring with them valid passports, birth certificates, and a notarized lawyer’s note certifying their status as a single, marry-able person. For a full list of Grenada’s marriage requirements, the Laluna website has information on the legal requirements to marry in Grenada, as well as what is needed to travel to the island. Of course, should you have any further questions, our helpful staff will be available throughout the planning process to ensure you arrive with everything you need.

3. Guest Travel and Accommodations
Unless you’ve always dreamed of an intimate one-on-one ceremony, convenient travel and accommodations are a must. It’s important to consider whether your guests can easily travel to your dream location, especially if they will only be taking a long weekend to do so. Luckily, with regular flights from New York, Miami, Toronto, and London, Grenada is easily accessible to guests from around the globe; however, depending on the season, flights may book early, so you’ll especially want to give guests advanced notice if you are planning to wed during that time.

When it comes to accommodations, many couples decide to have their wedding guests stay on-site with them, allowing for easy mingling and group activities. Of course, some privacy is also desired, making resort’s such as Laluna an ideal location. With 16 private cottages to choose from, couples can enjoy one-on-one time enjoying romantic view from their private veranda, then meet up for a group dinner in the Laluna restaurant. We often have wedding parties buy out the entire resort, creating a big, inclusive atmosphere for the duration of their guest’s stay. Group cocktail hours, pool parties, and yoga sessions can turn the wedding weekend into an unforgettable memory. For larger wedding parties, our resort staff will be happy to assist in arranging nearby off-site accommodations for overflow guests, typically within walking distance.

4. Leave it up to the Experts

The best resorts, including Laluna, have destination wedding planning experts on staff to help guide you through the planning process. In our case, our experts have put together a special package of wedding must-haves, and allow them to be customized to suit the bride’s (and groom’s!) desires. At Laluna, we build upon the wedding package to create a truly personalized experience. We become your middleman; whether it is a special cake design, or specific song to walk down the aisle to, or special flower for your centerpieces, we will personally work with our list of trusted vendors to ensure that every detail is in place.

5. Reboot with some Vitamin D, Take a Breath & Relax
Whether your wedding is in your own backyard or thousands of miles from home, something unpredictable is sure to happen. Don’t let it ruin your big day.  Be sure to put on some sunscreen and get out in the warm Grenada sun. The boost of Vitamin D will instantly improve your mood, and there is nothing more beautiful than a healthy sun-kissed glow. Take a yoga class, have a massage, and be blissed out and ready to walk down the aisle. And hey, if you need the extra boost of liquid courage, our bartender will happily pour you one last drink before you head down the aisle!

Ciao,

Laluna

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Unlike some of the other Caribbean destinations, Grenada has remained relatively under the travel radar, keeping it from becoming overrun by too many guests. While cruise ships do occasionally port on the island, they have a much less frequent schedule than seen on the other islands; during cruise ship season, helpful resort staff and locals can advise on the best days to visit popular destinations to avoid the crowd.

Image source: Grenada-Beaches.com

You won’t find massive hotels on the island; instead, visitors can choose from places like Laluna Resort that offer personalized attention and a boutique atmosphere wrapped in up paradise. Best of all, visitors to the island can enjoy Grenada’s stunning beaches without having contend with the crowds seen on other Caribbean shores, giving them the opportunity to truly stretch out and enjoy the tranquility of the island.

Untouched, beautiful nature

Due to Grenada being somewhat of a hidden gem, the island has maintained its untouched, well-preserved landscape. Lush tropical jungles and spans of sandy shores await the curious traveler. Much of the flora and fauna is maintained by park services so that guests for generations to come can hike trails, take tours, and immerse themselves in natural wonders.

Image source: GrenadaGrenadines.com

Locals welcome travelers with open arms

When on vacation, travelers interact with those who call that area home, be it on the streets, at restaurants, or in a hotel. Luckily, Grenadians are some of the friendliest people around and are happy to offer travel tips, directions, and a smile at any time of day. Take some time while in Grenada to get to know some of the locals, and use the knowledge offered by staff at Laluna resort to make your travels unforgettable.

Image source: Island Vibes Magazine

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Where to find Grenada’s hot springs

Ask around to discover where the best springs can be located. One can be found near the town of Clabony in the south just off the road. There are also some located in the northeastern part of Grenada, which can be reached by Jeep, a little hiking and a local guide. The springs have not been made into a tourist destination, so they remain pure and untouched. Because of this, it takes a little know-how and determination to reach them.

Image source: GrenadaExplorer.com

Half of the appeal is the journey

While relaxing in a warm, natural pool is wonderful, travelers who venture to these hotspots also enjoy the chance to admire the incredible views and the diverse wildlife of the island. The bird population is colorful and flourishing, as are the flowers and ferns that blanket the forest floor. Take time to admire the surroundings on a hike to the hot springs, which can be a great change from the typical beach environment near the resorts and towns.

Image source: GrenadaExplorer.com

Before embarking to a hot spring, check with Concierge Services at Laluna to make sure it’s the right season and that the hot springs will be open to the public, as well as to arrange a guide for your journey. Land can change hands making some of these springs private, but resort staff will know where to point you in the right direction.

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When at home, many people don’t often have the time to properly enjoy a meal. In the morning, it’s a rush to get out the door, lunch may be eaten at a desk or quickly taken between meetings, and dinner is often occurs at the kitchen counter or in front of the TV. When in Grenada, guests are able to sit down and take their time over their meal, conversing with their travel partner, enjoying the view and experiencing every bite.

The open-air restaurant at Laluna Resort encourages travelers to sit, relax and indulge in a delicious meal. Sitting under a thatched roof on the beach, visitors can start to unwind and watch the waves roll in while sipping a glass of wine. Offering authentic Italian and Caribbean cuisine, visitors can taste the best Grenada has to offer – from Octopus Salad to Seafood Brodetto to a Homemade Ravioli of the Day to a delicious dessert selection, including fresh fruit sorbet. – while listening to the birds chirp, and, if the timing is right, watching the sun set. With a view into the kitchen, diners can watch their meal come together under the careful preparation of the resort’s Calabrian Chef.

Your table for two with a view is waiting.

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Laluna is thrilled to have been awarded the designation. Said Bernardo Bertucci, owner of Laluna Resort, “we are very proud and honored to be selected by Fodor’s Travel for this award of distinction, we strive to always represent our style of hotel with the best of charm, friendly and satisfactory service, and always ready to welcome our repeat guest that become like friends.”

The editors and experts of Fodor’s have been selecting only the top fifteen percent of their listed properties and activities as Fodor’s Choice award recipients since 1988. Every year, their writers experience, examine and evaluate thousands of hotels, restaurants and attractions in their travels across the globe. While every business included in their guide is deemed worth a traveler’s time, only those offering a truly remarkable experience are given the Fodor’s Choice designation.

For more than 75 years Fodor’s has presented travelers with the very top recommendations from hidden-away restaurants to can’t-miss museums, to make sure they’re making the most of their travels. The 2012 Fodor’s Choice recipients are the best of the best, providing a remarkable experience in their price range or category. As a 2012 Fodor’s Choice property Laluna will receive special recognition in the next Fodor’s guidebook to this area and on Fodors.com.

So tell us. How did you hear about Laluna? Was it through a travel guide? Did you find us on the Internet? Were we recommended to you by a friend?

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Grab them a gift certificate

The gift of spa services is perfect for your new mother-in-law or your favorite aunt who’s attending your wedding. Laluna offers these certificates in all denominations so your guest can choose their favorite service, including Antioxidant Vitamin Facial Treatments, stone therapy massages, and tatami massages, to name a few.

Treat your wedding party to a mani/pedi

Your lifelong friends and family you pick as bridesmaids deserve a little pampering too. Book manicures and pedicures for the girls right on site – and don’t forget the men too, who can have their hands and feet trimmed to look as handsome as ever for your special day.

Enjoy some tranquility yourself

After all this planning, taking a breather and melt into a massage or body wrap – it may be the best way to spend an afternoon in Grenada.

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