Fam Trip to Grenada & Barbados - 2008

Gullivers' Gemma Lott and Steve Badham took 11 tour leaders to Grenada and Barbados during May half term. Read Gemma's report to see what they got up to:

24 May - 1 June 2008

The group met at London Gatwick Airport early morning, we had a good mix of teachers all looking to tour the Caribbean with different sporting groups. After a smooth flight with Virgin Atlantic into Barbados, we connected onto a much smaller LIAT Airline flight over to Grenada. After arriving early evening, we were met by our ground agent Bentley Skeete, along with Steve Mahon and Raphael Croney from the Ministry of Sports, then transferred to the Gem Beach Resort, where we would stay for 3 nights. The resort has very spacious rooms and is set in a beautiful cove with the very inviting, warm Caribbean sea!

Whilst in Grenada, we were hosted superbly by the Grenada Board of Tourism. During our time we completed site inspections of various hotels and spent a day touring the island and taking in the sporting facilities, including the National Stadium - the fantastic international test match venue where we often arrange sporting fixtures. Along the way we did manage to spend some time on the fabulous Grenadian beaches and enjoyed some delicious meals. We even managed to take part in some crab racing! Most of the group agreed that Grenada was a beautiful island with a fantastic array of sporting facilities and accommodation making it a great touring combination or alternative to the bigger islands.

After a short flight with LIAT Airlines, the next four nights were spent in Barbados. On arrival we checked into our accommodation, the All Season Resort - Europa in Sunset Crest, and after an orientation tour of the surrounding area taking note of the restaurants and supermarkets, some much needed relaxation on the beach was taken. The following days included visits to sporting facilities, hotel inspections, a tour of the island and some evening activities, including the Boatyard and Harbour Lights Beach Party. The penultimate evening was spent at Marshalls Bar & Restaurant with a visit from Desmond Haynes, which proved to be the highlight of some peoples’ trip.

The final day was spent on a catamaran cruise along the West Coast; there were three stops along the way to include snorkelling on the Folkstone Marine Reserve, snorkelling with turtles at Paynes Bay and a beach stop where a fantastic lunch was served. The final day was topped off with a visit to Oistins on the South Coast, which is a weekly Friday event of live music and gorgeous local Bajan cuisine. This was a brilliant end to what had been a very busy and enjoyable week.

All in all everyone had a fantastic time and all participating teachers agreed the fam trip was a valuable tool in preparation for their future tours to Grenada and Barbados.

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