The mountain-side suites of this St. George Parish Resort give pretty much every room a view of the crystal-clear blue water of Grande Anse Beach.
Mount Cinnamon Resort in Grenada is one of the shockingly few Black- and Caribbean-owned resorts in the region. In a part of the world where most resorts are run by chains or offshore investors, Mount Cinnamon offers a truly Caribbean experience. While the rooms may lack a small amount of the luxuries of larger all-inclusive resorts, they make up for it by celebrating the island’s culture and uplifting the people who live there without losing that luxury vacation feel.
And when I say this spot is locally-run, I really mean it. The hotel was renovated by local architects and staffed by locals who, once employed, are given management training to move up in hospitality. Mount Cinnamon is involved in the Pack With A Purpose program, lending support to the South St. George’s Primary School, which educates more than 400 children between the ages of 5 and 12 on the island. The resort features a market that sells Grenadian-made products from local makers and a mostly farm-to-table restaurant that supports chef training and teaches valuable cooking skills while purchasing ingredients from Caribbean farmers.
This is ethical tourism, and by staying at Mount Cinnamon, you are not only supporting a local business financially but also enriching and supporting the community directly. Over lunch, Barry Collymore, Chairman of the resort, explained Mount Cinnamon’s mission perfectly: “We’re not just selling vacation, we’re selling a Grenadian experience.”
Why stay at Mount Cinnamon Beach and Wellness Resort?
Mount Cinnamon was built in the 1970s during the beginning of Grenada's revolutionary period, a unique period of the island's history. It has kept its vintage Caribbean style and vibe. The atmosphere is tropical with colonial influences, including whitewashed walls and arched verandas. In 2022, the resort was renovated, but its charm was not lost. Mount Cinnamon worked with local architect Irina Kostka to give the place a contemporary facelift while maintaining the integrity of its vintage Caribbean bones.
The pool is set beneath a large white stucco wall. There’s a pool bar, of course, and during the day, big orange umbrellas shade the teak lounge chairs. French-inspired white-and-blue houndstooth tiles cover the deck, and tropical plants separate each chair. The vintage luxury vibe makes you feel like you’re spending the day on vacation with Grace Kelly. At night, the pool is lit with real flame lamps, creating the perfect atmosphere for the hotel lobby and restaurant, where you can look through arched doorways to the beach on one side and the pool on the other.
What are the rooms like at Mount Cinnamon?
The resort consists of 37 villas, all overlooking the ocean from the mountainside. The smallest room has a bedroom, bathroom and living room. The suite I stayed in—the one-bedroom suite—had a king-size bed, a private covered balcony overlooking the sea, a living room, two bathrooms and a full kitchen with bar stools at the counter and a dining table on the balcony.
There’s a coffee maker and a full-size fridge. The rooms get larger from there, some with private plunge pools and others with multi-floor layouts. Some are pet-friendly. The vibe is similar to renting a beach house, but much nicer.
The shower is walk-in with a retro two- to three-foot wall that circles the drain and tiles instead of curtains. There’s a bench built into the wall for convenience. The walls are white plaster, and the artwork is Caribbean beachy—think metal fish on the walls and brightly framed images of the beach or abstract colorful waves.
The bedroom furniture is brightly colored, creating a striking contrast with the all-white surroundings. It feels fun yet very clean and modern. The living room shows more wear with a slightly cracked leather couch and a chair with all the nicks of well-loved furniture. Again, it feels more like a beach cottage than a luxury villa, but the charm is undeniable.
Most importantly, the rooms are clean, comfortable and spacious with beautiful views. You also get much more space than you would elsewhere for the same or even lower prices.
When booking your room, you can opt for all-inclusive or not. What’s nice is that you can choose some days as all-inclusive and others not. I suggest opting in for days when you plan to enjoy the beach and pool, and opting out on days when you want to explore all that the island has to offer. Again, it's not a huge resort with many restaurants, etc, you should plan on leaving the resort for parts of your trip.
What is the restaurant like at Mount Cinnamon Beach and Wellness Resort?
Flying Fish, the main restaurant in the lobby of the hotel, is meant to be a celebration of a united Caribbean. The “mostly farm-to-table” menu consists of dishes from all over the region, including the national dish of Grenada, Oil Down, with a coconut-milk-based savory stew or fish and veggies. It’s delicious. Order that.
The main restaurant is also where breakfast is every morning, it’s included with all room reservations and consists of a buffet of pastries, fruits and yogurts, coffee, and one hot entree that you order from the wait staff. They serve all the classics—eggs Benedict, avocado toast and pancakes, as well as some fun Caribbean takes—like a breakfast roti, a roti filled with eggs instead of curry, and ackee and saltfish, of course, which was a standout hit for me as well as the fried egg breakfast sandwich.
What is the service like at Mount Cinnamon Beach and Wellness Resort?
The staff here is attentive. After a day on a boat, I developed a horrendous sunburn. One of the guys on staff went out of his way to go out into the shrubs and cut a large piece of aloe off the plant for me to use to soothe my skin. It’s this type of thoughtfulness and personal approach that sets this place apart.
The hospitality is unwavering, and the small details are what set it apart. Every night during turndown, they bring cookies to your room. When walking through the resort, there is almost always a staff member asking if you need a ride. The front desk hands you a rum punch as you check in. You'll come back from swimming in the pool or the ocean to find your towel laid out on your chair for you. Every little detail, somebody is on top of it.
What is the beach like at Mount Cinnamon Resort?
There are amenities beyond your usual spa (though they have a great one!), including tennis courts, beach volleyball set-ups and a full garden. But when you go to Grenada, you're going for the beach.
You'll have to take a small walk down a dirt path to the beach; the rooms and resort are overlooking the beach, but not directly on it. Before hitting the cabana space, you’ll see volleyball nets and shuffleboard setups. There’s a path off to the gym from there, where they have your average hotel gym setup and Peloton bikes.
The cabana leads to the beach, where chairs are set up and ready for you when you arrive. A host sets you up with a towel and can bring you drinks and any snacks you want from the cabana menu. You can also sit in the cabana's restaurant. There’s Wi-Fi in the cabana, which makes for a pretty amazing place to set yourself up to work from the beach.
Grande Anse Beach is unreal. The water is perfectly crystal-clear blue, and the waves are small and easy to manage. On some nights, the hotel holds a bonfire meal on the beach that consists of a feast of fish, meats and beach-cooked foods. If you’re there when that’s happening, take advantage of it.
What’s the area around Mount Cinnamon like?
The hotel is in a section of St. George Parish called The Lime. It’s 20 minutes by car from the capital City of St. George. The Lime is known for its resorts, food scene and for being a location where many tourists stay. Because of this population of tourists, the nightlife in the Lime is great, and finding a taxi is easy. It’s a great spot to stay to get beach access, access to nightlife, and easily be able to explore the island.
Why should you book a stay at Mount Cinnamon?
If you’re looking for a fun, vintage-chic stay on one of the Caribbean’s most beautiful islands, Mount Cinnamon is exactly that. You’ll get a spacious room, beach access, a great restaurant and access to the Capital City, all while knowing your stay is contributing to community initiatives, school programs and more. The hotel is Green Globe Platinum Certified and the first hotel in Grenada to be part of the United Nations Global Compact as well. While all of that is obviously great, at the end of the day, it’s just a great place to stay. I would recommend anyone pay it a visit when they are in Grenada.
Address: Mount Cinnamon Beach & Wellness Resort, 26CJ+44F, Grand Anse, St. George's Grenada
Price per Night: Prices start at $300-$600 depending on the season
Book Now: https://expe.app.link/kSxz7hRRtWb