This is a little way off the beaten track, by Perdmontemps, but well worth beating a track to. Grenada Island of Spice, the island's sub-title or nickname says it all. Surely you didn't come here for sun, sea and sand alone? You should not miss out on our fourth 'S'... SPICES.
Practically every road on the island has nutmeg trees on view, but if you would like to see the lot, come to Laura's. On a short (1/2 km) walk, you will see nutmegs (of course), as well as cinnamon, cloves, pimento and bay trees. At a lower level, there are the spices that don't grow on trees, like ginger, pepper, tumeric (known here as saffron), thyme and lemon grass.
Many extracts from plants seen at Laura's are synthesized by the pharmaceutical industry. Lauras' Spice Garden is a fascinating place, and its guides are well informed.
But that's not all. Laura has a wide selection of other plants as well, fruit trees (mango, cocoa, banana, orange, sour sop etc..) Grenada also has a tradition of herbal medicines. Most ills have botanical cures, and at Laura's, there is a section devoted to these. Weird and wonderful plants, with unusual names like, zebapique, ven-ven and jump-up-and-kiss-me, have a track record here of curing, or at least relieving, coughs, colds, rashes and many other ailments.
Written by Ian Blaikie - Sunsation Tours