With Spas, Grenada Earning a Reputation for Wellness

As soon as I met my massage therapist at the Wellness Center at Laluna resort in Grenada, I had my doubts.

The quiet Indonesian girl was so petite that I assumed she would not be able to get my knots out, but I was too quick to judge. She administered one of the best Balinese massages I’ve ever had as my muscles loosened completely under her pummeling.

Just as impressive as the treatment was the Indonesian-inspired wellness center, which featured four treatment rooms, serenity ponds, an outdoor relaxation deck and a yoga pavilion.

Laluna’s spa, which opened in January, is one of several that is putting Grenada on the map as a center for health and wellness. Daily yoga classes take place in the pavilion at the beach, and the spa menu features a variety of Asian-themed treatments.

The spa is small, but that is part of the charm of Laluna, a remote property on the southwestern tip of Grenada. When Italian owner Bernardo Bertucci, who had spotted the isolated location from a boat, built the resort 10 years ago, it lacked road access.
Today, a one-way dirt road leads to the property, where 16 luxury cottages sprawl over three acres of the 25-acre estate. The 850-square-foot units include private plunge pools with large patios, four-poster beds, outdoor showers and Italian toiletries.

Most guests, many of whom are affluent, fashion-savvy travelers, arrive via recommendations, Bertucci said. “A sister will tell an aunt, who will tell a friend,” he said. “After a few years, the entire family has stayed here.”

The restaurant, headed by Daniele Gaetano, specializes in authentic Italian cooking. Most dishes include vegetables grown in Laluna’s organic garden.

For a different kind of guest experience, there’s the all-inclusive, 100-room LaSource resort, which reopened in February 2008 after a four-year closure due to destruction from Hurricane Ivan.

The property is near the airport; British guests stay an average of 12 days (the average stay by U.S. guests is much shorter), and the rate includes a 30-minute spa treatment each day.

Since its reopening, the percentage of repeat business has steadily climbed, now averaging approximately 40 percent of total bookings. The resort’s forte is its range of complimentary activities, from watersports and archery classes to yoga.

Spa director Manoj Babu, who joined the resort in June, is adding treatments such as acupuncture and amenities that include vichy showers.