If you’re sailing to Grenada the Le Phare Bleu Marina is a must-stop destination. There is one location that we’ve found to tick all the boxes – it’s beautiful, inexpensive, provides access to shops and amenities, has the kindest people, and much more. Watch the video below to get a glimpse into one of Grenada’s hidden gems for sailors and then carry on reading below to get the full scoop.
Le Phare Bleu Marina In Grenada – Video
So…have you heard of Grenada before?
I can’t tell you how many times I tell people we’re happily sailing in Grenada and they quietly mumble, ‘Where’s Grenada?’ Or they correct me and say, ‘Oh, you’re in Granada (Spain)?!’ Why have people heard of Antigua, St Lucia, and St Vincent but not Grenada?!
Grenada is located close to the bottom of the Caribbean Island Chain. The only other country below it is Trinidad and Tobago. After that, you hit South America. Hurricanes rarely blow this far south making Grenada a popular cruiser layup destination. From the months of June through to November most sailors pick a place and stay put until the season is over.
In Grenada, there are several protected bays on the south coast making it a home for hundreds of sailing singles, couples, and loads of boat kids. Every morning there’s a VHF net that can sometimes last up to an hour. Boaties in all the bays discuss emergencies, the weather, social activities, cruiser dedicated busses to the stores, treasures of the bilge, and local business specials.
There’s also a kids net where the children of the bay discuss playdates, excursions, game swaps, and more.
Some bays are known for having more kid boats and others are known for having a large amount of South Africans. Other bays are quiet and others are prone to very nasty swells. Some areas are good for swimming and others are great for getting off the boat to do Yoga or go for a hike.
For us, we move around all the bays often and pop up to Carriacou a neighboring island north, or even go into St Vincent & The Grenadines. As long as there’s no threat of a hurricane we move around quite a bit.
There’s one place that we return to, however, over and over again. We either anchor in Calvigny Cut outside of Le Phare Bleu Marina or enter the marina itself.
I have absolutely no idea why more boaties don’t visit this slice of paradise. The reason I call it a ‘hidden gem’ is because we’re often the only people in the marina. Let me tell you the 20 reasons why La Phare Bleu is top of Britican’s Destination list.
20 Reason To Visit Le Phare Bleu Marina
The below top 10 reasons to visit La Phare Bleu are all showcased in the video above. Carry on reading to discover ten more reasons.
1. The marina is the least expensive in the area. It’s around 1 USD/foot and far cheaper for longer-term stays.
2. Water is free and it’s potable (drinkable).
3. The dock staff are incredibly kind, courteous, and very helpful.
4. We have free access to the swimming pool, beautiful beach and can use the Hobie cats and other sailboats any time we want.
5. There is a happy hour at the bar/restaurant between 4 and 6 every day.
6. The bar and restaurant staff are AMAZING. Every time we return we get welcomed back as if we’re part of the family.
7. There’s an amazing piece of history at the dock. You’ll find a big huge red 1900 lightship from Sweden. These ships were sent out and anchored in place of lighthouses to ensure boats could avoid dangerous waters. Inside the ship is a cute museum outlining the history of the ship. The ship also has four showers for marina guests. The water is hot and the pressure is great! Every Friday the resort owners open the ship’s bar, restaurant and provide live music. During the week I often use the bow of the lightship as my office.
8. Family and friends can come to visit marina guests and stay at one of the cute cottages on site. There are also a few lower-cost AirBnB rental options located on the hill above the resort.
9. Customs & Immigration are on sight. If La Phare Bleu is your first port of call there’s no need to go far to book in. We often book out from La Phare Bleu when sailing up to St Vincent & The Grenadines. Just like the dock staff and the bar/restaurant employees, the Customs Officials are great people.
10. It’s beautiful. The marina is set in a cove offering a beautiful beach, amazingly colorful flowers, and stunning palm trees. It truly is paradise. There are no roads so you’ll never hear a car go by. Instead, you’ll hear birds chirping, waves lapping on the beach and perhaps me typing on my laptop 😉
10 More Reasons To Visit Le Phare Bleu
11. Every Friday you can get a taxi from the resort to the grocery store for only 20 EC a person (kids are free). Normally, it’s 80 EC one way! Grocery busses are on offer in all of the southern bays in Grenada for cruisers. The difference between the other bays/busses and La Phare Bleu is that we’re the only ones ever on the bus! Instead of heading into the city with 20 other cruisers, Simon, Sienna and I always have the bus all to ourselves. Furthermore, the driver is often happy to take us wherever we want to go if other stops like Ace Hardware or a Chandlery are required.
12. Le Phare Bleu has the best wifi we’ve ever come across in our 30,000 nautical miles and hundreds of stays in different marina’s. From every part of the marina and the grounds, there’s a solid strong wifi single. It’s where I upload most of my videos from 🙂
13. Walking distance in any direction offers incredible hikes of quiet residential lanes curving along the south coasts rocky terrain. Every view is of hills, coast, the deep blue Atlantic Ocean, and a myriad of incredibly colorful flowers.
14. If you get tired of the peaceful quietness of La Phare Bleu it’s only a dinghy ride to a few neighboring restaurants and bars. You’ll find French cuisine, a beach bar serving lobster, a British bar offering Sunday Lunch and there’s always pizza.
15. Throughout the year La Phare Bleu puts a floating dock out into the middle of the bay and invites cruisers from all around to come by dinghy to raft up and enjoy live music. There’s also a floating bar!
16. The marina has a hurricane policy with one dock set with pylons.
17. There’s a full-time security guard on the premises and he walks around all night long to make sure things stay quiet and peaceful. As a side note, I don’t think security guards are a necessity in Grenada. I think they’re just a norm. I’ve never felt safer on any Caribbean island than I do in Grenada.
18. The docks have potable water, electricity (EU only), and garbage pick up. With the great wifi, you can even stream Netflix!
19. There’s a hefty barge that’s stationed on the dock. If anyone gets in trouble this barge will surely benefit those in need.
20. You can swim off the beach. There are quite a few places on the south coast of Grenada that are not great for swimming – too murky and muddy. At La Phare Blue you have the beautiful beach or the lovely pool – both of which we enjoy.
Check Out La Phare Bleu – Join Us On A Week-Long Britican Experience
Click here for information on our Britican Experience!
Other Articles You Might Be Interested In
If you’d like an overview of all the places we’ve visited in the Caribbean please read our destination overview: Caribbean
- 10 Reasons To Spend Hurricane Season In Grenada
- The Caribbean Carnival in Grenada
- Trinidad & Tobago
- St Vincent & The Grenadines
Credit to Chiara Magi for photos in this post.