By Alexander Britell

In what is easily the most important luxury hotel opening in Grenada in decades, the island has officially welcomed the new Silversands Grenada boutique hotel.

The $125 million Silversands Grenada, which is already a member of Leading Hotels of the World, welcomed its first guests this week, with a total of 43 suites and 9 villas.

The brainchild of developer Naguib Sawiris, Silversands is perched on the island’s most famous stretch of sand, Seven Mile Beach, with a combination of hotel rooms and residential units in a sleek, modern style that is a new look for the island.

And while it may be a boutique, the amenities are vast, from a signature 100-meter-long pool and three food and beverage concepts: Grenadian Grill, Asiatique and a cigar and rum lounge called “Puro,” featuring a curated selection of cigars.

Suites range from standard garden units with 721 square feet to 1,310 -square-foot ocean-view one-bedrooms and 1,647-square-foot penthouses.

Paris-based architects Reda Amalou and Stephanie Ledoux designed the property,

Sawiris has said the hotel is looking to go after the same kinds of travelers who frequent Caribbean luxury hotspots like St Barth and Barbados “and think there’s nothing like that in Grenada.”

“We want to show these clients that coming to this nature-blessed island, that has somehow kept its originality, is worthwhile.”

So what does it all mean for Grenada as a destination?

The debut continues Grenada’s growing position as a haven for luxury travelers, with the presence of the excellent Calabash Boutique Hotel, Sandals Grenada, the Spice Island Beach Resort, Laluna and, also in the pipeline, Kimpton’s Kawana Bay resort.

“This is the very essence of our marketing of the destination to showcase the uniqueness of what Grenada has to offer,” said Brenda Hood, chairman of the Grenada Tourism Authority.

And it’s just the beginning.

Sawiris said this week that he is already planning to begin work on a second and third hotel in 2019.

For more, visit Silversands Grenada.

— CJ