You feel like you’re on your own little island, peering out at the beaches of Calivigny Island across the way, surrounded by green hills on either side.
And then you see the lighthouse — and you realize it’s not quite like any lighthouse you’ve encountered in the Caribbean.
When Dieter Burkhalter and Jana Caniga wanted a symbol for their new marina in Grenada, they wanted a lighthouse — but that wasn’t quite as easy as they had imagined — particularly the “floating” one they had envisioned.
Then they found it: a “lightship,” more than a century old, in Europe, and spent the time restoring it before finally bringing it to Grenada’s southern tip, opening a marina resort called Le Phare Bleu — the “Blue Lighthouse.”
Today, Le Phare Bleu is one of the best-kept secrets in Grenada, a spectacularly beautiful corner of the island that is far more than just a lightship: it’s a full-fledged destination in its own right, despite still maintaining a deliciously under-the-radar identity.
That includes a collection of 14 cottages and villas, from more traditional bungalow-style units to the stunning 2,400-square-foot Serenity Villa that comes with its own private pool.
As with all the best marina resorts, this is a place that is equally enjoyable if you’re staying for an afternoon or a fortnight: the lovely beachfront pool is the perfect place for cooling off with a rum cocktail, abutted by the terrific Island Fever Tropical Tavern (the fish here is a must).
And that’s just the beginning: the idea here is a Caribbean village: a coffee shop, a butchery, a spa, a market, a hair studio, a laundromat — even, more recently, a new Caribbean gin distillery.
And because it’s a marina (with 60 Beths), you get that unmatched energy of yachters and sailors coming in each day, the pulse of maritime discovery.
Then there’s the lighthouse itself, home to one of Grenada’s top watersports operators: Conservation Kayak, which actually operates right out of the lightship, offering kayak tours to neophytes and grizzled adventurers alike, touring the raw natural environment in the waters around the bay.
There’s even a part-time rum bar right inside the old cabin of the boat.
It’s all delivered with classic Caribbean charm, warm service and a low-scale, low-density footprint that helps the resort blend effortlessly into the landscape.
It’s your own secret corner of Grenada.
For more, visit Le Phare Bleu.