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Epping Forest Guest House is a delightful bed and breakfast set in a classic Creole plantation house at the heart of Grenada’s forested interior. It resonates with the atmosphere of a bygone age and is heart-breakingly pretty, all white wood with wrap-around verandas, a tin roof and wonderful tropical grounds. Set at 800 feet above the sea, it has superb views down over forested slopes to the Atlantic Ocean, but is still just ten minutes from the island capital, St George's. Epping Forest is small (it has just four rooms), it is beautifully furnished and, because of its owners, extremely personable. If your idea of Caribbean perfection is a classic Caribbean plantation setting way off the usual tourist beat then Epping Forest is a real find and a lovely place to hide away. Once you have relaxed into it, it will be a real wrench to leave.
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KEY FEATURES
| A stunning, English-run guest house, wraparound verandas, magical views, 3 acres former cocoa plantation now fruit-filled gardens. Swimming pool. Two bedrooms suites and a 2-room family suite. |
STYLE
| Grenada of a bygone era, brought to life with strong influences of Edwardian England. Welcoming, homely, comfortable |
CLIENT PROFILE
| Anyone who wants homely comforts and to immerse themselves in the real Grenada. Perfect for solo and women travellers |
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While Grenada’s terrain may not be as extreme or as dramatic as that of some other Windward Islands in the South-eastern Caribbean, the prettiness of its countryside and its fertility are unmatched. Right at the heart of all this extraordinary greenery, high on a former cocoa estate, you will find a delightful hillside hideaway. Epping Forest is set in an original plantation house that has recently been restored to its original, heart-rendingly pretty state. Just a few years ago it was derelict, so the fact that you are able to stay here at all is a lucky chance, due to the enormous effort of an English couple, Jackie and Dave Kennedy, that have rebuilt it and restored to its former beauty. And it is not just the building that they have redone. As former antique dealers, they have furnished the house in period style, adding an even yet more authentic atmosphere to the experience.
The approach is part of the pleasure. As you drive inland, the coastal development gives way quickly to the forest and its immense beauty. The foliage, in a million shades of green clambers over the slopes around you and the trees lean out over the road, enclosing you in a tunnel of greenery. You wind up through small villages into St David’s and as you pass through a somnolent village you turn into the drive. You come over a small rise and the house reveals itself, behind a white picket fence, all white-painted wood and set among stunning tropical gardens.
Epping Forest is made of traditional clapboard trimmed with dark green and topped with a light green tin roof which is steeply pitched in the middle but stretches to either side on the flat, covering a large veranda at one side and at the front. The house has two storeys and looks south-east, down over Grenada’s tumbling hillside towards the Atlantic. Two of the four rooms are upstairs, the two-room family suite is downstairs and they each have different entrances. If you are in the Yellow Room (at the centre of the house on the first floor), then you approach along the first floor veranda, up stairs near the pool. The Blue Room, at the far end of the house, is reached by its own stairs. The family suite gives onto the downstairs veranda and then the gardens and the pool to one side.
Most of the activity of the guest house is on this ground floor veranda. Breakfast and any other meals are served here, there are loungers in which you can read and tables to play games or sit and chat. The pool is just a short distance to the side of the house and there are loungers around it too. The gardens are about three acres in size and consist of beds of tropical flowers with benches and a gazebo. They are the last remaining section of the former Epping Forest cocoa plantation. You will see some cocoa trees, but you will also see many other fruit trees and bushes, including mango and pineapple (both of which fruit in June and July) and banana and grapefruit, which arrive all year round.
The house dates from the early 1900s and the bedrooms are decorated and furnished in period style. The first, the Yellow Room, has a double bed with an antique brass bedstead and two original Edwardian bedside lockers. There is a dressing table in Victorian style, Edwardian wardrobes, a lovely old clock and a Victorian washstand with 3 drawers and a jug and basin. As you would expect the rooms are traditionally ventilated, using ceiling fans. The bathroom is also extremely pretty, decorated all in yellow, with an Edwardian dressing table, another washstand with hand basin, bowl and jug. There are modern facilities as well, though, with a basin set in a vanity unit and a walk-in shower cubicle and loo.
The second bedroom, the Blue Room, is equally attractive, with muslin netting draped down at the head of the bed, varnished wooden floors and rugs and formal pictures on the walls. The Family Room is decorated in the same period style as the rest of the house. It consists of two double rooms, one with single beds and one with a double bed. It has its own balcony and shower room.
Epping Forest is small and so the owners, Jackie and Dave Kennedy, are very much a part of the personality of the place. They live on the property and you will see them around. They are happy to provide advice about Grenada and to help out with anything you need. Dave is a scuba instructor and will help to arrange trips or even give instruction in the pool if you want. On the night you arrive they invite you to eat with them so you will get to know them a little. After that they will integrate as much as you would like, but will also respect your privacy if that is what you would prefer.
Dave and Jackie Kennedy have lived in Epping Forest since 2001. When they arrived, the house and garden were abandoned and overgrown. See the story of their arrival and how they restored Epping Forest. They have done an amazing job restoring it and bringing it back to life. It is rare to get an opportunity to stay in a place that is so magical and so resonant of the plantation era, with all its immense beauty and undoubted romance. Epping Forest offers something truly original. |
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Beach & Swimming
There is a swimming pool at Epping Forest. It is surrounded by a sundeck where there are loungers and beyond it are the gardens. The nearest beach is at Petit Bacaye, a very secluded curve of sand set in one of the finger coves on the meandering south-east coastline. It is ten minutes drive away and there are some facilities at the hotel. Grand Anse beach, Grenada’s most famous, is about 20 minutes away. |
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Sports & Recreation
There are quite a few activities at the guest house. You will find cards, dominoes, a pool table, scrabble, and lots of books for guests to read. The owners are also happy to put you onto the right track according to your interests. Tennis and horse riding can be arranged not far off and watersports are available on the beaches of course, including day sailing and scuba diving. Interestingly Dave, the owner of Epping Forest is a Master Scuba Diver Trainer (Instructor) and works with one of the best dive companies on Grenada, ScubaTech, so scuba diving is easily arranged. If you would like to try scuba out, Dave can give you an introductory lesson in the pool at Epping Forest.
In the immediate area there is some hiking, including the walk up Mt Gozo, which you can see from the pool terrace. The start of the walk is only five minutes from the property and takes between 20 minutes and an hour, depending on which route you take.
There is also plenty on offer for the natural enthusiast, including the garden at Epping Forest itself and the forest all around you. Just down the road going towards St George’s is Jean Renwick’s private garden, Sunnyside. It is one of Grenada’s finest gardens, about five acres of exotic trees, shrubs and plants, including royal palms, 100 year old mahogany trees, an African baobab, fruit orchards, spice trees, stunning hibiscus the size of large saucers, bromeliads, heliconias and much more. Jean herself will guide you, but tours are by appointment only.
If you are looking for more ideas, please go to our comprehensive island guide, which is an advertising-free zone! |
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Staff
There are no staff at Epping Forest as all the housekeeping and cooking is done by Jackie and Dave themselves. They are key to the experience at the guest house. When you arrive on the first night (and probably won’t want to have to go out to find dinner), they invite you to eat with them, but after that they will respond to your needs, giving advice and integrating where applicable but respecting your privacy if that’s what you prefer. They are also happy to babysit for you. |
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The Rooms
The mix of traditional Caribbean plantation style and Edwardian England has been carried through the bedrooms and the result is a wonderful old country house feel. Any heaviness of the dark mahogany or other woods in the furniture and floors is offset by the ceilings, which are lined with white-painted wood panelling and the walls, which are clad with pale blue or lemon yellow painted wood panelling. All the bed linen is pure white cotton, topped with traditional style patchwork quilts, and the beds are draped with white mosquito netting. There is always a soft breeze so air-conditioning would feel out of place (and is not needed anyway). Overhead there are ceiling fans keep you cool at night.
Epping Forest is a four bedroom guest house. Two double rooms, the Yellow and the Blue Room are upstairs, each with its own bathroom. They do not have to be accessed through the house itself as they have their own entrances. The Blue Room, which is reached via stairs at the side of the house, has its own small private balcony, a queen-size reproduction Edwardian style bed and matching bedside tables. The Edwardian theme is continued with an Edwardian carved 2-door wardrobe with matching file-backed washstand and there is a lovely Edwardian mahogany corner display cabinet. A door leads into a shower room with a walk-in shower cubicle and a basin set in a pale blue, hand-painted cupboard.
The Yellow Room leads off the wide L-shaped veranda upstairs and has a double brass and cast Victorian bedstead with two original Edwardian bedside lockers, a Victorian satin walnut double wardroom with a matching wash stand and an early Victorian flamed walnut dressing table. The pale lemon yellow of the walls and the white of the walls and ceilings against the polished wood of the floors combines to give a stunning effect. Again, the bed is dressed with white linen, a mosquito net and a patchwork quilt style bedcover. In the bathroom there is a walk-in shower, another Edwardian walnut dressing table, a lavatory and a basin set in a vanity unit.
The newer Family Room on the ground floor has a balcony overlooking the pool and comprises two bedrooms which share a bathroom with a walk-in shower, lavatory and basin. The first room has a TV with cable, a large Victorian-style bed with an Edwardian satin walnut dressing table and built-in handmade wardrobe. The second room has two single reproduction pine beds with a built-in cupboard, pine chest of drawers. |
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Dining
On your first night, Dave and Jackie invite you to dine with them so that you can get to know one another. For guests that book on a bed and breakfast basis, dinners can be booked with a day’s notice. The food is a mix of Caribbean and English, and includes a traditional English breakfast each day.
Grenada has some good places to eat and some of the best are not far off, in the parish of St David’s. The Water’s Edge Restaurant at Bel Air Plantation has excellent food and caters for all types of special diets, and Petit Bacaye has a classic Caribbean setting, under the palm trees and stars beside the beach. They offer fish that has been caught that day by fishermen who use the bay as their harbour. If you want to go for more action, there are plenty of places to eat in and around St George’s, Grand Anse and L’Anse aux Epines.
For more ideas, please see under Restaurants in our Grenada island guide. |
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Children
Children are welcome and Epping Forest and it makes a very friendly and personable place to stay for a family that is interested in exploring and seeing the real Grenada. There is a family suite downstairs and a cot can be provided on request, but otherwise there are few facilities for them. Dave and Jackie are very happy to give advice and to help with anything you want to arrange. They are also happy to babysit for you. |
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Useful Hints
Epping Forest is untypical of the Caribbean in that it is very much a hillside hideaway rather than a traditional beachside hotel. You need to be sure that it is right for you, but it offers a very strong and personal experience which is ideal for some travellers. |
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Practical Facts
Dress Code: Informal
Complimentary: Fruit fresh off the tree! Return airport transfers for stays of 3 days or longer. Cards, domino's, a pool table, scrabble, and lots of books are available on request.
Room Types: 2 double rooms – 1 with Queen size bed. 1 family suite with two bedrooms (large double and a twin) sharing a bathroom.
Children: Welcome
Credit Cards: Not accepted |
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Rates
| | 01 May-31 Nov 2007 | 01 Dec-30 Apr 2007-08 | 01 May-31 Nov 2008 | | Double Room EP 2 guests | 475 | 520 | 475 | | Double Room BP 2 guests | 565 | 600 | 565 | | Family Room EP 4 guests | 635 | 735 | 635 | | Family Room BP 4 guests | 800 | 900 | 800 | Prices are quoted in US$ per room, per week plus 8% Government Tax (increases to 10% from December 2007) and 10% Service Charge. EP = room only. BP = room and breakfast. Additional meal plans: Breakfast US$10 and dinner US$25 per person, per day plus Government Tax. Rates subject to change without notice. A 20% deposit is required to confirm all reservations with full payment due 4 weeks prior to arrival or payment in cash on arrival. Credit cards not accepted. |
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How to Book
To make further enquiries or reservations for Epping Forest Guest House Grenada, please use the WEB, TELEPHONE OR DIRECT EMAIL ENQUIRIES link at the top of this review. |
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Locality
Epping Forest is in Perdmontemps in the parish of St David’s, a rural area of southern Grenada that is quite undeveloped and can feel quite remote (though in fact it is just a short drive from anything you will need). You will find many small villages with brightly painted wooden chattel houses in the area as well as the occasional other plantation house - you’re bound to pass St Paul's Tower, a stone house built in the English Victorian style complete with slate roof. Apparently it was built by an Englishman for his wife who found it hard to settle in Grenada. The idea was to try and help her feel more at home in an English style house!
You can be in St George’s within 15 minutes or at the airport in about 20 minutes. The Grand Etang Lake and Forest Reserve is about 40 minutes away. If you set off to the east on a tour of the island, the town of Grenville (also called Rainbow City and La Baye) is about 50 minutes away where you will find one of the largest nutmeg processing factories on the island. The lovely coves of the south coast are just a few minutes drive down the hill. The very popular area of Grand Anse is about 15 minutes away. You will pass it on the way from the airport. |
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Meet & Greet
The owners of Epping Forest provide a complimentary return transfer from/to the airport if you are staying for three nights or more. Alternatively, if you are travelling independently, you can easily find an airport taxi to the property. Follow the instructions that the owners will give you – not tricky. The ride costs EC$50 and takes about 25 minutes, depending on the traffic. We don’t feel that a concierge service from a local organiser is necessary for Epping Forest guests as the owners will take care of you well but if you are planning to get married during your stay or need any other special services, we recommend you contact Caribbean Horizons. |
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Getting Around
While Epping Forest is a lovely location in which hide yourself away, if you are intending to travel around at all, then we recommend you hire a car for at least part of your stay. It is also advisable to book in advance if you want a car for a week or more as the rates may well be better. Book direct with Y & R Rentals or via your travel arranger. It is worth noting that in the winter season there is often a shortage of cars, so you are advised to make a reservation at the same time as you book your accommodation. Ask for your vehicle to be delivered to the property. Vehicles can be returned at the airport or be collected from the property at a pre-arranged time on your departure day.
If you don’t want to hire a car, and you are happy to be try out public transport, you can get around by using one of the many public minibuses that run on the main road just five minutes walk away. It is possible to get almost everywhere on the buses, eventually (though you have to go via St George’s). While they travel at considerable remarkable speed, they stop for anyone that flags them down and sometimes make detours to take ladies with their shopping right to their door. |
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All the information on this page comes to you free of charge and we do not receive commission for your reservation but would be nice to hear that our work is appreciated. It also helps if you remember to mention DefinitiveCaribbean when you talk to Epping Forest Guest House Grenada to enquire or book your holiday in Grenada, or Y & R Car Rentals for your Grenada car rental as our service to you may depend on how frequently our name comes up as a point of reference. |
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