Flamboyant Hotel & Villas

In Depth

The Flamboyant Hotel is a friendly, medium-sized hotel of just the sort that gives Grenada its individual character. In a region best known for its chain resorts, Flamboyant is easy-going and independent as well as informal, both in atmosphere and in its layout. One part of the hotel, the daytime heart, is centred down around the beach – here you will find the pool, the dining room, bar and watersports. The other centre of the hotel is on the hillside above them. Reception and the bedrooms stand ranged in a number of buildings that perch on the steep flank of a hill.

The beach may be the best known feature of a Caribbean holiday, but at Flamboyant you will probably find yourself lingering up top too. Each room has its balcony with a view, one of the loveliest you can expect in the Caribbean. The rooms all look north along the leeward coast of Grenada, over Grand Anse and the spectacular blues of the sea, then to the green of the island beyond, which rises to mountains and clouded heights against the rich blue Caribbean sky. The houses around the capital St George’s, which is partially hidden in its bay, are visible as tiny dots of colour flecked on the mantle of green. The scene also looks very good at night, when hundreds of pinpricks light up the darkness in the distance.

If you arrive at the Flamboyant by walking along the beach you come to the first dining room, where lunch is served, on a pretty deck with an awning in a natural Caribbean style. Above it is the main dining room, which is slightly more formal, though still open-sided with a lovely sea view. It has trellises laced with greenery and an interior roof of exposed white beams. Breakfast and dinner are served here. A few steps away is the Owl Bar, which is dressed in the style of an English pub with a hefty wooden bar and leather bench seating around the walls. There is quite often entertainment too, so it can be very lively and sometimes goes on late into the evening (the rooms are a good way away, so you will not be disturbed). To continue the theme of the English pub, it has a pool table and darts.

In the same building as the Owl Bar you will find Flamboyant’s meeting and conference facilities. On the ground floor is a board meeting room and upstairs there is a large air-conditioned function room (it can hold up to 200), which is ideal for weddings. Also upstairs, off the side of the building, is one of a number of sunning areas, a deck with a whirlpool. This overlooks the main pool, which is set above the restaurant on a deck with loungers. At the far end there is an open-air bar, and beyond it a gym. Finally, on a garden terrace above the pool, you will see a gazebo, which is used for weddings and for massages with a view.

You are more likely to approach the hotel on the road that climbs out from Grand Anse. Actually the road bisects the resort, but it is really very quiet so it makes very little difference. The Reception is set on the ground floor of one of the main blocks, of which there are six. Here you will find an internet station, a sitting area and a small gift shop. The accommodation is set behind here, in two and three storey blocks that are ranged across the hillside and reached by stepped walkways. The rooms at the Flamboyant are in modern Caribbean style and have a nice light feel to them. They mostly have terra cotta tiles, with wicker furniture and bright Caribbean fabrics set against a light background. They are also extremely flexible in their configurations, with adjoining rooms, suites and apartments that can be linked to make up family accommodation.

The Flamboyant Hotel has a nice combination of tranquillity and relaxation on the one hand, with a certain liveliness and activity on the other, largely divided between the two halves of the resort. In quieter moments you can spend time on your balcony up top, reading and enjoying the view, but then if you want the activity of the beach or entertainment, there is always something happening down below at the restaurant and bar area.

Beach & Swimming

The Flamboyant is set right at the end of Grand Anse beach, in its own corner of the bay's superb soft white sand. Grand Anse is the best known beach on Grenada and rightly so. There are two miles of it and it gives onto an excellent sea in a million shades of blue. Although there are quite a few resorts and hotels on this stretch, with pockets of activity around the sports centres and bars, there is also plenty of space if you want to sprawl out.

At the Flamboyant itself the path from the rooms down to the beach is quite steep, but if you have mobility problems the hotel provides a ride. The pool is also down in the beach area, set just above the main dining room. The pool is generally fairly quiet and it can be a nice retreat from the activity of the beach. You will also find a whirlpool on the raised deck off the conference room.

Sports & Recreation

Flamboyant offers complimentary snorkelling equipment, ocean kayaks and pedal boats. Other watersports rentals are available on Grand Anse Beach nearby. At Flamboyant there is a dive operator, Dive Grenada, who offers dive packages for guests of the hotel. They hold weekly introductory scuba lessons in the pool.

A massage therapist is on call and can come to your room. However, you might also choose to take your treatment in the gazebo that is set above the pool area, in a very pretty setting looking over Grand Anse Bay and the island beyond.

The hotel has a games room with a billiards table, table tennis, darts and other board games. The Grenada Golf Club, about 1.5 miles away, has a 9-hole course for which Flamboyant offers complimentary green fees.

Staff

Flamboyant has grown steadily over the years, but many of its staff have been there since its opening in the late 80s. Annette Strachan has worked as a maid since the early 1990s, as has Mrs Francis (Noni), who is the assistant manager (weddings). Kyran Gooding started as a carpenter's mate/helper and is now maintenance manager.

Lawrence Lambert himself lived in Canada for 18 years, where he worked as a hotel and restaurant manager in the Sheraton and Hyatt. In 1988 he retired and returned to Grenada. He brought a number of local investors together and opened the Flamboyant in 1989 with nine cottages. Lawrence was awarded an MBE in the New Year's Honours list in 2000, which he was surprised to hear about it as he thought it was only for 'old people'. He could not make the trip to Britain to pick up the award and so it was presented to him in Grenada by Governor General Sir Daniel Williams.

The Rooms

The rooms at the Flamboyant are all set on the hillside in the 'upper' half of the hotel. They are in six main buildings, which are painted white with red roofs and large verandas, and with lively Caribbean names such as Shango, Reggae and Ska and Soul. There is great flexibility in their configuration because they adjoin one another and can be combined to create anything from a standard hotel room, through a suite to a three-bedroom apartment. There are also some hillside villas with two bedrooms.

Flamboyant's rooms are decorated in current Caribbean style, with light ceramic or terra cotta tiles, bright fabrics and colourful Caribbean prints against a light background. They are relatively simple but perfectly comfortable. The furniture is made of wood or wicker and all rooms have a balcony, air-conditioning, IDD telephone, cable TV, computer data port and a safe.

Dining

The Terrace Restaurant is set close to the waterfront in the lower part of the hotel. Actually there are two dining rooms, one a covered deck right above the sand and the main dining room, which is just above it, set back slightly higher up the hill. A buffet breakfast is set out here every day from 7.30-10am and dinner is served each evening. Lunch is generally served on lower deck room. The cuisine at Flamboyant is international with distinct flavours of the Caribbean.

The Owl Bar is just opposite the main dining room. In addition to games and sports, it offers entertainment several nights a week with the Manager's Rum Punch Party and crab racing on Mondays, live steel band on Wednesdays, Karaoke on Thursdays, strolling calypsonian Extempo plus Karaoke on Fridays, and a calypso reggae band (winter season only) on Saturdays. There is also a Happy Hour each day from 5pm-7pm.

Weddings

The Flamboyant's commanding position overlooking Grand Anse Bay provides a pretty location for a wedding in Grenada. The hotel can make arrangements to suit your individual wedding requirements.

Useful Hints

Flamboyant is set on a fairly steep hill and so it is not suitable for anyone with mobility problems, however there is a shuttle service between the rooms up top and the beach/restaurant.

Practical Facts

Annual Closure Dates: Open all year.

Dress Code: Casual - shorts are fine for dinner.

Facilities: Freshwater swimming pool and sun-deck, Jacuzzi Terrace, Fitness Room, Open-air Massages, Owl Bar and games room - billiards, table tennis, darts, board games, 9 hole golf course 1½ miles away, Beachside Restaurant, Terrace Restaurant and Bar, gift shop/Internet cafe in lobby.

Complimentary: Welcome drink. A shuttle service from rooms to the beach and/or restaurant if don't want to walk. Weekly introduction scuba-dive lessons in the pool, use of snorkelling equipment, ocean kayaks and pedal boats and green fees at the Grenada Golf and Country Club, room service, daily maid service.

Other services: Air-conditioned Conference facilities for up to 100 people: Bougainvillea Room (available as one large room - 1620 sq ft or 2 divided rooms of 810 sq ft each) and Oleander Room (450 sq ft) with TV, VCR, Podium, Flip Chart Easels, standard set-up with tablecloths, skirting (if required) and water service. Flip chart pad, markers, overhead projector, multimedia projector, P.A. system, Internet (ADSL high speed) available at extra cost. See the Flamboyant Hotel's website for full details and rates.

Children: No restrictions - welcome all year round. Baby sitters are available on request.

Weddings: Arranged to suit individual requirements. See above.

Accommodation: 67 rooms, suites and studios

Room Types: All rooms have en suite bathroom, sea view, balcony/patio with table & chairs, air-conditioning, IDD telephone, cable TV, hairdryer, radio, mini bar, tea/coffee making facilities, in-room safe, laptop data port, 110/220 sockets and an ironing board with iron. 17 Standard Hotel Rooms have bath/shower with king bed or 2 twin beds. 21 Deluxe Hotel Rooms are larger than the standard rooms with bath/shower, king bed or 2 double beds. 8 Superior Studios have shower and bath, a studio room with twin beds or a king bed, kitchenette with 4 ring burner, oven, microwave, blender and toaster. 12 Deluxe Studios are newly renovated with a studio room with twin beds or a king bed, and a full kitchen - 6 studios have shower only and 6 have bath and shower. 9 Superior One-Bedroom Suites with doubles or a queen bed, bath/shower, living area with sofa bed (queen), kitchen with toaster and coffeemaker - inter-connecting doors allow doubling up of suites to create Superior Two Bedroom Suites. The Deluxe One and Two Bedroom Suites are a combination of room types with the one bedroom with the same facilities as Superior Suites with addition of blender and microwave. The two bedroom consists of a Superior Studio connecting to Deluxe Hotel rooms each side, one with a king bed and one with 2 doubles.

Credit Cards: VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and Diners.

Special Packages

Dive & Stay: Combined accommodation and dive package for certified divers at The Flamboyant Hotel with hotel based PADI operator, Dive Grenada.

Locality

The Flamboyant is set at the end of the beach on the fringe of Grand Anse, Grenada's liveliest 'tourist' area, so you are within an easy ride of the action but slightly removed from it. By day there is all the activity of the beach and then in the evenings there are bars and restaurants if you wish to go out.

Beyond Grand Anse it is a short ride by car or bus to St George's, Grenada's extremely pretty capital town, where there are waterfront cafes and a very lively local market as well as other shops. Or you can turn south and head to one of the many coves along the southern coastline or on the Point Salines peninsular. In them you will find some of the Caribbean's finest beach bars. Try the Aquarium, the Beach House and La Sagesse.

Heading the other way from the Flamboyant, away from Grand Anse, you come to a quiet, enclosed cove called Morne Rouge, which is ideal for children because it is very calm.

Meet & Greet

The Flamboyant does not offer a pick up from the airport but there are always taxis available outside. The ride to the hotel costs around EC$30 and takes 15 minutes. If you would feel more comfortable using the concierge services of a local organiser, which will include meeting you at the airport, arranging airport transfers and island activities, we recommend you contact Caribbean Horizons.

If you are travelling with a tour operator, their representative should be at the airport to meet you.

Getting Around

A car can make an excellent addition to a trip to the Caribbean, if you intend to explore the island, and is important if you are intending to cater for yourself in any major way. You will need to buy your food and then you can head off to one of the many beach bars and out to dinner in the evenings. Book direct with Y&R Car Rentals or via your travel arranger. It is advisable to book in advance, first because cars can become booked up during the winter season and also if you want a car for a week or more as pre-booked rates are often better. Unless you know the way, it is probably a good idea to ask for your vehicle to be delivered to the hotel the morning after your arrival. Vehicles can be returned at the airport or be collected from the property at a pre-arranged time on your departure day.

Taxis are available through Reception, although you are advised to book in advance. Local buses do come down into Grand Anse, but infrequently, so you will probably have to walk to the main drag. From there the service to St George's is frequent and the drive is fast.