With the right weather conditions and the right katamaran it could take you just half a day to sail around the Caribbean island of Grenada. And if you’re lucky enough to do so, you could easily sail past the Six Senses La Sagesse without realising it was there. Nestled among the cliffs of one of the island’s best hidden bays, this jewel of a hotel is a masterclass in discretion. And disguise.
All the usual accoutrements of the beachside hotel are there: low-rise sandstone villas with private pools; a large infinity pool overlooking the ocean; for the more active there’s watersports; a clothing store; several bars and restaurants (one buffet, the other à la carte); a state-of-the-art spa and wellness centre with a sauna, steam room and massage parlour; golf carts that shuttle you from palatial bungalows down winding roads bedecked with shrubs and (increasingly fashionable) gabions; four imperial private residences on what might be termed the VIP cliff. Beneath this façade, though, is a hotel that does things differently.
At the heart of this difference is location. Grenada is a fascinating island, with a rich heritage and oral tradition. Colonised by the French in the seventeenth century, it passed into English hands in 1763 and only gained independence fifty years ago – though King Charles is still the ceremonial Head of State. Internal conflict threatened to tear the new country apart and culminated in the assassination of the prime minister, Maurice Bishop, in 1983 – and an intervention from the United States that became one of the only definitively sour points in the relationship between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.
Gone are the days of political upheaval: Grenada today has turned a corner and is mercifully laid-back. It is a tropical paradise best known for three things: spice, winter sun, and folklore. Of all the spices that grow on the island (the greenest and most fertile of the Lesser Antilles), nutmeg is the queen, featuring on the country’s flag and used in everything from teas to liquors. All around the island, its scent fills the air along with those of cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf. These are medicinal herbs, too: good for the gut and playing a vital role in regulating the circadian rhythm. Though you wouldn’t know it if you came in August for Carnival (or Spicemas), where the heady, camphorous mixture of herbs, drums and rum errs more on the side of rakishness.
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The Six Senses has put this heritage at the heart of La Sagesse: but with an emphasis on the medicinal rather than the jaunty. Before being whisked up to your room as you would upon arrival elsewhere, a receptionist will guide you through a selection of wellness teas – bay leaf, all spice, turmeric. It will be distilled into a little pouch for your morning brew. You’re asked to set an intention – it’s that kind of place.
Next to the clothing store is a magnificent library with mahogany shelves, home to row upon row of modern classics and regional literature. The vibe is infinitely more relaxed than in more classic, overly solicitous hotels: with the help of legendary hotel architect Simeon Halstead – the man behind the Sotogrande Beach Club and the Kempinski in Dominica – the Six Senses have created an oasis of calm that relaxes the traditional boundaries between guests, residents and employees.
As with all Six Senses properties, sustainability is important too. Bungalows hang on either side of a stream that flows outwards into the sea; so peaceful and quiet you might even make out the flutter of butterfly wings among the chirps of hummingbirds and flycatchers. Seagrape trees produce a wonderfully acidic variety of the traditionally vine-based fruit: find this and plenty of other local ingredients thronging the breakfast buffet and dotting the tight but vibrant dinner menu.
The food is consistently excellent – and for those inclined, the cocktails are smashing. Try the martini with hibiscus syrup while waiters regale you with stories about La Diablesse, Grenada’s version of the devil-in-disguise (an enchantress with a cloven hoof for a foot, concealed beneath flowing gowns).
Accommodation comes in different sizes, going up to four double bedroom options. For couples as for families alike, La Sagesse is a heavenly escape: the site is sprawling, designed never to feel crowded, and includes a beautifully curated kids’ area lovingly called The Nest. The dry season begins in December, just in time for Christmas. Ditch your skiing holiday this year and enjoy a lush, verdant landscape, where century-old palm trees stand handsomely above the ocean-beaten cliffs.
Flights make a first landing on the nearby island of St Lucia before surveying the Grenadines and reaching its final stop at Maurice Bishop International Airport. The Six Senses is located some 30 minutes away by car, on the east coast of the island. Sunset seekers, don’t turn away now. For those travelling from Europe, the four-hour time difference means waking up effortlessly for the 6am sunrise, which takes place over the cliffs: the ring of your alarm mercifully replaced by the sound of the ocean waves.
Christmas in the Caribbean might conjure up thoughts of rum-laced debauchery, but this is not the vibe here. The chief lure of La Sagesse is its love affair with wellness: there are sound bath classes, yoga classes and even an apothecary, where you can learn to make your own face balm or your own soap. Name the ingredient and you can be pretty sure they have it, from freshly pressed coconut oil to (of course) ground nutmeg.
In the spirit of relaxing and unwinding, there may be no better hotel in the West Indies than this one.
The details
Inspiring Travel is offering a 25 percent saving for trips between 1 May – 30 June 2025 , plus a complimentary upgrade to half board accommodation (savings of £2,299 per couple).
Seven nights in a Lagoon Pool Suite costs from £3,215 per person. This includes Virgin Atlantic flights from LHR to Grenada, private airport transfers and LHR lounge passes. inspiringtravel.co.uk
