Lance aux Épines Cottages
Irvin Bay Review
Location
The property opens on to Lance aux Épines Beach, a gorgeous stretch of golden sand towards the rear of yacht-filled Prickly Bay. Sharing the beach is the luxurious Calabash hotel, but it’s all very peaceful down here. The bay is very sheltered, so almost always good for safe swimming. It’s five minutes’ walk to Prickly Bay Marina, which has an often lively bar, a restaurant and mini supermarket, and several bars and restaurants are in walking distance. It’s a five-minute drive to Grand Anse, Grenada’s main tourist hub; many guests hire a car. The peace and quiet is occasionally disturbed by aircraft noise.

Style and Character
The 11 stone-built cottages and apartments are spread over three acres of lovely grounds, whose springy lawns are dotted with palms and other trees, including a magnificent ficus. In terms of the accommodation, it’s very much comfort over style.

Service and Facilities
Lance aux Épines Cottages has been around for decades and is well-run. Staff, led by Tim Brathwaite (one of the owners), are caring and friendly. The office is open during the day six days a week. Note that there’s no swimming pool – if you enquire about one on arrival, staff will point to the mill-pond calm sea. There are kayaks, paddle boards and a hobie cat for guests to use. A television/games room has a table tennis table, pool table and table football.
• Parking
• Laundry
• Wi-Fi
• Beach

Rooms
There are seven cottages and four apartments, with one, two or three bedrooms. All are furnished in a plain, somewhat old-fashioned style. But they are homely (stocked with lots of books), have loads of space including a big living area, and come with a fully-equipped kitchen complete with fridge, cooker, microwave, toaster, coffee maker and much else besides. Bathrooms have large walk-in showers. Bear in mind that only the bedrooms are air-conditioned, not the living rooms, and there are no televisions. The cottages are a bit more appealing (and dearer) than the apartments. This is because the cottages are in bungalows spread around in the grounds, whereas the apartments are clustered together in a two-storey block of four, so less private. Also, each cottage has its own picnic table, parasol, hammock and sun loungers, while the apartments share these facilities.

Food and Drink
This is first and foremost a self-catering set up. However, you can employ a cook for USD$5 (£4) an hour – a service many guests make use of once or twice during their stay – and you can pre-order a food hamper for your arrival. There’s also a new, appealing, low-key beach bar/café, with picnic tables shaded by seagrapes. Open Tuesday-Sunday from around noon to sunset, it serves burgers, hot dogs and grilled chicken, fish and steak, as well as drinks.

Value for Money
One-bedroom apartment for two from US$192 (£151) in low season; and from USD$312 (£246) in high season. No breakfast. Free Wi-Fi.
As well as covering daily cleaning of the apartments and cottages, the rates include a ‘light’ weekly laundry service. Very good value, especially in the low season – mid-April to mid-December.

Access for guests with disabilities?
None of the accommodation is adapted. But most of the units are on the ground floor, with easy access.

Family-Friendly?
Very much so. Lots of families stay. Babysitting can be arranged for just USD$5 (£4) an hour. While rates for the larger cottages are significantly more, they are still a good deal for families given the spaciousness of the cottages.