Le Phare Bleu
Irvin Bay Review
Location
At the rear of Petite Calivigny Bay on Grenada’s indented south coast. It’s a scenic and very tranquil spot, with two smallish stretches of dark-sand beach fronting the property. But you’re isolated down here, with little in the immediate vicinity. Grand Anse, the tourist heartland of Grenada, is around 20 minutes’ drive away. You will probably want to rent a car for at least some of the time.

Style and Character
Le Phare Bleu takes its name from the old blue (and red) lightship moored out on a jetty, and shipped here on a freighter from Stockholm. The small-scale marina has slips for 60 boats, and there’s a customs office and chandlery. The atmosphere is very easy-going, but having yachties pottering around gives the place a pleasant, low-key buzz. The apartments and villas are set amid springy lawns, palms and pristine flower beds.

Service and Facilities
Le Phare Bleu is run by a really welcoming Canadian couple, Devin and Christine Nelles. The villa office is manned during the daytime. On check-in you’re given a mobile phone preloaded with a few East Caribbean dollars for making local calls. The villas are serviced every other day. There’s a good-sized swimming pool surrounded by wooden decking; it’s usable by restaurant and marina guests as well as those staying in the villas. Kayaks, paddle boards and hobie cats are also available (for free), and yoga sessions can be arranged on the deck overlooking the lawns.
Live music takes place every Friday evening on the lightship, and irregular concerts are laid on in the bay, with performers playing on an old tug and the audience watching from dinghies.
• Parking
• Restaurant
• Bar
• Laundry
• Pool
• Wi-Fi
• Beach

Rooms
With dark-wood floorboards, rattan furniture, and cosy bedrooms with beds draped in mosquito nets, the villas have a rustic feel. They are equipped with kitchens, and bathrooms have big walk-in showers with translucent tiling. The four ‘Villa Suites’, on the ground or first floor of a two-storey block at the rear of the property, are apartments really. Consider paying more for one of the nine single-storey one or two-bedroom Garden or Seafront Villas, which are very spacious and well-designed for tropical living, with sliding shutters integrating their sitting rooms with lovely big verandahs with swinging sofas. There’s also the two-bedroom Serenity Villa with a private pool, but it’s less characterful than the other villas.

Food and Drink
Phare Bleu’s Island Fever Tropical Tavern is a casual, open-air bar and restaurant. Painted in teal blue and white, it’s set behind the beach and by the pool. The all-day menu of comfort food has an emphasis on seafood. The fish tacos are highly recommended, as are sides of fried cou-cou and braised greens. Drinks include creative, craft cocktails. Breakfast is served only six mornings a week, and from rather late for the Caribbean (8.30am). You choose from an à la carte menu of cold and hot dishes; options include freshly squeezed local juices and a substantial fruit, granola and yoghurt concoction with nutmeg syrup. It’s a five-minute drive to the nearest supermarket to stock up on groceries for your villa.

Value for Money
Villa Suites from USD$227 (£174) in low season; and from USD$251 (£193) in the high season. These rates are very reasonable for Grenada, though the more appealing Garden and Seafront Villas are quite a bit dearer. Breakfast is excluded and costs around USD$11 (£8.50) for a hot dish and coffee. Two-night minimum stay required. Free Wi-Fi.

Access for guests with disabilities?
None of the villas are adapted. All but two are on the ground level, with a couple of steps up to access. There is ramped access to the restaurant.

Family-Friendly?
The two-bedroom villas would work well for families. However, you are isolated down here, and the beach isn’t the best.