News: Grenada is back on map

The best deals, the latest hot spots and what's new in travel

Four months after Grenada was ravaged by Hurricane Ivan, the Foreign Office has toned down its travel advice for the Caribbean island. This week it reported that "each day brings improvement" and "a number of cruise ship operators have reinstated visits to Grenada". Several large hotels will remain closed until later this year, but much of the best is already open. The island has a string of charming, smaller hotels tucked away in the coves of its serrated southern shoreline. They include The Calabash, La Luna, and Petit Bacaye. They are all easy-going, friendly hideaways with classic Caribbean style.

Four months after Grenada was ravaged by Hurricane Ivan, the Foreign Office has toned down its travel advice for the Caribbean island. This week it reported that "each day brings improvement" and "a number of cruise ship operators have reinstated visits to Grenada". Several large hotels will remain closed until later this year, but much of the best is already open. The island has a string of charming, smaller hotels tucked away in the coves of its serrated southern shoreline. They include The Calabash, La Luna, and Petit Bacaye. They are all easy-going, friendly hideaways with classic Caribbean style.

Elsewhere the island is restoring itself. The beaches and the reefs did not suffer greatly, so scuba-diving is back. St George's, the prettiest town in the Caribbean, is still under repair but as lively as ever. Best of all, there are some excellent deals around for imminent departures. The tour operator Just Grenada (01373 814214, www.justgrenada.co.uk) is selling a week's holiday including flights, transfers and cottage accommodation for £715.

* Travellers from Scotland and Northern Ireland were due to get new connections to the Caribbean this weekend, but the airline running the service has postponed the launch by eight weeks.

In November, BWIA West Indies Airways announced that flights would begin today from Glasgow Prestwick to Barbados and Port of Spain, Trinidad. Similar flights from Belfast to both islands that were due to start tomorrow have also been abandoned. A dispute with Trinidad's civil aviation authority caused the postponement. "[The flights] didn't go to any travel agents and no bookings were taken," said a spokeswoman for BWIA. "All that's changed is the date." Services from Belfast should now start on 6 March, followed by Prestwick on 12 March. If these commitments are met, travellers will be able to take advantage of the new routes for the Easter holiday. The airline's website is promising fares from £299 return.