Bunny’s Travel Highlights 2020
What were your travel highlights of 2020? Meh. Bunny has one word for you: coronavirus.
That pretty much sums up Bunny’s travel highlights for the year. She didn’t have huge plans to begin with (since she is currently busy building her residence in Carriacou) but she never thought she would basically stay put the whole year. That has never happened before in Bunny history.
Countries Visited
United States,
Canada and Grenada. 
Bunny did manage to visit three countries during the year but that almost feels like a joke. In the past, Bunny has visited three countries in a day (breakfast in Uzbekistan, lunch in Kazakhstan and dinner in Kyrgyzstan, anyone?).
Canada
Bunny spent the first two weeks of the year in cold Canada. She got reacquainted with the fluffy, white stuff on the ground (best avoided in her opinion) and decided that indoors was the best place for her after all. She enjoyed some quiet family time and delicious food in Ottawa and had an exciting mini break in buzzing Toronto.
Then it was time to leave the Great White North behind and fly south.
United States
In 2019, Bunny spent more than two months travelling around the United States, including Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Florida. In 2020, she spent one night there, a brief stopover in Miami on her way from Canada to Grenada. She might have ventured out to embrace Miami’s nightlife had she known this would be her one and only visit to the country in 2020, but she was oblivious to any looming pandemics and spent a relaxing day at her hotel instead of exploring the city.
Grenada
On 20 January, Bunny flew to Grenada and stayed there for the rest of the year. She was basically stuck there due to all the travel restrictions but using the word “stuck” feels too negative. Bunny loves the country after all! Grenada is where she is building her house and where she plans to set up permanent residence.
Besides, if you have to be stuck somewhere during a global, deadly pandemic, why not make it a safe, gorgeous, tropical island in the Caribbean. Things could have been a lot worse, Bunny says.
In addition, Grenada has handled the pandemic remarkably well. Just over 100 positive cases have been registered on the tri-island state. And no deaths! Bunny felt lucky and safe living on her island throughout 2020. Yes, there were a couple of unpleasant weeks in the spring when a total lockdown forbid her from even leaving the house. In the beginning of the pandemic, there was also a real concern about the availability of foodstuffs and other necessities but all that feels like a distant memory now as the world learns to live with the virus.
New Countries
Zippo.
For the last 10 years, Bunny has always tried to visit a handful of new countries every year. Naturally, the more she travels, the harder this becomes.
Unsurprisingly, 2020 fell totally flat. Bunny didn’t manage to visit a single new country, or even any new geographic areas during the whole year. Boo!
Weekend Breaks in Grenada
Once the total lockdown in Grenada was lifted in early summer and travel between Carriacou and the main island became possible again, Bunny took full advantage of the situation. Hotels in Grenada were empty and there were some good deals on offer.
So, Bunny travelled to Grenada half a dozen times for lovely weekend breaks with Mr. Bunny, trying out new hotels and exploring places she had not visited before.
First, she discovered a gem on the Northern Bathway Beach: Atma Island Living with its delicious cuisine, delightful rooms and friendly owners. Atma Island Living was also the perfect base to explore the beautiful Levera National Park (literally next door).
In June, when most of the world was in lockdown, the Bunnies enjoyed absolutely blissful days as the only guests at the Maca Bana Luxury Boutique Resort. The had the gorgeous Magazine Beach practically to themselves and spent hours sipping wine in their private jacuzzi with the best view in Grenada. Absolutely no complaints!
On many of her visits to Grenada, Bunny stayed a night or two at Radisson Grenada. This is her go-to hotel on Grand Anse Beach, probably the best value on the whole island with a very practical (not to mention beautiful!) location. Bunny also ventured on her first, but hopefully not last, snorkelling trip to Grenada’s somewhat spooky Underwater Sculpture Park.
In November, the Bunnies celebrated their belated wedding anniversary in Calabash Luxury Boutique Hotel. This is one of the best, if not the best, hotel on the island. The Bunnies loved their indulgent 2-night stay and vowed to return one day. (Blog post coming soon!)
Bunny didn’t neglect the Atlantic coast of Grenada either. In January, she spent a lovely week in a villa at Cabier Ocean Lodge, exploring the Eastern side of the island, including the old Pearls airport, Mount Carmel waterfalls and Grand Etang National Park & Forest Reserve. In November, she chose to stay at the quaint La Sagesse on a gorgeous, coconut-tree lined beach of the same name.
So while Bunny may not have collected any new countries in 2020 for her travel list, she was certainly not short of lovely experiences and memorable moments.
Lessons Learned
What did the year 2020 teach Bunny? Well, apparently, it is possible not to travel. This time last year, Bunny would have laughed at such an absurd idea. To live is to travel; that’s pretty much her motto.
But in 2020, she learned that it is possible to enjoy life without travelling. First of all, she learned the pleasure of exploring her immediate surroundings. This, of course, is no hardship if you live in a gorgeous tropical country with empty beaches, incredible underwater worlds, deserted islands, amazing viewpoints and even some historical sites at your fingertips. In addition, Bunny was lucky to get her first ever dose of the wild Carriacou Carnival in February 2020 - just before the restrictions and lockdown were introduced.
In 2020, Bunny also ventured into two completely new, unchartered territories for her: she learned to cook and started gardening! These are activities that she used to consider totally unnecessary and unappealing in the past. It’s funny how perspectives can change with a little pandemic…
Then there was the house project. Bunny spent most of 2020 obsessing about her construction project - building a permanent Bunny residence in Carriacou. The building actually started in May and kept Bunny busy with various tasks and headaches on a daily basis.
Construction is another area of which Bunny’s prior knowledge was practically zero, but this did not stop her from regularly sharing her expert advice with the construction crew. They were duly delighted.
The project is not quite finished yet, but Bunny is determined to move into her new house in the first quarter of 2021. Then it will be time to adopt a dog (yes, that will definitely happen!) and settle in. In the second half of 2021, corona situation allowing, Bunny is finally planning some major travel again.
Here’s hoping Bunny’s Travel Highlights 2021 will be a more exciting read, and yours too!
