“I carry my home on my back.
Even as I begin to shrink and cough, I know home will stay with me.”
By Diana Ballon
They are the words I write during a short exercise in the yoga pavilion at Mount Cinnamon Beach & Wellness Resort in Grenada, inspired by a turtle I have chosen from the pile of objects. My daughter and I are participating in a one-hour creative writing workshop called “Writing the Ocean.” As I write, I imagine how my older brother might feel, lying in a hospital bed in Toronto.
When I planned this mother-daughter trip to Grenada, I didn’t know I would be arriving just after learning he would never leave the hospital. Boarding my early flight, I wasn’t sure how “well” I could possibly feel at any wellness resort, no matter how good it was, carrying that kind of news.
And yet—over a few days at Mount Cinnamon—I did feel lighter, but not for reasons I expected. The shift didn’t come from a packed fitness schedule or a roster of treatments. As a wellness writer, I have experienced many programs like this. Surprisingly, wellness also did not come from talking about my feelings. I am a writer, married to a therapist, and we believe strongly in the curative power of language.
Instead, my own healing felt quieter. It was the people I met, the daughter I spent time with, the rhythm of the days shaped by the steady in- and exhalation of the sea, the delicious, healthy food, and a setting of unmitigated beauty.
We stayed in one of the resort’s hillside suites—one of 36 suites and villas, many with floor-to-ceiling windows and private terraces overlooking the ocean, and Grand Anse Beach, which extends more than three kilometres.
The resort’s owner, Barry Collymore, described his approach simply. “Wellness is a lifestyle,” he said, not something you “try” on a vacation.
“I believe in creating wellness in places that allow wellness,” Collymore says. “You wake to birds chirping, swim in the ocean, where the air is clear, and there are no sounds of traffic. You do yoga, have a breakfast that is local and organic, get a massage at the spa with local ingredients, maybe do a tennis lesson, walk in nature, and then fall asleep to the sound of crickets.”
Days at Mount Cinnamon proceeded much like that—with yoga, swimming, reading, and playing ping pong and shuffleboard on the lawn. Evenings were centred around food—a BBQ bonfire dinner on the beach one night; unhurried meals of perfectly pan-seared fish and farm-to-table fare at the resort’s Flying Fish restaurant the others.
The first evening, we joined a small group for a Chef’s Table experience. Seated around a table, we watched as Executive Chef Jason Joseph dexterously prepared each course—there were six—from the seared yellow fin tuna with a lemon and avocado dressing, to the rich lobster bisque, to a “delicate” white chocolate dome with “chocolate soil” at its base, and layered with berry mousse and coconut tuile, with cinnamon meringue and salted caramel.
Much of what we ate was grown on the property. The next day, I wandered through the resort’s gardens, along paths lined with cracked nutmeg shells, past lemongrass, tropical fruits like pineapple and papaya, and leafy vegetables.
I learned that leftover kitchen scraps and organic waste are composted and returned to the soil. Rather than seeing life end, I witness the gentle cycle of renewal.
Grenada is known as the “Spice Island,” producing and exporting a significant amount of the world’s nutmeg and mace. Nutmeg oil, made from the nutmeg seed, is valued for reducing anxiety and stress—so I welcomed its use in my massage the next day—and truly did feel its curative effects at the hands of expert masseuse Janelle Purcell.
We also explored beyond the resort. One day, we drove just about a half hour to Grand Etang National Park, where we hiked to the first two of the Seven Sisters Waterfalls, and then swam in the cool natural pools under the falls. Another day, we headed out by boat with Dive Grenada, located right next to the resort, to explore the world’s first underwater sculpture park.
Divemaster Reon Barry was like a museum docent, pointing out the many installations on the ocean floor. I am particularly struck by a sculpture of 26 boys and girls holding hands in a circle. Like the cycle of life, they are constantly changed by their surroundings—in this case by the ocean’s currents, the action of the waves, and the coral growing on and around them.
It’s not difficult to live in the moment in Grenada. The stillness, and the rhythm and the beauty of nature, all quietly work their magic.
On our final morning, doing yoga, I glanced over my shoulder toward the sea in warrior pose. I felt grounded, like I could face whatever awaited me upon my return home.
“May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be free from hurt and pain,” said instructor Keshia Daniel.
These words resonated with me. I know I can’t control my brother’s health, but I can return to Toronto and sit at my brother’s bedside with a calmer sense of presence.
Later, as I listen to the Beatles music he likes, and read from his favourite Winnie-the-Pooh book, sunlight streams through the window. It’s the same sun I felt on the beach in Grenada.
It’s shining on us both.
Photos courtesy Diana Ballon, Mount Cinnamon Beach Resort, and Jason deCaires Taylor
Diana Ballon is a Toronto-based health and travel writer with a specialty in mental health communications. Her articles focus on wellness, fitness and outdoor adventures and have been published in The Toronto Star, Zoomer Magazine, Best Health Magazine, AARP’s The Ethel, Broadview Magazine, Azure, CAA Magazine, Canadian Cycling Magazine, Daily Hive, Travel Life Magazine and others.