Stay Connected in St. George's
Network coverage, costs, and options
Connectivity Overview
St. George's connectivity situation is pretty solid for a Caribbean destination, though you'll want to sort out your mobile data before relying too heavily on public WiFi. The main town has decent coverage, but it's worth noting that signal can get patchy once you head into the hillier areas or more remote beaches. Most hotels and restaurants offer WiFi, though speeds vary quite a bit—fine for checking emails and social media, but you might struggle with video calls during peak hours. The good news is you've got options: both eSIM and local SIM cards work here, and which one makes sense really depends on how long you're staying and what your priorities are.
Get Connected Before You Land
We recommend Airalo for peace of mind. Buy your eSIM now and activate it when you arrive—no hunting for SIM card shops, no language barriers, no connection problems. Just turn it on and you're immediately connected in St. George's.
Network Coverage & Speed
St. George's is served by a handful of mobile carriers, with coverage generally reliable in the main town and tourist areas. As you'd expect, the network quality drops off a bit once you venture into more rural parts of Grenada or head to some of the smaller beaches. For most travelers staying in the main areas, you'll get 4G speeds that are perfectly adequate for navigation, messaging, and browsing—we're talking enough bandwidth for Spotify streaming and Instagram uploads, though maybe not seamless 4K video streaming. The infrastructure has improved quite a bit in recent years, but it's still a small island nation, so your expectations should be calibrated accordingly. Hotel WiFi is widely available but tends to be the usual mixed bag—some places have surprisingly good connections, while others feel like they're running on a single DSL line for the entire property. Cafes and restaurants in the main tourist zones typically offer free WiFi, though you'll want to be careful about security on these networks.
How to Stay Connected
eSIM
eSIM is honestly the route I'd recommend for most travelers to St. George's. The main advantage is you can set everything up before you even leave home—download your plan, and you're connected the moment you land. No hunting for a SIM shop at the airport, no dealing with passport photocopies or registration forms. Providers like Airalo offer regional Caribbean plans that work well for Grenada, and while you'll pay a bit more than a local SIM (we're talking maybe $10-15 more for a week), the convenience factor is substantial. The quality is the same as local SIM since you're using the same networks. Where eSIM makes less sense is if you're staying for several months or need a local phone number for calling—in those cases, the cost difference starts to add up and a local SIM becomes more practical.
Local SIM Card
If you do want to go the local SIM route, you can pick one up at the airport when you arrive, or from various shops in St. George's town center. You'll need your passport for registration—they're pretty strict about this. The main carriers offer prepaid tourist packages, and you're looking at roughly $20-30 for a decent data bundle that should last a week or so of normal use. Activation is usually straightforward, though it might take 30 minutes to an hour to get everything working properly. The shops at the airport are convenient but sometimes have queues, especially when flights land in clusters. In town, you'll find better deals and more patient service, but obviously you're without data in the meantime. Top-ups are easy enough through the carrier apps or at small shops around town.
Comparison
Here's the honest breakdown: local SIM is cheapest if you're counting every dollar—maybe $20-30 versus $30-45 for eSIM. But that saving comes with hassle: airport queues, paperwork, and no connectivity until you're sorted. International roaming from your home carrier is the expensive option—potentially $10-15 per day unless you've got a good international plan. eSIM sits in the middle: costs a bit more than local SIM but way less than roaming, and you're connected immediately. For most week-long trips, the price difference between eSIM and local SIM is negligible compared to your overall travel budget.
Staying Safe on Public WiFi
Public WiFi in St. George's—hotels, cafes, the cruise terminal—is convenient but worth being cautious about. The issue is these networks are essentially open season for anyone with basic tech skills to intercept what you're doing. And as a traveler, you're accessing exactly the stuff that's valuable: banking apps, booking confirmations with credit card details, emails with passport information. It's not about being paranoid, just practical. Using a VPN encrypts your connection so even if someone's watching the network, they can't see what you're actually doing. NordVPN is a solid option that works reliably in the Caribbean and doesn't slow things down too much. Set it up before you travel, then just switch it on whenever you're on hotel or cafe WiFi. It's particularly important if you're doing any banking or booking additional travel while you're away.
Protect Your Data with a VPN
When using hotel WiFi, airport networks, or cafe hotspots in St. George's, your personal data and banking information can be vulnerable. A VPN encrypts your connection, keeping your passwords, credit cards, and private communications safe from hackers on the same network.
Our Recommendations
First-time visitors: Go with eSIM through Airalo—you'll have enough to figure out when you land without adding 'find a SIM card shop' to the list. Set it up at home, arrive connected, start your holiday immediately. Budget travelers: If you're really watching every dollar, local SIM will save you maybe $15-20 over eSIM. Whether that's worth the airport hassle is your call, but honestly, for most people the time and stress saved with eSIM is worth the modest premium. Long-term stays: If you're here for more than a month, the math shifts—get a local SIM. You'll save money over time and having a local number becomes more useful for booking things and dealing with local services. Business travelers: eSIM is really your only sensible option. Your time is valuable, you need connectivity the moment you land for that taxi app and email check, and the cost difference is negligible in a business context. Plus you can keep your regular number active for calls while using eSIM for data.
Our Top Pick: Airalo
For convenience, price, and safety, we recommend Airalo. Purchase your eSIM before your trip and activate it upon arrival—you'll have instant connectivity without the hassle of finding a local shop, dealing with language barriers, or risking being offline when you first arrive. It's the smart, safe choice for staying connected in St. George's.
Exclusive discounts: 15% off for new customers • 10% off for return customers