Super Model Island: Canouan is to the Caribbean what Gisele Bunchen is to the Runway

Raffles Resort Canouan Island

I’ve recently met paradise, and her name is Canouan. She’s a beguiling mix of shy, coltish lapping waves and bold constructions of coral. This svelte island has the leggiest stretches of peppermint sand I’ve ever seen. The island produces nothing, no jostling of industry or agriculture - just an evergreen kiss of land on sea.

Raffles Resort Canouan Island Opens with a Bang: The first thing to know about staying at RRCI is that everybody - even those who quite like you - will hate you for it. Reason enough to book straight away. You might as well announce you’re also being treated to a midnight , in-suite couples massage with Jude Law. But when you’re dining at RRCI’s La Piazza watching a tangerine sunset, it’s hard to recall the rest of the world even exists, much less fret over what it might think.

RRCI has some of the most appealing topography as well as an impressive standard of sustainable tourism. The site boasts stunning vistas, creamy pink beaches and coral waters. Guests stay in nothing so conventional as a room. Dotted around the hillside, pastel villas give privacy and uninterrupted views. This is a resplendent resort of icing-sugar sand and champagne-laden speedboats; where delectable handmade chocolates magically appear in your bedroom and everyone looks as sun-kissed and sleek as if they’ve just returned from their last holiday. We love the private pools that come with the gorgeous villas:

Squeals from the 18th Hole: Even the most staid gentleman golfer has squealed with delight at the dramatic coastline view. If you want to see a grown man gasp, take your stoic to Trump International Golf Club at Raffles and watch his jaw drop.

Island hopping is the ultimate way to see the Grenadines. And if you can’t tell your sheets from your slips, a professional Raffles crew is at the ready. Captains Phil and Nicola Jones, a lovely Scottish couple introduced me to snorkeling, where I saw luminous parrotfish, trigger fish and swarms of angelfish.

Ooh-La-La-Amrita Spa: Raffles Amrita Spa massages the soul with relaxing treatments, whether physical (aromatherapy, deep tissue) or mental (yoga, meditation). The spa features 11 thatched-roof, palapa spa suites scattered along a hillside. Two over-water treatment suites feature glass bottoms looking down on a turquoise sea, only accessible by boat.

The Trump Effect: The Donald, renowned for his luxury brand of residential real estate, makes his first venture into the Caribbean this year with the Trump Island Villas on the RRCI site. Priced between $1-2.5 million USD, the three-acre lot choices include 18 Monte Carlo Villas in a gated community surrounding the Trump Club Privee Casino and 20 Marine Villas with individual boat slips surrounding a 30-slip marina.

How to Canouan:

• Leave status handbags at home - a basket is much chicer, especially if it’s Gucci.

• High marks for linen shirts. Minus points for mobile phones at dinner.

• Sarongs are good - especially Versace, and especially on men. Take tailored shorts as well - sarongs are no good for climbing into speedboats.

• You’ll need at least three bikinis: a designer for sailing, a stay-put number for swimming, and a strapless ditty for sunbathing.

• Many female guests look like Luxury Spa Finder models, so to avoid feeling frumpy and silently mortified over dinner, pack a silk cocktail dress.

• Don’t forget to pop into Hermes for monogrammed snorkel and flippers.

To Book this trip visit www.rafflescanouan.com

Hot Scots: Gordon Ramsay, Ewan McGregor and Tilda Swinton

Are Scottish Hotties Reason Enough to Visit Scotland?

TravelBIG says, “Hell Ya!”

A Perennial Destination: Edinburgh

All year round, Edinburgh offers a luminous cultural calendar complimented by scenic splendor. Teeming with history, this cultured city is now the hot weekend haunt for trend-spotters and bar-hoppers.

Edinburgh is a pocket-sized gem of a city. Built on a series of volcanic hills, the city’s spectacular architecture dates back to the 12th century. Perched at the most prestigious address in Edinburgh, the five-star Balmoral Hotel is a noble blend of charming Scottish Baronial dwelling and stately international landmark.

A mere twenty minutes into my stay at the Balmoral, I experience bliss in the form of the perfect scone. High tea is serious business at this property, with every ritual lovingly observed. It’s right in the middle of the action, yet with suites so inviting, it’s hard to imaging venturing out.

The Balmoral Hotel, 1 Princes Street, +44 131 556 2414, www.thebalmoralhotel.com

A short walk from The Balmoral, dinner at the Fourth Floor Restaurant at Harvey Nichols is a must. The long balcony allows for striking views of Edinburgh Castle and The Firth of Forth. Customized non-reflective floor-to-ceiling glass affords diners unimpeded after dark views.

Rolling in the Isles

The soothing tranquility I find on the ferry to the Isle of Skye verges on therapeutic.
I’ve a Viking’s vastness, sea lochs and anchorages to myself - try finding that on the Med, with its over-stuffed Speedos and hot cross buns. Hushed majesty at every turn, neither a house nor human to interrupt the beauty.

There’s no need to request a room with a view at Toravaig House: open any window and behold an epic landscape of ice silver seas. I can’t recommend Toravaig’s Iona Restaurant more highly. After a walk in the twilight air, I savoured the chef’s filet of salmon with herb crust, served on brandied fennel with a caramel sauce.

Scotland’s true treasure lies in its people. I enjoyed the loveliest reception from Lord and Lady Macdonald at their ancestral home, Kinloch Lodge. Godfrey Macdonald, High Chief of Clan Donald, runs it as an intimate, personal hotel - adding a new building in 1998, whose highlight is an open concept pro kitchen, dining room and lecture hall. This is where Lady Macdonald holds court over her massively popular cooking “experiences”. Part demonstration, part Ealing comedy, Lady Macdonald’s vivacious narratives are as addictive as her sweets and as treasured as her techniques. An award-winning author of more than a dozen cookbooks, she’s produced the most delicious food seasonal to Scotland for twenty years.

Lady Macdonald is not a fan of North America’s “supermarket” mentality and low-fat obsession. “I say eat fat, cheese, cream! Just not three times a day,” she chides. Claire Macdonald is to food enthusiasm what Hugh Hefner is to lingerie enthusiasm. It borders on naughty. A true sensualist, the lady slips me a candied orange peel with a wink. “This will blossom in your mouth, you’ll feel like Botticelli’s Venus,” she teases. I blush, the savoury rind blooms, and the lady of the manor conquers another palate.

Toravaig House Hotel, 01471 820200, www.skyehotel.co.uk
Kinloch Lodge , 01471 833333, www.kinloch-lodge.co.uk

For more Scottish Hottie News and contests visit www.dateahotscot.com

And your ultimate guide to visiting Scotland is www.visitscotland.com