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