The Herald - The Herald Magazine
Canouan The new playground for the moneyed millennials
WHETHER it’s St Barts in the summer, Aspen for a winter ski or Bora Bora for a digital detox, you can always rely on certain parts of the world to attract the rich and famous. But every now and again a new playground appears, and superyacht owners set their coordinates accordingly.
The latest luxury hotspot is Canouan, a tiny but verdant island in the Caribbean archipelago nation of St Vincent and the Grenadines. It’s shouldered by St Lucia to the north and can be reached by a nine-hour flight from the UK to its western neighbour Barbados, followed by the ultimate Caribbean arrival: a 50-minute propeller plane journey gliding into a beachside airstrip.
The three square-mile island, which is home to 1,700 residents, isn’t short of natural beauty; it’s surrounded by small bays and coves, secluded white sand beaches and one of the Caribbean’s largest coral reefs, offering incredible diving and snorkelling.
A little over a decade ago, it was developed into Donald Trump’s home-from-home, when the tycoon invested in luxury villas, an international casino and golf courses. Now all traces of its ostentatious past have been erased and the focus is fixed on attracting a new type of moneyed millennial customer, looking for luxury and adventure in equal measure.
With a seal of approval from the Mandarin hotel empire, a superyacht marina, a purpose-built private jet runway and whispers of a Soho House in the works, Canouan’s stock is on the up. Here’s where to stay, play and kick back like a billionaire.
BEACHSIDE LUXURY
On the postcard-perfect Godahl Beach lies Mandarin Oriental Canouan. Formerly the Pink Sands Club, it’s the firm’s first and only outpost in the Caribbean.
If you’re thinking of a gated behemoth resort plonked on the island, think again. Epitomising barefoot luxury at its best, the colonial-style hotel has been built into the hillside with 26 suites and seven villas dotted among the flora and fauna.
It’s the kind of property that caters to the type of well-heeled traveller who likes to feel at home while they’re away. As well as a 24-hour butler service, my suite includes a Kardashian-worthy walk-in wardrobe (ask at reception and a butler can come and unpack your suitcases for you), a sunken marble bath and a huge living space that opens out on to a private manicured garden, leading to the beach.
As you’d expect, there’s plenty of gadgetry too, to help make the good life easier; the lights, music and TV (which is built into a sliding door at the foot of the bed) can all be controlled by the touch of an iPad.
Perched higher up into the hillside are secluded family villas overlooking the sea. Equipped with their own pool, golf buggies
and outdoor rainforest showers, they have the vibe of a celebrity Malibu-style beach house. The addition of a contemporary Italian-style kitchen means you can shut off from the outside world, but if you can’t face cooking you can summon a private chef to whip up daily meals and poolside snacks.
Most guests seem to be honeymooners and stressed-out bankers but families are covered too, thanks to a good children’s club onsite. Little ones can splash in a pool and play area, enjoy daily summer camp-style games and even learn to bake Canouan cookies.
So what is there to do once you’ve palmed off the suitcases, work phone and children? Pad up to the infinity pool and enjoy a glass of crisp rose while looking out to the glinting Caribbean, or robe up and head to the thatch-roofed spa, which has several Instagrammable treatment suites either nestled into the hillside or floating on covered wooden platforms in the ocean.
A funicular lift takes you up into the trees, where you can hear rolling waves from the massage bed. There are all kinds of wellness treats to pummel and soothe the aches and stresses of an international flight, ranging from Balinese massages to aromatherapy treatments.
FOODIE PARADISE
There are plenty of eating and drinking options scattered around the island, so you don’t feel like you’re trapped inside a resort bubble with other holidaymakers.
The hotel’s 1,200-acre estate is shared with the Grenadine Estate,which has developed high-end residential villas throughout Canouan’s hillsides. Further plans include a yacht club, fisheries, a sports centre, more villas, a waterfront development and a school.
The hotel encourages guests to dine in restaurants on the north side of the island, a short drive away. There’s super-romantic beachfront L’Ance Guyac Beach Club for excellent fish and handcrafted cocktails, or you can have a chilled-out, al fresco lunch of sandwiches, salads and grilled seafood at the nearby Shell Beach Bar & Grill.
If you’d rather stay closer to home, there’s a relaxed Mediterranean restaurant at the hotel, which serves tapas, brochettes and crunchy stone-baked pizza, or the open-kitchen Romeo restaurant, which serves family-style sharing platters.
My favourite is the intimate Juliet, a smart bar-meets-restaurant with a private members’ club feel. It serves an impressive list of wines from around the world, alongside tender beef dishes, freshly caught fish and delicious island-sourced vegetables. After gorging and glugging, you can slope off to the restaurant’s outdoor terrace and enjoy a nightcap under the stars.