Destination Feature: Canouan
Local Foreigner’s original home base in New York means we’re very well-versed in the Caribbean – whether for quick long weekends, gorgeously lazy spring breaks, or sunny holiday stays, hopping down to the crystal waters and sugar sand beaches southeast of Florida is a rite of passage for east coasters. Caribbean islands are like Pokemon – you gotta catch ‘em all – and one of the rarest and most coveted catches is Canouan.
Tucked into the gentle curve of St Vincent and the Grenadines, less than 15 miles from the shores of leafy and lightly louche Mustique, Canouan comes from a Carib word meaning “island of turtles,” and a slow pace is just what you can expect on this tiny enclave. The hook-shaped island is just three square miles, and your to-do list here is refreshingly brief – snorkel, get a massage, play 18 holes if that’s your thing, and hit the beach bar.
The diminutive size of the island is self-protecting, and limited airlift – while challenging when you’re planning your trip – is a benefit disguised as a hassle, as it curtails the crowds that descend on more accessible neighbors like St Lucia and Barbados. In fact, of the surrounding islands – which include the uninhabited Tobago Cays, where Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann are marooned in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie – Barbados shares a considerable amount of DNA with Canouan. But while Barbados is home to almost 300,000 year-round residents, only 1,700 locals call Canouan home. Despite their difference in size, both islands are home to chic, comprehensive resorts, world-class golf courses, and a pink umbrella or two.
Visitors to Canouan are usually seeking one of two things – the glass-clear water and castaway vibes offered by being on a speck of land in the middle of the ocean, or the rare combination of a full-service resort in an under-the-radar destination. Canouan has an answer for both types of visitors. The Mandarin Oriental Canouan, the brand’s first Caribbean outpost, luxuriates across a 1200-acre estate that occupies the northern half of the island; the resort’s 26 suites all offer an ocean view and outdoor space. It’s one of those places where the first order of business is to drop your bags, open the doors, and let the sea breeze start slow dancing with the gauzy curtains.
While the Mandarin Oriental’s suite décor is classically Caribbean, with splashes of pink that will speak to anyone who owns a Lily Pulitzer mini, the two- and three-bedroom villas are more contemporary, with sleek island touches in their exposed-beam ceilings and teak latticework. The epic treehouse spa is an escape of its own – the ten treatment rooms snake up the hillside and are reached by funicular (unless you opt for one of two overwater bungalows, and then you’re arriving at your massage by boat.)
Families who need more space will find villas with up to six bedrooms on Canouan Estate, and between the two entities, there are eight dining outlets; visitors bop between them by golf cart. The island is, of course, home to some slam-dunk beach bars – after all, rum is said to have originated on Barbados in the 17th century, so it’s always flowing on Canouan – and our favorite way to sample it is in the tasting flight at Turtles Bar, where it’s served alongside Vincentian chocolates.
Travelers who are especially resistant to shoes are also going to find lots to love here, and we point them toward the low-slung palapa rooftops of the Soho Beach House Canouan. The understated, retro-chic rooms at the Soho House are a little bit Harbour Island and a little bit Tulum, and the whole scene has a healthy dollop of the brand’s finger-on-the-pulse style. The 40 bedrooms are gathered convivially along the sands of Grand Bay Beach in blue-roofed buildings that mirror the waves, and a jetty with a sky-blue sign that’s giving original St Tropez Club 55 vibes is one of the most idyllic settings we’ve encountered for a private dinner set up.
For such a small island, Canouan has some seriously big-boy amenities – the newly-extended airport runway can accommodate aircraft as large as a G650, and a marina welcomes mega yachts up to 360 feet. The par-72 Tom Fazio-designed golf course is consistently listed among the best in the Caribbean, and from the back nine, players have views over both the Atlantic and the Caribbean. But there are also the charms we seek in a tiny island – beach bars with buckets of beer and killer secret-recipe cocktails that should be approached with caution, Hobie Cats, snorkels, and paddle boards. Divers can head out on half or full-day trips to explore world-class sites like the Purini Wreck, which sank in 1918 and is now an artificial reef, and the sprinkling of uninhabited spits and dunes that dot the surrounding waters mean a desert-island picnic is a highlight of any visit to the island (plus, friendly service means you’ll never have to ask, “Why is the rum gone?”)
Under the watchful eye of today’s visual culture and omnipotent social media, it’s rare to find something that has stayed as under-the-radar as Canouan has, especially a place that looks like it was built from the most charming pieces of seaside locales from Portofino to Puerto Rico. But this pocket-sized paradise with something for everyone is hiding in plain sight, sunning itself in the middle of the Caribbean like a contented turtle, waiting for you to slow down and take notice.