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Caribbean Luxe, Asian FlairBy Suna Kanga
The 35-minute flight from Barbados was the last leg of our journey from Singapore to the Caribbean via the United States. Canouan is located within St. Vincent & the Grenadines, an archipelago within the West Indies (Antilles). Airport formalities at this Commonwealth outpost are casual but cautious. Having arrived from a world of stringent screening and security, it feels good to be welcomed with smiles.
Canouan Island is a special place for suppliants of luxury and splendid isolation – a place to own a villa on a championship golf course or sip a $300 martini with an olive impaled on a 24-karat souvenir sword. PHOTO CREDITS: Kanga Concepts, Raffles Resorts and Trump International For more information, email: reservations.canouanisland@raffles.com, or call 1 (784) 458 8000. Website: www.raffles-canouanisland.com Copyright Suna Kanga Kanga Concepts |
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Sky. Earth. Ocean. The illusion of endless space vanishes
with touchdown on the exclusive Caribbean island. As Raffles International’s
private seven-seater jet swoops to a stop, the pilots turn to the passengers and
announce, “Welcome to Canouan Island.”
Our getaway place is Raffles Resort Canouan Island, "the
grandest new resort in the region” as noted by Travel & Leisure. The island
promises sweet seclusion with enviable assets: breathtaking natural beauty,
ribbons of pristine beaches, large coral reef, 18-hole golf course with stunning
water views from every hole and the sprawling resort with a heavenly spa, fine
dining, hilltop casino, charter yachts, eye-popping bar list (with $300
martinis!) and an Olympic-size boxing ring.
Pampering commences with cold towels offered by a smartly
uniformed Canouan girl on board the Mercedes van with Raffles International’s
insignia. The lush, small island, (3.5 x 1.5 miles), appears relatively
untouched by tourism. The van cuts through the village of multi-hued homes
clustered upon a ridge sloping toward the ocean. From a corner bar painted
bright yellow music pulsates to counter end-of-the day ennui. We swerve to avoid
a large turtle and we step out for a closer look. “Canouan means Turtle Island
in our language. They usually come out at dusk,” says the chauffeur.
Palm trees welcome us into the exclusive world of Raffles
Resort Canouan Island. From a vantage point, we get a full view of the 300-acre
hillside resort within a sheltered amphitheatre that unwinds into a bay. Hugging
the protective hills at staggered levels are ochre-toned villas capped with
green roofs.
Italian-Swiss financier Antonio Saladino first opened the
300-acre resort in 1999 as Carenage Bay. Developing the $200 million
Sardinia-style property was an uphill task. “I took this island and changed it
visibly… Everything had to be brought in. There was a stage when the change in
culture was too much too soon but the people now realize that life is changing
for the better,” says Saladino whose venture now employs 1,000 islanders.
The property was re-launched in 2004 as the Raffles Resort
Canouan Island. 
At the heart of the resort is a 17th-century church shipped
from England and reconstructed in the 19th century. Skirting a reflecting pool
is the airy Reception area decorated with gauzy, white Balinese-style hangings.
Guests are welcomed with Singapore Slings and lilting Caribbean accents. With
the room card comes a key to one’s personal golf cart – and the freedom to roam
the vast hilly terrain.
The resort’s highly-rated Trump International Golf Club is
an 18-hole, par 72, championship course with gorgeous ocean views. Designed by
Jim Fazio, it offers an enthralling view of surrounding islands from the
signature Hole 13. The golf course is a good reason to travel halfway around the
world!
Luxury is a 560 square-foot ocean-facing oasis with extras
such as an espresso machine, stove and two mini bars. Luxury is unseen service,
no knocks on the door, RafflesAmrita Spa toiletries, a newspaper of choice,
pillow preferences, laptop computer, (Internet access is fast and complimentary
at the Business Center), and room service champagne and Raffles caviar.
RafflesAmrita Spa is a seductive experience from start. A
hillside timber deck leads us into a serene, seaside world where spa director
Shirley Meerson offers Caribbean and Asian treatments. An open funicular conveys
us to the thatched-roofed palapas (treatment suites) on three levels and an open
“breathing space” for morning yoga and chi sessions. Two Grand Palapas rise from
the ocean and feature glass floors with reef views. Indulgence is sinking into
the bubbling oblivion of a private Jacuzzi with an ocean view before submitting
to the gentle touch of a silent masseur.
Canouan is the sailing capital of The Grenadines and has
some of the best diving waters. With a world renowned yachting company,
Moorings, based here island-hopping is popular and celebrities often slip into
Canouan on private yachts. To explore the coral reef we board a sleek, 30-foot
motor boat and zips to a cluster of hilly islands where the Pirates of the
Caribbean was filmed. Music signals the emergence of a wicker picnic basket
with smoked salmon sandwiches, seafood and avocado wraps and fruit. Rum punch
completes our Caribbean caper.
At the restaurants, Raffles’ input is seen in the seamless
Asian-style service offered with sunny Caribbean friendliness. Stylish La
Piazza, acclaimed for the best Italian cuisine in the Caribbean, has an
impressive collection of Italian wines. At spectacularly located hilltop La
Varenne (within Trump Club Privee casino) gourmet evenings begin with Raffles
caviar and champagne. Poolside Jambu’s lavish breakfast buffet sets the mood for
the day. 
“Asian food is what pleases many guests,” observed Balinese
executive chef Suardi Nyoman Nio. Our favourite is the beach bar and grill,
Godahl’s, where flames rise from spherical, mosaic-studded “kamados” (barbecues)
on a barbecue night. Jumbo prawns, fish, octopus, local sausages, chicken (in
satay sauce), beef and venison, (the best!), are enjoyed with blue potatoes,
noodles, crab claws and salads as a steel band livens the tempo. 
A destination resort creates its own psychology be it
golfing, yachting, spa treatments or fine living. The ultimate indulgence is to
own a piece of paradise -- a Trump Island Villa. Being developed within a
prestigious enclave are 135 villas and custom-designed residences on 1,000 acres
of lush mountainous terrain. Prices range from U.S. $1.4 million for Golf Villas
to U.S. $2.7 million for Estate properties.