“Oh, you mean Grenada?” It’s the question I get repeatedly after telling my friends that I’ve just returned from the northern part of the Grenadines—a region comprising 32 islands and cays scattered across the Caribbean ocean just south of St. Lucia and west of Barbados. The largest of the chain of islands, St. Vincent, is the most well-known, but most of its neighbors are a bit more elusive to many travelers.
Being relatively unfamiliar with the region myself and craving a quiet Caribbean jaunt, I set my eyes on Canouan, a 3.2 square mile island that’s just a 40-minute plane ride from Barbados. Canouan’s neighboring islands—which include Bequia, Mustique and Petit St. Vincent—draw high-profile crowds to its idyllic, yacht-dotted marinas and shores. And while Canouan has its fair share of jet-setting activities, including a $250 million marina full of retail shops and restaurants called Sandy Lane Yacht Club, it's the unobstructed mountainsides and quiet streets that allow the island to unfold slowly. The showstoppers in Canouan aren’t high-rise hotels or orchestrated tourist attractions, but rather stretches of empty roads that reveal the ocean at every turn, and one of the largest barrier reefs in the Caribbean. The heart of the island is also its residents—the farmers and fishers who help source dishes like roasted breadfruit and fried jackfish, and neighbors who gather for weekend soccer games or a Hairoun beer at Scruffy's Bar.
Firework content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Upon my arrival, a 15-minute drive from the small airport led to Mandarin Oriental Canouan, a 1,200-acre property tucked away on a cliffside, like an island to itself. The hotel is as secluded as it is eye-catching, with pops of pink and white around the grounds that create a vibrancy to match the glowing turquoise ocean that serves as the property’s backyard. There are 26 suites and 13 villas, each with plush couches, en-suite marble bathrooms, high ceilings and ocean views, and even entry level rooms are a whopping 1,300 square feet. When hunger or thirst hits, guests can take their pick of five restaurants and two bars—with a wine list that rivals some of the best selections I’ve had in France.
For pampering, the resort’s Balinese-inspired spa includes 10 hillside treatment palapas where you can enjoy services ranging from sleep therapy to facials using natural ingredients from the island. Two overwater treatment palapas debuted just this year—one of the only overwater spa experiences in the Caribbean—and include a full indoor suite for the spa treatments, an outdoor balcony overlooking the water, a steam shower, full dressing rooms, and a glass floor that reveals the Caribbean Sea.
No trip to the Grenadines would be complete without fully exploring its crystalline waters, and Mandarin Oriental has five beaches to get guests started on any aquatic adventure. Canouan is surrounded by one of the Caribbean’s largest living coral reefs, which draws snorkelers and divers from around the world to swim among its teeming sea life. On a boat trip aboard Mandarin's aptly named Living the Dream speedboat, I snorkeled through the Tobago Cays—an archipelago in the southern Grenadines with water so blue no Instagram filter is needed. Sea turtles, stingrays, and pufferfish were just a few of my companions against the backdrop of a fluorescent coral reef.
We stopped on the island of Mayreau—the smallest inhabited island of the Grenadines, covering about half a square mile with a population just under 300. The word “remote” is overused in reference to islands, but here, it truly does feel as though we’ve docked in a place without ties to time or anything beyond its shores. The only way to get here is by chartered boat, and the placid getaway remains uncluttered with just one hotel and guesthouse on the entire island. Mayreau’s Saline Bay is a crown jewel, with calm waters and sand marked with signs advertising freshly caught lobster. There’s also Lolo’s Beach Bar, easily identified by the red Hairoun beer crates that make up its bar and serve as seats. Here, it’s easy to wile away the day with a rum punch over soca tunes while enjoying a burger or grilled fish from owners Lolo and Owen.
Back on Canouan, the newly opened Soho Beach House—its first property in the Caribbean—offered all the fashionable crowds and uptempo bass pulsating in the background that the brand is known for. An added bonus at the Canouan property, though, are the extensive ocean views. The property sits on Grand Bay beach and features 40 chalet-style guestrooms, restaurants, bars and a gym. The main bar is draped by a palapa with seating that includes a mix of vintage lounge seating and a long banquette. Martinis flow easily here, and so do the sounds of lively conversation and lapping waves. For more nightlife, Scruffy’s Bar served up just the nightcap I needed. A huge rock jutting from the ocean is painted with the name of the bar on it, and there’s even a bench in the shallow waters right below to relax. The crowd is a mix of yacht owners and residents, all unwinding for the evening with rum punches and beers that will eventually cause them to form a conga line through the sand. I had no choice, of course, but to join them.
- Interior Design Trends to Know in 2022—And What’s on Its Way Out
- Kim Kardashian Gives a Tour of Her Most-Cherished Home Objects
- The Best Celebrity Wedding Moments in Vogue
- The Most Unusual Celebrity Baby Names: Y, Gravity, Pilot Inspektor, and More
- Sign up for Vogue’s wedding newsletter, an all-access invitation to the exceptional and inspirational, plus planning tips and advice