Captivating Canouan
Canouan Estate & Golf Course
What a dramatic first impression we get of the Island of Canouan as we descend in the small private jet that whisked us from Barbados Grantley Adams Airport only 25 minutes earlier. We burst through hazy cloud and see below us a vibrant green lush verdant interior of dense forest and long expanses of white sand beaches, set against crystal-clear aquamarine and turquoise waters, and then, cut into the hilly forests swathes of manicured areas that can only be the golf course fairways. We are greeted warmly at the charming, cool, thatch roofed airport, reminiscent of old style colonial charm before being whisked off by air conditioned car to the Canouan Estate, passing through the local village, vibrant with colourful buildings, and hustle and bustle of a fishing community.
A small, barely five-square-mile nation in the southern edge of the Caribbean archipelago of St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Canouan has a noteworthy coral reef that runs for a mile and a half along the Atlantic side of the island, cushioning white sandy beaches from harsh waves and creating clear, pool-like waters ideal for snorkeling and swimming.
Canouan Island has seen in the last 18 months a flurry of luxury hotel activity. Alongside the more established and larger Canouan Estate, last year, the Mandarin Oriental made its Caribbean debut also on the eastern side of the Island, and the Soho House brand opens its first hotel also in the Caribbean on the West coast later in 2020. It’s to the larger and more established Canouan Estate that we visit with its impressive Jim Fazio designed golf course, 3 floodlit tennis courts, water sports, snorkeling and diving, boat excursions, hiking, fully equipped air conditioned gym, impressive Kids clubs, use of the Mandarin Oriental spa and even a 17th-century church. Both resorts, Canouan Estate and Mandarin Oriental, sit together on the 1,200-acre Grenadine Estate, and operate a smooth reciprocal arrangement for mutual guests to use all facilities, whilst also giving guests the choice of bar and restaurants.
Accommodation and Dining
After a short airport transfer to the resort, about 15 minutes, our Butler, Anthony, a local with a smiling and helpful disposition, meets us. He takes us into the one bedroom suite that is to be our home for two nights. The one bedroom suite is spacious with high vaulted ceilings, marble floors and contemporary colonial style of decoration that gives a cool and Zen like ambiance to the space. A generous lounge area complete with mini bar and Italian coffee maker all hidden behind sleek walnut doors, leads to large full height glass doors that open to a plunge pool and sun lounge area, and although our suite does not have sea views, (as most of the 2 bedroom suites do) we have views over the gardens and the 17th century church in the distance. The master bedroom which also opens to the patio has a large king four poster bed, beautiful and practical, as mosquito nets pull over at night to protect us from being bitten whilst we sleep. A dressing room with his and hers wardrobes and two full size bathrooms both with baths and showers complete the accommodation. Every detail has been thought through from the Italian coffee pods, luxury Aqua de Palma bath products, fluffy bathrobes and slippers, to plug adaptors to suit appliances you have brought with you from your home country.
There is a range of accommodation to suit whatever party size you might have, from one and two bedroom suites, some with sea views, to privately owned Villas, that can sleep up to 12 guests. Each Villa is unique in its style and decoration but what they all have in common will be an impressive sea view and the highest quality of Italian influenced decor and fittings, both inside and out.
Small and easily navigated—golf carts replace cars here and Anthony leaves us with our own room numbered golf cart to use to reach the facilities. Restaurants and bars have an Italian tone reflecting the heritage of the estate, and are either at the resort center which is a short buggy drive from our room and provides for al fresco breakfast at Bellini’s Bar and Bistro with either vies towards the sea or the beautiful 17th century church (the only surviving building after the island most destructive hurricane in 1921), or look inland to the golf course. For dinner ‘La Piazza ‘ offers a truly Italian experience. We visited Shell Beach Bar and Grill, a 10-minute buggy drive winding across the golf course and down to the serene and sheltered bay with amazing views of the reef and the calm pools of crystal clear waters. We ate fresh catch of the day (barracuda) but the choices were varied dishes such as jerk chicken and roti a Caribbean staple, fresh lobster, along with burgers, salads and wraps were all on the menu. An alternative to Shell Beach is the L’Ance Guyac Beach club, a semicircle of tropical paradise: powder-fine white sand, crystal-clear azure water, a handful of thatch umbrellas over lounge chairs, it has a laid-back beach vibe. But at night it really comes into its own. Torches light the narrow stone path down to the beach, where the sound of the water lapping is the perfect soundtrack for a pre-dinner cocktail in the tented lounge on the sand. Across all the dining options service was attentive and helpful. Visitors of the Estate also have the choice of the restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental. If you are in Canouan to celebrate a special occasion then the view from the 13th hole at sunset is the place to be, a 360 degree view of the ocean and the islands, ideally with a picnic or selection of canapés, champagne or sundowner cocktails all provided on request by the estates dining team.
Golf Course
Adam Hedges, director of golf, points the buggy up the steep and windy cart path as we begin the climb up to the 13th hole. He wants to show us the highest point of the course and then the dramatic descent down through the holes that make up the back 9 in advance of our round planned for the following day. Dodging tortoises as we go (the island’s name derives from a local word for land turtle or tortoise) who number more than residents and range in size from your average pet to those that are giants. We are slightly awed into silence and can only wonder at the foresight of Jim Fazio to see a course at all in this terrain. The following morning after a brief warm up, we are ready to begin.
The front 9 present a more gentle start and are characterized by fairly wide fairways, gentle glimpse of the sea and no real hazards other than some ups and downs to the greens. The exception is the long par 5 6th hole, which is less forgiving for a wayward shot and has an incline that hints at what is to come. Hole 9 brings you conveniently back to the clubhouse. The course has effectively two types of terrain the first 10 holes and the 18th are situated within an amphitheater and more protected from the elements, as the wind can become quite a factor. From the 11th to the 17th the terrain becomes much more spectacular and vulnerable to the winds, and is built around Mount Royal which reaches 877 feet. The highest and most dramatic hole is the par 5 13th, perched on a ridge with stunning panoramic 360-degree views and of the islands. Long and intimidating it takes both concentration and resolve not to be distracted by the stunning views and sheer scale of the terrain. What goes up must come down and the 14th, a challenging par 3 drops 100 feet from tee to putting green, followed by the 16th, one of the longest par 3 in the world at 305 yards, from back tees, with a massive 200 feet drop. With relief we return to the gentler final hole, which ends with a generous fairly flat fairway.
This course is one of the most spectacular courses in the Caribbean and is set to improve further with Adam at the helm, the greens can be on the slow side for those used to championship standard courses and Adam is working hard to improve this. The out of bounds and rough areas have been thoughtfully developed to challenge but not hold up the game.
Other Facilities
Whilst golf will be for many visitors the main activity there are plenty of options for rest days or non-golfers. At breakfast a whole posse of self-satisfied hikers appeared after their sun rise hike to the island’s highest peak, Mount Royal, from where it’s possible to see for miles across the St Vincent and The Grenadines archipelago. Boats of all sorts could be seen under sail between the island whilst powerboats were off on fishing trips or to the Tobago Cays Marine Park. Those keen on fitness actives are spoilt for choice with a large well-equipped air-conditioned gym and flood lit tennis courts with tennis pro on hand. The coral reef on the east coast, the Atlantic side, creates a perfect natural swimming area calm and safe and also provides for snorkeling and diving. If it is pampering you are looking for the Mandarin Oriental spa offers a full range of treatments, with ESPA products.
Final Word
Canouan Estate was a delight to visit not least because most of the staff, more often than not locals who seem to smile continually and there is a genuine desire to welcome tourism to the Island. The owner and developer of Canouan Estates has been very keen to take a philanthropic stance in the relationship with the local population and has contributed to the infrastructure of the Island by building roads, installed electricity to the island and residents houses and provided desalinated water for the first time and more recently built the islands first secondary school.
