A few miles south-west of its rather more exotic neighbour Mustique, tiny Canouan may be at last ready to shrug off its image as the ‘forgotten island' of the southern Caribbean.
Thanks to the vision of two multi-millionaires, the green and hilly three square miles of Canouan have been transformed into a multi-activity holiday destination.
The spectacular island now offers everything that most visitors could possibly want – thanks to Swiss-Italian banker Antonio Saladino and American businessman Donald Trump, who have ensured there is plenty to do ashore and afloat, as well as simply soaking up the sun.
At the heart of the Grenadines chain, Canouan has five palm-fringed, soft white coral sand beaches, bath-warm brilliant turquoise seas, a 1.5-mile coral reef, views for miles over the Caribbean from its peaks and average minimum temperatures around 25C.
Visitors meander the snaking network of narrow roads and paths in golf carts, taking care to avoid the population of tortoises – known locally as turtles – after which the island was named.
The island has one of the world's most spectacular golf courses in the world – the championship standard 6,495-yard Trump International, with a 360-degree view across the Caribbean and Atlantic from the signature 840-foot-high 13th hole.
If your efforts on the green leave you hungry, you'll be spoilt for choice. A short buggy ride away from the hotel, and right on the beach, is the Resort's Jambu's all-day restaurant, with its Latin and Japanese influenced cuisine.
The real highlight of any holiay here, however, lies just 20-minutes offshore – the chance to snorkel among sea turtles in the turquoise waters of the uninhabited islands of Tobago Cays.
Encircled by a horseshoe shaped reef, the Cays – now a wildlife reserve – have clear waters which abound with sea life and corals.
And there is even the chance of wading ashore to experience a Robinson Crusoe moment, as the only person on a tiny desert island.
If you go
- Take a motorboat to Tobago just 40 minutes away.
- Wallow in top-of the-range facilities on the 300-acre Raffles Resort or the Tamarind Beach Hotel & Yacht Club.
- De-stress yourself in the Raffles Amrita Spa which has 10 secluded, thatched cliffside treatment rooms.
- Check out authentic Caribbean and Italian cuisine at Tamardin Beach Hotel's Palapa restaurant.
