Canouan Island is for the traveler who wants a getaway beyond the typical Caribbean escape. Accessible by a quick flight (preferably private) from Barbados, you’ll arrive at the quaint, oceanside airport, where a Pink Sands Club staff member will greet you in a Mercedes-Benz, to escort you to check-in.
“People say it’s like Jurassic Park,” the driver says, as he guided the car through the narrow jungle-like path around the 3-mile long island. With only 2,300 people on Canouan, 700 of them natives, the village is small. “That’s my mother!” he pointed out to the left, at a woman walking along the cliffside. Yes, that small. But with the size of the island comes an exclusivity, a feeling of really getting away from it all and discovering true paradise. Here’s how to spend a weekend in Canouan, otherwise known as the island of tortoises.
Private Jet
Friday Night:
Arrive at The Pink Sands Club, where the attentive staff will guide you to your suite, a space decked out in marble, plush linens, and iPads to control each corner of the room. You’ll want to crash onto your irresistible king bed, but muster the energy to have dinner at Romeo, the resort’s restaurant serving pan-Asian cuisine cooked over a Molteni stove, Tandoori, or Brick Oven. Then complete the night with undisturbed sleep.
Romeo Restaurant at The Pink Sands Club
Saturday Morning:
Wake up early enough to catch the yoga class upon the spa’s hill top, looking over the blue ocean. Even non-yogis will enjoy starting the day in downward facing dog with a view like this.
Breakfast is served at the Lagoon Cafe, a bright space serving up omelets, buttery pastries, crunchy granola, and a different freshly squeezed juice every day like Cantaloupe and Honeydew Melon.
Saturday Afternoon:
Set sail for the resort’s tours of the Tobago Cays, where you’ll get a face-to-face meeting with the turtles as you snorkel through the turquoise waters. The boat features a sundeck area for kicking back with a glass of Prosecco and working on your tan.
Beach
Our advice: Seasick prone-passengers, stock up on Dramamine, and all sailors should bring extra bottles of sunscreen to avoid a burn.
Saturday Night:
Post sea-cruise, unwind in your suite’s deep-soaking tub, before taking your golf cart to the island’s highest point, atop the golf course. Rather than play a round (although every golfer should during a stay), visit to watch the sunset and a 360-degree can’t miss view. Drive down the hill and stop at L’ance Guyac for dinner, a beachy, semi-outdoor restaurant lit by tiki torches. You can’t go wrong with the Whispering Angel rosé and lobster.
Golf Course
Sunday Morning:
Now is the time to get your golf game in, or tennis, if you prefer, on one of the resort’s tennis courts. Spend the morning soaking in the sun, then finish with another Lagoon Cafe breakfast. This time, don’t miss the smoothie of the day, made with the freshest fruit of the morning like mango and strawberries.
Tennis
Sunday Afternoon:
Before jetting back to Barbados and your final destination, make your appointment at the Pink Sands Club Spa. Unwind in one of the treatment rooms, where you won’t hear music during massages, facials, and body treatments, but the sound of the crashing waves instead. My measurement of a great spa treatment? When you’re so close to dozing off. And it’s hard not to in this oasis of relaxation.
Pink Sands Club Spa
While a quick weekend on Canouan is do-able, you’ll find it’s simply not enough time. Proceed to booking your next escape on the flight home, while you dream of snorkeling with the sea turtles and lounging by the infinity pool.
