Within the Caribbean islands of Grenada and St. Vincent, there’s a picturesque isle frequented by the super wealthy called Canouan.
The small 3.5-mile by 1.25-mile island has a pristine natural environment and one of the largest coral reefs in the Caribbean. There are just 2,000 residents, but multimillion dollar homes dot the island as well as a five-star Mandarin Oriental resort, according to Fodor’s Travel.
The former marketing director for the Raffles hotel, which previously operated the property before it became the Pink Sands Club and now the Mandarin Oriental, once called the island a place where “the billionaires go to get away from the millionaires.”
The Mandarin has 26 suites facing the ocean, decked out with marble floors and bright colors, as well as a number of sleek modern standalone villas. Each villa can go for as much as $10,000 per night during high season. There’s also a golf course, five restaurants and bars, and a church.
There are other hotels and restaurants outside of the 1,200-acre Mandarin grounds and soon there could be many more. Among the slew of development projects in the works on Canouan are a hotel by Soho House and a new resort by Aman Resorts International.
The island’s airport was recently expanded to accommodate larger planes and a new 120-slip super-yacht marina was built nearby. [Fodor’s Travel] – Dennis Lynch