Canouan Island
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Canouan
Just 25 miles south of St. Vincent lies the tiny island of Canouan. Shaped like a half circle, Canouan measures a mere 3.5 by 1.25 miles and its capital, Charlestown, is actually a village. The island is surrounded by long, powdery white-sand beaches and blue lagoons. Surrounding coral reefs offer superb diving and snorkeling while the island’s 900-foot tall Mount Royal has virgin forests of white cedar.
The island’s first people, the peaceful Arawaks, lived on the island for 1500 years before the warrior Caribs invaded and killed off the tribe. Later, Europeans established a settlement on the island and many of the Caribs escaped to St. Vincent. There, they intermarried with escaped slaves from other islands and became known as the Black Caribs, a fierce enemy for the Europeans. However, they allowed the French to create a settlement on the island in the early 18th century.
More recently, the Raffles Resort bought half of the island and created a 299 acre villa resort on pristine Carenage Bay. Amenities include an 18-hole golf course, a European-style casino, the Caribbean’s largest hotel pool, four gourmet restaurants and a huge spa.
A smaller, intimate alternative is the Tamarind Beach Hotel and Yacht Club. Italian owned and managed, this inn opens onto the sands of Grand Bay Beach. Bungalow-style rooms, called seaside hideaways, are surrounded by tropical gardens and feature private balconies and patios. Two restaurants and two bars, a dive shop, sailing and windsurfing lessons, and “island safaris” to the Tobago Cays, round out the facility.
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