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Canouan

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A sliver of the Grenadines three and a half miles long, a barrier reef on its Atlantic flank, an 18-hole Jim Fazio course, and a runway long enough to land the jet on the island itself.

Fly to Canouan All of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Arrival
Canouan · CIW
To the resort
About 12 minutes by car to Carenage Bay
Private jets
Straight onto the island at CIW
Best time
January to March

The city

Reef on one side, calm bays on the other.

Canouan measures some three and a half miles by one and a quarter, and around 1,700 people live on it. The northern half, about 1,200 acres, is a private estate run since 2018 by Mandarin Oriental. Charlestown, the largest settlement and the main wharf, faces Grand Bay, a beach popular with islanders and visiting sailboats.

Along the windward shore runs Grand Cois, among the longest barrier reefs in the Caribbean, keeping the water still in Godahl, Carenage and Mysore bays. Dry forest covers much of the interior. Sunshine peaks in the first quarter of the year, while the second half brings most of the rainfall.

  • Grand Cois The barrier reef along the Atlantic side, and the sheltered lagoons behind it.
  • Mount Royal At 267 metres the island's summit, inside the private estate in the north.
  • Grand Bay The beach at Charlestown, also called Charlestown Bay, and the anchorage in front of it.

Arriving

A jetport in the Grenadines.

Canouan's airport, rebuilt on reclaimed land and reopened in 2008, has a lit runway of 1,791 metres with instrument approaches. It takes narrow-body airliners and almost any private jet, and it is an airport of entry with customs.

Business & First Class Island hops There is no long-haul service. SVG Air flies from St Lucia Hewanorra and from Argyle on St Vincent, about a quarter of an hour away, and Barbados is under an hour by small aircraft, the route Mandarin Oriental itself recommends. Business & First fares Private Jet Landing on Canouan Midsize and large business jets fly directly to the island. Handling is mandatory and Canouan Aviation Services, which also runs the Jet A-1 fuel farm, meets each aircraft. The tower keeps set daytime hours, extended on request. Charter a jet
Approximate flying time by midsize jet
  • St Maarten 1 h 10
  • Punta Cana 1 h 40
  • Washington 4 h 40
  • Zurich 9 h 55 long-range jet
  • Cape Town 13 h 05 long-range jet

When to go

January to March.

Afternoons stay at 27 to 30 °C whatever the month. January to March are the brightest and least rainy weeks of the year. By July the monthly rainfall passes 300 mm, and it stays high until November.

  1. 27° J 130 27°
  2. 27° F 97 26°
  3. 28° M 104 27°
  4. 29° A 110 27°
  5. 30° M 149 27°
  6. 29° J 234 27°
  7. 29° J 305 28°
  8. 29° A 282 28°
  9. 29° S 270 29°
  10. 29° O 309 29°
  11. 29° N 271 28°
  12. 28° D 186 28°
Best months weather2travel.com, long-term averages

Where to stay

The estate in the north.

Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.

Where to dine

Dinner on the estate.

No MICHELIN Guide covers St Vincent and the Grenadines, and no guide singles out a table on Canouan. Tides is the evening restaurant of the Mandarin Oriental.

  • Tides Bar + Grill Dinner restaurant, Mandarin Oriental, Canouan Surf and turf Mandarin Oriental, Carenage Bay

Elsewhere in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

More reasons to come.

All of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Flying to Canouan?

Choose how you arrive.

A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.

Business & First Private Jet