Canouan, St. Vincent and the Grenadines: The Quiet Island With a Runway
Three miles long, half of it private, and among the emptiest good beaches in the chain.
Why Go
Canouan sits in the middle of the Grenadines, roughly halfway between Bequia and Union Island, and it is an odd and rather compelling place: a small, dry, hilly island of around two thousand people, with a runway long enough for private jets and a northern half given over to a resort and golf development. The southern half is a village and a series of beaches that see almost nobody. The result is an island where extreme wealth and ordinary Grenadine life sit within a mile of each other, and where the beaches are as empty as anywhere in the region.
The Experience
The island is about three miles long with a spine of hills down the middle and reef running along the Atlantic side. Charlestown, the main village, is small and unhurried, and the pace outside the resort area is genuinely slow — this is not an island with a scene. The beaches are the point: long white bays with clear shallow water, most of them without a single building, and a barrier reef offshore that makes for good snorkelling and calm swimming. The northern development is gated and largely separate, with the golf course laid across the hills. Getting between the two halves means a short drive on roads that are steep and rough in places. The contrast is the most interesting thing about the island and it is not always comfortable. The island also raises a question the Grenadines pose repeatedly, which is what happens when a very small place becomes valuable. Two thousand people, one runway capable of taking private jets, and a gated northern half is a particular arrangement, and it is more visible here than anywhere else in the chain.
What to Try
Swim, snorkel and do very little, because that is the honest programme. The beaches on the western side are calm and shallow with reef offshore; the Atlantic side is wilder and better for a walk. The barrier reef is the best snorkelling in this part of the chain. Beyond that, Canouan is a stop on a sailing itinerary and a place to be still — there is no museum, no historic town and no nightlife to speak of. Boats run to Mayreau, the Tobago Cays and Union Island from here, and the Cays in particular are the outstanding day trip in the Grenadines, a marine park of sandbars and reef with turtles and no habitation at all. Charlestown village is where the island everyday life happens away from the resort.
Insider Tip
Come by boat rather than by air unless you are staying at the resort. Canouan is at its best as part of a sailing itinerary — the anchorages are good, the Tobago Cays are close, and the island rewards arriving on the water rather than landing on it. If you do fly, be clear about which half of the island you are booked into, because the northern development and the southern village are genuinely different holidays at genuinely different prices, and the photographs do not always make the distinction obvious.
The Practical Stuff
Canouan is reached by small aircraft from Barbados, St. Vincent and other regional airports, or by the mail boat and inter-island ferries from Kingstown, which take several hours. It is roughly midway down the Grenadine chain. The island is small, and taxis are pickup trucks; a hire car is rarely necessary. Driving is on the LEFT. Facilities outside the resort are limited — a handful of shops and small restaurants — so arrive with what you need if you are self-catering. The East Caribbean dollar is the currency with US dollars accepted, and English is the everyday language. The country is in the hurricane belt, roughly June to November, with the sailing season December to April.
Common Questions
How do you get to Canouan?
By small aircraft from Barbados, St. Vincent or other regional airports, or by mail boat and inter-island ferry from Kingstown, which takes several hours. It sits roughly midway down the Grenadines.
What is there to do on Canouan?
Swim, snorkel the barrier reef, walk the Atlantic side, and take a boat to the Tobago Cays. There is no museum, no historic town and no nightlife — the island is for being still.
Is Canouan expensive?
It depends entirely on which half you are in. The northern resort and golf development is at the top of the Caribbean market; the southern village is ordinary Grenadine life at ordinary prices.
Are the beaches busy?
No — they are among the emptiest good beaches in the region. Most have no buildings behind them at all, and the western side is calm and shallow with reef offshore.
What is the best day trip?
The Tobago Cays, a marine park of sandbars and reef with turtles and no habitation, reached by boat from here along with Mayreau and Union Island.
Do you need a car?
Rarely. The island is about three miles long, taxis are pickup trucks, and most visitors get around without hiring anything.
Pair It With
- Canouan — The beaches and the reef, with nobody on them.
- Bequia Island — The larger island north, and the usual first stop.
- Kingstown — The mainland connection for boats and flights.
