The Canouan Resort

Canouan Island

Canouan, the central island of the Grenadines archipelago, surrounded by the turquoise Caribbean waters, has become an upscale, jet setter tourist destination, thanks largely to the efforts of the Italian-Swiss entrepreneur Antonio Saladino. Intrigued by this small eight square kilometre piece of land, Saladino decided to take advantage of its privileged position, sheltered from dominant winds, to build what would become an ultra luxurious hotel complex. Numerous investors were convinced to participate in the project including Donald Trump, who had a casino built as well as the Trump International Golf Course. Canouan, unknown until recently, is now famous for the beauty of its landscapes and the wealth of its marine depths. The site also possesses some of the Grenadines’ most beautiful beaches, offering deep sea divers the possibility of observing the profusion of coral in the waters of the Canouan Coral Reef National Park.

The incredible destiny of a hotel

Canouan, with its emerald earth and crystalline Caribbean water, is now a paradise of pleasure for business people and celebrities in search of peace and tranquillity. Who would have guessed that this tiny little island without any infrastructures or electricity and whose access was dependent on a simple ferryboat would become one of the Caribbean’s most frequented resorts for the rich and famous? At the outset, the project seemed like nothing more than an amusing pipe dream. Elena Karach, director of the CCA construction company explains: “Antonio Saladino had bought some land on the neighboring Mosquito Island, and he was bored with it. There was no town center, no conviviality, ‘ni bambini’.” In need of a new activity, he invested in 480 hectares on the adjacent island of Canouan, on which he built a luxury resort, with a 1200 square meter swimming pool, the most imposing pool in the entire Caribbean. The domain also contains other superb establishments like the Mediterranean style Monte Carlo Villa with its own casino owned by Donald Trump who is also responsible for the creation of the recently renamed, Golf Club. The complex was formerly the property of the Raffles group, until November 2010 when a contract was signed between Saladino and investor Dermot Desmond. A hundred million dollars were invested in a luxurious boutique hotel. The ultimate goal is to make Canouan Island the world’s most visited destination. Entirely renovated by Raffles, 130 villas were built on the hotel property within the framework of a real estate project known as Grenadine Estates.

Antonio Saladino recalls the great difficulty he had getting the resort off the ground and having to sleep in a merchandise container until the first buildings finally appeared.