Stayed here for a week at the tail end of the cricket world cup. For $700 a night I expected a lot better. Service was very friendly but patchy, food disctinctly average. There are four restaurants but one if not two are always closed. Jambus is the worst serving fake Asian cuisine. The nouvelle cuisine La Renne (or whatever it's called) is a bad joke like something out of Fawlty Towers. Manager of the Gohdals beach bar was excellent. The Italian is good but again weird service - we tried to book one night to be told that there was only one table free. When we got in there was only one other table occupied. You will get stiffed for the wine in all of the restuaurants. Average bottles retailing for 7 euros at home selling for 50+ dollars. We ended up eating out at the other hotel for 2 of our 7 nights. I missed the weekly beach BBQ but heard from the others that it was superb.

Golf is $175 plus club rental. They had 40 odd green fees in the whole of April so go figure...

Breakfast was poor. Juices out of a carton, stale cereal, unripe fruit. For $700 bucks you'd think they could produce fresh orange juice. I order a Mojito on my first night - I got local rum (fine) with mojito mix from a bottle and dried mint from a container.

The island is also mosquito central so much so that they spray the hotel surrounds 3 or 4 times a week. If you suffer from bites be warned !

On the plus side, the setting is very pretty and the spa and beaches are superb. Definitely not worth the kind of money they're charging though.

John
Dublin, Ireland.

The Good:
The service is impeccable. The views are magnificent. The resort is so clean and beautiful. The villas are very quaint and comforable. They even had a baday. that was nice!! The golf carts they give to every room are so much fun. It feels like "Fantasy Island". We went the week of April 16 and it was nearly empty. At times, we were the only couple on the beach/pool. The weather was very sunny and breezy, so it was deceiving because you felt a nice breeze, but that sun was HOT!!! It was the best weather EVER!! The ride from the airport was only about 10 minutes. No hassles.
The staff is execptional and very friendly. They had lots of seafood on the menus, which is what I crave after a long day in the sun. Breakfasts are AMAZING. The gym is awesome and clean! They give you bottled water EVERYWHERE you go. Both beaches were very clean, but had seaweed in some parts. Once you swim past that, it was gorgeous.

The not so good:
Bargain Hunters, STEER CLEAR. Everything is pretty expensive. Expect to pay anywhere between $100-$400 per bottle of wine..... At times, I just craved a hearty salad and you just didn't have that option. They did have skimpy salads as appetizers, but I would have liked it as a meal option. There are 4 main restaurants, but the week we were there only 3 were really open for dinner. Jambu's had a good variety, and the food was OK. La Verenne (French) had good food, but the portions were mouse sized, as to be expected of French food. Afterwards, I still felt hungry. Expect to spend anywhere between $150- $300 per night for dinner if you have a 3 course meal with an alcoholic beverage for one couple. La Piazza had good food also.
We weren't able to find many souvenirs.....No shops in town. There is a boutique on the resort, but not much to choose from. Although we knew there would be little to no nightlife, I at least expected there to be music playing during dinner. Nights felt a little too quiet. Only one night did they have the Island Band playing and that was VERY nice. Made you feel like you were on an island! If it rains during the day, there is NOTHING to do!!! Bring cards or something to occupy your time.

Overall: Go to this resort if you have LOTS of money to spend and you WILL have a beautiful and peaceful vacation.

Our family stayed at the Raffles Resort in Canouan Island for 10 days at the end of March. We had our two children, a boy, aged 12 ,and our daughter, aged 15, with my husband and me.

I certainly read the reviews at TripAdvisor and though some of the reviewers were very upset and critical of Raffles, the more recent reviews helped me to make up my mind to book this resort.

I hope my review will help others to make up their mind as to whether this is the right trip to take for them.

We booked this holiday through Leading Hotels of the World leadership program. They have always been very helpful.
Through their program , we find that we are always getting upgraded to better rooms (happened in Paris, in Scottsdale, in Mexico).

We flew from St. Lucia to Canouan Island, American Airlines.
The airport security was very slow, though we found the employees pleasant. This was not fun.

Raffles met our family at the airport and we were in our own mini-bus. There were several other Raffles buses waiting for guests, and I assumed that each of the buses would carry the individual reservation. The bus was new, air-conditioned and the service extended to us by the driver, and the hostess was top-knotch.

Driving through Canouan was certainly an interesting experience.
Yes, it is more 2nd world. This is not Bermuda or St. Barts.There is construction going on, chickens and goats and dogs every where. Babies and men hanging around small shops. There is trash. There is also a lot of signage around asking to "Clean Up Canouan."
I did not find this drive, and the conditions of the people or the island ,offensive. I thought it educational and my children talked about the people, the growth of the island with the Raffles employees.

The trip from the airport was very quick.
We were brought to the main building for check-in and to give us a quick over view of the resort. This all was accompanied by non-alcoholic fruit cocktails.

We were then taken by the mini-van to our villa. We booked Villa 101/102/103. It was just stunning!! The villa was two bedrooms plus three full baths , a huge living room and dining area with cooking facilities. Because our rooms sat on a hill, all rooms came with a spectacular view of the water. The interior decorating was serene, in beautiful taste, and in top knotch condition. We also had a very generous deck and a plunge pool.
The children's room, two singles, had its own patio.
The closets were very large. There was even a front hall closet where we could store our suitcases and sports equipment out of the way/view. At our villa, we were given complimentary wine and fruit. The fridge was stocked every day with soft drinks and water and we were re-supplied with fruit each day. We were not billed for the fridge drinks , water, or fruit. Each bedroom and living room had a flat screen TV , DVD player and CD player. Multiple stations were available, British football, cricket, Italian TV, German, Latin, plus English speaking films.

The bathrooms, when I looked at them on Tripadvisor, looked old. But actually, I found them very pretty, spacious, and current in amenities. Hairdryers are very good. Toiletries given are large and re-supplied every day and are fun.

Although they told us we could get internet in our rooms. This was not true as of this writing. There is an internet room , with two computers available. We could also get internet, via our own laptop when sitting out by the pool or at the lovely bar near Jambu's Restaurant.

We were given two golf carts to drive around the grounds.
I suggest driving around. The grounds are beautiful. The views are breathtaking.

There are two beaches. The Godahl Beach is the one our family preferred. Tennis, sailing, and other water sports are stationed here. There is a cute bar with an excellent bartender.down the beach. The beach staff is good. The restaurant there, Godahl Beach bar is open for lunch and is good. Service and food prep were also good here.

Jambu Beach has the pool behind it. This beach is much windier. Oh, be prepared for WIND! These are the Windward Islands and it is windy. The first couple of days, we had to retreat to the pool area, because the wind really kicked up. It reminded me of the Greek Islands in this regard.

There is also little to no surf. There is seaweed at Jambu Beach, and at both beaches there are these seaweed gardens under the water. Again, Godahl Beach is the better bet. Tthe water is very warm. Many shades of blue. Sailing is superb. Snorkling is possible. But better snorkling, like most of the Carribean, is a boat trip ($) away.

We ate at all the restaurants, including the beach bbq at night on Godahl Beach. La Varenne is up on a cliff, where the casino is also located. It is a gorgeous restaurant, with a fabulous view.
The food is gourmet, and our meals were very good.

La Piazza Restaurant is the italian restaurant located in the main house. It was good, though we found it a bit silly to be charged for the Italian water that they served us with out asking.

Jambu is the restaurant used for the breakfast buffet, which is very good. You can eat a world-wide variety for your morning meal, from meats and cheeses, to any kind of egg dish, to a variety of fresh fruits and juices.

We also ate here often for our evening meal. We had the opportunity to eat off-site at the other hotel, but didn't.
Our villa was so fun , that we ordered room service twice just to sit around and watch the sunset.

The workout rooms were surprisingly generous and up to date.
I am always amazed at the dinky gyms at five-star hotels. But this was lovely. The sports instructors were excellent. Golf great. The spa is quite something, out on the water.

Now, what needs improvement?
Service is very irregular. We were in the low-season.
The high season at Raffles is from November through mid-January and during the Easter holidays. So, we came at a time when the resort was not crowded. Why were staff just hanging around, looking out at the horizon?

The pool staff and beach staff are the most irregular. Often, I had to pick up six to a dozen empty water bottles (they give you water when you come to the beach or pool, nice.) and throw them away, or go over to the pool bar and ask for service , for towels, for attention.
....and there were , perhaps, 10 people around the pool or on the Jambu beach.

The waitstaff at Jambu's is just off too.

Everyone is very nice, very pleasant. So, eventually, our family was left with the feeling that either the managers were away, or that the staff was not well trained.

The concierge service at the front desk can be clueless.
Example: "how can I fed-ex my golf clubs back to the States?"
The women had no idea and I am sure that this was not the first time for such a question considering their world-class golf course.

The menu quality at Jambu's and La Piazza is inconsistant.
Some things are very good. Some things are just awful.

I didn't find the wine list or cocktail list ridiculously expensive, but I live in downtown Boston. By the glass, wine is about 10 American dollars.

But, this resort is Very Very expensive. How expensive?More expensive that our stays at 5 star hotels in London or Paris.

Eventually, the lax service began to quietly worm its way into our relaxing mindset.

Yes, it's "island time," as some people might want to throw out, but when you are paying these $$$$$ prices, that sensibility just doesn't cut the mustard.

We chose Raffles because we wanted to go somewhere that didn't feel as if we had to battle for towels, or chairs, or court time, reservations. Where we didn't feel as if we were on a land cruise.
And, we did find this at Raffles. I did feel a world-away.
.
But, the inconsistant service and food quality should not be an issue when a resort is charging these prices.

Finally, twice on our restaurant bill, my husband found a discrepency between the charge on the receipt and the price on the menu. It was quickly remedied. But, it was odd.

And at check-out, there was a very very large discrepency on our final bill that , again, only my husband found.

When I came home, I did hear from the GM via e-mail to ask our opinion of our stay. I did tell him about what happened, that the bill was quickly updated , but that no one apologized , and no GM ever was alerted to this huge error.

Within a day, the GM did get back to me, apologized and has offered us several days stay back at Raffles to make amends.
I thought this very professional and appropriate.

Go: for the natural beauty, top knotch facilities, family and couple time without a lot of other guests breathing down your neck.
Lots to do, if you want to leave your chair. But, it's quiet.
Our kids had a great time, sailing, tennis, volley ball, swimming, trips into town for snacks; drinks at the many beautiful bars on the breathtaking grounds.

But do not go if money is an issue. Know before you book that this is a very very expensive resort. The GM wrote to me that they are continuing to work to improve on their service problems.

And, as always, check your bills.

Hope this helps.


.

Our experience at the Raffles resort at Canouan Island was phenomenal! We were so happy with our week there last summer that this year we’re going back twice. Here’s an overview of our thoughts on the trip.

An Easy Arrival

A cool rum punch on the beach was the perfect way to end our trip from Boston to Canouan. Our mid-afternoon arrival found us rested and ready to vacation: clearly, the decision to charter the last leg was the right one.

This time we took the Raffles Jet, which was a smooth flight but a bit pricey. Next time we’ll look for other charter options from one of the nearby islands that are served by flights directly from the US. Cancelled flights, missed connections and lost luggage have taught us that chartering in the Caribbean is less expensive than we imagined and so much more reliable than American Eagle.

Seclusion and Sunshine

Raffles felt like it was our own private resort when we visited the Island in July. During the winter months the resort’s 300-guest capacity is usually booked, but when we arrived there were only 25 or so guests. This made for a romantic week with plenty of privacy and the added bonus that many of the other guests were truly interesting people.

The kids club looked excellent, but we wouldn’t bring kids there during the summer months without friends or cousins. Without many other children there they might get bored.
The weather during our stay was great: the temperature was never unpleasantly hot, and there was only the occasional passing shower. Trade winds and being located close to the Equator keep the temperature on Canouan pleasant throughout the year.

Amenities and Surroundings

The pool and beaches were beautiful. We found all the facilities and equipment (beach chairs, palapas, kayaks, snorkel gear) to be in excellent condition. You’ll see many turtles on the roads; they’re a friendly addition to the beautifully maintained grounds.

Although we aren't golfers ourselves, we drove the golf course at sunset and were wowed by the views. I'd recommend the same to everyone who visits the resort – it’s truly stunning.

We had a couple’s treatment in one of the palapa treatment rooms standing out in the water. The atmosphere was serene, and the view was fantastic! Next time however I think we’ll try one of the treatment rooms on the hill; it was a little jarring to ride back in the dinghy while we were still so relaxed from the massages.

The concierge arranged a full day trip on the resort catamaran with Captain Phil and his wife Nicola. They are wonderful people, and lots of fun. They took us to swim with sea turtles and then we had lunch on a tiny island whose only attraction is a lunch spot. Captain Phil recommended the pina colada and while we were skeptical, we were glad we took his advice - they were the best pina coladas we've ever had, made with fresh coconut milk. Charter the catamaran, even for a half-day. The sea turtles are amazing!

Delightful Dining

La Piazza was our favorite restaurant; we found it to be superior to La Varenne. Alessandro was a fantastic host/sommelier; the wine selection was impressive and his knowledge and passion is outstanding. They have a prosciutto-shrimp appetizer that we couldn’t get enough of.

For lunch, Jambu’s and Godahl’s are equally good options, with different and interesting menus (more than just your standard fish-burger-fries beach fare). Room service was excellent and surprisingly prompt.

The staff throughout the resort was incredibly well trained for the Caribbean, and we were equally impressed by the cuisine. We’ve had some questionable dining experiences in the region, but we found the Raffles cuisine and service to be better than other luxury resorts we’ve stayed at.

All in All

Raffles resort on Canouan Island is a truly unique and memorable luxury destination. As travelers we frequent many luxury resorts, and Raffles is one of our favorites!