My fiance and I want to host a small Caribbean wedding (about 16 including bride and groom) and are giving serious consideration to the Grenadines.
We are focusing on Carenage Bay on Canouan, Petit St. Vincent and LaLuna. We've spent all kinds of time pouring over the websites and, of course, they all look stunning. We really like the Balinese flavor of (and more reasonable rates at) LaLuna but we're a little worried by other reports on this board and on other forums about mosquitos. (I've been in touch with the manager who said that they have addressed their bug problems when they started applying pesticides earlier this year.) The seclusion of PSV is great but the accommodations at Canouan look the best. In a perfect world, we'd run down for a long weekend and check out each of these wonderful places, but we just don't have the time or the money.
We'd love to hear from anyone who's been to two or more of these properties and can compare them for us. We'd also like to hear from anyone who's been to Canouan lately as there isn't much recent feedback on the forums (and we know the resort is under relatively new ownership and has undergone a "downsiizing" over the past year or two.)
For what it's worth, we will be taking this trip either in March or November 2012.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Canouan, Petit St. Vincent and LaLuna
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weather2travel.com Climate guide many mozzies especially fall
Lots of Dengue and storm risk then I do not go in fall.
Go a lot down there March is better prettier less bug issues.
www.jademountain.com would be super for this easier to get to.
No recent personal experience with properties St Vincent
lots of poverty have an adopted daughter there Grenadines nice
Congrats and Happy Planning!
Can't beat PSV for privacy for your honeymoon after the ceremony.
PSV is a very small private island resort. It's nice if you want to get away from it all but there's not much to do other than swim, soak up the sun and stroll around the island (it's so small you can walk from one end to the other in about 15 minutes). You'll need to arrange for a private water taxi (i.e. extra cost) to take you anywhere off-island to sightsee or go on a snorkel , dive or sailing excursion.
FYI - the beaches there are tiny but they use judicial plantings to create "private areas" so you feel separated from the couple that's lounging 15 feet away from you. Also, there's lots of coral/rocks at the water's edge on most of the beaches making getting into the water difficult in spots unless you are wearing water shoes.
One other caveat - since the island is so small you'll never really be able to get away from other members of your party unless you are in your room or sunning yourself on one of those tiny beach areas I mentioned above.
While PSV sounds exotic we didn't find our stay as enjoyable as we imagined. Food was just OK, service was sometimes inattentive and we found the management unconcerned - several times we passed the manager while walking and he never once acknowledged our presence or return a greeting - talk about feeling ignored - perhaps that's why the staff was lacking, they took their cue from the manager. We won't be going back - too many other better places in the Caribbean to visit.
We visited Carenage Bay Resort for a day before it was Raffles and before it's current incarnation and found it to be quite nicely done. We were considering purchasing a villa there but thought it to be too remote. Sorry can't give you any other info about the resort.
Thanks all. I think we've ruled out La Luna because of the bugs. PSV seems like too much of risk. While there are a lot of great reviews there are also a lot of people who weren't impressed. (RoamsAround, thanks so much for your especially thoughtful and insightful comments on PSV.) Our wedding probably isn't the time to experiment. And we still haven't got any recent information about Carenage Bay/Canouan. Even the resort has not returned my emails. Beginning to think we'll wind in the BVI, with which we are much more familiar.
Carnage Bay is probably still closed for the "off season" which may be why you haven't heard from them. Personally, I think your instincts about the BVI's is spot on. Check out Little Dix Bay it may be just what you are seeking.
I've only stayed at one of the places but I've given serious consideration (and thus research time) into PSV.
LaLuna is lovely, and since we're talking about the tropics here, it's a little silly in my opinion to eliminate a location based on mosquitos, whose proliferation cannot possibly be predicted ahead of time. If you mean you're eliminating it because of bugs in the outdoor bathrooms, that's another issue entirely.
I'd personally suggest choosing a place that's not a private island resort for the wedding party since it would give your guests more places to explore and experience more of a country and less of just a resort. Is it possible for you and your betrothed to take off for a private island honeymoon after the wedding if that's what you're looking for?
Back in 2003, my husband and I married at a small hotel on one island with several guests in residence. Those guests who were beach bums stayed on property the entire time (4 nights) and those who wanted a more active getaway had the entire island to explore and dine around. Then my husband and I left for a honeymoon on Guana, a private island resort in the BVI, which ended up being the perfect combo for us.