Elite Traveler Summer 2022

etr li at ve eler SUMMER 2022 117

SAINT LUCIA For something a bit di ff erent, Saint Lucia’s Rabot Hotel — part of the famed Hotel Chocolat brand — o ff ers unique experiences connecting you to the history and culture of the island. The sloping mountains provide the ideal growing conditions for cacao trees, which favor volcanic soil and shade. Since the 1700s, Saint Lucia has exported its cacao beans to Europe or to Hershey in Pennsylvania. But today, the island sets some aside for itself and produces its own world-class chocolate. Delve into this historical relationship further where, set in a rain forest in a UnescoWorld Heritage Site, Rabot Estate is a six-acre site that is the island’s oldest working cacao farm. Here, Project Chocolat o ff ers an unforgettable immersive experience connecting ethical cacao-growing with chocolate lovers. First, learn about how cacao grows with a tour of the groves. Then, graft a tree before fi nishing the tour by handcrafting your own chocolate bar and, of course, tasting some delicious cacao cuisine. hotelchocolat.com CANOUAN ISLAND, THE GRENADINES Unspoiled and virtually undiscovered, Canouan Island is a hidden gemwithin St Vincent and the Grenadines. As a small island, Canouan Island (and the rest of the archipelago) is more susceptible to the e ff ects of climate change. As a result, nonpro fi t organizations have sprung up with the speci fi c mission of keeping the extraordinary landscape in immaculate condition. One such organization — Sustainable Grenadines, or SusGren — aims to empower the people of the Grenadines through environmental education to build sustainable livelihoods and engage in biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation. With one of the Caribbean’s largest coral reefs, the small bays and coves that surround the island make for some incredible diving and snorkeling locales. With a tag line of ‘The place where billionaires go to get away frommillionaires,’ you can rest assured that you won’t run into any loud tourists. To enjoy a quiet vacation, we recommend Soho Beach House Canouan or Sandy Lane

Yacht Club & Residences. sohohouse.com, slycr.com

This image Soho Beach House on Canouan Island Above Project Chocolat in Saint Lucia