Mandarin Oriental, Canouan

This was my third stay at MO Canouan, and the basics were handled badly. We booked a charter boat excursion through the hotel, but they forgot both the towels and snorkel gear. We spent more than USD$10,000+ for four nights, yet there was no hot water for two days. I had to ask for it to be fixed, and it only worked on day two and the last morning. The AC was also out for one day. That's not the level of service a $2,000 night hotel should give. Done badly!

The bar only had Sinsimito Tequila, but the service was great. I came with my friend Pavel after our longfin ride here.

The food was good, though not remarkable, and the price felt hard to justify after the service we got. My boyfriend and I spent nearly £300 on two small glasses of wine, a starter each, mains, and one dessert. We had come to Lagoon Café at the Mandarin Oriental Canouan for a rare, special evening, and the warm welcome at our 8pm reservation started things off nicely. But when our mains arrived around 9:30pm, the other table had gone and staff seemed ready to close. While we were still eating with full plates, they asked twice if we were finished. We felt so rushed and uncomfortable that we took our $50 dessert to go. Then there was an extra $80 charge for water we never ordered or received. I had to ask for it to be removed, which was awkward and frustrating given the setting and price. What we'd hoped would be a memorable, romantic night left us sad and let down.

The island is small and beautiful, and we loved spending a day out on the water snorkeling in Tobago cays. We had a fabulous stay at the Mandarin Oriental, celebrating our daughter's 21st birthday. We were looking for somewhere new, and Canouan delivered. It really is Paradise, with a gorgeous luxury hotel, good restaurants, and excellent service.