Mustique ... an island you hear of celebrities and royalty making their vacation destination and some owning homes. With know- ing the high-profile affluent clientele of the island, most people think of Mustique as having the same level of “elaborate style” as one would see in St Barths. In truth, it's actually quite the oppo site. It's what I would categorize as “barefoot luxury" ... just what you would need to escape, relax, reconnect, and reenergize!
Mustique is a small private island that is part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Mustique was founded in 1958 by Colin Ten nant; he gifted a plot of land to Princess Margaret in 1960, and he developed the Mustique Company in 1968 as a private island hideaway for the rich and famous.
How to get there:
• Nonstop flights on JetBlue (JFK) to St. Lucia (UVF) and then you would take Mustique Air to the island. United operates nonstop flights to/from Newark (EWR) - St. Lucia (UVF) on Saturdays
• Everyone who lands on Mustique lands via Mustique Air - even the royals and celebrities! Mustique Air is not the most glamou rous, but this is the only way to land on the island.
• You cannot land a private plane on Mustique. If you prefer to fly private, you should fly to Canouan and then you can take Mustique Air to the island - only about six minutes.
• The flight on Mustique Air from St. Lucia is about 25 minutes.
Before arriving to Mustique, I was told I was going to tour many villas, and when you have found your villa, it will “sing to you." I did not realize the actually meaning of this until it happened! I loved two villas: Palm Beach and Frangipani ... both for their own reasons. Heron Bay was the villa that "sang to me”!
There are also a few restaurants on the island:
• The Beach Café is located beachfront at Cotton House. During my stay, I enjoyed attending the infamous cocktail party at the Cotton House Great Room followed by the Tuesday night lobster night at The Beach Café.
• Basil's Beach Bar is located waterfront in town. I was lucky to have been on island during the two-week blues festival. Every night at Basil's, live entertainment was available.
• Firefly's is a cocktail bar, restaurant, and a beautiful upscale place to watch the sunset.
• The View (aka “Lisa's") is also a beautiful place to watch the sunset in a local and casual atmosphere.
Palm Beach, an eight-bedroom beachfront, estate is both dramatic in its setting yet comfortable and relaxed with casual entertaining spaces. This grand Palladian-style residence influenced by Oliver Messel and is owned by Tommy Hilfiger. For someone who wants to be located steps away from the beach... this estate is a perfect fit!
Frangipani is a seven-bedroom villa designed by renowned architect Paolo Piva. This family villa is located on the northern end of Mustique with panoramic views of L'Ansecoy Bay. This home is all about details ... details from the owner's heart. I was overwhelmingly impressed by the hand-painted tiles in all of the bathrooms. Each bathroom took hours, weeks, and months of work of the owner's creative skills. As you walk around, you will see the artwork of children and photos of family and friends. Frangipani has the energy of love and happiness, and you will feel exhilarated by this energy as soon as you arrive!
Heron Bay is a very private villa sitting on the edge of Mustique's west coast, with beautiful landscaped gardens and breathtaking ocean views with direct access to the sea. This villa is rented with two bedrooms, and a third bedroom will be available at addi tional cost. The style, the location, and the overall feel of having space but not an overwhelming amount of space won me over!
Dining:
• Each villa comes with a chef. The level of the chef varies from each villa; therefore, it's important to include dietary requirements during the villa rental inquiry process in order to include rental options that will include a chef at the level of your preference.
• You can provide the staff with a list of groceries and meals you would like prior to arrival. Usually, this is completed at least a month prior to arrival.
• It's very common to get invited to other homes for various meals and cocktails. You also might want to host a cocktail party or a dinner party, as this is part of the community element of the island.
• Beach picnics are a lot of fun, too, for lunch and dinner. The villa staff will set it up a picnic area with a tablecloth, linens, floral centerpieces, etc.
Mustique is a destination to plan with someone who has person ally visited the island and invested time educating themselves on the villa product. This is a unique and special destination to plan for a vacation.