Mustique is a 1,400 acre island located in the Southern Caribbean. This private island is owned and operated by the Mustique Company. This is an organisation which comprises of shareholders from 17 countries whose aim is to preserve the natural beauty and tranquility of the island.
We flew direct to Mustique from St Vincent and I understand there are flights from other East Caribbean Islands including St Lucia and Grenada. The airport in Mustique is tiny and comprises of nothing more than a couple of small concrete runways and a wooden shack. This airport cannot cope with large aircraft and the only way of landing on this island is in very small charter planes and helicopter. Our flight to Mustique was on a plane that could carry 7 passengers and during landing we nearly overshot the runway. Despite its size Mustique airport is very pretty, like all of the island as I was to find out during my visit.
The island comprises of several, very large and even more expensive, villas available to rent to tourists. Think of a Sandals resort and then give it a proper 5 star make over and you are getting somewhere near to how exclusive this island is. Many celebrities have properties on the island including Mick Jagger, The Late Princess Anne, Bryan Adams, Shania Twain and Tommy Hilfiger amongst many others. What’s more is that nearly all of the celebrities’ properties are available to let for a holiday. The properties are let with all staff (maids, chefs, drivers etc), a small vehicle for getting around on and access to all areas. It is exceptionally expensive though with prices costing tens of thousands of US dollars per week. During our trip to Mustique we could have rented Shania Twains oriental themed pad for around $35,000 for the week, and whilst it is an amazing property, “it didn’t impress me much”, it is one of the smaller and cheaper ones available. As most of the island is privately-owned, there are few places that day-trippers can actually go to.
Activities for those staying on the island include horse riding, fishing, cycling, tennis, squash, bowls, swimming, sailing, yachting, boat trips, spas, golf, relaxing etc. etc. However, none of these are available to the day-tripper and the range is much more limited and consists of a day at the beach or a visit to Basil’s Bar only, which is a bit of a shame.
That said, we did mange to get a guided tour of the island, on a small open backed vehicle, by one of the locals taxi drivers. For a small fare, he drove us around the island, pointed out all the celebrity houses and gave us a bit of history and information about the island. After the tour, we were dropped off at Macaroni Beach where we enjoyed the rest of the day in the sun before heading over to the famous Basil’s Bar for a spot of food and finally catching our flight to St Vincent.
During the tour of the island, I noticed there were no power cables or telephone cables anywhere. I wondered how power and telecommunications were supplied to the island, after all this is an exclusive island that must have such things.
After asking the taxi driver it transpired that all cabling is underground in order to keep the island looking as natural and beautiful as possible.
Being so exclusive means Mustique is exceptionally quiet and the beaches are almost empty, and if you are prepared for a short walk, there are loads of small bays and beaches away from the busier parts where you will be alone.
The beaches on Mustique are absolutely gorgeous. The golden sands, calm crystal- clear waters and tiny waves rolling on to the shore was something I had only seen in books. I assumed such images were ‘air brushed’ but after experiencing Mustique I now know this is not the case and place like this actually exist. Words can’t describe this island and no pictures will ever do this island justice, it really is that magical. According to the lady that took us to Mustique it is included in the top 10 beaches of the world and up there with the likes of Bondai Beach, Porto Da Barra and Whitehaven amongst the others. As well as being beautiful the beaches are also very safe as the sandy slopes out to sea are gradual and there are no undercurrents or rip tides to deal with, all making it great for families (if you have the money) but useless for thrill seeking surfer types.
Conclusion
Overall Mustique is an amazing place and one I would recommend going to, despite its exclusivity. The properties are simply stunning, especially the one owned by Tommy Hilfiger, and it is interesting to see “how the other half holiday”.
The beaches are out of this world and it is great just lying there soaking up the sun and the breathtaking views, as well as having the occasional dip in the safe waters for a swim and a cool down. I must stress that for day-trippers a trip to Mustique is purely a lounging around place as you only have access to the beach and all the activities on offer for the residents are not available, which is a bit of a shame. Given then given the cost of staying on this island I can’t even imaging to think how much water sports and the like are going to cost. They are expensive enough in cheap Spanish resorts and the like so here?
(This review has been posted on other sites under the name of Yackers1)
The island of the rich and famous 
