November 2014 Celebrated Living - page 84

A SLOW-KEY beachholidaysgo,nowherecanquite
matchthemystiqueofMustique,aprivate island
paradise inSt.VincentandtheGrenadinesthat
has luredrockersandroyals, tycoonsandtrust-
funders, since itwasestablished intheearly1960s.
Thisunspoiled1,400-acrehaven isan idealgetaway for
thosewhowanttounwindand indulge far fromtourist
crowds. “TheappealofMustique lies in itscontradic-
tions,”saysTommyHilfiger,whorecentlyopenedhis
PalmBeachvilla forrentals. “It’ssophisticatedyet
natural,CaribbeancasualyetUpperEastSideelegant,
endlesslysocialyet
perfectlyprivate.”
Operatedby THE
MUSTIQUECOMPANY
withvillaowners
asshareholders,
Mustiquehasa
throwbackclubby
ambiance,with
privacyassuredby
tightsecurity(be
preparedtopassa
backgroundcheck).Of the100privatelyownedvil-
las— fromcharmingtwo-bedroomcottagesto lavish
nine-bedroomestates—75areavailable forrental,
withpricesranging from$5,000to$75,000aweek
includingsta”andvehicle.
Nestled inagroveofswayingpalmswithawhite
sandbeachonL’AnsecoyBay,Hilfiger’s PALMBEACH
featureseightbedrooms, twoofwhicharestand-alone
poolsidesuites.Athree-bedroomcottage isavailable
aspartof thecompoundorbyseparaterental.Another
recentlyavailablevilla isthecontemporary VILLA
AMERICA ,whichhasadramaticopenfloorplanand
brighthuesthatcontrastnicelywiththenaturalstone
andwoodarchitecture.And GREYSTONECOTTAGE,with
itsstone-cladexterior,exudes islandcharmwithatur-
rethousinganoptional thirdbedroom.
Ifseclusion inaprivatevilla isn’tyourstyle, FIREFLY
isasmallexclusivehotelwithfiverooms,finedining
anda livelybaronahillsideoverlookingthesea.Or,
youcanopt forasuiteat THECOTTONHOUSE ,a17-room
boutiquehotel that isthe island’sonlyresort. Italso
servesasasocialhubwithahandfulof islanddining
venues,whilethenearby BASIL’SBAR isa favorite
waterfronthangout.Perchedontheturquoisewaters
ofEndeavorBay,TheCottonHouse isnamed for its
historicmainbuilding,whichhousesthe GREATROOM
BAR andthe VERANDARESTAURANT,nowunderthe
auspicesofU.K. celebrity-chefTristanWelch,who
arrivedattheendof2013.Welchtakesadvantageof
localproduce fromneighboringSt.Vincentand fresh-
caughtseafoodthatarrivesontheproperty’sdockeach
day.Welch(whohasearnedatotalof threeMichelin
starsatLondon’sPétrusandLauncestonPlace)andhis
teamprepareasumptuousholidayspread.Meanwhile,
theproperty’snew BEACHCAFÉ atthewater’sedge is
apopulargatheringspotservingcasual faresuchas
sourdoughpizzasandhouse-churned icecream.
Forbusytypes,anabundanceofactivitiesexist—
picnickingonpristinebeaches,hikingmilesofnature
trails,horsebackridingattheEquestrianCenteror
playingagameofdoublesattheTennisCenter.Yoga
andPilatesclassesareheldatvariousbeaches,and THE
COTTONHOUSESPA o”ersrestorativemassagesand
beautytreatments.
Ifyou’reup forapartyonNewYear’sEve,The
CottonHousehostsanannual, themedbash.This
year, theywill re-createaSwingingSixtiesCarnaby
Street, completewithgo-gogirlsandfireworks.For
thosewhopreferamore intimateandserenestart to
theyear, though, youcan’tquitebeatsharinga toast
under thestar-studdedskyonaquietstretchofbeach
outsideyourownprivateveranda.
TheCottonHouse
From$550anight
www.cotton
house.net
Firefly
$1,250per room
(basedon twopeople
sharingand includes
breakfast, lunch,
picnics, sunset snacks
anddinner)
www.firefly
mustique.com
GreystoneCottage
$8,000 to$11,500
perweek
www.mustique
-island.com
TheMustique
Company
www.mustique
-island.com
PalmBeachvilla
$45,000 to$75,000
perweek
www.mustique
-island.com
VillaAmerica
$14,500 to$18,000
perweek
www.mustique
-island.com
MUSTIQUE An
Island
Oasis
BY LAURIEKAHLE
LAURIEKAHLE is a Boston-basedwriter and former RobbReport se-
nior editor. She specializes in five-star travel experiences aswell as fine
timepieces and jewelry and is a regular contributor to CigarAficionado,
CenturionMagazine and TheHollywoodReporter.
Apier offers easyaccess to the
invitingwatersofMustique.
TheCottonHouse spa
IF
YOU
GO
WINTER AA.COM CELEBRATEDLIVING
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