Gazing
out the twin propeller plane window the jagged emerald island seems to
float in the tri-colored turquoise Caribbean waters.
This is the first
site of the illustrious private island of Mustique: The upper crust’s best
kept secret. Tommy Hilfiger, Mick Jagger , Princess Margaret and Viscount
David Linley, just to name a few, all have enjoyed the splendor of the
small 1,400 acre island in the located in the Caribbean Grenadines. Luckily
for me, this was the location of my best friend’s wedding, so I became
one of the few who been able to sneek a peek into the secret life of the
rich and famous.
From
there you can charter a flight from $179-$200 per person each way.
The 45-minute flight touches down at the quaint Mustique airport where
the short landing strip looks more like a ramp.
Accommodation
arrangements must be made ahead of time, especially since most Villas on
the island require minimum of one-week stay. Most of the villas in Mystique
can be rented. Prices range from $5,000 per week, for a two bedroom, to
$27,000 per week, for a nine bedroom, depending on the villa and the season.
There is one
hotel in Mustique,
The
Cotton House, which rents rooms for $410 to $1,300 per day.The mode
of transportation is a Mule cart, which resembles a golf cart. The carts
rattle and bounce along the semi-paved paths scattered with hazards such
as slow moving tortoises, fallen branches, potholes and deep ravines, which
keeps the little island gem a non-commercialized retreat. Each villa on
the island is equipped with a cook, butler, maid and gardener. It was a
little uncomfortable for me to get used to being served. My butler laughed
at us when we would help clearthe table after meals we also refused to
ring the silver service bell: until the last day when we did it as a joke
to see how our butler would react.
Our butler
explained that often his job is tough. They get very uptight visitors
who want perfect service. For this reason, the house staff are professionals.
Most of them will have this job for life. Fromthe moment I arrived at my
villa, I was greeted with a silver tray holding glasses of frothy, fruit
drinks garnished with fresh flowers from the yard. We got very close to
our villa staff, on the last day we left our staff hugged us all goodbye
as if we were their long lost relatives. When leaving, all staff members
must be properly tipped. Suggested tipping guidelines can be faxed to your
villa if you request them from the Mustique Comp.
Tips can be
steep, around $150-$200 per staff member, but definitely earned. “Downtown”
Mustique consists of a grocery store with a massive selection of rum and
two tourist shops. One of the gift shops has affordable items such as tee
shirts, post cards and beach toys, the other, sports the island’s true
side with expensive merchandise like La Perla swimming suits, Tommy Clothes
and bright, big brimmed hats. Basil’s Bar is one of the two bars on the
island.
It looks like
something out of a Gilligan’s Island episode with thatched grass roofs
and constructed of wooded planks on stilts threefeet above the ocean.
After
the sun falls below the ocean horizon the disco ball at Basils begins to
sparkle. At night, Basil’s is a jumping nightspot with a “who’s who” list
that would make most big city night clubs envious. While sitting drinking
Basil’s unique drink called “Mustique Grin” I spot some models sitting
in the booth next to us. An average day in Mustique begins with a dive
in your villa’s pool, plucking a flower for your hair and meeting in the
open dining room under a waterfall of yellow buttercups hanging on vines.
Then the rest of the day is yours to read books by the pool sipping run
punch, until lunch. After a while I started to loose sense of time even
the date. The cooks of the villas prepare delicious gourmet breakfasts,
lunches and dinners. Breakfast usually consists of a bowl of juicy mangos,
pineapple and bananas followed by eggs and bacon, fresh squeezed juice
and bread. Lunches can be packed for day excursions. Typical dinners
are large and exotic followed by dessert. Curry and coconut are used a
lot in their cooking. Barbecues near the beach can be arranged ahead of
time. Callaloo soup is a must! The olive-green puree soup is made of a
local plant similar to a dandelion. It’s not pretty to look at, but it
is delicious and full of nutrients.
Macaroni Beach
is the most well known beach on Mustique. The clean almost deserted beach
has stunning, warm turquoise water and hammocks strung in its palms that
fringe the sand. I happened tobe enjoying a day on the white sand the same
day Tommy Hilfiger was doing a photo shoot. While my friends and
I were getting nerve to go ask Tommy if we could be background models one
of the photographers came over to us and asked if we would mind moving
down the beach out of the shot. Oh well, Tommy doesn’t know what he is
missing. If poolside lounging and beach combing get tiresome, Mustique
Company offers plenty of other activities for all ages such as, catamaran
and deep-sea fishing tours, horseback riding (thoroughbred of course),
canoeing, wind surfing, tennis (and private tennis lessons), snorkeling
and scuba diving. Every Tuesday night Mustique Company hosts a “get-to-know-you”
cocktail party at the Cotton House. Hors d’oevres and Champaign are
passed around as locals stick in tight cliques and vacationers in hushed
whispers talk about celebrity citings while their eyes dash around the
room for someone famous. After a week in Mustique, I know what it is to
be completely relaxed. I looked at my watch only once, to make sure
I got to the wedding on time.
Regretfully
I must pack my bag and head back to New York. A week was not long enough.
Now I plot my return. Possibly as a Tommy model? I doubt it, but they might
need a stable girl.
Gazing
out the twin propeller plane window the jagged emerald island seems to
float in the tri-colored turquoise Caribbean waters.
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