2 Best Hotels in Mustique, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Mustique's only full-service resort allows travelers to enjoy the sun-kissed glam and idyllic beaches of this famous island in an intimate, island-chic setting that also shelters those-in-the-know and the rich and famous (at least those without their own villas). Oceanfront rooms and suites with private walkways lead to the beach, a quartet of elegant ocean-view suites, and three cottages. All units have dressing areas, French doors that open onto a private verandah, bathrooms with marble fittings, and a pillow menu with 11 selections. Full unpacking and pressing services upon arrival are included in the rates, as is a weekly sunset cruise. The beachfront spa offers body treatments and salon services, and has a fitness center on the ground floor. Enjoy breakfast and delicious dinners—locally sourced seafood, fettuccine or spaghetti with crab, lobster risotto, bouillabaisse, or perhaps rack of lamb or a filet mignon—at the Veranda Restaurant, which wraps around the Great Room in the main building (a repurposed 18th-century cotton warehouse), and casual lunches either poolside or at the Beach Café (and Ice Cream Parlour). The chef will also pack a picnic for you to take to the beach.

Except for Cotton House and Firefly, Mustique is an island of privately owned villas—more than 85 of them; rentals can be arranged through Mustique Villa Rentals. Each villa is unique, with two to nine bedrooms. Rentals include a full staff (with a cook), laundry service, and a vehicle or two. Houses range from "rustic" (albeit with en suite bathrooms for every bedroom, phones, pools, and other amenities) to extravagant, expansive mansions with a resident butler. All are elegant and immaculately maintained. Weekly rentals run from $11,500 for a two-bedroom villa in the off-season to $80,000 for a palatial seven-bedroom villa in winter.