5 Best Sights in Mustique, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

On the northwestern tip of Mustique, this is the main beach used by Cotton House guests. Swimming and snorkeling are ideal, and a dive shop with water-sports equipment rental is available on-site. The resort's Beach Café restaurant and bar are convenient for lunch or snacks. Amenities: food and drink; toilets; water sports. Best for: snorkeling; swimming.

On the eastern coast, Mustique's most famous stretch of fine white sand offers swimming (no lifeguards) in moderate surf that's several shades of blue, along with a few palm huts and picnic tables in a shady grove of trees. Amenities: parking. Best for: swimming.

This beach on Mustique's western coast is right next to the Brittania Bay jetty, and Basil's Bar is convenient for lunch. Firefly Mustique, on a steep hillside overlooking Britannia Bay, has steps leading down to the southern section of the beach. Amenities: food and drink; toilets. Best for: swimming.

This rather remote beach on the southwestern coast, one of 10 marine conservation areas designated by St. Vincent and the Grenadines, provides the best snorkeling on Mustique. Amenities: none. Best for: snorkeling; swimming.

At the island's very northern tip, adjacent to the Cotton House, this broad crescent of white sand fringes brilliant turquoise water. Just offshore, you'll see the wreck of the French liner Antilles, which went aground in 1971. Amenities: none. Best for: snorkeling; swimming.