Perfect strands of sand are complemented by haute hotels and cool attitudes on these paradise islands.
By: Jill FergusMustique
In the Grenadines, west of Barbados, this ultra-exclusive island has long been a hideaway for seclusion seekers (including a certain British royal and his pretty, popular wife) who arrive at the thatched-roof airport via private jet and are whisked off to fully staffed villas. Being on Mustique is a bit like being at a super-posh house party in a gorgeous, tropical setting. It’s small, so if you venture out to beaches like Macaroni and the more remote Simplicity or to the fishing village of Britannia Bay to explore its handful of stores you’ll see the same faces. You’ll run into them again at the Tuesday night cocktail party in the plantation-style Cotton House hotel where villa owners catch up on gossip and plan their weekly dinner party schedule. And by the time you hit Basil’s Bar, a local institution for dinner and dancing where Mick (as in Jagger) often jams with the house band, you’ll all be old friends.
Where to Stay: After a dip in the crescent-shaped beach at Cotton House, the island’s only full-service hotel, indulge in a spa treatment before taking a nap in your West Indian-style cottage with private plunge pool (room rates start at $650 a night and include breakfast and dinner, welcome cocktails and some activities; cottonhouse.net).
Photo courtesy of The Leading Hotels of the World
Photo courtesy of The Leading Hotels of the World
Harbour Island
This itty bitty Bahamian island — three miles long and a quarter mile wide — has no airport and the ground transportation of choice is minimal, but charming. Once there, you get around on golf carts. Sound magical? It is. First off, you fly to neighboring Eleuthera island, then take a 10-minute ferry ride across a picturesque bay. Here, houses are painted in pastel colors and fuchsia bougainvillea bloom all over the island. By day, relax on pink-hued beaches or snorkel off- shore reefs. At dusk, as the sky streaks orange-red, you'll be tucking into crispy coconut conch with a bottle of fine French wine on the terrace of a chic restaurant in Dunmore Town. Afterward, you can kick off your sandals to boogie in a barefoot bar where the beers are ice cold and the raga band plays until the last sun-kissed patron shuffles of to bed.
Where to Stay: There are celebs who stay at Pink Sands, a beachfront resort with 25 cottages amid tropical foliage but you'll be too engrossed in the gorgeous beach-and with each other-to notice. Each cottage comes with its own golf cart so you can zip around the island at your leisure (room rates start at $750 a night and include breakfast and airport transfers; pinksandsresort.com)
Photo Credit: Peter Wesley Brown
St. Barth
This tres chic island, part of the French West Indies, teems with posh boutiques, ultra-luxe resorts and a super-sexy beach vibe, making it a go-to hot spot for jet-setters and Hollywood's A-list. Most days here are laid back, with yoga and lounging on the sugar-soft strands like Gouverneur and St. Jean. Early evenings are the perfect time to explore Gustavia, the charming port capital, to shop for jewel-encrusted sandals and silk sarongs, and sip pink champagne at Parisian-style bistros (many have water-facing terraces). If you've managed to make the right friends with the people at the table across from you, you may snag an invitation to on of the all-night parties aboard the yachts docked in the harbor. No matter what your late-night plans include, morning breakfast is nearly always decadent, feature croissants with Nutella and chilled mimosas.
Where to Stay: The Creole cottages painted in canary yellow and lime green and decorated with white gingerbread trim are the most sought after lodgings at Le Guanahani, a secluded resort on its own 15-acre peninsula with two beaches, coconut-shrouded hammocks and a Clarins spa (room rates start at about $845; leguanahani.com).
Photo Credit: Laurent Bendit
