On Location - Mustique
Famous for its white-sand beaches, renowned rock star owners and jaw-dropping villas, Mustique is one of the most captivating of all Caribbean islands. Nestled in the heart of the Grenadines, it is prime Pirates of the Caribbean territory, an area where 17th century pirates used the sheltered bays to hide their ships and treasure and modern-day travellers come to escape the stresses of our fast-paced world.
Mustique is a place of contradictions, where some of the most expensive villas in the Caribbean are accessed by deliberately unpaved roads, where the great and the good lounge on beaches decorated with old turquoise and yellow fishing boats and simple thatched huts, where rickety timber jetties stretch out into the crystal-clear turquoise waters. It is eloquently summed up by Mustique aficionado Tommy Hilfiger: It's sophisticated yet natural, Caribbean casual yet upper East side elegant, endlessly social yet perfectly private.''
Finish your ride at the plantation-style Cotton House, built into the coral stone walls of an 18th-century cotton warehouse. Have lunch at the beach cafe on the water, or afternoon tea which is laid out by the lily pond. The hotel also has a renowned spa, perfect to soothe those horse-drawn muscles. The great room bar and veranda is the place to be at cocktail hour, or for those looking for something a little more romantic, check out the Firefly, whose hilltop position and infinity pool affords the island's best sunset view over Britannia Bay. For more information visit www.cottonhouse.net This article originally appeared in Fraser yachting magazine