Cotton House
Mustique, Caribbean [view map]
Reviewed by Mr & Mrs Smith.
Mr & Mrs Smith have a trip to this Caribbean boutique hotel in the diary, and just as soon as they're back from their tropical travels, a full account of their stay in the Grenadines will be with you. In the meantime, here’s a quick postcard from this perfect private-island escape…
Words such as ‘luxury’ and ‘exclusive’ get thrown around too haphazardly sometimes. And Mr & Mrs Smith certainly regret not saving the words for this boutique property. Hotels don't come any more exclusive: Mustique is only reachable by private plane from Nassau, and the perfect beaches are untouchable to all but the hotel’s inhabitants and the celebrity rich list who own villas on the island. And you’d be hard pushed to find anywhere that ranks higher in the luxury stakes – from entering your room and finding your clothes hung and pressed to the ultra-snazzy weekly champagne reception for the whole island in the Great Room, every element of a stay at the Cotton House drips unassuming decadence. It’s like a grown-up’s Disneyland, or the tropical lair of a peculiarly pacifistic Bond villain (‘I suppose you expect me to talk?’ ‘No, Mr Bond, I expect you to enjoy this relaxing massage treatment before taking a cocktail on the terrace’). You really have to be somebody to stay on Mustique – luckily the way you’re treated at the Cotton House ensures you slip naturally into the role.