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Mustique is a private island in the Caribbean Sea, one of the Grenadines in the country of St Vincent and the Grenadines. The entire island is leased from St Vincent by the Mustique Company, who rent or lease its 89 private villas, of which 57 are available for weekly rentals. There are also 2 privately owned hotels. Because of its luxury and isolation, Mustique has attracted a number of celebrities, including Noel Gallagher, Princess Margaret, Bill Gates, Mick Jagger, Bryan Adams, Shania Twain, Johnny Depp, Kate Moss, Felix Dennis, James V. Kimsey, David Bowie, Tommy Hilfiger, and Jonathan Marks, all of whom can be seen hanging out at [http://www.basilsmustique.com/) Basil's Beach Bar.
The history of the island of Mustique goes back to the fifteenth century when Spanish sailors first sighted a group of islands naming them 'Los Pájaros' or 'the birds' as they resembled a flock of tiny birds in flight. In the seventeenth century the islands were renamed The Grenadines by pirates who used the sheltered bays to hide their ships and treasure. The Grenadines were later utilised by Mustiquean planters to grow sugar until the development in the nineteenth century of sugar beet, a sugar crop which would grow in Mustique. Mustique's sugar plantations were soon abandoned and eventually swallowed up by wild jungle leaving only the sugar mill at 'Endeavor' and its 'Cotton House.'
Mustique was eventually purchased in 1958 by Lord Glenconner, Colin Tennant, 3rd Baron Glenconner, under whose guidance the island began to thrive once again. HRH The Princess Margaret accepted his generous gift of a ten-acre plot of land as a wedding present in 1960 on which she built a residence called Les Jolies Eaux. In 1989 Mustique island was transformed from a family estate into a community of Vincentian people dedicated to maintaining and enhancing the island for generations to come.
Today Mustique retains its natural beauty and tranquility, protecting the environment and offering the guests one of the most secure and pristine islands in the world. Other than renting the private villas there are 2 Hotels on the Island. The smaller, boutique style Firefly Hotel, and the larger Cotton House Hotel Both Hotels have a relaxed atmosphere during the evenings. These venues are where you will find lots of home owners and hotel guests enjoying relaxed evenings of quiet sophistication.
If you want a more lively time the island boasts one nightspot attended by Vincentians and Jet Set alike. Basils Bar is an icon which has become as legendary as the exploits of its patrons. Local entrepreneur Basil Charles has been on the island for over 30 years. In addition to the bar, Basil owns a boutique of unique, casual and elegant resort and beachwear, an Antiques Shop and a Wine Store. Basil's Bar is also home to the Mustique Blues Festival where artists from all over the world meet to celebrate one inspiring foundation of many modern music genres. Proceeds from the sale of the festival's CDs and t-shirts fund the Basil Charles' Educational Fund an organization that gives educational chances to children in St. Vincent and the Grenadines who would otherwise not be able to afford school.
The island covers 1,400 acres (5.7 km² or 2.2 sq. miles) and it has a coral reef. The fauna includes tortoises, herons and many other species. The population of about 500 live in the villages Lovell, Britannia Bay and Dover.