Unexpected

Chapter 2

After three flights, the last of which was a 45 minute flight on an itty bitty plane--it only seated 18 people!--from Barbados which was equal parts terrifying and exhilarating, we finally touched down on the tiny private island of Mustique at around 3 p.m. local time. The landing, though expertly done, was particularly scary as the runway was incredibly short and thus demanded precision from the pilot. We quickly got our local driving permits from the Airport Immigration office, which we needed so we could drive the ‘mule’ that was provided with our villa--a small golf cart-like vehicle that we could use to get around. We were then picked up by a car sent by the Mustique Company, who managed all the villas on the island, and we were on our way!

On the short drive to our resort to check in, our driver filled us in on some of the history of the island as we gazed out the windows at our beautiful tropical surroundings. Mustique, which was a part of the country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, was just over two square miles. It had served as a way station for pirates in the 17th century and then became a sugar plantation in the 18th and 19th centuries. The entire island was purchased in 1958 by a British man--at that time there were no roads, no jetties, and no running water. While the owner’s initial ambitions were to use the island as a cotton plantation, his plans were unsuccessful and he looked for other ways to develop the island.

He gave his friend Princess Margaret a plot in 1960 as a wedding present, which sparked media interest in Mustique as a destination, so he formed the Mustique Company to develop a private island hideaway. The old cotton warehouse was converted to a hotel -- the Cotton House, still in use today -- and the island was split into small plots to not only preserve the island’s character but to retain exclusivity and prevent over-development. By the looks of it, they had done an amazing job -- the island was equal parts beautiful native plants and gorgeous homes. According to our driver, Mustique was a popular destination for the rich and famous, including Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, and David Bowie. There were about 120 private villas on the island, of which approximately half were available to rent.

We checked in and were shown to our villa, which was on the west coast of the island, perched high above Britannia Bay. Each villa had its own quaint little name and ours was Serenity Bay. Honestly, that was what they called it. Serenity Bay, had ever a place been more appropriately named?!

We could see the Grenadine Islands from our massive veranda that had lots of comfortable seating and we had a private infinity pool that looked out over the Caribbean Sea. According to the employee that showed us around, we were just a short walk from the village and several beaches where we could swim and/or lay out.

The villa itself was gorgeous, both of our bedrooms had their own bathrooms and opened up onto balconies that overlooked the open water. The main living area was large and open; with light floors and couches, it was the ultimate beach home.

When we were finally left alone in the splendor that was our home for the next two weeks, Maggie reminded me, pointing at the flat screen that was hanging in the living room, “Remember our deal, no cell phones, no internet, no tv, no nothing -- we are cutting ourselves off from technology and the world and focusing on pure relaxation!”

‘“I think you're going to have a harder time of that than I am, Mags, you’re always in the know about everything. I have no problem staying off line--there’s no way I could even think about posting pictures of this place on Facebook anyway, everyone from my hometown would be talking about how fancy I think I’ve become!”

“It is pretty amazing, isn’t it? We came once when I was younger, but I really didn’t remember how gorgeous it was,” she said, then clapped her hands and announced, “Alright, we’ll get unpacked later because I’ve set us with a whole evening at the spa, head to toe pampering for both of us. We’ll grab a quick dinner at the Cotton House, then it’s on to facials, massages, waxing, the whole nine yards!”