A Slow Week on Mustique
Mustique is a private island, quiet and green, where the pace is set by the sea and the gardens and very little else. I stayed at Flomarine, a villa with its own pool and a chef who cooks around whatever the island is growing that week.
You fly in. Connect through St Vincent and take the short hop by light aircraft over the water to the island’s little airstrip, which is a beautiful way to arrive. Here is a slow week, built around the water, the horses, the birds and the garden, with plenty of lazy days at home left in on purpose.
Your Mustique Itinerary at a Glance
- Day 1 Day 1: Fly in and settle at Flomarine
- Day 2 Day 2: A lazy day at the villa
- Day 3 Day 3: A beach and a picnic
- Day 4 Day 4: Snorkelling off Basil's
- Day 5 Day 5: The garden, the horses and the trail
- Day 6 Day 6: Birds at the mangroves, then Basil's
- Day 7 Day 7: One last slow day
Where to Stay in Mustique
What to Do in Mustique
A beach and a picnic
Ask the chef to pack a picnic and take it to the beach.
Snorkel by Basil's and the bay beyond
The water off Basil's and the bay just beyond it is clear and full of life.
The permaculture garden
Start at the island's permaculture garden, where a lot of what you have been eating is grown.
See the horses
Along to see the horses, a real Mustique pleasure.
Hike the trail by the garden
There is a trail near the garden that is worth the walk, up through the dry green hills for the long views over the water.
Birdwatching by the mangroves
Go early to the birdwatching spot by the mangroves.
Where to Eat in Mustique
Dinner in, cooked for you
The first dinner is at home, farm to table from the chef, eaten slowly by the pool.
Farm to table at Basil's Bar
Dinner at Basil's Bar, the island's legendary spot, built out over the water.
How to Get to Mustique
Fly to Mustique
Connect through St Vincent and take the light aircraft across to Mustique.
Fly home
The light aircraft back across to St Vincent, and onward home, already working out when you can come back.
Your Day by Day Mustique Itinerary
Day 1: Fly in and settle at Flomarine
Getting here and arriving properly, with the first dinner cooked for you at home.
Fly to Mustique
Connect through St Vincent and take the light aircraft across to Mustique. The island appears green and low out of the blue, and you are landing almost before you have settled into the view.
Flomarine
Flomarine is home for the week. A villa with its own pool, sea air through every room, and a private chef who cooks around what is fresh. Unpack, swim, and let the day soften.
Dinner in, cooked for you
The first dinner is at home, farm to table from the chef, eaten slowly by the pool. There is nowhere you need to be tonight.
Day 2: A lazy day at the villa
Ease in properly before you go anywhere. A whole day at home is the point of a week like this, not a waste of it.
The Flomarine pool and private chef
Give the whole day to Flomarine. The pool, the shade, breakfast and lunch from the chef, a book you never quite finish. Let yourself be still. The island is not going anywhere.
Day 3: A beach and a picnic
One of the island's quiet beaches, and a picnic packed from the villa kitchen.
A beach and a picnic
Ask the chef to pack a picnic and take it to the beach. Mustique's beaches are clean and quiet and often completely empty. Swim, eat in the shade, walk the length of the sand, and come home when the light turns.
Day 4: Snorkelling off Basil's
The best water on the island, with turtles and rays if you go slowly.
Snorkel by Basil's and the bay beyond
The water off Basil's and the bay just beyond it is clear and full of life. Keep your eyes down. There are sea turtles grazing the seagrass and spotted eagle rays gliding along the sand below you. Do not chase them, float and let them come to you.
Back to the pool
A slow afternoon at the villa to warm through and rinse off, and maybe a nap you did not plan on.
Day 5: The garden, the horses and the trail
The greenest, most hopeful day of the week, on foot and in the hills.
The permaculture garden
Start at the island's permaculture garden, where a lot of what you have been eating is grown. It is a genuinely lovely place, food and flowers and shade all tangled together, and proof that the island feeds itself where it can.
See the horses
Along to see the horses, a real Mustique pleasure. Even if you never get in the saddle, they are worth the visit, and the walk between the paddocks and the garden is lovely in itself.
Hike the trail by the garden
There is a trail near the garden that is worth the walk, up through the dry green hills for the long views over the water. Take plenty of water and go before the day gets too hot.
Day 6: Birds at the mangroves, then Basil's
An early, quiet start at the water's edge, a lazy middle, and dinner at the island's most famous table.
Birdwatching by the mangroves
Go early to the birdwatching spot by the mangroves. The mangroves are the island's nursery, for fish and birds both, and the stillness at that hour is its own reward. Bring binoculars if you have them.
A lazy afternoon at home
Back to Flomarine for the hottest part of the day. Pool, shade, and nothing much at all.
Farm to table at Basil's Bar
Dinner at Basil's Bar, the island's legendary spot, built out over the water. Farm to table, feet almost in the sand, and an evening you will want to let run long. Stay for all of it.
Day 7: One last slow day
Nowhere to be. Leave a little in reserve so you have a reason to return.
A last day at Flomarine
One more swim, one more meal from the chef, one more slow afternoon before the flight. A week here teaches you how little you actually need to feel well.
Fly home
The light aircraft back across to St Vincent, and onward home, already working out when you can come back.