A royal family treat: Mustique may be expensive, but its laid-back glamour, beautiful beaches and royal connections give it an unrivaled reputation

There are two key questions you should ask yourself before booking a holiday to the Caribbean island of Mustique. Am I rich enough? And am I pretty enough?

At least that is the common perception. It’s a shame, because as I found out on a family trip, not every oligarch and not every woman was ready for the beach. Despite its reputation as a playground of privilege where rock stars and royalty mingle, the island turned out to be more affordable than I thought, though more budget-friendly than budget-friendly.

But with two-bedroom houses available from €12,000 per week, rental prices compare favorably with luxury Mediterranean villas in high season.

Our trip was a long-awaited pleasure. My husband and I were exhausted after a busy year and this break with our children Clemency, seven, and Wilbur, four, felt well deserved. And besides, I had an important birthday to celebrate.

We stayed at the Cotton House, the main hotel on the island. With only 17 rooms, it felt like you were at a house party. That’s the point. Mustique is known for being relaxing. I didn’t wear shoes for three days.

Like all buildings on the island, Cotton House was built by the late Colin Tennant, later Lord Glenconner. He bought the 1,400 hectare island, just five kilometers long, in 1958 for £45,000. The story goes that he told his wife, Lady Anne, that it would be cheaper to winter there than to heat his country house in Scotland.

Since the land had no running water, a jetty, or an airstrip, he thought he might be able to grow cotton. That changed two years later when he gave his friend, Princess Margaret, a plot of land for her wedding to Antony Armstrong-Jones. She commissioned Oliver Messel, the set designer, to build a villa, Les Jolies Eaux, and with that the future of Mustique changed. Cotton went out and celebrities came in.

From then on, Tennant’s fiefdom would develop into one of the most exclusive holiday destinations in the world. It is not easy to get there. We went to St. Lucia before we boarded an 18-seater Twin Otter for the final leg. Not for the faint of heart; It felt like we were sitting on the pilot’s lap.

Kate stayed at the Cotton House (pictured), the island’s main hotel. “With only 17 rooms, it felt like you were at a house party,” she says

Kate with her husband and children

To develop the island, Tennant founded The Mustique Company and invited investors to buy land and build their homes, resulting in the construction of over 100 homes. Privacy – and the absence of paparazzi – has been the big draw for the rich and famous and over the years their numbers have grown, including Bryan Adams, Mick Jagger, Tommy Hilfiger and David Bowie.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are regular guests, as are Robbie Williams, Tom Ford, Bryan Ferry, Paul McCartney, Bill Gates and the Beckhams. It’s the kind of place where if you walk into the tennis club you’ll see Tim Henman or Greg Rusedski practicing on the court next door.

Mustique currently has a few hundred inhabitants, but in high season the number rises to more than a thousand.

One property, The Terraces, a nine-bedroom hillside villa with extensive grounds and outbuildings, is on the market for $200 million (the most expensive house in the Caribbean). If this is not possible, it can be rented for £150,000 per week.

Of course, none of this outstanding story mattered to our children. All they wanted was sand between their toes and an endless supply of ice.

Our days fell into a slow rhythm. Relaxing breakfast with mango and papaya, walks on the beach and a dip in the hotel pool. I wasn’t so sure about the sea. What about sharks? It wasn’t until Grant arrived, a hospitable Australian whose job it is to help guests discover marine life, that I took him for a swim around the island.

Below me I saw groupers, angels and parrotfish in the clear water. Still, I couldn’t stop searching the surf for fins.

Grant reminded me that I would never see a predator coming: “Too fast.” We set off at a steady pace and soon passed a Balinese-style pavilion high above the water. It was the legendary Basil’s Bar, the island’s social hub from 1976, where the original owner, Basil Charles, still wows his customers. We got to know it well.

Legendary: Upstairs is Basil’s Bar, “the social center of the island since 1976”.

“Mustique deserves this unique trip,” says Kate. Above is the island’s Pink House store

Grant pointed out a blue manta ray and then five hawksbill turtles calmly eating seaweed. My eyes opened to the sea. When we finished swimming almost two hours later, I saw my husband and children standing at the dock to welcome me home. A moment of utter delight.

Island life was a simple matter. During the day it was about our favorite beaches Macaroni and Gelliceaux Bay. Since no cars are allowed, everyone has to walk or take a golf cart, also known as a mule, to get there. Our children were both safe and happy.

They gathered on the Cotton House dock and were soon swimming or snorkeling with other youngsters to see angelfish and eels. In addition, there were picnic invitations from other guests on the island. cricket on the beach for the little ones; Kick back with some rum punch for us.

Nightlife was just as easy. On Tuesday there were cocktails at The Cotton House; “Jump Up” (barbecue and live music) in Basil’s Bar on Wednesdays. And there is a relaxed kaftan-come-atmosphere everywhere.

Basil was happy to explain how the island had changed from jungle and scrub to this side of paradise. He believes the base harbor and airstrip will keep the mega yachts and private jets at bay.

Hooray for all that. If your goal is to remember what family really means, then Mustique deserves this unique trip. But in our case, we’ll do everything to make it a twice-in-a-lifetime trip.