Our private flight in was a little bumpy because of a storm - but the former navy pilot handled it with ease and we got a little first hand "top gun" experience to start our honeymoon! Greeted at the airport with drinks and a "mule" ride to our hotel we were astonished at the "airport" and knew we were truly in paradise Island! (It was a tiny strip and hut! - not somewhere to travel if you are scared of flying). The firefly itself was beautiful! We stayed in the Treehouse room - which other reviewers recommended and we LOVED. Since it was mid-June the hotel only had a few guests (well it ALWAYS only has a few guests because of its limited number of rooms) but we were one of 2 or 3 others for the first few days. Since they were so few - we got to check out the other rooms and Treehouse was the BEST even though not the most expensive.

The room was so romantic - first - NO TECHNOLOGY! No phones - no TV - only an ipod with thousands of songs and a speaker system for it. There was music to get ready by - beach music- and of course romantic music! The room had one wall that was only covered with levered doors that you could open wide to a beautiful view or close for privacy. Even when they were closed though - you felt like you were PART of nature! The only complaint about the room - the toilet was in a cubby but had no door! My husband and I solved this by kicking the other out of the room for a little while each day! (Ummm - why don't you go order drinks for us - I'll be right up! or hey why don't you take our things to the mule - I'll be right out!) So we were able to work around it most of the time - but would have rather had a door on the toilet! The shower was open to the outside on one wall! It was GREAT! Don't worry - there was enough vegitation to make you feel modest but enough beautiful sky and ocean visible to make you feel like you were bathing in a waterfall! We even had a little lizard that lived in the banana leaves and would peep on us sometimes!

The room was SO romantic - with beautiful furniture and a bed draped in mosquito nets! There was an A/C in the room and when you were there it could pump out enough air to relieve you from the heat! In the evenings they would go down to your room when they saw you come up for dinner - clean it (for a second time that day) turn out all the lights, light candles, and put some romantic music on. What a BEAUTIFUL ROMANTIC surprise the first night! You come down from a wonderful meal overlooking INSANE scenery into a Dream come true for a honeymoon! Talk about "putting you in the mood"! It always seemed like magic too - no knocking on your door at 9 am screaming "housekeeping" - rather the maids and staff watched for when you left your room then would go clean and restock them. It was seamless service! There were also 2 sarongs provided as well as an assortment of snorkling gear, books, games, etc.

The other neat thing about the inn was that everyone DID learn your name by the end of the stay - and we learned all their names too! Also the way the hotel was designed was really great! We were worried that it wasn't ON the beach - but then were happily surprised at the beautiful view since we were up high off the beach! It didn't matter that we weren't ON the sand because they furnished the "mule" and all the beaches were public - so within 3 minutes we could be at any beach - and never had to lug beach stuff back and forth to our room - we just threw it in the back of the mule and pulled right up to whatever beach we wanted!
ALSO - the infinity pool was unsurpassed in beauty! A lot of days we'd spend a few hours in the morning at the pool with delicious pizza and daquris for lunch- and we'd end a lot of evenings with martinis in the hot tub! ANOTHER neat thing was that the pool wasn't in a big cement square - an infinity pool, it had a beautiful waterfall and a dozen nooks and crannies separated from others with vegetation - so no matter how many people were at the pool - you thought you were alone! Only firefly residents were allowed at the pool - so with only 5 or 6 rooms there - there were always more alcoves than people! It ALWAYS felt deserted!

The food was great! Compared to all-inclusive that we have stayed at - the food was MUCH MUCH better! Don't expect 4 star dining - but do expect beautiful views, friendly service, and good food. Since there were a limited selection of restaurants on the island we ate at the hotel a LOT! Though they changed their menu often - we found ourselves asking if they could make this or that or change this dish, etc. They always accommodated us if they could - by the end of the week we were creating our own dishes AND our own desserts! Yummy! (try the dark chocolate dipped fried bananas with coconut ice cream with sundae toppings!) Also we found that there was a bakery in the little village and we'd go down there some mornings and get french pastries as a change for breakfast. We'd bring them back and have some of the YUMMY coffee or tea at the firefly! Patrick's little song still runs in my head sometimes! "Me dont need sugar for my tea, because me sweet, me sweet already..." hahaha Also - the staff is glad to bring lunch where ever you may be on the island! Just tell them where you will be and what you want and what time you want it! They will show up with your meal and ice cold drinks - set out tablecloths and set the table complete with centerpiece of flowers and shells and leave you to your lunch! ANYWHERE ON THE ISLAND!! After you are done you just throw the basket in the back of your "mule" and bring it home when you go! (I say home because it really feels like home by the end of the first day!)

One traveler (the ONE that claimed they had a bad experience) claimed they didn't see any celebrities AND they didn't want their port of origin released! Well - we did run into Tommy Hilfiger - had drinks with him in the bar and sat next to him at dinner! (Neither one of us really care about that stuff though!) Mic Jagger's home is easily viewed from the beach too! So this isn't a place celebrities USED to go. I only add that to point out that 1) the other reviewer stinks seemed only to be trying to get money back after their LONG vacation - if it was THAT awful why didn't they LEAVE rather than stay the whole week THEN ask for their money back! 2) this island is one of the most beautiful in the world - a place where people who could go ANYWHERE still choose!
Also - we met a couple in the bar who were renting a place but were from our SAME hometown - Atlanta! More than that they live about 2 miles from us! We became friends there and still hang out on weekends! We also met people from all over the world - and my sister's hubby (he's a brit and they live in London) knew all about Mustique because of the royal connection!

The other hotel, the cotton house, was much more expensive - but after touring both - we'd definitely always stay at the firefly! The cool thing was that you had your run of the island and that included the Cotton House beach! When we wanted to lay in the sun next to a gently lapping ocean and drink pina colodas - we went to the cotton house beach. Funny thing - the first morning we were up early and after having gotten our "lay of the land" the day before we headed out to our 1st beach pick - wanting to beat everyone else... HAHAHA - what a JOKE - the ENTIRE DAY there was only 1 other couple there on a 200 yard beach! Privacy was NEVER a problem! It was neat because it seemed the beaches catered to every taste! There was one that was rough and fun to body board or kite surf in - there was one that had 100 yards of 3 ft deep water and NO waves so you could cool off like a lap pool - there was one that had BEAUTIFUL REEFS and since your room had fins and snorkles we spent a LOT of time there - we saw sea turtles, rays, puffer fish, angel fish, and more - just snorkeling off the beach! The beach at the cotton house also had a GREAT coral reef to one side that was fun to snorkel - we saw many of the same animals there!

If you dive - DON'T miss diving in Mustique! The divemaster (can't remember his name unfortunately) is an EXPERT! It was "concierge diving" meaning you show up and everything is ready - you dive and they take care of all your tanks and gear - you don't have to haul or set it up yourself. Also - we were the only 2 on each of our 4 dives - so the divemaster was a tourguide of the deep - showing us hidy holes for sea horses, rays, barracuda, lobster, etc. It was some of the best diving we've done because the divemaster knew the landscape SO well! It made diving that much more fun! check out these two websites -
http://www.scubamom.com/grenadines/mustique/scuba.htm and
http://www.scubamom.com/grenadines/firefly/
On land there were two types of animals EVERYWHERE - little land turtles (tortoises?) and cats! Notice that many of the cats have one ear clipped! That is Liz's doing - she has a vet come from a nearby island and they go around spaying or neutering the cats to control the population and they clip the ear of the ones that have been done! Just goes to show you how caring liz is about Mustuque! There IS a funny statue near the library! (see pic) I guess the people of mustique LOVE their turtles!

Okay - I feel like I've told you everything minute by minute! One last note - I think the "mule" or 4wheel drive golf cart type vehicle was my husband's favorite part of the trip! It was a little like a ride at 6 flags! My favorite part was the late night skinny dipping in the pool! (Because of the season we were the ONLY people in the hotel for the last 3 nights there and since the staff goes to their dorms and Stan and Liz go home - we had the RUN of the place to ourselves!!)

The ONE person who said they didn't LOVE the firefly complained about the martini club - (of COURSE stan and liz do promotional stuff - it isn't a non-profit!) My hubby "Joined" the martini club though and had so much fun doing it! The crazy thing is how many people have recognized the shirt since we've been home and shared their experience at the firefly with us! Take a look at the gallery! http://www.fireflymustique.com/slideshows/martini/martini.htm
Martini's not your thing? There is a champaign club too! Really though ANY drinks you get at the bar are great! Matter of fact - one day they couldn't make my favorite, pina coloda because they were out of FRESH coconut cream and wouldn't use canned. The next day they actually sent someone to the cotton house and bought some from them so I could have my pina coloda with lunch! We were the only guests there by that time - so they did it JUST FOR ME!

It was a beautiful honeymoon -and I dream of going back! It is a very different feel than going to the 4 seasons on Nevis or going to the all inclusive Atlantis. The beauty is in how personal everything is - how they work to make YOUR vacation perfect. Don't go expecting to see 0 bugs in your room (one wall IS OPEN to nature), don't go expecting to have every whim fulfilled or having activities planned from sun up to sun down. Go seeking time for yourself and your spouse - go seeking seclusion, natural beauty, and a perfect balance between privacy and feeling like part of the family. You will get out of a vacation at mustique exactly what you put into it! I have left out so much -believe it or not! Make sure to ride horses at the stables, play tennis! Shop in the small village (don't expect a LOT of shopping - there are only a few shops!) Go to Basil's bar - rated one of teh top 10 in the WORLD - and well deserved - (although the one at the firefly is just as great!) Meeting others and chatting is really the "nightlife" you can expect. The toasted coconut (think salty not sweet) at the FireFly Bar is DELICIOUS! Visit the small "locals" town - ask Patrick where to find it!
Have FUN! One last tip - we did take our laptop and a selection of DVD's so the one day it rained and when we were too tired to socialize we'd have a movie night in our room. It was great not having a TV though and not having the constant humm of appliances everywhere!

I think we're going to try for our 5th anniversary! We'll definitely go back for our big ones - 10th, 25th, maybe even 50th!! I'll always feel like I have a home there and really appreciate Stan, Liz and the staff for giving us such a wonderful, fun and romantic honeymoon. Truly a fairytale place!

GO to Mustique - STAY at the Firefly! Prepare for the most romantic trip EVER!

Just FYI - Mustique really isn't for kids! (Which made our honeymoon that much better!)