Anyone who writes a negative review about this place hasn't been to the same hotel as we have. We have just returned from 9 nights at the Cotton House. Our holiday was arranged by Prestbury Travel and I would thoroughly recommend them. All the arrangements went like a dream. We were met at Barbados airport and taken to check in for the Mustique flight whilst a member of staff transferred our bags. On arrival at Mustique airport we were given cool cloths and water from a silver tray covered in flowers and that set the standard. Everyone wished my husband a happy birthday and the General Manager went through everything with us (basically if you want it they can provide it) before we were shown to our cottage. This is the cheapest accommodation but I loved it as we were detached. (Some of the suites are in blocks of 4.) During our stay it was also my birthday. We were given Mimosas with breakfast, had champagne at sunset on the jetty and a special dinner alone at the edge of the sea served by our own butler. We had 2 further special meals whilst on the island and they were fantastic. All the staff are wonderful and somehow know your name even if you haven't seen them before. There is plenty of room on the beach (unlike Sandy Lane) and sunbeds etc are organised for you. I had thought that the Cotton House might be a bit stuffy but it was anything but. It knows how good it is so doesn't need to be! I could go on and on about all the little details which made our stay so wonderful but all in all this is a very special place and we can't wait to go back.

First, the pros -
The island is beautiful and there are all the lovely exotic empty beaches you could ever want. It was very quiet though we were to understand that it picks up quite a bit in the high season. The little town, Lovell, is charming and there are several interesting places to see on the island. The villas are also amazing.
Unique rooms - We were in the Cottages which were quite cute and cozy. They are however inland and do not get a breeze from the water, meaning the walk to them in the hot sun at midday was very intense.
Service - always excellent, we never had any issues.
Mules - expensive but worth it, it was a blast to zip around the island on the golf cart/4x4 cross.
Little birds - Some people found them disgusting, but I enjoyed shooting them with the waterguns provided by the Cotton House.
Dogs - friendly local dogs run amok on the property which made it feel homey.

Now for the cons -
The food - mediocre at the Cotton House, better at the Firefly, but not outstanding anywhere on the island.
The beach - it's okay, and there is an area for snorkeling which was nice. But you can't go in the water from the beach itself - it's too rocky. The other beaches on the island are much better. In fact of all the beaches we went to, the Cotton House's beach was the worst on the island.
Lack of upgrades - I normally wouldn't complain about this, but we and two other couples there on our honeymoons were not upgraded despite the resort being virtually empty. When we read all the reviews with free upgrades here we were somewhat irritated.
Overpriced - this is another thing I would normally never complain about - I expect the Caribbean to be expensive. However, when we realized that staying in a 2-bed luxury villa with food and butler included would have cost less than our trip to the Cotton House, we felt as though we'd overpaid.
SAND FLEAS - Everything after dark takes place at the beach bar, but the beach bar (and the beach itself) is simply awful after 4pm when the sand fleas come out. No amount of citronella or spray could get them to leave you (or whatever you were trying to eat/drink) alone. Many of the surfaces in the bar would literally be coated with a moving black shell of sand fleas. We usually fled to the bar in the main house which tended to be unfortunately empty.

In summation - Mustique is lovely, but if you go, shell out the cash to stay in a villa. If you want a good dinner try Firefly - we ate there twice and the food was good. The atmosphere there is also superior to the Cotton House as it seems to be where most visitors to the island hang out.

We booked his hotel beleiving it was a Relais Chateaux hotel and thinking it would be of comparable standard. We were sadly dissapointed. The hotel is advertised as a beach resort, it is not. The beach is just a rocky mess and it is very hard to enter the water. The beach shown on the brochure is actually on the other side of the island. You have to risk cutting your legs climbing across rocks or enter via a wooden platform. It is not even a Relais Chateaux hotel but actually owned by a consortium who own other property on the island.
We were told there was no where else to go on the island but later found out there are actually two other bars and resturants and another hotel on the island which is apparently where the island guess go. Cotton House guests are kept 'on campus' and not encouraged to mix with the island or vise versa. After making our own enquiries we decided to rent a car or mule as it is called. It is worth it but did cost £65 PER DAY PLUS DRIVERS LICENSES! The hotel will drive you around in their bus at no additonal charge but again you are made to feel totally excluded from the island as everyone else is in these mules and Coton Hotel guests are the only ones in a bus. We felt like day trippers peeping through the windows at the sceenery! They will drop you off at a beach and pick you up again at a pre appointed time but it is all just so awkward and not relaxing wondering what time the bus will come!
The Cotton Hotel is devoid of much atmosphere, the bar is soleless with no customers and little life. The so called beach bar is anoyingly full of sand flies which makes it impossile to sit for any period of time without being bitten, very unpleasent. Birds mess everywhere and take food from the tables. Anyone who has been to Southern Europe and experienced the fabulous beach bars there will wonder just what all the hype here is about?
The final dissapointment for us was on a Tuesday evening the hotel has a cocktail party to which we and all the guests of the variouls villas were invited. We thought finally some people to talk to and some life. What happened was that dozens of teenages swarmed the place making it feel like a childrens party with a handfull of acompanying adults who clearly look down on Cotton Hotel guests as second class citizens. We were made to feel very uncomfortable by some EXTREEMLY arogant people. One lady began talking to us and as soon as she heard we were staying at the hotel simply said 'oh' , turned around and walked off! The main resturant was closed because of the cocktail party so we had to eat at the beach bar and get bitten again. Not a good night.
Not the holiday we had expected, overpriced for what you receive. Yes, we did go for the summer special but it is not quite as it seems because by the time they have added on all the extras it equals the full rate anyway so no real deal there.
To end on a positive the managers do try and were clearly aware of the issues there. I feel they too were embarassed by the cocktail party situation as they explained the behaviour of island guests is beyond thier controll. Mustique is a pretty Caribbean island but there are many equally beautiful places to go to in the world with out the arrogant attitude and over inflated prices.

Whilst there are only a few, I am staggered that there are any negative comments of feedback. From start to finish the staff, the food, the island, the weather, the location were as close to perfection as I am ever likelt to experience. Staff could not have been more accomodating or helpful with any request - be it room staff, restaurant staff, bar staff, beach staff, general manager. I could go on. There are so many well thought out personal touches from the canapes & champagne in room on arrival, to the glasses of champagne left on the Jetty, when we finished an evenings snorkelling. Nothing was too much trouble or anyone. All staff work incredibly hard & always with a smile & ensured we had a truly memorable honeymoon. Food was of a high standard & whilst drinks are slighty expensive I won't grumble. I will recommend this unique experience to anyone & will be back.