Set on Friendship Bay, this cluster of four villas on a one-mile stretch of beach has dwellings that range in size from one to four bedrooms, housing up to 16 guests total. Each unit has airy wood-beamed porches, a full modern kitchen, a dining area large enough to seat a big dinner party, bedrooms with elegant French doors, and a living room with delicious Caribbean views. All of them have comfortable high-end furnishings, though they're not as ultra-luxurious as similarly styled properties on nearby Mustique.

The selection of hotels on Mustique is limited—very limited. Indeed, the venerable Cotton House is pretty much the only full-service option. Not that you'll be missing anything after you've checked into one of these 19 rooms set on 13 verdant acres anchored between the island's Caribbean and Atlantic coasts. The property inhabits the shell of what was once—as its name suggests—a cotton warehouse that's more than 300 years old. It originally became a hotel in the 1960s and was starting to show its age, but it was given a thorough makeover in 2004 by hospitality guru Grace Leo-Andrieu, famed for her quiet, sophisticated take on holiday luxury. Additions include a new swimming pool, a refreshed, colorful interior design scheme, and the introduction of a new "pillow menu" with five different varieties offered nightly (how did the jet set ever get a good night's sleep before the invention of such amenities?). Large suites include plunge pools, while the hotel's pièce de résistance—Cotton Hill—is a two-bedroom aerie with its own staff and full-size pool. An utterly inviting strip of powdery white sand fronting Endeavor Bay serves as the hotel's beach, while its dock makes for the perfect starting-off point for a snorkel dive into the azure sea. The small spa offers massages, body wraps, pedicures, and soothing mud masks—all based on Espa or Sundari products.

Closed mid-September through October.

While the Cotton House may hoard all the headlines, there is actually another—albeit much more low-key—hotel on the island. Consisting of a mere five rooms, the Firefly was once a private villa and has been transformed into a charming hotel by owners Stan and Elizabeth Clayton. Each of the rooms is loaded with extras such as fully programmed iPods and wireless Internet access. And no two are alike. Tree House, for instance, comes with an indoor-outdoor "sea pebble" shower. Seashells has its own plunge pool, as does Royal Palm, the largest room, which also has a sitting room and a balcony. Pineapple opens onto a view of the island of Canouan. And in Hummingbird, you can see the ocean from your bed. Guests have full use of the pool and Jacuzzi, set within lushly landscaped gardens, and individual motorized buggies. The hotel's restaurant has emerged as an island favorite, which is a hidden perk, since all meals are included in the room rate. It's not as grand as other properties on the island, and children under 12 are not permitted—either drawbacks or selling points, depending on your point of view.

Gingerbread is a ten-room B&B set on the beach, three minutes outside Port Elizabeth on Admiralty Bay harbor. It benefits from being moments away from both the sea and the island's main drag. The building's whimsical design—gables capped with roses, latticework balconies, and eclectically painted details—gives the place a storybook quality. Inside, rooms have Italian tiles, Brazilian hardwoods, and four-poster king-size beds, as well as little porches and fully equipped kitchens. Still, rather than cook, you'll want to eat at the hotel's Gingerbread Restaurant. It's one of the island's most popular spots.

The first Caribbean progeny of Singapore's legendary Raffles Hotel chain, this multifaceted resort sprawls across nearly two-thirds of Canouan Island; indeed, each of its 156 rooms and suites comes equipped with a golf cart for guests to tool around in. Boldly colored walls (navy, ocher), hand-painted tiles, and rich Italian textiles lend the rooms a Mediterranean air, complemented by such high-tech touches as flat-screen TVs and Lavazza espresso machines. Its three pristine beaches—including ultrasecluded, clothing-optional Maho Bay—would be enough to push Raffles into the top tier of Caribbean resorts, but the hotel also has an 18-hole par-72 golf course, a Trump casino, four restaurants, and a swank spa overlooking Godahl Beach.