Inside Terraces Mustique, the most expensive Caribbean home

A palatial estate in the Caribbean was listed for a whopping $200 million Sunday evening, making it the most expensive home to ever hit the market in the region and one of the priciest homes for sale in the entire world.  

The Terraces, as the estate is called, spans 17 acres and nine structures. It’s located on the small private island of Mustique, which lies in the southern Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It is north of Trinidad and Tobago and about 45 minutes west of Barbados, if you’re taking a private plane.

“The Terraces in Mustique is the most expensive single residential home to publicly come to the open market in the Caribbean region,” said Edward de Mallet Morgan, head of international super-prime sales at Knight Frank, who represents the mega-listing.

The majestic residence commands one of Mustique’s highest elevations, overlooking landscaped gardens and wild tropical grounds with panoramic views over the Atlantic and Caribbean coastlines. The estate’s 41-page marketing brochure boasts nine ensuite bedrooms in the main house, an 80-foot-long swimming pool and “the largest entertaining space on the entire island.”

“Mustique is an island where incredibly high profile people go for incredibly low profile holidays,” said de Mallet Morgan, who declined disclose the identity of the seller.

Mustique has a storied past. In 1958, Lord Glenconner, Colin Tennant, bought the entire island, which at the time had no roads and no running water, for £45,000. That’s about $1.2 million in today’s money, when adjusted for inflation. Tennant gifted a plot to his friend Princess Margaret, who built a villa there and helped spark a rush of rich and famous buyers who followed the royal and built their own homes, according to the island’s website.

Decades later, it’s still an exclusive playground for titans of industry and rock stars. Tommy Hilfiger and Mick Jagger have homes on the isle. From its health clinic to security, the island is wholly managed by the Mustique Company, a private operation owned by the island’s homeowners. The website states: “The company oversees every aspect of island life as well as the management of the villas on behalf of the shareholders and the safeguarding of the island.”

Natural beauty and unrivaled privacy make the island a perfect destination for the ultra wealthy to kick back and relax.

“Paparazzi are banned on Mustique, and the easy, relaxed interaction of royal families, rock stars, celebrities, business moguls and entrepreneurs is really unique to Mustique,” said de Mallet Morgan.

“It is a place where doors are not locked and no one bats an eye when you arrive at dinner barefoot.”