Retreat to Bahamian luxury

Ruth A. Hill

Musha is one of those places where you'd expect James Bond and a statuesque blonde to emerge from a flowering trail along the beach, or John Travolta to land one of his jets for a stay. Lifestyles of the rich and famous this is, but it's available to anyone who's willing to meet the owner's price.

Musha is among the world's few private islands (only about 3,000 of the world's 600,000 islands are fit for habitation) that belong to seriously rich people like British business tycoon Richard Branson and Hollywood celebrities Mel Gibson, Gene Hackman and Johnny Depp. Not many are for sale, and even fewer offer just a few nights' hire. Musha Cay is among the latter.

Owned by Blockbuster Video founder and businessman John Melk, Musha is the luscious result of a man with an island dream and a pocketbook to make it a reality. Melk bought the former hardened-limestone zone of drug runners for a cool $50 million in 1995, then spent the next five years and millions more to make it sparkle.

One island wasn't enough, however. He also acquired four surrounding islands to ensure seclusion, including one with an airstrip for guest arrivals by private jet. Surrounding all are some of the clearest and most intensely blue waters in the world.

Materials - including 3,000 tons of soil, 4,000 tons of concrete, a 300,000-gallon water cistern, 1,000 palm trees and 100,000 tropical plants - arrived on Musha by barges from around the world. Much of Melk's investment is unseen to guests' eyes. A desalination plant produces 30,000 gallons of drinkable water per day. Main and backup generators supply the electricity. An underground phone system provides interisland and outside calls as well as Internet connections. Discreet TV satellite systems connect guests who simply must keep track of the outside world.

The island accepts only one reservation at a time, but you can bring along a few friends with you - a maximum of 24. (Wedding anyone?) A resident staff of 30 is mostly out of sight until you expect or summon them, and "no" doesn't seem to be in their vocabulary. It doesn't take long to feel the island is truly yours, and all you have to do is call for something like a dawn fly-in of warm Krispy Kremes, and it will probably happen.

Accommodations are five individually designed, Bahamian colonial-style houses, each with its own private island site. They range in size from 10,000 to 3,200 square feet each. The centerpiece is High Point, which sits atop Musha Cay's hill. It's the manor house with soaring ceilings, wraparound views of the Bahamian waters, and two grand master bedrooms, plus expansive gardens. The others have unique design, too, plus privacy, of course, and optimum views of the impossibly blue Bahamian waters, sky and white beaches.

Guests with a real passion for privacy can opt for the Beach House, a one-bedroom, thatched-roof cottage on a secluded beach where an open-air shower and bathroom suggest varied scenarios to those in residence. Traditional Caribbean elements such as mahogany porches, doors and shutters mix brilliantly within each spacious domicile. Four-poster beds, cane furniture and Oriental rugs embellish interiors. Kitchens are stocked with guest preferences for snacks and drinks; private-line cosmetics fill bathroom spaces. You drive to your private enclave along fragrant flowering roadways built for Musha's principal transport: electric golf carts.

Of course, there's a resident chef who presents his gourmet triumphs in The Landings' main dining room, or maybe in a private cove that's to your liking. What you see on your dinner plate can be something you first met at the end of your fishing line earlier in the day. Or maybe you'd like a picnic on a sandbar, something like Faith Hill and Tim McGraw had when they were at Musha for a Valentine's Day rendezvous. Casually elegant beach-side dining under a tent is always an option, too, as are poolside repasts beneath a thatched-roof lounging area. And when your Musha dream must end, a beach bonfire after dinner is a great way to end your private island evenings.

What to do while reveling in your island retreat? Just about whatever your hearts desires, including nothing. Sunbathing on sugar-white beaches, swimming in the blue sea, walking or hiking island pathways are among the choices. There are plenty of island toys at your disposal for sailing, Jet Skiing, deep-sea and flat fishing. The staff is ever-ready to assist, guide and instruct.

Tennis courts and a beachfront, air-conditioned gym are there for the taking as well, and for more active guests there's diving and exploring the land or sea by speedboat, catamaran, sailboat, Wave Runner or windsurfer. After play, an in-house massage or hanging out on your private verandah are often de rigueur.

Musha Cay is located in the southern Bahamas, about 85 miles southeast of Nassau. Less than three air hours from New York and about 40 air minutes (275 miles) southeast of Miami, it is accessible by private jet or commercial flights. If you arrive at Mosstown Airport, Georgetown, the Exumas, it's just a 10-minute, jaw-dropping-scenery flight to the island on Musha Cay's own Twin Otter.

IF YOU GO

All-inclusive price for the privacy: $24,750 per day for eight. An additional per-person charge for more than eight people is $1,250 per person for parties up to 16; $1,150 extra per person for parties up to 24. No additional charge for wine, gratuities, boating activities or meals of choice at any hour of the day or night. International phone calls and Bahamian room tax are extra, as are transfers.

Contact Sanctuare, Quintessential Hideways for information at (877) 889-1100 or (203) 602-0300, or visit www.mushacay.com.

Ruth A. Hill is a freelance travel writer.

© Copley News Service