We did the Waterfall, Pirates and Catamaran excursion and this was lovely - a cruise up on side of the island past the bat cave, volcanic eruption sites and then docking to go and jump in a nearby waterfall. You had lunch at a local restaurant (which was a little bit more chaotic as there wasn't much room to self serve when a hundred or so people turn up!), and then went to a site used in the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean. Skip the gimmicky bits here and go straight to the bar and order the local rum - either the normal or the 84% proof, they don't mind!!

Martinique is by and large the most developed of all the islands, but this means it loses its charm a bit. We weren't helped by terrible weather from start to finish, but the tour group made the best of the situation. We did the Historical Plantation and Botanical Gardens tour - the plantation is a large tourist attraction but very interesting and you do get a rum tasting, and the Gardens are truly stunning way up in the mountains, but at this point the guide should have really left the tourists to explore and ask to meet back later - this latter part was a bit too rigid in itinerary and we chose to break away and meet up later, resulting in seeing more in the time we had there.

Again we were hampered by bad weather here, and originally we wanted to do the Panoramic Tour of the Butterfly but were unable to get on due to demand. To our surprise, they found us two places on the massively popular Death in Paradise tour, and this is a great little number for those who watch the TV series. You get to go to the filming site of the shack, police office and bar, and then take an hour and a half on Grand Anse beach to swim and sunbathe - and it all wraps up in 5 hours ready to go back to the ship for more sunbathing.

We did the Volcanic Mud Bath tour and despite the long drive down to the Pitons, you see it all here - fishing villages, the view across to the Pitons, the mud baths are great and the guides will happily take snaps for you on your own phones, and a shopping stop to have local rum punch and pick up local produce including spices, coffee and an opportunity to try homemade banana bread. 10/10 the island is beautiful, the tour is worth it and the guide was a legend - would happily return here for a resort holiday.

We took the full day Spice Island tour and the only thing that stops this from being 5 stars is that it might be one stop too long. You literally do a full loop of the island, taking in waterfalls, a chocolate making factory, photo stops and table service lunch, and the guide was passionate and funny throughout what was a 7 hour tour. This island is also very pretty even though it is still recovering from severe hurricane damage many years ago, and they really appreciate the support tourists give in any form.

A real treat at the end of the holiday - we did the new tour Tobago Fun Cruise, and this drove you across the coast a little bit to the Nylon Pool - a huge lagoon of which one part you can snorkel in crystal clear waters, and another that is a sandbar in the middle of the sea you can stand on and paddle around. You then moor at No Man's Land - a postcard perfect spit of land that finally gave us the dreamy white sand and low hanging palm trees you see in the brochures. The drinks were flowing, the food was plentiful, the music was great and the surroundings were insane - you will love this tour and you will love this island.