Bequia is an incredibly friendly, laid-back island blessed with pristine golden sand beaches and some excellent restaurants. It’s also a popular sailing destination; the yachts tend to congregate around Admiralty Bay, where you’ll find the little waterfront town of Port Elizabeth.

Situated just to the west of the Tobago Cays, Mayreau is a tiny, barely inhabited island that can only be reached by boat. There is very little to do, which is the main attraction for those lucky few who wash up here; the palm-fringed beaches and gently lapping waters are the Caribbean island idyll par excellence.

The majority of Saint Lucia’s hotels are clustered around the broad sweep of Rodney Bay, where you’ll find some of the best beaches on the island and a host of lively bars and restaurants. At the northern end of the bay is Pigeon Island and historic Fort Rodney, well worth a visit for the splendid views.

Eight tiny islands make up the Iles des Saintes, a sparsely inhabited archipelago off the southern coast of Guadeloupe. The most interesting island is hilly Terre-de-Haut, almost entirely populated by the fair-skinned descendants of Breton sailors and home to a beautiful bay reminiscent of a mini Rio de Janeiro.

Antigua is famously home to 365 beaches - one for every day of the year - and there is an undeniable allure to the many white sand coves dotted along the coast. Falmouth Harbour lies on the south of the island, close to historic Nelson’s Dockyard and the lookout at Shirley Heights.