All aboard the Caribbean cruise for island hopping

FIRST STOP was San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico and now a US territory.

A walking tour of the old town, with expert guide Ramon, gave us a chance to explore this former Spanish outpost with its dramatic Castillo San Felipe del Morro fort overlooking the harbour, and colourful colonial buildings with delicate wrought-iron balconies.

Afterwards, Ramon pointed us in the direction of some good shopping in Calle Fortaleza, the main street.

We avoided the duty free outposts of big name brands and instead found some quaint jewellery shops.

Being duty free, the Caribbean has some excellent bargains on diamonds and other gems and I quickly fell in love with a gorgeous pair of emerald earrings.

A polite bit of bartering reduced the price from US$400 to $300 (£205). Even better.

Further on we found the colourful and lively Parrot Club restaurant. Although not familiar with many of the dishes on offer, a bit of guidance from our waiter meant we were treated to a delicious meal of mofongo (mashed plaintain), black bean croquetas with lime mayonnaise and a local beer.

Back on board, we were lulled to sleep by the gentle movement of the ship as she set sail for St Thomas, one of the US Virgin Islands.

Once the centre of a bustling pirate culture in the 18th century, things are a bit more civilised nowadays in the capital Charlotte Amalie.

A pretty name for a pretty little town, which is known for its excellent duty-free shopping. But snorkelling with turtles was on the agenda today.

We’d chosen a boat trip on the small pirate schooner Doubloon (£43pp) and headed for protected Turtle Cove, a breeding centre for these curious creatures.

You’re not allowed on to the deserted island so, after a safety demonstration, everyone dived into the water for a snorkel safari with Mick.

he would stop every so often and point out a turtle or two beneath us, gracefully heading for the surface.

What a privilege to be in the water alongside these amazing animals and beautiful corals with brightly-coloured fish darting around our feet.

The next morning we arrived at our final destination, St Maarten, peacefully divided between holland and France in 1648, and today the smallest land mass in the world shared by two sovereign nations.

Despite many activities on offer, the lure of a sandy beach and a dip in the sea was just too hard to resist.

From the harbour it was a quick dash across the bay on a water taxi to Philipsburg, the capital. Within seconds our toes were sinking into pristine white sands.

With the same shops we had seen elsewhere, we didn’t bother browsing. Instead, we hired a sunlounger under an umbrella, sat back and enjoyed the relaxed Caribbean vibe.

The colourful beach umbrellas contrasted with the turquoise waters, which beckoned invitingly.

Beach hawkers would wander by, offering sarongs, an aloe vera massage, jet ski hire, hair braiding and cold drinks. But there was no hard sell and a friendly “no, thank you” sent them on their way.

Before long we were back on board for a glamorous sail-away party on the helicopter deck. As the sun slowly dipped below the horizon, our beautiful ship eased gracefully out of port and turned for Miami, two days’ sail away. She was heading straight out again on the same route as soon as she got back.

How I wished I could stay on board and do it all again.