I met the Beachcomber Representatives and the rest of the group at 1800 at Heathrow and checked in with Air Mauritius for our 2100 departure to Mauritius. Some 12 hours later we arrived at our destination, collected our bags and were given a very special welcome to the island by a band and dancers, all in traditional dress, who gave us all flower garlands.

Having heard excellent things about The Verandah Resort & Spa, I had rather high expectations. I have to say it more than lived up to these expectations and in most cases, far exceeded them. The resort has a sort of ‘village’ feel with each villa being individually named. Another nice touch were the little buggies that were always driving around to take you around the resort… very handy when you’ve got tired legs after a busy day...

I find myself travelling down to London on Virgin Trains the night before my trip to St Lucia. I stopped at the Sofitel which is connected to the North terminal at Gatwick airport the night before to catch my early flight.