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We travelled down to Gatwick on the 21st to stay overnight at the lovely Sofitel. Last time I used this hotel it was Le Meridien. Pleased to find it still to be fabulous and so handy for BA departures being within the Terminal. We had checked in online so did the twilight bag drop.

The journey went well, very glad we checked in the night before the queues were horrendous at Gatwick but we could just proceed straight through security.

Arrived in Barbados on time and had a pre-booked taxi awaiting us. Arrived at the Almond Beach Club and Spa shortly after lunch and were welcomed with a cocktail. We were shown to our deluxe pool view room and were impressed. We had asked for a refurbished room and had a lovely view and were just steps away from the pool. Unpacked and went for a stroll along Sandy Lane beach hoping to celeb spot! The beach there is gorgeous, powdery soft white sand fringed with palm trees. All beaches on Barbados are public so it is nice and easy to go for beach strolls.

The Almond Beach Club is on the West coast where the best beaches and superior hotels are based. The island is relatively small and very easy to explore. Buses go right around the island and are plentiful if you are adventurous, alternatively there are lots of hire cars available and I would highly recommend this as the best way to see the island. We only had a week so opted for walks and organised excursions.

The next morning at the hotel orientation we arranged to go turtle watching, nature walking, booked an Island tour and a romantic Sunset Catamaran cruise. The Almond Beach Club is an all inclusive property and it is possible to share facilities with the Almond Beach Village family property 10 minutes up the coast and with the new Almond Casuarina on the livelier South Coast. Free buses run between all properties so you have a fabulous choice of activities, restaurants and entertainment.

The property doesn’t have a large beach just a small stretch of sand and a sunbathing platform next to the Sandy Lane beach. I have visited once before and was pleased to find the same very friendly vendors with their colourful stalls by the beach. I love the view and find the sunbathing area a perfect spot for people watching, sea swimming and snorkelling, heaven! There are some fantastic reefs directly off the beach. The area is part of a marine park and it is possible to swim to a shipwreck just offshore which is teeming with fish. Just round the corner from Sandy Lane beach at Payne’s Bay you can even swim out to turtles!

The entertainment at the Almond Resorts is varied. They have a selection of Reggae, Calypso, Soca and disco type bands most nights with Caribbean nights and cabaret, the atmosphere at The Beach Club is definitely more sedate than at the Village so you can decide where to go depending on your mood! For late night owls the Village has a nightclub whilst the Club has a lovely piano bar with a wonderful old jazz pianist who plays lots of old jazz and blues songs.

The Island tour we booked took us to the Mount Gay Rum factory which we really wanted to visit to taste the yummy rum. The prices there were brilliant at £4 for a litre. After sampling various rums and having a cocktail we were whisked to Sunbury Plantation house for lunch and a guided tour. The house dates back to the 1600’s and was fascinating. We followed this with a trip to Bathsheba, famous for surfing on the East coast, before returning to Holetown.

We took our sunset cruise on our last night. We drove to Bridgetown and boarded our gorgeous Catamaran and sailed up the West coast and had afternoon tea and cocktails as we sailed. We had fantastic views of the Island and stopped at a couple of points along the coast to snorkel. Alas the best places were right outside our hotel where we had snorkelled earlier in the day but we had a lovely trip anyway watching the sun setting on a wonderful Caribbean holiday.