7 days cruising from Antigua to St Martin on a luxury yacht

Join your yacht at Nelson’s Dockyard. Restored from the 1700s when the Royal Navy sailed against pirates the site has recently been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wander the ancient streets before departing for nearby Green Island, ringed by perfect beaches where you can ease your jet lag with a beach picnic from your yacht. Later, return to Carlisle Bay on Antigua and dine at the elegantly open-air Indigo on the Beach.

The short crossing to Barbuda will give you time to wiggle your toes in the pink-sand beaches before taking a tour arranged by your captain to the Frigate Bird Sanctuary to see these amazing birds with eight-foot wingspans that soar across hundreds of miles of open ocean. Later, snorkel over the reef and then settle in with an al fresco dinner.

You’ll awake at anchor in Tamarind Bay after an overnight passage, so you have time for choices. Golf on the dramatic Robert Trent Jones par-71 course at Four Seasons Nevis (one of the best gold courses with coastal views in the Caribbean), pamper yourself at a spa, or unwind on the well-named Lover’s Beach. Or all the above? Before dinner aboard, try a Killer Bee at Sunshine’s, a funky bar on Pinney’s Beach.

A short hop allows you to enjoy spectacular vistas from the Royal St. Kitts 18-hole golf course, or tour the rainforest with its cuddly green vervet monkeys. If you’re a hiker, remember the 3,900-foot island summit is well-named Mt. Misery. Don’t miss Basseterre with its Georgian homes and the waterfront Rum Barrel to try a Drunken Monkey. Or roll the dice at the Marriott casino.

En route, you’ll stop to sample the waters of Statia, known for its many wrecks primed for diving. Saba is tiny and Dutch, with a quiet anchorage and a national marine park filled with brightly-coloured fish.You’ll spend a peaceful evening under the towering volcanic rock, and this might be a chance to enjoy the Jacuzzi under millions of stars.

Once moored in Gustavia, you’re just steps from upscale boutiques and designer shops to rival the world’s premier retail boulevards. St. Barts is about gourmet dining, with dozens of French restaurants, and nightlife, where you can dance the night away, after a day of exploring.

An early start will get you through the oh-so-narrow Simpson Bay Bridge to a luxe marina, and you’ll have time to explore Le West Indies Shopping Mall or get rid of your foreign currency in the slots at one of the casinos. Depart for home with Caribbean visions dancing in your head.