Dive the Secret Bahamas

Fowl Cay, once a family's dreamy private retreat, is now a tiny luxury boutique hotel surrounded by incomparable aquamarine waters, and home to some of the best diving and snorkelling in the Caribbean - not always an easy thing to find.

There are just six air conditioned villas, all with sea views, some opening directly onto one of the private beaches, and with accommodation for couples or families, each of them offering total privacy and everything you could wish for including a totally stocked kitchen and fridge with a panoply of your favourite drinks and nibbles. Rooms would actually be an understatement as these are large suites or entire villas with separate bedroom, sitting rooms and large decks. Choose from breezy Starlight Villa, set on one of the highest points of the island or one of the beach side villas, each have their own appeal. When you do venture from your room on your own electric golf buggy, meet by the pool at Hill House, set on the highest point of the island for delicious lunch and dinners.

What sets this 'resort' (if something so small can really qualify as such) apart is that the rate is not only inclusive of all food and drink, but also your own 17ft speed boat to enable you to explore the seemingly endless white sand beaches and snorkelling spots on your own, go fishing for Mahi Mahi or grouper or most absurdly, play with the neighbouring islands swimming pigs! Order your picnic from your villa manager and stake out one of these islands for the day, snorkelling, shelling or just chilling. Choose to stay closer to home then explore the island with its equally beautiful beaches, tennis court and myriad watersports.

Breakfast is served in your room, freshly baked croissants and pastries appearing every morning. Lunch is either a picnic or by the pool and dinner a changing repertoire of delicious choices, never repetitive as incredibly the chefs rotate every three days.

Whether you snorkel or dive you are in for a treat. Snorkel in the beautiful cave where scenes from a James Bond movie were filmed or dive the untouched reefs. The more adventurous can join the local dive boat and snorkel above the divers on some of the fast shallow drifts over fields of brightly coloured corals and giant sponges home to turtles (including the increasingly rare Loggerhead), rays, nurse shark and endless tropical fish, or even better join the divers to get closer to the action.

Alternatively, venture further afield into the National Park and dive the deeper reefs, where you are guaranteed to swim amongst reef shark and giant 100lb grouper all set against a flourishing background of undamaged corals, soft and hard. Bored? Then go and pet the local friendly nurse shark that swim in and beach themselves to be fed. There is so much to do and having your own boat gives you the freedom to choose, and at your own pace.

Given your own boat, it is a mere 5 minute trip to the local dive team on the colourful neighbouring island where you join the small group of maximum 10 divers for the trip which can be from ten minutes to an hour depending on where you are diving. Whilst we loved the dives on the ocean side, the shallow drift dives were amazing as sunlight brought the corals to vivid Technicolor life and the current just takes you along. Indeed, if you are a beginner diver, there is no better way to be introduced to the concept of the drift dive than here in these shallow clear sunlit waters. For the more advanced, deeper dives await and for the ultimate in privacy, hire the local divemaster and take your own boat.

This is perfect laidback luxury that couples or families will not better in the Caribbean, and all with the added bonus of truly wonderful diving and snorkelling. If you do find something better, let us know as we want to visit!