Moment furious Brit holidaymaker is caught STEALING towels from sunbed-hoggers in the dead of night…is she in the right?
Samantha Cooper became fed up with people flouting hotel rules and laying down towels to save a space for the following day - even though some wouldn't claim their spots until the afternoon.
6
6
6
6
The 40-year-old from Manchester had been enjoying her break at a Cyprus resort, but faced the daily struggle to find a free sunbed each morning.
Her hotel had strict rules against towels being laid down before 9am each morning.
But Samantha quickly established that many visitors were flouting this edict, with many sneaking out in the dead of night to reserve a spot.
She spotted people heading to the poolside at 1.30am to place their towels on sunbeds that they wouldn't even use until the next afternoon.
Soon, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
After getting fed up with the queue-jumpers, she went down herself to whip the preemptive towels off the sunbeds.
Her daring actions were even caught on video.
"To be fair, they deserved it," her 25-year-old daughter Ellie Ikin told the MailOnline.
"They were never down there until at least 3pm. Every morning was a struggle.
"The hotel said they had rules of no one putting towels down until 9am, but no one listened."
5 of the best cheap family holiday destinations in Europe
She added: "My mum noticed they were putting towels down at 1.30am from her balcony.
"We were annoyed because the people who were doing it didn't sit around the pool until later in the afternoon.
"I was happy she pulled them off so other people actually got a chance to get a bed when they wanted to sit around the pool in the morning."
Her mum's bold measures made it easier for people to find a spot by the pool the next morning.
But the hoggers continued to put their towels down the next night regardless.
Ellie blasted these people's actions as "selfish".
"I completely understand the need of getting a bed early, but 1.30am putting towels out when you have no intentions of being there in the morning is ridiculous," she said.
It is not the only sunbed-related drama to have drawn attention in recent months.
One tourist was furious after vigilantes swiped towels from a sun lounger she had been given permission because of her disability.
Wheelchair user Elaine Simpson, 77, from Manchester, had been holidaying near Magaluf to celebrate her wedding anniversary.
But her plans to enjoy the special day by the poolside were ruined after a vigilantes nabbed the towels they had used to save their spaces.
She had been given the permission of hotel staff to save a spot this way because of her disability.
Elaine previously told the Sun: "We could never have made it down for 9am to get a sunbed.
"So we went out to the beach and paid for sunbeds for the whole week."
6
6
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
F*** your second homes! Welsh village where English hating locals are revolting over 300 PER CENT council tax hikes on Airbnbs
The park by Llyn Padarn, the stunning lake at the foot of Snowdon, is full to overflowing as the late afternoon sun shimmers off the water and the mountains beyond. Tourists from all over the world flock to the resort of Llanberis to marvel at its natural beauty, and most enjoy the holiday of a lifetime. But scratch the surface and that famous welcome in the hillsides might be wearing a little thin. Dotted around the park on the back of parking ticket machines and signs are stickers bearing sinister messages for the tourists, clearly intended to send them packing. One, which has appeared only recently, rekindles the cottage-burning Welsh nationalist terrorist campaign of Meibion Glyndwr (sons of Glyndwr) in the 80s and early 90s, shows a blazing house with the blunt message: 'F*** your second home'. Another shows an Airbnb logo with a noose around it, proclaiming 'Death to Airbnb'. There are many tell-tale patches where other stickers have been removed, but, like the tourists they profess to hate, the vile messages keep coming back. Others say: Nid yw Cymru ar Werth or 'Wales is not for sale' And in Conwy Valley, someone daubed on a road last month: 'F*** off, Saeson' (the Welsh word for the English). No-one admits putting these messages up, but plenty of people tacitly agree with the sentiments behind them, mainly, they say, because of the unaffordability of local homes because of the burgeoning rental market. And the policy-makers at Gwynedd Council in Caernarvon have taken the protests to heart, it seems, imposing punitive taxes on those who provide accommodation for the tourists or own second homes in rural Wales. Owners of holiday lets and Airbnbs have been hit by huge council tax demands as the Welsh government tries to make having a second home there less attractive. In a decision aimed at driving out second homeowners, they have introduced a rule that owners whose properties are occupied (whether by themselves or paying guests) for fewer than 182 days have to pay council tax of up to 300%. Holiday let owners, who rent their properties for more than the 182-day threshold, are subjected to business rates, which is lower than the punitive rates of council tax. But in a further kick in the teeth to second homeowners, and those running holiday lets, the rules have been backdated to the previous year, meaning forcing them to pay even higher premiums backdated from 12 months earlier. Many owners were caught off guard because they assumed the rules would only apply going forward. Opponents claim the council tax clampdown on second homes and holiday lets has fuelled the hate campaign against English owners. Campaigner Glenis Bisson, 76, said: 'Without a doubt, there is a growing anti-English feeling because of the housing situation. 'On internet forums, the Welsh nationalists are extremely abusive to people who are English. 'Welsh nationalism is on the rise. They are angry and feel that the English are selling to the English. 'They thought that these council tax and Article 4 measures would suddenly allow them to buy cheap housing but it's nonsense. 'They whole thing has backfired.' The mother-of-four added: 'There have been posters being put up around a few months back with houses on fire in Pwllheli. 'They were using the same emblem that was used for the as they did for the Free Wales Army back in the 1980s. 'They were put on all the lampposts in Pwllheli and wherever they could stick them. 'It is just the attitude of the nationalists that is hardening not the normal Welsh people. 'A lot of them are angry and horrified by all this. There is a lot of stress around the housing situation.' Meanwhile this week, a shadowy Welsh nationalist youth movement, called Mudiad Eryr Wen whose members prefer to stay anonymous, released a statement railing against 'the cancer' of second homes and the rapid process of anglicisation caused by an 'influx' of English speakers. An unnamed representative from Mudiad Eryr Wen said: 'The encroachment of second homes in places like Borth is hollowing out our communities, driving locals from their family homes, and replacing them with husks that stand lifeless for most of the year. 'This creeping cancer is stripping our communities of their character, weakening the bonds that hold us together, and turning our nation into a vast holiday resort for the wealthy few. Therefore, we remind them: 'Cenedl nid Gwesty.' [a nation, not a hotel]. They added: 'We will not stand by while small-minded anglophiles drag our language toward extinction. 'We will not stop until the process of anglicisation is halted, and utterly reversed.' Among its 'ten principles', the group stated: 'Holiday lets and second homes, belonging to either Welsh or outsider, should be rendered economically untenable.' And what of the tourists who flock to Wales? Does all this make them feel like spending their hard-earned cash somewhere else? The Mail spoke to several in Llanberis and on the coast at Pwllheli Sharon Wainwright, 54 and her daughter Poppy, 16 from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, bought a static caravan at Abersoch near Pwllheli in 2019, near where football stars Wayne Rooney and Kyle Walker are also owners at the Warren, an exclusive development nearby. Sharon said: 'I've never had direct animosity from people but one of our friends on the caravan site has. 'She told us that her son broke his wrist playing and when she took him to the local hospital the doctor was quite rude about them being 'a drain' on the Welsh NHS, which upset them, and they went home early. 'You occasionally see these stickers with their anti-English sentiment, but I think it's a small minority of people who feel that way. 'Having said that, I understand their point that it's hard for young people to afford to live in these places, but the answer surely has to be to provide housing that's only for locals – don't take it out on the tourists who are bringing money to the area and providing jobs. 'But there are other things going on like closing local schools and if they do that, they drive people away into the bigger towns and cities.' Poppy, who works part-time in a local café in the upmarket seaside resort of Abersoch, said her local friends admitted that tourism isn't without its benefits. 'They don't like all the traffic jams that the tourists cause and they're not keen on having so many people around all the time, but then they'll admit that without the visitors, there would be a lot less money. 'It's a bit of a double-edged sword.' Ironically enough, Poppy and her mother were standing right alongside a double-edged sword, the iconic 20ft Llafn y Cewri (Blade of the Giants) sculpture in Llanberis as we spoke. 'When I've paid on buses sometimes,' added Poppy, 'the driver has made some slur under his breath about 'English people' in Welsh, which I don't understand, but my friend noticed it. Otherwise people are generally polite and friendly.' Unlike many of the passing visitors in Llanberis, Carl Abbott, 59 and his 60-year-old wife Alison from Cwmbran, South Wales, spotted the chilling sticker of a blazing house in Llanberis and immediately recognised its significance. 'It's a pretty nasty throwback to the bad old days,' said Carl, who works in the housing sector. 'It reminded me of that sketch on Not the Nine O'Clock News.' In the closing credits of a 1980 edition of the satirical comedy show they showed a blazing grate with the voiceover: 'Come home to a real fire….buy a cottage in Wales'. The Meibion Glyndwr group firebombed more than 200 properties during a 12-year period between 1979 and 1992, though police never convicted anyone of being directly involved. 'That nasty little sign is the only anti-visitor message that I've seen,' said Carl. 'I understand where they're coming from, but I think it's a bit simplistic to blame the housing crisis on the tourists. It began when Margaret Thatcher started selling off the council houses and it's carried on. 'People talk about affordable homes, but they're often not affordable for young people starting out. I can see it's very polarised up here because while you've got rural poverty, you've also got retired people coming in with a lot of money, driving the prices up, or even gazumping people.' French-born Alex Correia, 35, and his wife Molly were sunbathing in Llanberis on a break from their home in Newcastle. 'We're in a motorhome, so we're not taking anyone's house,' laughed Alex. 'But seriously, if you took away all the tourists, where would people around here find jobs? 'There must be a better way to handle this than pricing out the people providing holiday lets.' Molly, 31, said she had experienced 'no hostility at all' from locals and hadn't noticed the anti-tourist stickers. 'It's a lovely place to come and hopefully the money we spend here will keep the local economy going,' she said. 'The whole place seems to be geared to attracting tourists from the National Park to Zip World [an outdoor adventure park featuring a 500ft high, mile-long zipline ride at 100mph] In Pwllheli, Jo Dell, 59, and her partner Rob Camm, 63, from Winchcombe, Glos, have seen plenty of tourists drive up prices in their own corner of the Cotswolds. Jo said: 'We see the same problem where we live in the Cotswolds of local people being priced out of buying a home, but just telling the tourists to go home wouldn't solve anything, it would just cause a local economic collapse.' Rob added: 'It strikes me that if people are moving away from villages for other reasons like work, then if these houses weren't holiday lets, who would be in them?' NHS worker Graham Prydderch, 53, and daughters Mabli, 10 and Mali, 9, from Ruthin were fishing off Pwllheli dock. Graham said: 'These stickers are nothing short of disgusting, but there is a serious point that villages have lost their sense of community with all the people coming in from outside. 'Obviously many places around here need tourists to survive, but there has to be a balance, and for young local people looking to buy a house it's a nightmare. ' In the celebrity haunt of Abersoch, independent councillor John Brynmor Hughes told us why he was desperate to sell the five-bedroomed home in the village which he inherited after the death of his father. Unless they could dispose of the property within 12 months it would cost them £5,000 a year in council tax, because Gwynedd council has chosen to charge second-home owners up to 300 per cent more. The punishing tax hike is designed to free up homes for local buyers who are being priced out of the market. But second-home owners are finding their properties simply won't budge — leaving them caught in a costly tax trap. Abersoch is a holiday hotspot with the UK's second highest share of second homes up for sale, accounting for 10 per cent of the market, according to the estate agents Hamptons. 'The bottom has fallen out of the housing market in Abersoch and prices are dropping throughout the area,' said Mr Brynmor Hughes, 72, a retired pub landlord. 'The second-home premium is a killer. A lot of local people I grew up with are now inheriting their parent's houses and having to sell them, or at least trying to, because they can't afford to pay the extra council tax.' According to hospitality chiefs, the same thing has happened across Wales. The Professional Association of Self-Caterers (PASC) UK has accused the Welsh Government of a continued failure to support the tourism and hospitality industry, and noticed a significant downturn in visitor numbers amid growing pessimism among operators. According to the Welsh Government's own data, 47 per cent of self-catering operators have seen a fall in visitor numbers this year and only 16 per cent of businesses feel 'very confident' they can stay in the black this year. This comes on top of another Welsh Government report on GB Domestic Tourism, published in April 2025, this showed that overnight stays in Wales fell by an alarming 29% between 2022 and 2024. 'These reports lay bare the economic damage being inflicted on Welsh tourism,' Nicky Williamson, PASC UK's Lead Policy Advisor in Wales, told the Mail. 'What we are witnessing is the avoidable erosion of a vital sector, one that sustains jobs, communities, and Welsh culture. The figures are shocking, but not surprising to those of us on the ground.' The 182-day occupancy rule, requiring properties to be let for half a year to qualify as a holiday let is proving especially damaging, she said. 'This is not a policy designed to support genuine businesses, it's a punitive approach that makes it harder for responsible operators to stay afloat,' Williamson added. 'It's devastating rural and coastal communities without achieving its aims.'
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I stayed at Britain's worst rated hotel chain - grim discovery in room knocked me sick'
An expert braved a mini tour of the UK's 'worst hotel chain' properties and reportedly found a tissue in a kettle, scum in a pool, a view of an overflowing skip and mismatched, tired furniture were among the delights waiting to greet him After a hotel chain was named the worst in Britain for the 11th consecutive year, a curious expert decided to investigate to see if things were really that bad at their numerous properties across the country in prime locations. Britannia Hotels has consistently been awarded the dubious title of worst hotel chain in surveys conducted by consumer magazine Which? Many of its individual properties also have low to average scores on Tripadvisor where visitors have left scathing reviews. Guest complaints include issues with cleanliness, tired furniture, poor service and barely edible food. It comes after a Brit abroad slams all-inclusive hotel food asking 'what on earth is this?' Beachgoers left stunned after rare sea creature spotted off British coast Travel writer Gavin Haines wanted to see if the reports and findings were accurate and if things were really that bad on site. He stayed at three different hotels belonging to Britannia and it's safe to say what he experienced certainly backed the research and reviews. He had contacted Which? editor Rory Boland about the "abysmal" overall customer satisfaction ratings and was advised not to even bother visiting. "With over a decade of dismal reviews, our results suggest that Britannia should be avoided at all costs," he was told. Despite this he braved a stay at the Royal Bath in the traditional coastal town of Bournemouth. The grand hotel has a rich history - it was opened in 1838 on Queen Victoria's Coronation Day and was the first hotel in the town. It is set in its own landscaped grounds with spectacular views out to sea, which, its dedicated wedding website claims, makes it the perfect spot for your special day. However Gavin found the venue's interior special in a very different way. "The mismatched furniture looks like it was sourced in haste from a house clearance shop and makes me feel homesick," he writes in the Telegraph. "While the views make me want to call the Samaritans (if we can reasonably describe a rusty air conditioning unit, some broken guttering and fag ends on an enclosed flat roof as views)." He couldn't even bring himself to make a brew to improve his experience because the kettle had tissue inside it, "for reasons I'd rather not speculate on". One of the Royal Bath's selling points is its spa with a heated indoor pool, steam room and gym. Unfortunately this also let the side down with a reported "line of scum" clinging to the tiles in the pool. On Tripadvisor, where the hotel has a 2.6 score out of 5, one recent review backed his slimy discovery. In July this year, one visitor was looking forward to a spa day with high tea that had been booked by a friend but was incredibly "disappointed" by what they encountered. "The Spa and pool was shabby, dated with missing tiles and broken lockers," they revealed. "Nobody was at the desk so we had to wait to be allowed in. The crescent shaped pool was full of kids and toddlers, a tiny jacuzzi and sauna which were full and there were not enough loungers to accommodate everyone and hardly creating a peaceful luxurious experience!" The high tea was more of a low point as well with, "sweaty cheese and curling bread". When it came to Gavin's dining experience, he did note that there probably wasn't anywhere else in the popular town where you could get a three course meal for £15 in such grand surroundings, but you "get what you pay for". In his case it was a rock hard bread roll, overcooked and undercooked (quite a feat) carrots in the beef stew and a glow in the dark dessert. Unfortunately his nights at other properties in the group were on par. The "ironically named" Palace Hotel in Buxton (3 out of 5 on TripAdvisor), like the Royal Bath, is a beautiful old building in a classical style set in five acres of gardens. Sadly he didn't get to admire these out of the window of his room that was "so cold I didn't want to get out of bed". Instead he was met with the choice view of an overflowing skip and old furniture dumped in a grotty car park. While other visitors were similarly disappointed with the hotel, with many on Tripadvisor complaining of dirty rooms with poor facilities, there were those who appreciated its faded grandeur: "This hotel has lots of character & charm, yes parts are dated but that adds to its beauty," shared one. Another agreed: "For me the grandness of the building and the aspect looking out of the town was wonderful. Room didn't have a window - as a result I had the best night's sleep - didn't know what time it was! I'd visit again - can put up with a bit of outdatedness for the charm and style of the place." Meanwhile, Gavin's not-so-magical mystery tour had more delights in store at the Grand Burstin, Folkestone (2.7 out of 5 on TripAdvisor). The hotel made headlines in 2022 when chunks of its facade blew off, plummeting below onto a coach in the car park. Two people were injured. The year before a family cut short their stay there and likened it to Fawlty Towers - the disastrous hotel in John Cleese's classic comedy. So Gavin probably arrived with some understandable fear and trepidation, which would have been entirely justified but here he was treated to rose petals in his room. However it seemed these weren't a romantic welcome token from a thoughtful housekeeper and instead, "had presumably featured in a recent low-budget dirty weekend". The spa facilities here were described as "scuzzy" and evoked "verruca socks". With plenty of Tripadvisor reviews of the various properties calling out their tired appearance, there are also those that highlight improvements that have been made, especially at the Royal Bath. Britannia has invested £1million there recently but it seems, as with a lot of its premises, it's pot luck what room you are allocated. One horrified guest says they were given a "cheap, nasty and dinky" room without a window in the "stinking" East Wing. While on the flip side, another was reportedly allocated a "spacious" room with a sea view, despite not paying extra for it. It's a similar pattern at the Burstin. While the reviewer wasn't at all impressed with his room, others had a very different experience. One returning guest was perfectly happy with their allocation in August this year. They wrote on Tripadvisor:"Another superb stay here. But this time an even better room with an even better perfect sea view. Room was lovely clean and comfortable Well done Grand Burstin." Another who was wary of what to expect after reading poor reviews shared: "I was pleasantly surprised by the hotel. Its not the Ritz or something flash and modern, it is what you pay for - a budget hotel."
Times
8 hours ago
- Times
11 of the best quiet Caribbean islands
Sure, there's one side to the Caribbean that's all clubbing, whopping all-inclusives and casinos — but with more than 7,000 islands scattered across a vast sea, there are still plenty of places to find some peace and solitude. Maybe it's listening to birdsong at waterfalls on a remote rainforest trail, swaying in a hammock on a tranquil fisherman's cove, or escaping to a deserted sandbar. Whatever your idea of blissful serenity, our guide to the Caribbean's best quiet islands — often best reached by cruise — will point you in the right direction. This article contains affiliate links that will earn us revenue Best for stress-free scuba diving Of the three so-called 'ABC islands', Aruba has long been an American package holiday favourite, while Curacao keeps the cocktails flowing with its eponymous bright blue liqueur — but let's not forget Bonaire. Marine life is the major selling point of this Dutch Antilles outlier, with miles of pristine coral reef encircling the whole island, creating more than 85 dive sites. Even better — novice divers take note — some of these are only a few metres from shore and relatively shallow. Back on terra firma, a fifth of Bonaire's desert-like landscape is protected by the Washington Slagbaai National Park — where flocks of flamingos nest on salt pans — and legions of cacti cover the volcanic hills (the island's distillery turns these spiky specimens into the unique spirit, Cadushy). Bonaire's laid-back capital Kralendijk is a port of call on Tui's seven-night Caribbean Charms cruise. Shore excursions let you explore the mangroves on a whisper-quiet electric-powered boat or take an e-tuk-tuk to historical sites. Best for bliss-seeking birders Rush hour on Little Cayman? It looks like a few bicyclists waiting for a resident iguana to cross the 'highway' (read: dirt track). On this bite-sized coral island — only ten miles long and a mile wide — crowds are an alien concept; instead, hundreds of bird species have made this haven their home, including thousands of red-footed boobies. Chirrups and squawks rippling across wetland lagoons might not exactly constitute 'quiet', but it's certainly a different soundtrack to urban life. With just a handful of hotels clinging to Little Cayman's white-sand shores, the island is a far cry from ritzier, more developed big sister, Grand Cayman, a half-hour flight away. It also dazzles below water: legendary oceanographer Jacques Cousteau declared it one his top three diving destinations, and Bloody Bay Wall in particular should be on the bucket list of any seasoned scuba fan. There are only a few hotels in Little Cayman, so looking towards the island's collection of pretty rental properties — a mix of pastel clapboard bungalows, palatial villas and modern condos — is a good idea. The three-bedroom property A Shore Ting comes with kayaks, an unrivalled beachfront location, and spectacular sunset views. Best for secluded couples breaks Want to spin the clock back to the days before the Caribbean's mega-cruise ships, glitzy casinos and all-inclusives? You can in St Vincent: the 32 islands and cays of the Grenadines have a gentle vibe that will best suit honeymooners and romancing couples. St Vincent lacks a cracking hotel but is worth touring to see its dramatic volcanic scenery and pirate-lair bays, so stay on nearby Bequia then take a day trip over on the local ferry. Further south, it's all about castaway dreams on Petit St Vincent, Palm Island or Young Island, where your luxury cottage might come without TV, phone or wi-fi, for proper peace and quiet. Virgin Atlantic not only flies twice a week from London to St Vincent and the Grenadines, it has all-inclusive holidays at dreamy retreats like Young Island, where the swim-up bar serves its cocktails in fresh coconuts, and complimentary water sports keep guests entertained. • Best hotels in St Vincent and the Grenadines Best for footprint-free beaches We're talking a stupefying 700 frangipani-scented islands to choose from, each brimming with flour-fine beaches, glassy bays and coves framed by silver buttonwood trees. The catch? To reach the really knock-your-socks-off bits of the Bahamas, you'll need to catch an extra flight (and sometimes a ferry, too) from the chaotic capital, Nassau, which teems with travellers — but on the Bahamas' unspoiled Out Islands, life slows to hermit-crab pace. North of Nassau, the Abaco Islands are a necklace of sleepy cays linked by small ferryboats, which makes exploring a doddle. Clapboard-cute Hope Town on Elbow Cay makes a pretty base, with its candy-striped lighthouse and picket-fenced lanes. Setting sail from Port Canaveral, the MSC Cruises Caribbean & Antilles itinerary calls at both Nassau and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve private island as part of an 11-night, full-board cruise. • Best hotels in the Bahamas Best for tropical beauty meets Gallic glamour These islands are fabulously French, with a dash of Caribbean je ne sais quoi. St Barts is super-chic, a tiny tropical take on the Côte d'Azur (without the froideur and with much better beaches). Guadeloupe is half-Caribbean beach idyll, half-tropical wilderness (with its own volcano!), though it wears its creole authenticity slightly haughtily. Martinique's quiet sophistication belies the fact that it has some of the best hiking in the Caribbean, thanks to its extraordinarily rugged geography. And St Martin has the most delicious street in the Caribbean: Grand Case Boulevard, with big-name French chefs and great creole food. Join the jet-set on chic, cultured St Barts on one of Carrier Luxury Holidays' tailor-made trips. Properties include the legendary Eden Rock, and the intimate Cheval Blanc, where Gallic gastronomy joins a spoiling Guerlain spa. • Best hotels in St Barts Best for active families and explorers St Kitts, the gateway to these gorgeous twin islands, is 23 miles long and crowned by mighty, volcanic Mount Liamuiga. It's also where, in 1623, the English first settled in the Caribbean, so expect atmospheric leftovers from the era. A 45-minute ferry ride southeast, quieter, sleepier Nevis is dominated by the beautiful triangle of Nevis Peak. There's not as much to see here, but the hotels are top-class and it has a charm and character that's been lost in the Caribbean's more-developed islands. This is a good choice for families, especially with older children: activities include riding on the beach, mountain biking and, in the summer, watching turtles nest. Elegant Resorts whisks serenity-seeking travellers to boutique hilltop hideaway Montpelier Nevis — a former sugar plantation — where you can spend the week flitting between your spacious garden suite and the hotel's nearby private beach. • More great hotels in St Kitts and Nevis Best for stacks to see and do Grenada ticks all the brochure-holiday boxes. Unlike some of its Caribbean counterparts, it's not a pint-sized blob (it's nearly as big as the Isle of Wight), so there's lots to see. Highlights include the mountainous, rainforested interior, waterfalls, foodie farm stops (think: nutmeg, cocoa, rum) and the capital St George's — as pretty as a postcard, with Georgian buildings rising above a natural harbour. The island gets the balance just right between being geared up for holidaymakers while keeping tourism development low-key (and low-rise). In fact, only the southwest corner, particularly the area around Grand Anse, is focused on tourism. A seven-night stay at boutique resort Mount Cinnamon is one of Caribbean specialist Caribtours' great line-up of Grenada holidays. Facilities include a pool, fitness centre, tennis court, spa and dive centre with complimentary non-motorised water sports. • More great hotels in Grenada• Best beaches in Grenada• What to do in Grenada Best for nature lovers If you haven't come to the region in search of huge beaches but instead fancy some jungle adventure as part of your trip, Dominica is for you. With steep mountains and dense vegetation, from above it appears like a chunk of the Amazon rainforest floating in the ocean. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's here you'll find the Caribbean's longest hiking trail, the 115-mile Waitukubuli National Trail — as well as plenty of hotels that feel as though they've grown with the trees. The water isn't off-limits, of course; there's some sensational diving off Dominica, too. Mr & Mrs Smith spotlights Secret Bay as Dominica's most desirable hideaway. There are just six treehouse-style love nests in the lush grounds, each boasting a private pool and garden hammock. • Best things to do in Dominica Best for daredevils and trailblazers Some islands feel emptier because of their remoteness, while others feel undiscovered. The British overseas territory of Montserrat is neither of those but is nonetheless a rarely visited place thanks to the fury of the Soufrière Hills volcano. A series of eruptions began in the mid-1990s, releasing enough lava to destroy the capital Plymouth, now a ghost town. Today the southern half of the island remains off-limits, but for volcano fans — or anyone truly looking to get away from the crowds — Montserrat provides a rare chance to see an island being reborn. New investment and new ports are coming — ahead, undoubtedly, of the tourists. Vrbo lists plenty of private holiday rentals in Montserrat, ranging from breezy, budget-friendly apartments to ocean-view villas ideal for family gatherings. Villa Avalon is five minutes' walk from Lime Kiln beach, with three spacious bedrooms and an infinity pool. Best for doing absolutely nothing Not regarded as part of the traditional Caribbean island set, Nicaragua's Corn Islands are nonetheless indisputably in the relevant sea. After a period of British governance, they fell into the hands of pirates, before being used for fairly intensive coconut farming. Today, part of the South Caribbean Coast autonomous region of Nicaragua, they offer a pure, hammock-under-palm-trees sort of tourism. Little Corn gets the majority of visitors, though that's still a fraction of many of its Caribbean neighbours. The snorkelling is excellent, the Nicaraguan rum fabulous, and the expectations of you doing anything beyond relaxing are lower than a sea cucumber's belly. After getting inspiration from Audley Travel's sample itineraries, ask its regional experts to put together a trip that takes in the Corn Islands' beaches alongside natural wonders such as the Masaya Volcano National Park. • Read our full guide to the Caribbean Best for glowing seas For Europeans, Puerto Rico may well feel like an undiscovered destination altogether, but this nearly-but-not-quite US state is full of life. While the main island has plenty in common with mainland US, the eastern island of Vieques feels like something else altogether. Once used by the US Navy as a bombing range, its population has understandably never been very high. Today it's something of a green secret, with nature reserves, pristine beaches and few visitors. The undoubted highlight is Mosquito Bay, which was officially recognised in 2006 by Guinness World Records as the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world. Guests love the welcoming staff and jaw-dropping mountain vistas at the adults-only Club Vieques resort. • Best hotels in the Caribbean• Best Caribbean cruises
