Latest news with #snorkeling
Forbes
13 hours ago
- Forbes
Intercontinental Hayman Island: Explore The Great Barrier Reef By Land, Sea And Air
Hayman Island by InterContinental Hayman Island by InterContinental Accessible only by private boat or helicopter, Intercontinental Hayman Island lets guests bask in remote luxury and offers ultimate access to the unparalleled Great Barrier Reef. The verdant property is full of immersive adventures on land, by sea and in the air. While the Whitsundays are great to visit year-round, May to November is considered the pinnacle weather-wise with dry, sunny days and temperatures in the mid-70s to low 80s. The sea is calm with peak visibility for snorkeling and diving. If you're lucky you might even see some migrating humpback whales between July and September. While many travelers are cramming the cobblestone streets of Europe, an Australian getaway filled with adventure might be what you need. Here's why you'll want to visit Hayman Island. Snorkelling - Hayman - Langford Island Hayman Island by InterContinental Ocean Adventures: Adrenaline-Filled Jet Ski to Serene Snorkeling Located in the northernmost tip of the Whitsundays, Hayman Island is surrounded by vibrant coral gardens teaming with tropical fish, ideal for snorkeling. Take a day trip to Blue Pearl Bay which is a short boat ride away from the Intercontinental to enjoy the pristine underwater wildlife. You're likely to see Wally, a six-foot long Maori Wrasse fish who roams the bay and astounds snorkelers with his massive size yet gentle manner. You might also spot sea turtles and giant clams as you snorkel your way along the coastline. For those who are craving a little more speed, jet skiing is another great way to explore the region. After an informative orientation at the jet ski center, you'll board your vehicle to circumnavigate the island during a guided excursion. On top of zooming around the water, you'll also learn about the history of the Whitsundays, in particular about the indigenous population and their seafaring practices which existed for thousands of years before white settlers colonized most of the region. A champagne-filled sunset cruise is the perfect way to end the day in the Whitsundays, especially if you don't want to get wet like with the other two activities. Marvel at the sky turning into a sea of pastels with occasional dolphin sightings as the day turns into night. Land Snorkeling: Exploring Nature on Foot While the reef is what the Whitsundays are famous for, the island's interior is also quite enchanting especially when you absorb the sensory rich practice of land snorkeling. Unlike hiking, land snorkeling invites you to discover without a destination, marveling at plant patterns, spotting lizards in the undergrowth, discovering orchids dotting ancient trees and being mesmerized by the sight of rare butterflies. Hayman Island's lush rainforests and rugged walking trails are perfect for mindful exploration filled with cascading views and hidden wilderness pockets. Helicopter Tour Hasselblad X1D The Great Barrier Reef by Air Now that you've explored the water and the land, it's time to fly above the reef, arguably the most famous in the world. Helicopter excursions take off right from the resort and offer a bird's eye view of one of the world's natural wonders. Highlights of your flight will include the Heart Reef, a naturally heart-shaped coral formation, the iconic symbol of the Whitsundays surrounded by turquoise water. Then you'll admire one of the most photographed beaches in the world, Whitehaven Beach, renowned for its white sand and iridescent blue water. Depending on the weather, you have the chance to land and enjoy swimming at this breathtaking beach. Culinary Adventures at Intercontinental After a day of exploration, you'll have worked up an appetite and with a variety of restaurants to choose from on property, you'll embark on the hotel's culinary program, which focuses on fresh ingredients with global flair. At Bam Bam you'll enjoy Asian-inspired street food like tasty Pad Thai or crispy chicken with sweet and sour sauce. At Amici you can savor Mediterranean flavors including lentil hummus and beef pappardelle. Pacific is where you'll eat breakfast, but can also come for dinner to taste local crab toast, premium Queensland beef and some of Australia's finest wines. When you visit Hayman Island you'll see the Great Barrier Reef in all of its beautiful dimensions. The property invites you to explore at your own pace, whether that's a sensory stroll or heart-pounding jet ski ride. Then indulge in a long dinner under the stars, soaking up the island breeze before your next day of adventure.
Telegraph
24-07-2025
- Telegraph
The 10 best beaches in Bali
With more than 400 miles of coastline, Bali has a beach to suit every taste. You might be coming to surf, snorkel or dive. Perhaps you favour lively beaches that pair tropical cocktails with hypnotic people-watching. You could stroll along a paved promenade browsing souvenir and craft shops or explore mangrove-fringed beaches in the company of herds of wild deer and kingfishers. Given Bali's reputation for over-development and overcrowding, it would surprise most visitors (and even a few islanders) to learn that in West Bali you can still walk for many miles along a volcanic sand beach that is lined with an almost unbroken expanse of swaying coconut palms. All our recommendations below have been hand-selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best beaches in Bali. Find out more below, or for more Bali inspiration, see our guides for the best hotels, restaurants, bars and nightlife, and things to do. Find beaches by type: Best beaches for peaceful escapes Pantai Yeh Leh, West Bali If you imagined that Balinese beaches are perpetually packed with parasols, sun loungers and hawkers, think again. Pantai Yeh Leh's virtually deserted, coconut-fringed volcanic sand rarely sees more than a couple of local fishermen or a strolling expat. On Sunday afternoons, local teenagers sometimes race their scooters across the acres of mirror-like sand, but in general, you'll often have the beach to yourself. Surfers who complain about 'overcrowded' Bali should check out this un-surfed beachbreak. Insider tip: Drop into Puri Dajuma Beach Eco-Resort for lunch and then take a soak in the rock pools that are like natural jacuzzis out front. How to get there: You'll need your own transport or to hire a driver Jungutbatu Beach, Nusa Lembongan Given that it's about a dozen miles as the crow flies from Bali's capital, Jungutbatu Beach, on neighbouring Nusa Lembongan island, is a delightfully low-key town beach that has everything you could wish for from a relaxing holiday destination. It is unique in the area as it combines both a highly respected reef-break for surfing and world-class diving reefs – elsewhere in Bali, you have to choose between one or the other. Jungutbatu also has a range of hospitable homestays and friendly beach bars. Insider tip: Ask at EDDY Surfboard Hire for a boatman to take you out to the surfing or snorkelling spots that lie about a quarter-mile offshore. Return to index Best beaches for surfing Uluwatu, Bukit Peninsula Uluwatu is one of the most famous surfing waves on the planet. The left-hand wave here is so long that it actually consists of five different breaks – Temples, The Bombie, Outside Corner, The Peak and Racetracks. Waves up to an awe-inspiring (and frankly terrifying) 40ft have been seen at Uluwatu. Yet even at a more manageable size, Uluwatu is not for the faint-hearted. At 6ft and under, you'll find a crowded lineup with surfers scrabbling for that once-in-a-lifetime boast: 'I surfed Uluwatu.' Insider tip: There are three staircases leading into the famous Uluwatu cave (access to the surf), but be aware that only the third staircase stays dry at high tide. How to get there: Hire a surf instructor to get you to the break and to show you the best spot to suit your ability. Balian Beach, West Bali Balian is a rivermouth break, just far enough out into virtually unknown West Bali to avoid the crowds. Conditions are consistent and, unlike the razor-sharp rocks at nearby Medewi, the sandy bottom, with both rights and lefts, is forgiving enough to make this a good spot for learning. A drawback comes when the rainy season turns the river mouth muddy and lures the occasional bull shark. In general, though, Balian is a blissfully relaxed spot that attracts a loyal surfing community year-round. Insider tip: Pondok Pitaya, a resort right on the beach in Balian, is the ideal place to combine yoga and surfing. How to get there: You'll need your own transport or to hire a driver. Balangan Beach, Bukit Peninsula An unexpectedly low-key beach-bumming vibe somehow survives at Balangan Beach on the rapidly developing Bukit Peninsula. The stilted warung (eateries) here still retain their Indonesian character, while some even have rooms overlooking the surf. Balangan is known as a swell magnet, so you're almost always guaranteed a wave here. Only on really big swells does it get heavy and barrelling, so, although it's a fast wave, it can appeal to surfers of all levels. Insider tip: Balangan is surfable at all tides, but consider taking reef booties at low tide since you need to cross an expanse of sharp rocks. How to get there: The Bukit, with its infamous traffic jams, is best accessed on a rented scooter. Hire a driver if you are not a confident rider. Keramas, East Bali Indonesia is known for its left-handed breaks, but Keramas, on Bali's south-east coast, is a world-class right-hander that barrels over a shallow reef. The spot's fame grew when it was integrated on the international surfing circuit, and these days the break can see quite intense crowds of very talented local and travelling surfers. Dawn raids or sunset sessions are the best way to avoid the crowds. The shallow reef and heavy, hollow wave makes Keramas unsuitable for learners. Insider tip: Hotel Komune has installed spotlights, making Keramas one of the few places you can surf at night (by advance booking only). How to get there: You'll need your own transport or to hire a driver but there are several resorts and homestays within just a short walk of the break. Best beaches for families Sanur Beach, South Bali There's always something happening along the three-mile-plus stretch of Sanur Beach. The well-paved, tree-shaded promenade connects Bali's most appealing stretch of beachfront cafés, cocktail bars and resorts, and has surprisingly peaceful sections of white-sand beach. Man-made breakwaters and a natural barrier reef keep the waves at bay, making it ideal for children. There's also a great range of watersports equipment available for hire, from kayaks and SUPs to kite-surfing and snorkelling gear. Insider tip: There's no shortage of bicycles for rent and dedicated cycle paths on the promenade offer an appealing way to explore this stretch of coast. How to get there: Just 30 minutes by taxi from the airport. Padma Beach, South Bali More colourful and less rundown than Kuta Beach, Padma is part of the seemingly endless arc of white sand that stretches from the airport westwards to Canggu and beyond. Padma, a fascinating piece of street theatre at any time of the day, really comes into its own shortly before sunset when thousands of colourful beanbags are hauled onto the sand and barbecues are fired up. Kids love the frenetic atmosphere, fresh juices and, of course, es krim (ice cream). Insider tip: A cacophonic army of musicians begins to compete with each other as the evening progresses, making this one of the most appealing places you'll ever visit for live music. How to get there: 20 minutes from the airport by taxi. Return to index Best beaches for snorkelling Amed, East Bali With a range of countless dive sites stretched along seven miles of coastline, Amed is one of Bali's most popular dive towns. The spot known as Pyramids, just off Amed's shore, is famous for regular sightings of hawksbill and green turtles, but everywhere you go, the sea life is incredible. Good dive sites are accessible directly from the beaches but sail-rigged jukung (outriggers) can ferry you to several wreck-diving spots. Lipah Beach is a sheltered bay that tends to escape the currents. Insider tip: You can hire diving equipment and join a class through one of the dozens of Amed homestays. Pemuteran, North Bali This little town, on Bali's tranquil north coast, is an inexplicably underrated holiday destination. It has a range of affordable resorts and a tree-shaded beach that lends itself to sunbathing. Best of all, the coral reefs – both natural and rehabilitated – lie just a few metres offshore. Marine life is sometimes unexpected, to say the least; on a hot afternoon, you'll sometimes see the resident monkeys at Goa Tirta Sunia Temple swimming in the ocean. Insider tip: A less than half-hour drive west from Pemuteran will bring you to Labuhan Lalang. From here, you can arrange boat transfers to the reefs around Menjangan Island. How to get there: You'll need your own transport or to hire a driver. Return to index How we choose Every beach in this curated list has been expertly chosen by our destination expert, to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of areas and styles, from popular city beaches to lesser-known corners, to best suit every type of traveller. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up-to-date recommendations. About our expert Mark Eveleigh I first fell in love with West Bali during a surf trip 25 years ago. Since then, I've returned at every opportunity and, whenever I'm not on assignment, I write from a bamboo and thatch house in the West Balinese village of Pekutatan.
Daily Mail
24-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Visit Egypt's best holiday hotspot where you can stay five-star for under £100 - and ice-skate to keep cool
On the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, between the desert and the deep blue sea, sits Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt's premier beach and diving resort. This is where the desert and granite mountains meet the Red Sea and are transformed into a 40-mile belt of coral reef, part of an underwater National Park that teems with colourful marine creatures. A holiday here is mainly about sun, sea and snorkelling but if you're itching for desert adventures, take a guided tour by dune buggy or quad bike into the Valley of Holes, where Bedouin people continue to live a nomadic life and camels roam. FOR… £300 A NIGHT Egypt's premier beach resort and a favourite bolthole for celebs, Four Seasons Sharm El Sheikh is secreted away from the main tourist drag of Naama Bay in vast palm-studded gardens. Two hundred and eighty rooms (ranging from guestrooms to villas) nestle amid bougainvillea, jacaranda and hibiscus, and for those who don't wish to tackle the short walk to the kilometre-long private beach, where sun loungers and cabanas line the water's edge, there's a shiny, retro funicular in operation. All rooms are generous with Egyptian-inspired architecture, but those added in 2020 are a little more stylish. There are five pools dotted around and Sinai Blues, the diving and water sports centre, offer snorkelling excursions and all levels of dive experiences from introductory dips in the pool to advanced night dives in open water. In The Spa, try a Cleopatra treatment: a bath of milk, honey and roses followed by a massage. Of its many dining options, Zitouni, which serves up Middle Eastern dishes such as ouzy el sham (braised lamb with nuts, peas and cinnamon) shish taouk (chicken in a Lebanese marinade), is a standout. As is pan-Asian Yatai and the ocean-view Reef Grill for casual, barbecue dinners and lunches. There's a fantastic kid's club, as well as a golf course and tennis courts, and day excursions include stargazing camel treks to dune buggy safaris. OR …£96 A NIGHT THE SAVOY With 408 rooms, The Savoy is one Sharm's original five-star mega resorts. It's part of the group that own glitzy Soho Square (an entertainment cornucopia of restaurants, shops, bowling alley, and an ice rink to cool down in), located on the resort's doorstep. You can pay extra to add Soho Square's restaurants into their all-inclusive dining package. There is some noise pollution from neighbouring resorts and bedrooms aren't a knockout (with bland colour schemes of beige and brown) but they are well maintained. What guests return for, year after year, is service with a smile from friendly staff. On a private beach, loungers and thatched umbrellas line the water, and there are five pools, three of which are adult-only. At the spa try the Egyptian herbal body wrap, and not to be missed is lunching on fresh-off-the-boat grilled prawns at Seafood Island, the hotel's popular, beachside lunch spot.
Times
13-07-2025
- Times
I've found the best way to explore the Caribbean's hidden islands
'Qin! You're still here,' said Tristan Menant-Leclercq with visible surprise as I stood up in the shallows in front of him and emptied the sea water from my snorkel. I laughed sheepishly; I was as surprised as he was. A couple of hours earlier I had been apprehensive about getting into the water without the safety net of a pool noodle or life jacket. I'm a decent swimmer; a Padi-certified scuba diver even. But still, the ocean has always made me feel uneasy; getting tossed around like flotsam wasn't an experience I wanted to relive having been in several hairy situations in the past. Seeing I was nervous, Menant-Leclercq had suggested we go out in a small group of three. 'Close to the shore so you can get out any time,' the naturalist guide promised. And so I got in, my heart pounding. The underwater magic of Half Moon Caye soon extinguished any flicker of doubt. This speck of an island is in a marine reserve about 60 miles east of the Belize mainland and just eight miles from the Great Blue Hole, one of the world's largest sinkholes. Calm Caribbean waters, gin-clear visibility and an underwater landscape dotted with pristine coral bommies and sweeping seagrass meadows make it a snorkeler's dream. I spied schools of grunt fish patrolling their domain, bright orange fireworms wrestling in the sand, and walnut-sized butterfly fish shyly darting between coral branches. After a while, I noticed foot-long barracudas stalking me from behind. Apparently they had mistaken me for a 5ft 2in beast of a predator that's going to messily devour its prey, leaving morsels that they could dash in and snatch away. I was mesmerised. So when the rest of the group went back to the beach and Menant-Leclercq offered to keep an eye on me from the shore, I decided to stay on. Half Moon Caye was no less special above the waves. To one end of the island, towering coconut palms guarded a gnarly forest of ziricote trees. Here, hermit crabs — some hauling shells as big as oranges — made croaky rattling noises as they scuttled around the exposed roots. In the dense mop of foliage above, a handful of red-footed boobies and flocks of magnificent frigatebirds made their nests. I came to this remote corner of the Caribbean with the French cruise company Ponant. While they cater mainly to Francophones, an entirely bilingual team allows their cruises to be conducted in both English and French. What caught my eye was the fact that unlike the usual Caribbean itineraries, they focused on the lesser-visited parts of Belize and Honduras, promising enriching cultural experiences and incredible wildlife in one trip. And they're serious about the lesser-visited part — some of the stops had never received cruise ships before we arrived. All this was possible because the vessels in Ponant's fleet are relatively tiny — even in the small ships cruise category. At 430ft, our 184-passenger expedition ship, Le Bellot, was considerably smaller than even some luxury yachts. This gave it the nimble manoeuvrability to squeeze into harbours that kept larger ships at bay. • 19 of the best Caribbean cruise lines for 2025 Not that it ever worried about docking. Instead, the ship always anchored offshore, with a fleet of powerful Zodiac boats — driven by a team of onboard naturalist guides, most of whom were multi-lingual and had spent their careers working for conservation groups or NGOs — ferrying small groups of guests to excursions. This simultaneously added a frisson of excitement to the outing and lessened its environmental impact. There's just one downside to this otherwise convenient arrangement: the weather. Officially, the rainy season in the Caribbean ended in November. But during my trip in early December, straggling storm clouds were still in the region, liberally dispensing thunder and lightning. Most passed overnight leaving overcast or drizzly days, but the winds they brought propelled dramatic waves that made Zodiac expeditions a challenging and sometimes dangerous undertaking. It was a lesson we learnt quickly during our first excursion — a wildlife walk through Jeannette Kawas National Park in Honduras. Named after the murdered activist who helped to protect it from palm oil plantations and illegal logging, this dense jungle was home to families of howler monkeys and capuchins. Both proved to be elusive. The heavy rains that swept through in the preceding weeks had left the ground so swollen that dozens of trees had toppled over in the swampy mush, driving the mammals to other parts of the forest. • 11 of the best all-inclusive Caribbean cruises On our way back to the ship, the waning sun suddenly gave way to lashing rain. As we held on to the lines of the Zodiac for dear life our guide, David Beaune, deftly navigated the 6ft swells. Then the radio crackled into life. There had been an accident on the beach we had just left. Moments later, we rolled past medics on a Zodiac heading the other way. We learnt afterwards that one of the naturalists had been knocked over by a Zodiac after a rogue wave lifted it onto the beach. The force of the impact broke a bone, but it could have been so much worse. Le Bellot was cast into a sombre mood over the next couple of days. The sun scarcely appeared, so even though there was an enticing excursion or two at each of the stops, many guests opted to stay on board. I don't blame them, to be honest; there were plenty of enticing options on the ship. The plunge pool with counter current on deck three was basically a hot tub, while up on the seventh and highest deck, the sauna — with its panoramic window — offered views of the forlorn landscape in blissful warmth. Down on deck zero, the intimate Blue Eye lounge showed films and projections that enhanced the underwater view. Or for something quieter, there was the library in the panoramic lounge on deck six. And then of course, because 75 per cent of the guests were French, long lunches were de rigueur. But I wanted to see it all so I joined every single excursion — and I was glad I did. The Bay Islands, a maritime department of Honduras and one-time British colony that's 20 miles from the mainland, were fascinating and unexpected. We visited Guanaja, a jungle-covered island fringed by mangrove forests where grey herons swooped between thickets. At roughly 19 square miles, it's one of the bigger islands and yet hardly anyone lives there. Instead, most of the residents — more than 10,000 by some estimates — live on Bonacca, a satellite island that barely covers 100 acres, less than one per cent of the size of Guanaja. The reason, according to one local guide, was that there were too many biting insects on Guanaja. Having encountered a prodigious number of mosquitos at Jeannette Kawas National Park — enough to leave my entire back in red splotches despite my long-sleeved shirt — I could certainly believe it. • Read more about Cruise holidays We also stopped in Cayos Cochinos, an archipelago and protected marine reserve on the world's second largest barrier reef system, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. About 200 years ago these islands were settled by the Garifuna people, the descendants of enslaved Africans and Amerindians who had been driven from the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent by the British. Still living simply in wooden huts and subsisting on their catch, they now help with the conservation efforts here. When we reached Belize, the sun finally re-emerged, lifting the mood on board. But it was also nearing the end of the trip. So at Placencia, almost everyone headed ashore. A long and narrow peninsula in southern Belize, this coastal resort was visibly geared towards the fly-and-flop crowd, with colourful guesthouses spilling onto the sandy beach. The pedestrian-only main strip, Placencia Sidewalk, ran parallel to the beach, with shops, bars and restaurants on both sides. It hadn't changed much since my previous visit in 2018, so after a quick stroll to stretch my legs, I was ready to get back onboard and start packing for the journey home. It turned out heading back early was a great decision. I was the only passenger on the Zodiac back to Le Bellot, which gave me a chance to ask my naturalist skipper, Ronny Marie, about his native Seychelles. As we chatted about the wildlife there, he suddenly killed the engine. I didn't need to ask why because I spotted them too: a pair of dolphins frolicking in the waves just beyond the harbour. Transfixed, I watched as their fins broke through the water then glided gracefully back down. Each time, I held my breath, unsure whether they would come back up. The minutes ticked by. In the back of my mind, I grew worried that Marie would call time on this spellbinding moment. But he didn't need to. Out of nowhere, a speedboat hurtled towards us. The loud whirr of its engine shattered the peace and drove the startled dolphins beneath the waves. And just like that, I was brutally ejected back to reality. This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue Qin Xie was a guest of Ponant, which has nine nights' all-inclusive on a Natural Sanctuaries & Caribbean Encounters itinerary from £5,530pp, including transfers from Cancun, wi-fi and excursions, departing on December 13 ( Fly to Cancun
Telegraph
08-07-2025
- Telegraph
The Puglian peninsula that British tourists have yet to discover
The sea in front of me was a whole spectrum of blues, from the crystalline aquamarine shallows where I could see golden sand below the lapping waves to turquoise and cobalt as the water started to become more than waist deep. My eight-year-old son, Zac, dived straight in to snorkel, popping up every so often clutching miniscule scaphopoda 'tusk' shells or a piece of bleached coral that he'd scooped up from the seabed below. We'd walked here through a pine forest and dunes, past signs telling us what to do if we spotted a loggerhead sea turtle nest and how we can help the local Calimera Sea Turtle Rescue Centre (CRTM). This was what Zac was hoping to spot underwater. But, as we were visiting in May before peak breeding season (typically June to September), I'd warned him that this was very unlikely. The handsome stretch of sand was in Salento, Puglia, south of the popular Torre San Giovanni beach and around a 10-minute drive from the town of Ugento. The beaches on this stretch of Ionian coastline have been given the nickname 'the Maldives of Italy' owing to their powdery white sands and sparklingly clear water, and are great for families as they stay shallow for hundreds of metres. Zac and my daughter May, 11, took full advantage of them. Instead of a long-haul flight to the Maldives, we'd flown to Brindisi airport in a little over three hours from Manchester at a fraction of the cost. Salento is the southernmost part of Puglia – the stiletto heel of Italy's boot. Puglia as a whole is becoming more popular with Britons and other international tourists – in 2024 there were 5.9 million arrivals to the region, an increase of 10.6 per cent compared to 2023. But, even though we visited during May half term, we only saw a handful of other British families. Our base was Vivosa Apulia Resort, an appealing all-inclusive option in the Litorale di Ugento Natural Park for families to see the best of this coastline. Chief executive Damiano Reale told me that although the hotel has noticed a gradual increase in British guests discovering the hotel and the Salento region, he still considers Salento to be 'one of Italy's best-kept secrets, still untouched by mass tourism with unspoiled beaches, authentic culture, incredible food and wine, and a true sense of peace'. The resort's 333 bedrooms are split across 10 two-storey courts made out of the local caramel-coloured limestone, called tuff. The grounds are home to three pool areas including one with water slides, as well as manicured gardens with fragrant rosemary bushes, lavender and purple flowering chives. And, while its own private stretch of beach can get busy at peak times, there are many spots in which to tuck yourself away, from hammocks in the pine forest to loungers. You don't have to jostle for space. One particularly popular spot in the morning is the coffee bar where, as part of the all-inclusive offering, espressos, cappuccinos, macchiatos and more are made to order, to accompany the vast breakfast buffet. All-inclusive buffets can become a bit same-y after a couple of nights, but the focus on fresh, regional food here kept things interesting, with rotating food stations where chefs offered up local orecchiette pasta and oysters, made salmon and beef steaks to order and showed off local cheese-making techniques. Its setting is what makes the resort particularly special, with paths through the pine-shaded Natural Park and a boardwalk to the beach through dunes covered in vegetation. The children loved spotting lizards scuttling across the paths as we walked to the sea and had we been there between June and September would have enjoyed the weekly educational workshops in collaboration with CRTM to learn about the care of injured sea turtles and conservation. While we stayed on the Ionian side of the peninsula, Salento has two coastlines and a good way to appreciate how calm and clear the seas are on this stretch is to visit the most southern point of Puglia, Santa Maria di Leuca, which the Romans called 'De Finibus Terrae' (at the ends of the earth). Here Punta Palascìa lighthouse marks the most easterly point of Italy and where the Ionian and Adriatic Seas meet. The town itself is a lovely place to explore, with grand 19th-century villas looking out to sea across a palm-tree lined promenade and the Cascata Monumentale – an artificially made waterfall with almost 300 steps to walk up (with water only flowing on certain nights over summer). To see both coastlines from the water, we took a boat trip with Alexander Leuca and sailed past beguiling sea caves – the children particularly enjoyed the description of Grotta del Diavolo (Devil's Cave) on the Ionian side where strong winds from the west whip around it, apparently sounding like the moans of hell. As soon as we headed round to the Adriatic coast, the sea became much choppier and darker in colour and the limestone cliffs more rugged – still beautiful but definitely not the Maldives. On our way back to our hotel, we stopped to look at more of the Ionian coastline's pretty beaches – the golden sand at Torre Mozza, which is named after the 16th-century defence tower behind it; a rocky viewpoint just before Santa Maria de Leuca with a backdrop of cacti, wildflowers and the cerulean sea; and Torre Vado, where the children requested to come back to the rock pools. Later that evening, aperitivo in hand, I could see why Salento is often compared to the Maldives – beautiful beaches, a sense of unhurried escapism and interesting nature. But with so many other places sharing the same moniker, this isn't the reason to visit. Come for the food (my children still talk about the fresh pasta and burrata), history, nature and unhurried escapism, whether you're watching the sun set over the sea or dining al fresco.
