With 10 islands to explore in just two weeks, Stuart Roach was kept busy on P&O’s Calypso Isles Cruise. He calls it the ‘ultimate travel experience’

Send a postcard, is the parting shot I am often left with as I depart on holiday.

Generally not a problem for a travel writer, but a request which leaves me wondering where to start when I’m lucky enough to be heading off on a cruise.

Cruising is the ultimate travel experience. Virtually every morning you draw back the curtains to find someone has changed the scenery without the need for you to repack. It’s all very convenient.

Unless you are sending postcards. With so many destinations crammed in to P&O’s two-week Calypso Isles Cruise, you could be sending cards from a different vacation location virtually every day. So I did…..

Saturday, February 16: At Sea
Not all cruises start with a day at sea. But they all should. It’s the perfect way to acclimatise yourself with your floating hotel and to relax after a day of travelling to hot and humid Barbados.

As captain Julian Burgess points Oceana between Grenada and Venezuela and heads north into the Caribbean Sea for Dominica, we have little more to worry about than whether to try the cocktail of the day (melon ball), book in for a spa treatment or just lie by the pool for the rest of the day.

Sunday, February 17: Dominica
Having acclimatised, we now start to discover some of the glorious islands this cruise has to offer. And what a start, with a trip to the tropical rain forests at the heart of the sulphur rich island of Dominica.

P&O offers well-organised and exciting shore excursions but on most islands it is just as easy and far cheaper to make your own arrangements on arrival. We get lucky by securing the services of ‘Jones’ and his yellow minibus for a two-and-a-half hour morning adventure centring mainly on the Morne Trois Pitons National Park.

Jones turns out to be something of an island celebrity and the $80 (about £40) fee for his services is a bargain. Jones takes us via the Botanical Gardens to the twin waterfalls of the National Park, discovered after a gentle 10-minute trek through the rainforest, and culminating in a refreshing dip in the floral-fringed grottos which collect the cascading falls. Pure bliss.

Monday, February 18: St Maarten
Three days in and I am discovering places I never knew existed. St Maarten, for example, a half Dutch and half French island split down the middle by a friendly settlement 360 years ago.

This is a glorious place and a beacon of unashamed wealth compared to our previous port of call.

Eddie Murphy hires entire hotels, while Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Oprah Winfrey own homes, which keep investment in the island and ensure guaranteed employment for the locals.

The island can also claim to be something of a movie star in its own right, the marina of the French capital Marigot providing the chic backdrop to the climax of Speed 2.

Given the Sandra Bullock movie involves hijacked cruise ships being run aground by crazed psychopaths, I’d rather reflect on the semi-submarine ride we took on the Dutch side of the island. A remarkable view of the Philipsburg reef, the glass-bottomed sub under a slick motorboat, allows us to view close up some spectacular marine life – a tropical fish tank in reverse.

Tuesday, February 19: At Sea
Another day at sea and after a hat-trick of fried breakfast-starts to my day, I hit the gym.

Wednesday, February 20: Grand Turk
Now this is what I had pictured when I started thinking about Caribbean cruising. Six miles long and a little more than a mile wide, Grand Turk is fringed with sugary white sands and calm blue waters warm enough to take a bath in.

Beyond the tranquil beach in the shade of the ship is the Margaritaville pool complex built specifically to welcome the cruising community, so I swim up to the pool bar to order a Red Stripe.

Further inland is Grand Turk’s main town of Cockburn. With its Bermudian influences, it’s a stroll worth taking.

Thursday, February 21: Cayo Levantado
As my waistline expands, so the islands continue to shrink – and this one is so small I’m surprised we found it.

As I strolled around the boutiques of Grand Turk yesterday, I mentioned to a local where we were headed next. “Where’s that located?” he asked. Given that we were only a few hours away, it seemed a curious confusion, but now I see why.

This tiny island paradise is the sort of location you would expect to see Lost being filmed.

Within binocular range is a Bacardi island which offers a private retreat to the ships that set anchor in the bay. A speedboat ride from ship to shore and a beach barbecue provided by the P&O caterers book-end a day of unedited relaxation and I can feel the industrial knots in the back of my neck beginning to unravel.

Friday, February 22: At Sea
I knew this was a big ship, not to mention a fast one, but now I’m confused. Captain Burgess addresses us via the tannoy to tell us that if we look port side we can see the island of Puerto Rico. Twenty minutes later, he is telling us to look again at Wales? Hump back whales on their migration journey creating a spectacular natural wonder to a day where sightseeing was on hold.

Saturday, February 23: St Kitts
There were only two things I knew about St Kitts before stepping off the ship in Port Zante. One was that sprinter Kim Collins carried the island’s colours to glory by winning gold in the 2003 100m world championships and the other was that the island boasted a famous tourist railway.

The locals are proud of both and, though I don’t get to meet Collins, I do take a trip on the railway. It’s slower than the Reading to Paddington service, but far less painful to endure as you enjoy a close-up animation of the island, accompanied by an on-board choir and a glass of Banana Colada.

The islanders’ pride in the train is highlighted by waves and smiles from every window, school yard and street corner. But taking the Scenic Railway tour is not a cheap option if you book it as part of an organised trip – and it is almost impossible to secure a ticket independently.

A cheaper and more flexible alternative is the open-top bus, which follows a similar route around the island and stops at a number of places of interest.

Sunday, February 24: Antigua
So, there has to be a winner of the favourite island of the holiday award and my prize goes to Antigua.

Despite starting the day in St John’s bar watching Reading lose to Aston Villa, there is still time to go for a soul-restoring day exploring this fantastic holiday island.

A trip to Nelson’s Dockyard, via the jaw-slackening views of the dock offered from Shirley Heights, is well worth the 30-minute cab ride. From Shirley Heights it is easy to see why this port offered the perfect safe haven to Horatio’s British fleet two centuries ago, while a wander around the tastefully-restored dockyard gives a real feel of what life was like for the British Navy back then – from the luxury of the masters’ quarters to the basic conditions of the overworked sailors.

That tasteful restoration means the dockyard is as busy as ever now as boats arrive, literally, from all around the world for repair or rest.

There are also 365 beaches on the island, one for every day of the year if you can stay long enough.

Monday, February 25: Martinique
And so we arrive in France. Hang on a minute, it looks like France, feels as French as crusty bread and even sounds French when you get off and meet the locals.

One of the Lesser Antilles, Martinique is a taste of France at the heart of the Caribbean and its capital, Fort-de-France, even boasts a scaled-down Sacre Coeur.

But to experience the true cosmopolitan beauty of this chic island, you need to explore. Forming an opinion based on a simple wander around the narrow streets of Fort-de-France would be like landing in Calais and deciding the whole of France was an ugly mess.

So, book a tour, flag down a cab or hop on the ferry and, for a $3 return fare, take in the cleverly compartmented beaches of Trois Islets, another idyllic paradise island to add to your collection.

Tuesday, February 26: St Lucia
Of all the ports of call on this tour, the lure of St Lucia excited me most. The only one of the 10 islands I had previously visited, the desire to return was strong, possibly because there is so much to see and do on this island of rugged beauty.

Shrouded in lush rain forests, with a skyline dominated by the dramatic twin peaks of the Piton Mountains, St Lucia is everything you imagine in a Caribbean Island.

A trip to the Pitons, the Botanical Gardens and the volcanic landscape of Soufriere are all well worth the effort, but don’t feel guilty about simply heading for the beaches, bars and boats of Rodney Bay, where you can watch the world go (slowly) by sipping a bottle of Piton lager.

Wednesday, February 27: St Vincent
The best you can say about Kingstown is that it is a work in progress, but its bare-to-the-bone basics do offer an honest insight into what the real Caribbean is like.

This is a Caribbean island in its truest form and, while a wander into the working fish market might not offer the commercial appeal of a trip to the other side of the island to see the remains of the set of Pirates of the Caribbean, it does have a realistic charm all of its own.

Thursday, February 28: Barbados
Where it all started two weeks ago is where it all finishes – spectacular Barbadian bookends to an amazing voyage of discovery.

There is enough to discover on this particular jewel in the West Indies to spend a whole fortnight but, at this stage of the holiday, I can think of little I’d rather do than hit the beach. The best beaches here will cost you to get in, but most are worth it and in particular the Boat Yard, frequented by Simon Cowell and where $15 (around £8) doesn’t sound as steep as it might once you have drunk your free cocktail, lounged on the sunbed and snorkelled in the tranquil water, before taking the complimentary shuttle bus back to your ship. One tourist attraction within sight and easy reach is the newly redeveloped Barbados Cricket Ground – but this Barmy Army cruise was out of time...

FACTFILE:

• Stuart Roach travelled on P&O’s Calypso Isles Cruise on Oceana. The closest cruise on next year’s itinerary is Simply Caribbean (E901) on the same ship, departing from Barbados on January 9 2009.
• Prices start from £1,526 per person for an outside cabin or £2,073 per person for a balcony cabin based on two adults sharing. Prices include a maximum 45 per cent early booking discount and are on a full board basis.
• For more information on this cruise or any others on the P&O itinerary, call P&O on 0845 3 555 333 or visit www.pocruises.co.uk.