Seychelles

The Seychelles have been admirable front-runners in sustainable tourism, making this a thoroughly conscious-salving as well as spoiling luxury holiday destination. Almost half of the Seychelles' total landmass is set aside as nature reserves, with the larger islands having lush vegetation and nature trails to explore.

The Seychelles consist of 115 small islands dotted across a broad swathe of the Indian Ocean, but whichever island you choose to spend your luxury holiday on, you are guaranteed to see some of the millions of sea birds who live here or see century old giant tortoises roaming free. A thousand miles to the west lies Kenya and the two make for an excellent 'bush and beach' combination. The islands are famous for their idyllic white-sand beaches and the pristine coral reefs offer superb snorkelling and diving.

The islands' Creole cuisine is a delicious blend of French and Indian influences. Original Travel knows the islands intimately and can explain the various merits of staying on the private paradises of North Island, Fregate Island and Cousine or on Praslin, a UNESCO world heritage site.

If you end up on Fregate Island, head over to Anse Maquereau beach and turn the sign at the top of the steps over to say 'Beach Occupied', then the beach is yours for the day.