Night location: Arzachena, Italy

We have had a truly memorable day visiting the Archipelago di La Maddalena. The archipelago consists of seven main islands and forty granite islets and is considered one of Sardinia's most spectacular natural attractions. It is not difficult to see why as the water in this part of the world is simply stunning. The deep water is a sapphire blue, but closer to the shore it becomes crystalline emerald and then turquoise.

David booked a tour of the islands on a Leudo, a large antique merchant boat that comfortably transported the twelve passengers including us. The trickiest part of the day was boarding the boat from a small dinghy in open water, but having survived without entirely embarrassing Australians everywhere, we lounged on the deck immersed in the sun and mesmerised by the colours of the water.

Our tour was almost eight hours in total and included three extended stops allowing for swimming and snorkelling. Cala Corsara was particularly beautiful with soft white sand and perfect aquamarine water. Special mention also must go to the delicious three course Italian lunch provided. An entirely blissful experience.