Caviar on tap, beach barbecues and a yacht for just 82 guests. A Caribbean cruise? It's more like a giant floating house party

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As we glide across neon turquoise waters into shore on our Zodiac inflatable, I spy a waiter standing patiently on the ivory sands proffering a tray of painkillers.

Not the medicinal sort, but the enticingly sweet rum cocktails linked to the British Virgin Islands that are scattered like jewels across this corner of the Caribbean Sea.

It’s a glamorous start to our week-long voyage on one of the mega-yachts of boutique line SeaDream Yacht Club, holding up to 112 guests. 

There are just 82 on our sailing, making the ambience even more chummy – like one big floating house party.

We’ve arrived at the island of Jost Van Dyke for today’s Champagne & Caviar Splash beach barbecue – a signature SeaDream indulgence, while crew dispense caviar with trimmings from a floating surfboard in the shallows. 

Small world: Sara Macefield boards a Caribbean cruise with SeaDream. Above, Jost Van Dyke, one of the stops on her tour

It’s a cocktail party like no other, and the first of innumerable pinch-me moments during a voyage that takes us off well-worn routes to the Caribbean’s diminutive glories. 

Take tiny Nevis, dotted with romantic hotels among the ruins of colonial sugar mills and where US statesman (and subject of the eponymous West End musical) Alexander Hamilton was born, or St Barts, the A-listers’ nirvana where designer stores and superyachts conjure up a French Riviera meets the tropics vibe.

Then there’s the rustic Gallic simplicity of Iles des Saintes, a cluster of pin-prick outposts off Guadeloupe said to resemble St Barts before its jet-set days. 

Adding extra sparkle is our ship SeaDream 1. It’s not the newest or most modern – it turns 40 this year – but I find its varnished wood and gleaming brass brings a classic style of cruising, complemented by faultless service from the charming crew. 

Sara travels on SeaDream 1 (pictured), a mega-yacht that holds up to 112 guests 

Sara describes the SeaDream experience as 'one big floating house party' 

From the moment I step aboard with my husband Geoff they know our names – and remember them throughout. Such touches are impressive, along with gifts that appear in our cabin. 

One night SeaDream keyrings, on another glasses cases.

Days are spent ashore or chilling around the pool. 

Sara's voyage takes her to Iles des Saintes, seen here, a cluster of pin-prick outposts off Guadeloupe

Sara explores St Barts, pictured here, the 'A-listers’ nirvana where designer stores and superyachts conjure up a French Riviera meets the tropics vibe'

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It’s an addictive routine, spiced up when the water-sports marina comes into play and we whizz around on jet-skis or hurtle into the sea on the surprisingly steep inflatable slide.

One night we don SeaDream pyjamas embroidered with our names (another gift), to sleep under the stars on one of the plush sunbeds on deck. It’s been made up with a quilt and pillows so we soon drift off to the sound of waves.

I awaken at sunrise as we approach Montserrat, its outline illuminated by glowing crimson skies. You’d never normally find me awake at such an ungodly hour, but this natural alarm call was a rare treat worth getting up for.