Mexico claims to have 9330km of beaches which ideally should mean something for everyone. What I’d like to do is paint a picture of what to expect and then you can decide for yourself whether or not there is a beach for you – thereby proving or disproving the hype!

Mexico’s proximity to the US means that the country’s mainland and west coast are heaving with los Americanos on high days and holidays, particularly 4th July and Christmas. If you don’t like crowds there are still beaches to find in Mexico, but they will naturally be busier. Otherwise great times to go for weather are generally between November to May, when you can expect ambient temperatures and clear seas. I would also suggest that between August and November the Pacific (west) coast can get stormy and rough, even beyond acceptable keen surf standards. At the same time Baja California is clear and warm, so why not try diving there?

The country of Mexico enjoys the attentions of both the Pacific and the Caribbean. Generally speaking the Caribbean (east coast) has warmer water, has shallower runs to the beach and has white sand. The Pacific meanwhile is bluer and has more waves – perfect for surfing, and it certainly does attract a lot of surfers.

Throughout Mexico there are some very touristy beach destinations – Acapulco, so beloved of train robbers in the 1960’s is just like Cancun on the Caribbean side. If you are into nightlife, a busy “scene”, and all the holidaymaker attractions these beaches could suit you. Cozumel is a great beach, although busy, but you could try Xcaret Island?

If you would like to do more than lie on a beach try Playa del Carmen near Tulum on Mexico’s Yucatan. It is a beautiful beach, long with gently rolling waves plus you could always take in an historical ruin in the afternoon!

For family beaches good for children, try Sayulita or on Isla Mujeres, Playa Norte is good with facilities without being too built up.

On the Pacific side Manzanillo is a stunning beach with lots of space and green hills flowing down to the beachside. There are plenty of places around to buy Mexican snacks and sundowners so it seems ideal. Puerto Vallarta is a popular beach but if it doesn’t take your fancy try taking a short boat ride to Yelapa beach.

As if there weren’t enough beaches to choose from for daytime activities, a favourite for an evening stroll is Old Town beach with its’ esplanade. If you are here for the day, go south of here to swim.

Sugar cane is thought to have been first brought to Cuba by Columbus in 1493 during his second voyage from neighbouring Hispaniola, present day Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Since the first lethal ‘rumbillion’ concoctions were brewed up by Caribbean fishermen and pirates in the early 1600s, rum has grown to become the popular global export it is today, while remaining a mainstay of the region.

The first round
When African slaves were very first brought to Cuba to work the sugar plantations, they brought the knowledge with them of brewing a rough drink from yucca and maize known as ‘garapo’. A blend of time, experimentation and the inclusion of cane juice resulted in the first clear, and very strong, drink ‘aguardiente’ or fire water.

Thankfully, the intervention of master distillers has created a much smoother drink from its ancestors. Most modern rums are distilled from molasses, the dark sticky residue created as a by-product from crystallizing sugar from cane juice. Although rum is distilled right across the Caribbean, and indeed the world, Caribbean rum distilleries such as Havana Club and Bacardi are still largely the best known. The Havana Club brand began life in 1878, and quickly became popular. Sugar cane thrives on Cuba largely due to the outstanding climate and soil conditions.

Why is the rum always gone?
The historical political conditions in Cuba made business less profitable and in the 19th and 20th centuries, political change in the country sometimes made exporting problematic. The nationalisation of large businesses in 1959 meant Bacardi emigrated and took the brand with it. It is now owned by Hamilton in Bermuda and sold more than 19 million cases in 2010.

The Havana Club Museum of Rum (El Museo del Ron Havana Club) on Avenida del Puerto, in Old Havana (Habana Vieja) is a great place to delve deeper into the history of this culturally legendary drink.  It takes guests through the stages of the creation process from sugar cane plant right through to finished bottle.

The museum is housed in a renovated 18th-century solar (a colonial townhouse). You can spot it by the ground floor shady patio, with broad stone columns and ferns, yuccas and potted palms. A bell signals the start of the museum tour, and you follow the guide up a flight of stone steps. The first landing presents a view of the cooper shop, demonstrating the craftsmanship required to build and prepare the oak casks inside which the fine rums will age.

Cuba was one of the first Latin American countries to use steam locomotives to transport the cane from the fields to the distillery and the museum includes detailed. An upstairs gallery features an authentic mule-driven cane mill used in the earliest refineries. The next door leads to a much larger model of the whole process before moving on to the fermentation and distilling rooms with the copper tanks and oak barrels sitting snugly in the languid warmth of the ageing cellars. The final visit is the museum’s tasting room, a huge 1930’s-styled bar and then of course the obligatory gift shop.

The Havana Club bar, which adjoins the museum is a great way to round off the trip and lets you soak up some of the rum with a menu of international and Creole dishes. Solista Antia Marquetti and her band regularly bring the house down with their repertoire of traditional Cuban son, trova and bolero.

Scuba diving in Tobago is a brilliant experience. Framed by the Orinoco River, southern Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, Tobago’s waters contain a striking abundance of sea life.

Diving draws many visitors to Tobago and Speyside is the island’s diving mecca. Premier sites like Angel Reef, Black Jack Hole, Kelleston Drain, Coral Gardens and Japanese Gardens lie just offshore.You can dive in a shallow reef or deep water, witnessing small and large sea creatures in their natural habitat. Home to the world’s largest brain coral, sharks, sea turtles and exotic tropical fish, although the biggest attraction is the magnificent manta ray, with an average 2–4m (8–12ft) wingspan. Tobago’s underwater paradise is a must-see for diving enthusiasts.  Scuba diving in Tobago is growing in popularity, attracting increasing numbers of adventurers from Europe and North America each year.

Caroline from Charlotteville Shark Shacks lists some of the very best dives sites around Tobago:

London Bridge
An awesome eroded arch which can be swum through when conditions are good only. It’s not for the faint-hearted since it’s only 8 metres deep and 4 metres wide with huge surf, but well worth the effort since there are turtles, green morays and huge parrotfish living in the zone. The wall around the island is totally pristine with amazing colours & a vibrant fish life. Everything from large schools of tuna to nudibranchs.

Shark Banks
A coral bommie just breaking the waterline with a depth of 40(plus) metres and a phenomenal wall drop-off. All Aquatic species congregate here to hunt. It’s an awesome spot with couloirs, narrow gullies, swim-throughs and an abundance of larger Pelagics.

Sisters’ Rocks
Known locally for the large schools of scalloped and great hammerhead sharks, these 5 rocks are more than worthy of 2 dives – the outer edges being darker, more wild and more dramatic with sheer walls and larger marine critters whilst the inner sites are prettier with less current, more colours and usually smaller species. Leatherback turtles have been spotted here too amongst the largest crab I have ever seen and humongous lobsters! Sister’s Rocks offers great drift dives for the adventurous divers.

It’s so hard to recommend just a a few. You ideally need a week diving just to touch the surface since we are truly blessed at this end of Tobago with average visibility at 25 metres and the choice of the 2 oceans. Night dives are also a specialty of mine – with the annual coral spawning being a real high point. Dolphins usually accompany our dedicated dive boat – “True Blue” – to the sites & giant manta are seen virtually daily from March to September. Leatherback & hawksbill turtles lay and hatch right on our beaches. We really are spoiled rotten. Come see for yourself!

Be sure to choose a reputable diving tour operator to help organise your lessons and trip such as Tropical Sky Scuba Diving. Alternatively, a local company belonging to Tobago’s Association of Dive Operators will outfit your adventure and teach you the ropes to make your experience unforgettable.