Booking:  This was a bit of a hassle.  The person that we spoke to had to keep going away and asking someone else whenever I asked a question.  Some observations such as 'of course it's likely that there will be other English children there' were made rather too easily as it turned out.  It's also important to try flights on different days since Club Med use scheduled flights rather than chartered.  We changed our flight from a Friday to a Saturday, losing one day of holiday and the price went down significantly.

Flights: Scheduled Air France.  Efficient and easy.  Films on the long haul were a little dated but in English (not subtitles).  No vegetarian option unless pre booked (and I wasn't asked when booking)

Arrival:  Very busy and had to wait c.45mins for other passengers to load onto the bus before leaving.  This wasn't good for the kids who had been cramped up for hours on a plane already.

Transfer and arrival at La Caravelle:  c.45mins.  One of the GO's (reps) made some announcements on the journey but they were all in French.  Note that we were the only English (with little knowledge of French) at the resort for the two weeks, out of c.600 people.  We had guessed that this would be the case (despite comment above) and so were prepared for it - seeing it as a fine opportunity for both my wife and I, as well as our children, to be immersed in French for a couple of weeks - and so we were.  This said, most of the GO's spoke sufficient English to converse and other guests were extremely helpful.

Accommodation:  We had adjoining rooms (one twin and one large double with balcony) in the Grand Terre block looking out over the rear lawn but also with a view of the sea through the palms and with sun in the morning - there were blackout curtains though if required.  The rooms are nicely done and functional.  Above all they were quiet and we heard nothing of the night time entertainment.

Staff:  Very professional compared with similar type British operators.  The GO's worked very hard throughout the day to keep all the guests happy with the extensive range of activities on offer and then donned professionally made costumes for shows each night including a very provocative 'burlesque' show akin to the Moulin Rouge.  Only in France!  The General Manager was visible (and approachable) every day, wondering around and saying hello to everyone.

Kids Club:  Again very well run with loads of activities for the kids.  Our 10yr old daughter met a French girl who spoke a little English and they got on well with some help from the GO's.  Our 7yr old son found it a little more difficult though as he hadn't started learning French at school.  The minimum age to do some of the activities is 8yrs so he had to miss out in some cases although full praise to the GO's for being as accepting as possible considering the circumstances.  Highlights for the children were the trapeze, archery and windsurfing - all pretty much a daily activity.

Food:  The food was exceptional IMHO and I'm a vegetarian. There was a massive choice of hot and cold food at every meal including simple food such as pizzas and pasta as well as more complex and local dishes for the more adventurous.  The range of fresh fruit, bread and deserts was fabulous.  There was also a full range of baby foods for those that needed it.

Restaurants:  There are two restaurants.  The main one at the hotel and another one at the end of the beach to the right looking out to sea.  This specialises in lobster and makes for a very romantic meal with views directly over the beach and sea.  The only issue I have with it was that they were unable to provide a vegetarian meal unless I picked it up from the main restaurant myself and walked down with it, something that my wife (a lobster lover) and I felt would take away from the romanticism of the occasion - particularly if you have to get up at 0630hrs in the morning to book a table for that evening!

Drink:  All inclusive, including house cocktails and house wine.  You had to queue at the bar occasionally but for no longer than a few minutes.

Beach:  Fabulous, with clear, warm water.  The beach directly in front of the hotel was the most popular but if you walked along to the left or the right there were quieter places.  Note that the beach is a public beach and was busier at weekends and once the local children broke up from school but we weren't hassled in any way.  One point to note though was that both of our children ended up being stung by jelly fish (in both cases this was late in the day after the sun had gone down when, I'm told, the jelly fish rise up from the sea bed). They were both subsequently violently sick within 24hrs but then made a full recovery and were back running about and swimming as usual.

Overall:  A very enjoyable holiday with fabulous food, activities for the children (and adults), beach and ambiance. Being British, with limited French, did take an edge off things but we nevertheless had a wonderful time.  It's very difficult not to enjoy the Caribbean!

Finally, thank you to all the staff, especially those in the kids club who worked tirelessly and always with a smile on their faces.  Thank you.