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Splurge in the Seychelles

Oh dear. I'd only been there five minutes and it had the makings of a great British comic farce. Think Joe Orton's What The Butler Saw or Jeeves and Wooster with the all-knowing Stephen Fry standing in the background.

Arriving for what had to be the ultimate girlie treat, a stay in the super swish Seychelles, the bottle of chilled champagne waiting on the villa table was a temptation too far. Especially after a 10-hour overnight flight and being trussed up in winter woollies that looked a tad overdressed compared to the floaty sarong and bikini clad babes I'd spotted by the pool on check-in at Praslin's Lemuria Resort.

I gave the cork another twist (first rule of fizz - always turn the bottle not the cork) and it flew out with a theatrical bang, narrowly missing the head of the butler, Jerry, as he walked through the door. The mark of a true professional, his smile never wavered as he discreetly ducked. The mark of a butler virgin, I dashed to my room clutching my bag as I declined his offer to unpack, suspecting he was more used to frothy La Perla numbers than greying high street knicks.

On the way to the villa we'd already been wondering what to call him, what to ask him and generally how to deal with having a butler. We soon discovered it was first name terms all round and a clue to was to be found in his correct and more contemporary title of villa master - relax and let him take charge.

Living the life!

It's embarrassing to admit, but it was surprising how quickly we became used to having Jerry discreetly on hand. He catered to our every whim, from running us around in a golf buggy, whipping up afternoon tea, organising drinks and nibbles and generally thinking of everything before we thought of it ourselves.

Despite any earlier misconceptions, it became as crystal clear as the sea lapping the beachfront of our villa that in the eyes of villa masters like Jerry, all guests are equal. Even if it's a once in a lifetime trip that you've scrimped and saved for, you'll still end up being treated like a celebrity VIP.

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