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Alaska was always one of our dream holidays and it certainly lived up to our expectations. We decided that we wanted a smaller, personal cruise option so we joined seven other guests and the four crew on the Sikumi for a six-day relaxed cruise around the sheltered and protected waters of Alaska's Inside Passage.

The state certainly has the reputation as being 'unspoilt', but we were not prepared for how beautiful and vast it was. We cruised, hiked and kayaked around for six days, only occasionally seeing other boats and rarely seeing other people.

Not only was the scenery spectacular, the region is a haven for wildlife. We regularly saw humpback whales, seals and the famous bald eagle. Probably our best marine-life encounter was as we kayaked through the icebergs not far from Tracey Arm. While a whole family of seals (or sea lions?) curiously checked us out, we spotted a pod of killer whales nearby, their tall dorsal fins slicing in and out of the glassy dark water. Needless to say, we were a little nervous floating around in our small kayaks.... especially when the entire family of seals simultaneously disappeared.

Most of us also tried our hand at fishing, and although neither Vanessa and I were successful, many of the others on the boat caught an array of sizable fish; red snapper, grey cod, pink salmon and of course the local favourite, halibut. It was close to spawning season and we were amazed to see hundreds of salmon periodically jumping out of the glassy water.

Occasionally we went ashore for a hike through pristine rainforest. Some of it was almost Jurassic Park-like in the size of the plants and what we assumed was old-growth forest. It was beautiful - but the sheer lushness was a surprise to most of us given the nearby glaciers and snow-capped mountains. We also did some sea kayaking on water so calm we often forgot that it was the ocean. A beautiful way to explore the sheltered coves and observe the wildlife close up.

One of the most amazing parts of the trip was our visit to Tracey Arm. After Mercury (the captain) negotiated through the sheer cliffs and hundreds of icebergs covering the fjord, we arrived at the vast blue face of the Sawyer Glacier. It was enormous, and we were lucky enough to see it 'calving' new icebergs into the bay.

The crew and our fellow guests were all great fun and it was a pleasure to share the experience with them. An amazing trip - definitely in our 'top five' and one that we would recommend to anyone.