Didn't go on holiday this summer? Try these tropical board games

If you couldn't quite stretch the budget to include a three week holiday in St Tropez this year, don't sweat. Some board games bring the holiday to you!

These sun-and-sea inspired family games are the ideal companion to a holiday-less summer. Don't worry if you didn't board a plane - play these games and you'll feel like you have!

#1 Camel Up

In the family board game Camel Up, 2 to 8 players bet on 5 racing camels, trying to suss out which will place first and second in a quick race around a pyramid. The earlier you place your bet, the more you can win — should you guess correctly, of course.

And did we mention the camels are clumsy? This frantic racing and betting family game is the perfect accompaniment for any gathering of gamblers.

Tropical rating: Well, it's camels and pyramids. In this Egyptian / Middle Eastern setting, it's always a holiday!

#2 Survive

In Survive: Escape from Atlantis, you are all stuck on a sinking island, trying to escape to safety. Problem is, between you and safety there is an ocean full of sharks, sea monsters and whales ready to destroy your boats and your meeples!

Fun and fast-playing, Survive is excellent fun for those young at heart and families who like to pick on Dad!

Tropical rating: Thrashing about in the sea with sharks and desert islands - that's my kinda holiday!

#3 Kahuna

Ahh, look at that hand-shaped island. I can almost hear the coconuts! Kahuna is a 2-player game, played on a board depicting twelve islands.

Players use cards to place bridges between these islands or remove opponent's bridges, with the aim of constructing links between as any islands as possible while your opponent flounders in the sea.

Tropical rating: The cover art says it all, but yeah, pretty bloomin' tropical.

#4 Medina

A game that's a little more complex than your usual family fun, Medina is a tense game where players are tasked to rebuild the 'medina', located at the foot of the Atlas mountains.

The architects and engineers of the city work to erect large and beautiful palaces and to renovate the damaged city wall. 

Tropical rating: You can't get much more exotic than Morocco or Tunisia, which is roughly where this game is based. Even the box cover makes me feel warm! 

We know the pain of not going on holiday, but trust us - a tropical and exotic board game can make you forget your woes and feel like you're right there, paddling in the sea!

Failing that, there's always Porthcawl. We'll always have Porthcawl.

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