British Virgin Islands

Tales of pirates and lost treasures, endless servings of Painkillers at island beach bars and an inviting local attitude make this 35-mile-long sprinkling of 60-plus islands and cays irresistible.

Sheltered harbors and short distances between islands invite those cruising on boats while calm shallow bays and vibrant coral reefs delight snorkelers and beach lovers at Brewers Bay, White Bay and Sandy Cay. Idyllic snorkeling is found at The Caves, The Indians and Angelfish Reef surrounding Norman Island. And every diver’s rite of passage is the wreck of the RMS Rhone off Salt Island.

Landlubbers delight on Tortola, the staging place for most excursions and home to the capital at Road Town.  Backed by mountainous cliffs that unveil dramatic scenery around every bend and ringed in a lacey coastline of chalk-white beaches, it’s the largest of the group. Small exclusive resorts are at home on Virgin Gorda, a quiet island known for The Baths, a collection of granite boulders on the southwest shore.  Once sleepy Jost van Dyke is now base to several beach bars. The only island in the group composed of coral, Anegada lies 12 miles to the north and is a snorkelers’ paradise and a place for those wanting to get away from it all.