British Virgin Islands

The British Virgin Islands are one of the most exclusive (and expensive) corners of the Caribbean: A parade of beaches, coral reefs, and luxuriantly green mountains at the northern head of the Leeward Islands. A quartet of main islands—Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke—compose the heart of the archipelago, but there are better than 50 smaller islets rounding it out—every one of them calling to the sailor and sunbather in all of us.

Most of the main islands are rugged and volcanic in origin, save for Anegada, a flat limestone platform representing a petrified coral reef. In Sage Mountain National Park on Tortola, you can stand on the eponymous high point of the Virgin Islands, a 1,716-foot ridge that includes remnant old-growth forest on its flanks.

Of course, most who flock to the BVI are mostly interested in the seashore, which comes in that blinding-white-sand/cyan-water/coconut-palm-shade combination so beloved in the Caribbean. Actually, the most celebrated stretch of coast adds a bit of a spin to this classic standard: The Baths on Virgin Gorda present massive boulders and monoliths of granite amid sparkling pools and tranquil coves.

And you’d certainly be hard-pressed to name a better sailing location, given the scores of islets and cays composing the BVI hinterland. Head over to Norman Island to pay respects to the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, or go snorkeling amid the Coral Gardens of Dead Chest National Park, where the pirate captain Blackbeard (Edward Teach) allegedly stranded 15 men with nothing but a bottle of rum for sustenance.

Speaking of diving, it’s not just fish- and turtle-frequented corals that'll catch your eye underwater: The treacherous reefs of the BVI have claimed many a vessel, and shipwrecks litter the nearshore depths. One famous and well-preserved wreck is that of the Rhone, a Royal Mail Steamer downed by a hurricane in 1867, now the centerpiece of RMS Rhone National Marine Park off Salt Island.

The BVI capital of Road Town, home to most of the population by far, is the archipelago at its busiest, with an endless parade of cruise ships ejecting hordes of shoppers and beachgoers. Popular Tortola beaches such as Cane Garden Bay lie within easy reach, as does Sage Mountain National Park, Callwood’s Rum Distillery (one of the most venerable in the Caribbean), and the historic Fort Defiance.

With so many wealthy visitors from around the world descending on the BVI, you can eat just about any sort of food you wish, but it’s always illuminating to track down local cuisine. Here, that might mean conch chowder or fritters, a cornmeal-and-okra stew (fungi), a deep-fried Johnnycake, or the meat-, fish-, or veggie-stuffed pastry called a pate.

On the hunt for that postcard-perfect Caribbean beach or snorkeling reef? You’re sure to find it in the BVI. Just don’t come expecting a budget holiday.