British Virgin Islands Vacations are some of the most perfect in the world

The British Virgin  Islands actually consists of what is left of volcanic islands that sank into the sea, scattered across miles of the most amazing blue and turquoise waters. Four hundred years ago it was the haunt of pirates, today, most visitors come here to sail and explore the sixty-plus islands, islets, and cays. For sailors it is fantastic to drop anchor in inviting, deserted coves, walk empty beaches, visit Tortola's Cane Garden Bay at sunset, or dive the wreck of the 310-foot RMS Rhone, a royal mail steamer that sank in a hurricane near Salt Island in 1867.
 The Moorings, a world-famous yacht operation, has its Caribbean headquarters in Tortola. The seventy-two-slip charter dock and seventy slip visitors' dock are a tourist destination in themselves. Stroll the boards and meet some of the most interesting boat lovers and owners in the world. Most of these yachts probably sell for more than the home you left behind, many in the millions. Probably the best accommodation however is at Frenchmans Cay West End Tortola quaint accommodation and fantastic staff.

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Nearby, although way up at 1,300 feet above sea level, the lofty Skyworld restaurant provides an amazing 360-degree view of these sailing waters, plus one of the most innovative menus in the area. Order the conch fritters, which even the locals admit are the best on the island, and Skyworld's signature steak, prepared with port and peaches, and you'll start looking for available island real estate in the morning. Throw caloric caution to the wind and go for the "chocolate suicide" dessert, made with dark and white chocolates.
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About 2 miles west, Bomba's Shack is the island's oldest, most memorable, and most uninhibited watering hole, and one of the Caribbean's most famous bars. The colorful makeshift decor with driftwood and flotsam nailed together, with a sand floor and walls fes-tooned with old license plates, postcards, abandoned rubber tires, helps camouflage a powerful sound system that gets things jumpin' even before Bomba's Punches
Which are made with homemade rum, kick in. Crowds of yachties and folk from all over Tortola and the neighbouring islands fill the beach and rock on to live music until the wee hours during "full moon parties," and on Wednesday and Sunday nights aficionados gather for the all-you-can-eat barbecue of Creole specialties.
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For latent hermits or people who want nature all to themselves, Guana Island and its 850 virginal acres will never feel crowded, even with an occasional full house of thirty guests. It's the Galapagos of the Caribbean, a wildlife sanctuary that's said to have the richest variety of flora and fauna of any island its size in the region. A hundred species of birds, roseate flamingos, black-necked stilts, herons, egrets, and the endangered masked booby, make Guana a paradise for bird-watchers. In the 18th century, Guana was dominated by a sug¬arcane and cotton plantation owned by two American Quaker families, and today that classic simplicity is still evident in the stylish but restrained accommodations at the island's only lodge. The panoramic sweep from the whitewashed ridge-top cottages is spectacular. Reached only by boat, the hilly island, with its twenty nature trails and seven beaches, is virtually private and for guests' use alone, even yacht "drop-ins" are discouraged.  Two of the beaches are accessible only by the hotel's private launch. Why not invite twenty-nine friends and rent the whole island? The island is ten minutes by launch from Tortola.


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Roll up your trousers and wade ashore to this modern-day alternative to the real world. The tiny island of Jost Van Dyke boasts one of the area's most stunning beaches. Four simple waterfront bungalows and two air-conditioned rooms make up the colony of The Sandcastle Hotel, which has an island dog and cat on staff, no electricity except in the kitchen, and solar-heated showers. Wear to dinner what you wore to breakfast, and spend the day moving from one hammock to another with a Painkiller in hand: The bar's signature drink (now famous throughout the islands) can vary from mild to lethal. Pity the yachties who row in just for the day, although the highlight of their sailing vacation is usually a candlelit four-course dinner at the Soggy Dollar. It's the focal point of the hotel, and the island, and deservedly beloved in yachting circles.
This 3- by 4-mile island, whose main street is a sandy lane, is also home to Foxy's Tamarind Bar, a legendary yachtsman's haunt that's a lovely half-hour stroll down the beach and over the hill into Great Harbor.

For decades, word of mouth celebrated the 500-acre resort of little dix bay and the exquisite location it commanded on a perfect half-mile crescent of white-sand beach on Virgin Gorda, the "Fat Virgin." Together with its sister property, Caneel Bay, Little Dix was created by Laurance Rockefeller in the 1960s for his blue-blood circle of old-money friends and family. Despite a change in ownership, it remains a classic, still known for its laid-back luxury, relaxed pampering, and a low-key, unpretentious ambience. The native stone and hardwood cottages nestle amid the lush but impeccably manicured grounds, a veritable Garden of Eden maintained by no less than twenty full-time gardeners. Even breakfast is romantic in the dining area, four intercon¬nected, open-sided, thatch-roofed pavilions sitting right on the hotel's marvellous beach. Dinners are both genial and exciting, the work of an ambitious and sophisticated kitchen the Rockefellers would have been proud of.
About a mile south is the island's most noted natural site, The Baths, where huge,
time-sculpted granite boulders, some as big as small houses,create spellbinding pools, shallow coves, and interconnected grottoes that are heaven for snorkelers, swimmers, and those who merely appreciate natural beauty. Stacked along the beach in jumbled piles, these prehistoric rocks are most impressive when approached by sea. The site is on every visitor's list, so to avoid the boatloads of in-and-out tourists and cruise ship passengers, come early or late, or wander along the less-visited coastline on either side, where the massive boulders continue.