The British Virgin Islands are all about one thing: sailing. (Well, and drinking.) The 60 or so islands are arrayed along a watery highway known as Sir Francis Drake Channel that teems with old salts, fishermen, novice captains on rental yachts and million-dollar powerboats.
If you don't know the bow from the stern, Tortola, the largest island and home to capital Road Town, has an abundance of sailing aficionados waiting to instruct you. Tortola also has an array of charter companies that will arrange a crewed vessel so you can kick back and enjoy the scenery at sea. Private-island luxury resorts abound on Peter Island, Guana, and billionaire Richard Branson's ultra-exlcusive Necker Island, while other monied travelers often head to the North Sound of Virgin Gorda for a stay at one of the area's many upscale properties.
Come happy hour (which, in the BVI, is pretty much any time of day) – head to Jost Van Dyke for some of the best beach bars in the entire Caribbean, such as Foxy's and the Soggy Dollar. But other great beach bars abound beyond Jost, too, including Bomba Shack – widely known for its full moon parties – and the Willy T just off Norman Island. Seclusion-seekers often head to Anegada for miles of uninterupted beach. But those in-the-know will spend their trip island hopping, making time for all of the BVI's many diversions.
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