Tortola (BVI)

The most extraordinary beach in the Caribbean — enormous granite boulders form sea caves, grottoes and tidal pools above a beach of white sand. Ferry from Road Town takes 45 minutes.

The highest peak in the BVI (523m) — cloud forest with large ferns, mahogany trees and over 100 bird species including the rare BVI screech owl. Trail to the summit takes 45 min each way.

Road Town is small, walkable and genuinely charming — the Folk Museum, the Virgin Islands Museum in the Old Prison, the Sunday Morning Well and the Saturday morning market are all within a 15-min walk of the pier.

The legendary party island of the BVI — White Bay's powder beach fronts the world-famous Soggy Dollar Bar (named because you swim ashore from your boat, cash in hand). The Painkiller cocktail was invented here.

The most famous bar in the BVI — Pusser's was the official rum of the Royal Navy for 300 years, and this waterfront pub is the best place in the world to drink it. The Painkiller cocktail was co-created with Pusser's rum.

Restaurant in a restored 17th-century sugar mill — the stone walls, candlelight and Caribbean fusion cooking create the most romantic dinner on Tortola. The lobster thermidor and mahi-mahi with mango are the signature dishes.

The legendary open-air beach bar at Cane Garden Bay — owned by local reggae legend Quito Rymer, who plays live shows on Friday and Saturday evenings. Grilled fish, lobster and the best rum punch on the island.

Marina restaurant overlooking the superyachts — simple Caribbean cooking with excellent fresh fish and a breakfast terrace that is the best people-watching spot in Road Town.

Italian-Caribbean fusion on the waterfront — fresh pasta, wood-fired pizza and Italian coffee in a bright open-fronted café overlooking the harbour.

The world's most famous beach bar — invented the Painkiller cocktail in 1971. Swim or wade ashore from your boat (or arrive by ferry), order a Painkiller at the bar and lie in the hammock above the water.

The most legendary bar in the Eastern Caribbean — Foxy Callwood's rum shack in Great Harbour has hosted everyone from rockstars to royalty. New Year's Eve at Foxy's attracts 3,000 boats.

One of the Caribbean's most eccentric bars — Bomba's shack is covered floor-to-ceiling in 40 years of bras, underwear, license plates and signed graffiti from visitors across the world. The full moon parties are legendary.

The best coffee in Road Town — single-origin Caribbean-roasted beans, fresh pastries and local BVI fruit juices.

Local bakery and diner on the main street — fresh johnny cakes, coconut bread and local breakfast plates from €5.

Tortola's most beautiful and popular beach — a broad arc of sand with calm water (the bay is sheltered from the Atlantic swell by the headland), several beach bars and the legendary Quito's Gazebo at the northern end.

Tortola's best-kept secret beach — a secluded cove at the western tip of the island, reachable only on a dirt track. Pristine white sand, excellent snorkelling and usually very few people.

The Caribbean's most famous beach bar strip — Soggy Dollar Bar, Ivan's Stress Free Bar and the Sandcastle Hotel all line this perfect arc of white sand. The water is impossibly clear.

The crown jewel of the British Virgin Islands — giant boulders forming sea grottoes, Devil's Bay beach accessible through the boulder trail, and snorkelling in the tidal pools.

The BVI is widely considered the world's finest cruising ground — a half-day sailing charter to Norman Island (Treasure Island, inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson), snorkelling the Caves and swimming in The Indians.

The ruins of a 19th-century copper mine on the southeastern cliffs of Virgin Gorda — stone chimneys and boiler houses crumbling above a rocky shore, with extraordinary views.