British Virgin Islands

The British Virgin Islands were designed, apparently by committee of sailors, for one perfect activity: island hopping under sail. Sixty islands sit close enough together that you are never more than an easy reach from the next anchorage, the trade winds blow warm and steady, and the water runs from sapphire to swimming-pool pale. Charter a crewed yacht or catamaran, and the days organise themselves. Snorkelling the granite boulder caves of The Baths on Virgin Gorda. A painkiller cocktail at the Soggy Dollar, reached by swimming ashore, as tradition demands. Lobster on Anegada, the flat coral island with the endless beach. Wreck diving on the RMS Rhone. Nights are quiet coves, grilled fish and more stars than sky. If you love boats even slightly, the BVI is heaven.