British Virgin Islands

Capital - Road Town

The British Virgin islands are a scattering of over sixty small, yet perfectly formed, breathtakingly beautiful islands and cays in the northern Caribbean. They’re renowned for their reef lined white sandy beaches, glorious turquoise seas and also as one of the world’s top yachting hotspots. But despite all the expensive yachts and celebrity visitors, the BVI’s remain relatively underdeveloped.

There are four main islands, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke and Anegada.

Powdery white sand beaches, lush green mountains and sheltered yacht filled harbours characterise the island of Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands. Beyond the busy capital of Road Town, fantastic beaches and West Indian settlements full of local flavour await.

The name Virgin Gorda was inspired by its shape, which reminded Christopher Columbus of a reclining woman or ‘fat virgin’. The island has natural beauty in abundance, not only the natural phenomenon of The Baths but nature sanctuaries, plant lined trails and natural wonders protected by national parks.

Jost Van Dyle is the smallest of the four main island, measuring just 8 square kilometres. Named after an early Dutch settler and former pirate it has been home to Arawak Indians, Caribs, Dutch, Africans and British. Food and fun abound on Jost Van dyke, with numerous beach bars and places to indulge in local Caribbean specialities such West Indian rotis, flying fish sandwiches and freshly grilled fish and lobster.

Remote Anegada is the only coral atoll in the BVI’s and has the fourth largest coral barrier reef in the world – and it is fringed with unspoiled sugar white sand beaches.

The best way to get to the BVI’s is via a connecting flight from Antigua to Beef Island Airport, Tortola. Flying time to Antigua is 8 hours 30 minutes with British Airways and Virgin and the onward flight to Beef Island, Tortola time is 60 minutes.

Why the BVI’s?
Mike and I, and our daughter Francesca, stayed in Tortola back in August 2005 and we had the most fabulous time. I clearly remember some dolphins swimming alongside our boat on the way back from Jost Van Dyke and we had a great day at the Baths on Virgin Gorda, not to mention carnival in Tortola! – Karen Williams, Co-founder of The Caribbeanist.

The Caribbeanist’s British Virgin Islands Top 5

1. The most popular attraction in the BVIs has to be The Baths on Virgin Gorda, now a national park. A collection of sky-high volcanic boulders, they form a series of grottoes that flood with seawater. The area makes for unique swimming and snorkelling!

2. A trip to the low lying coral island of Anegada provides for quite a contrast to some of the other islands. It has the whitest of sands and is ringed by the most diverse and interesting of reefs – Horseshoe Reef.

3. When visiting Tortola, the number one beach for soaking up the local atmosphere is Cane Garden Bay. Whilst there a visit to the Callwood Rum Distillery is a must. It’s one of the oldest rum distilleries in the Caribbean where they use sugar cane rather than molasses to distil the rum.

4. Set sail for White Bay on Jost Van Dyke, stopping to snorkel on the way at Monkey Point on Guana island. Visit the home of the Painkiller cocktail at The Soggy Dollar Bar then on to Foxy’s for lunch.

5. Ship spotting at Soper’s Hole in Tortola’s West End is fascinating. Once the headquarters of pirates and buccaneers, Soper’s Hole is now overrun with giant catamarans and yachts, owned or rented by the rich and famous.

British Virgin Island Accommodation

The British Virgin Islands are still recovering from Hurricane Irma and so accommodation is limited to those hotels and resorts that have refurbished and are up and running again. We expect to add to our portfolio as more hotels complete their renovations and get back in business.

Special offers are always available, just give us a call or check out our Facebook page.

Guana Island

There are just 18 low-key rooms set on this 850 acre privately owned island idyll. There’s seclusion in buckets but also plenty to explore along its seven beaches and twelve miles of trails.

From £2675pp

Rosewood Little Dix Bay

Discover the stunningly beautiful Rosewood Little Dix Bay on a secluded beachfront location on Virgin Gorda, just 15 minutes by boat from Tortola. It features 84 beautiful cottages, beach houses and villas, each with a magnificent view.

From £1969pp

Anegada Beach Club

Situated on the north coast of beautiful Anegada, this is a unique place to stay, where accommodation is in luxury beachfront tents. Taking ‘glamping’ to another level, this is beachfront living at its best.

Please contact for prices.

British Virgin Islands