Comprised of roughly 50 land masses grouped mostly around Sir Francis Drake Channel, some mere sandy patches in the ocean, many of the British Virgin Islands are no more than tiny, uninhabited islets. Famous for pirate lore, hidden coves and luxury hideaway resorts, the B.V.I.’s have long captured the imagination of writers who have tried to capture their beauty with words and rogues who simply want to escape the real world.

Norman Island inspired Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Treasure Island. The largest of B.V.I.’s islands, Tortola, is 22-square-miles of dramatic coastline dotted with boat charter companies. Virgin Gorda is a laid-back haunt known for its most famous attraction, The Baths, where hidden pools plunge between a collection of giant granite boulders. The adventuresome hike to Gorda Peak for 360 degree panoramas of the islands while others wander the ruins at The Copper Mine National Park. A series of private islands, called “Nature’s Little Secrets” by those who know them best, provide ultimate seclusion and sophisticated pampering.

For more information to: www.bvitourism.com or www.definitivecaribbean.com.