Anegada is a place for people who enjoy the feeling of nothing but sea and reef for miles around. Unique to the Virgin Islands, it is a flat coral and limestone island. Its highest point is only 28ft (8m) above sea level, and miles of isolated white beaches line the northern and western shores. The third largest reef in the world, Horseshoe Reef extends 11 miles (18km) to the southeast of Anegada and hosts hundreds of shipwrecks, creating unlimited potential for divers.Anegada is 12 miles (19km) long and a couple of miles wide. There's an airstrip, a smattering of hotels and campgrounds, and only 200 people on the island. No regular public ferries dock here. If you're staying on the island, check with your hotel about transport. Otherwise, hire a boat or a water taxi from Tortola or grab a puddle-jumping flight from Beef Island.

A sleepy settlement by day, Jost Van Dyke comes alive at night and is a favorite haunt of nightcrawlers from nearby Tortola. Life in Jost Van Dyke is basically one long island-style happy hour, with pig roasts and beach bars attracting more yachties than a sale on sunblock. The island is surrounded by several good sunbaking 'n' snorkeling daytrip destinations, such as Little Jost Van Dyke, Green Cay and Sandy Cay.Jost Van Dyke has a population of only a few hundred people and lies 4 miles (6km) northwest of Tortola and 4 miles north of the US Virgin Island of St John. Ferries run from Tortola's West End to Great Harbour, but it's much more fun to rent a motor boat and putt over independently.

Before electricity brought refrigeration to the islands, salt was critical to preserving as well as seasoning food. And where do you get salt when there's no grocery store? Salt Island, 3 miles (5km) southeast of Tortola. Early in the 20th century, about 100 people lived on this tiny wishbone-shaped island, gearing up around April when the salt ponds evaporated and the salt could be 'harvested' by the not too farmerly method of hacking off chunks and bagging them up. These days most people prefer to get their salt off the shelf the boring way, and Salt Island's population has been reduced to about six West Indians. Salt Island is also known as the site of the wreck of the RMS , a favorite with divers.