Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
The emerald island of Virgin Gorda invites visitors to slow down and smell the frangipani. Third largest of the British Virgin Islands, this lush and lovely gem is ringed by champagne beaches and famous for its unique coastal pheonomonon known as The Baths, where massive granite boulders and the white sand form a series deep tide pools, secret grottoes, and rock arches. Gorda Peak marks the highest point on the island at 1,370 feet, while the surrounding parkland comprises some of the Caribbean’s last remaining dry forest. During the mid-1800s, British miners extracted copper ore from a rocky promotory known as Coppermine Point; you can explore the stone ruins of their abandoned 19th-century factory in Copper Mine National Park. The Dogs, a trio of tiny uninhabited islands just off Virgin Gorda’s northwest coast, offer excellent diving and snorkeling opporunties. The main settlement, Spanish Town — known locally as “The Valley” — centers around the yacht harbour with its cozy cafés and shops.