For the Island Hopper--If you'd like to island hop, seeing as many of the different British "Virgins" as you can in 1 week, your best bet is to base yourself in Tortola and take day trips from here, as it offers the most convenient network of planes and boats for getting about from one island to another.

After a couple of days spent exploring Tortola and its beaches, you can either fly or take the ferry over to the second most intriguing island of the B.V.I., Virgin Gorda, which many visitors find more charming than Tortola itself. The fastest way to go is to fly here on Air St. Thomas (tel. 800/522-3084 or 340/776-2722). You can also take Speedy's Fantasy (tel. 284/495-5240), a ferry service, arriving on Virgin Gorda in time to spend a day at its fabulous Baths with a return to Tortola in the evening.

On yet another day, you can set out to explore the rugged and remote small island of Jost Van Dyke, taking the New Horizons Ferry Service (tel. 284/495-9278) from Tortola, a 25-minute trip. That will allow you enough time on the island to spend the day at the beach and lunch at one of the local eateries such as Foxy's before you return to Tortola.

The final island that merits discovery is Anegada, the most northerly of the Virgins, lying 30 miles east of Tortola. Once on the island, you can visit a bird sanctuary, enjoy uncrowded beaches, and have a lobster lunch at Cow Wreck Beach Bar & Grill. Instead of a ferry service (there isn't any), you can go by private boat or else on a short flight by Fly BVI (tel. 284/495-1747) or Clair Aero Service (tel. 284/495-2271), winging here from the Tortola airport.

Of course, you could spend a month exploring other hidden islets or tiny islands in the B.V.I. Many of these are reached only by a private yacht or rented boat. If you've seen Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke, though, you will have viewed the best of the B.V.I.