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Clean, basic rooms in knock-your-socks-off colors such as purple and blue and a good restaurant; some rooms have shared baths. A stay here puts you near Soper’s Hole’s shopping and just a minute from the West End ferry.

Jonna White’s etchings of birds, mythological creatures and tropical motifs are done in bright colors on handmade paper. Her paper sculptures, some standing up to 3 ft (1 m), are impressive.

Home to a handful of hoppin’ bars, some guesthouses, and a few small stores sitting along its sandy lanes, Great Harbour is the island’s main settlement. If you’re sailing and haven’t cleared Immigration in Tortola, visit the BVI Customs and Immigration office on the waterfront. If you want a change of scene, take a stroll west to White Bay, the next bay over and home to Sandcastle hotel and restaurant (seeSandcastle, Jost Van Dyke). Head off to the east to Little Harbour, which offers more bars and restaurants.

Splendid views of Salt River and the sea, plus a stroll through plantation ruins dating to around 1750 (seeJudith’s Fancy), reward motorists who drive through this gated neighborhood of upscale homes. Just check in with the guard first. Follow Hamilton Avenue to the end for glimpses of Salt River Bay. Turn off onto Caribe Drive to see the ruins, which include those of a great house and a tower. This is a small neighborhood, so don’t worry about getting lost.

This annual June and July event wraps up with a three-hour parade through the streets of Cruz Bay. The music is deafening, the town overflowing, and the fun on the party-hearty side. You won’t see much in the way of American flags; this is definitely a Caribbean event.

Another local favorite, this small, sandy beach calls for a hike down a flight of stairs. That’s the easy part – you’ll also have to huff and puff back up. Some trees offer shade for folk who want to go easy on their tan, and there’s great snorkeling at the reef sitting just offshore. However, the water at this beach can get rough when winter swells roll in from the north.

The islands’ famous spicy soupkallaloo has as many spellings as ingredients. With greens, usually spinach or whatever’s available, as its base, the soup also includes a generous dose of okra, maybe ham or fish, and of course, whatever seasonings the cook likes to use.

Rent kayaks at oceanfront hotels for a paddle around the bay or take a kayaking and snorkel tour through a mangrove-fringed lagoon with Virgin Islands Ecotours.

Many resorts offer complimentary kayak use for a paddle around their bay. Otherwise, you can rent them at Nanny Cay, Trellis Bay, or Cane Garden Bay for a paddling and snorkeling excursion.