ROOMS & SUITES: 14

Sir Richard Branson's private island paradise, is 74 acres in turquoise waters surrounded by coral reefs and fringed with beautiful white sandy beaches.

Necker is hired privately, for up to 28 guests, with 60 staff. If not looking to hire the island privately, guests can enjoy the Necker experience 'house party' style during Celebration Weeks when individual rooms can be booked by singles or couples.

Necker Island has a large selection of state of the art water sports equipment, enabling guests to try kite-surfing, sailing, windsurfing, waterskiing, kayaking, power boat trips and plenty more. There is a fully equipped gymnasium with stunning sea views and two floodlit tennis courts. The energetic can take the two-hour walk around the island to view the flora and fauna while those simply wishing to be pampered can enjoy a treatment at the Bali Leha spa, built into a cliff overlooking the sea.

Virgin Gorda has one of the Caribbean's most amazing sights. The Baths are a surreal collection of gigantic granite boulders strewn across blindingly white palm-lined beaches at the southwestern end of the island. Tide and wave action turns caves into baths and back again, eroding a snorkeler's playground of crevices and pools. It's on the south side of Devil's Bay and is well worth scuba diving when the water is calm. The Baths are one of the most visited spots in the British Virgin Islands, so if you want to escape from the hubbub, head for North Sound, a large protected bay encircled by reef, or Mosquito and Prickly Pear islands off the northern coast. The former has a resort; the latter is a national park. The northern half of Virgin Gorda island is mountainous, dominated by Gorda Peak (1359ft; 408m).

AIRPORT

Tortola-Terrence B. Lettsome Airport (EIS)

AIRPORT DISTANCE

30 minute boat ride

HIGH SEASON

November through April