US Virgin Islands

The US Virgin Islands are three main islands in the Virgin Islands group at the north-eastern edge of the Caribbean, east of Puerto Rico, with the Caribbean Sea to the south and the Atlantic to the north. St. Thomas rises in green hills above deep bays such as Magens Bay, and the harbour town of Charlotte Amalie climbs the hillside in old streets. Most of St. John is national park: white-sand bays such as Trunk Bay, with its underwater snorkelling trail, Cinnamon Bay and Maho Bay, hiking trails and the small town of Cruz Bay.

St. Croix, the quietest of the three, has the towns of Christiansted and Frederiksted; the reef at Buck Island is a favourite for snorkelling. Days are spent on the water: sailing between the islands and to nearby cays, snorkelling, diving, kayaking, or a ferry day trip to the British Virgin Islands.

Food is fresh fish and seafood, tropical fruit and Caribbean cooking: fungi (cornmeal cooked with okra, like polenta), kallaloo (a stew of leafy greens) and johnnycakes, a fried bread. It is warm all year, cooled by trade winds; the drier season runs from about December to April, the wettest months roughly August to November. The islands suit couples and families who want calm bays, boat days and easy island-hopping.