Caribbean: Roundtrip Antigua via Jost van Dyke

St. John's is the capital of this small island in the Antilles, a former British colony. From Shirley Heights in the south you have a fantastic view over the English Harbour and Nelson's Dockyard, an old restored shipyard named after the Admiral. Visit Betty's Hope, a restored sugar mill where "white gold" would have been processed during the island's bitter past. Now sweet black pineapples grow in the gentle rolling landscape around Boggy Peak. The coast is lined with bays and lagoons, dazzling white palm-filled beaches - one for every day of the year - and an almost unbroken coral reef.

Explorers and privateers once used to cross swords in the Sir Francis Drake Channel. Nowadays the sea around the British Virgin Islands is one of the world's best sailing areas. Heavenly bays, gorgeous beaches, idyllic anchoring spots, smart yacht clubs, and charming little beach bars make the island a popular haunt for sailors. On Virgin Gorda, once called "The Fat Virgin" by Columbus due to its shape, you can find "The Baths", one of nature's most beautiful oddities, in the National Park. Ground to a sphere and polished to a shine, the huge granite formations on the beach and in the water create a multi-branched labyrinth of giant boulders.

The Sir Francis Drake Channel, where swords were once crossed, is now one of the most beautiful sailing spots. Jost van Dyke, the smallest of the main islands in the British Virgin Islands, is a mountainous volcanic object of beauty with fewer than 300 inhabitants. One of them, Foxy, has been mixing his cocktails since 1968 and the bar of the same name enjoys a legendary reputation as perhaps the most famous beach bar in the Lesser Antilles. The island's past is less reputable - it was named by a Dutch pirate. The island gives its most beautiful treasures to all who visit - fine sand, green palm trees, colorful beach bars, and the luminous blue of the sea.

St. Barthélemy, affectionately known as St. Barths by most, had already had many "owners" before the Lesser Antilles were acquired by France in 1877. When the first estate was acquired by the banker David Rockefeller in 1957, the island's future was finally sealed. It became a refuge for the international jet set and an elegant holiday paradise for many Hollywood stars. For over 40 years, St. Barths has cultivated a luxurious lifestyle with a Caribbean laissez-faire approach. You can stroll through the charming main town of Gustavia, whose beautifully restored houses and colonial facades look out over the sea with its elegant superyachts, browse in the shops for precious items, or enjoy a sundowner in the picturesque harbor surrounded by clusters of high class bars and restaurants.

Arrive back at Antigua, disembark after breakfast and return home individually.