Last week, our team hosted a great group of travel and real estate writers from the New York Post, Islands, Unique Homes and Caribbean Living in the British Virgin Islands, where they got to know our clients, Biras Creek Resort, North Sound Yacht Club and Oil Nut Bay. We took in the sights, had a few local libations and learned all about what it means to vacation and live like a Caribbean islander. Now that we’re experts, we’re sharing our top five things to do in BVI, all tried-and-true by your Turner PR team and our fellow explorers.

1)    Enjoy the local cuisine. Preferably aboard a 130-ft megayacht like the one David V. Johnson, owner/developer of Oil Nut Bay, North Sound Yacht Club and Biras Creek Resort, invited us aboard for breakfast one morning. If you can’t make that happen, we suggest indulging in several of the local favorite: Painkillers, delicious drinks made with rum, cream of coconut, pineapple juice, orange juice and nutmeg. They’ll make you forget all about that megayacht.

2)    Have a motorboating (this still makes us giggle) race through the renowned boating waters of the North Sound surrounding Virgin Gorda; we took out the complimentary Boston Whalers provided for guests of Biras Creek Resort. Afterwards, the loser buys Painkillers for all at one of the many cool island bars in the vicinity. Our favorite? The Fat Virgin, for both drinks and world famous conch fritters.

3)    Go spelunking at The Baths, one of the great natural wonders of the world. While known for its exceptional snorkeling, it also features magnificent caves and grottos. Just take our word and pay close attention to where you came from (there are plenty of signs leading you in, but strangely, none out!). We got lost and were forced to blame the whole situation on Eddy, our male tour guide, a.k.a.  guest from Islands, because aren’t men supposed to have a better internal compass for these sorts of things?

4)    Enjoy (read: harass) the local wildlife. We trailed an eagle ray and sea turtle while snorkeling at The Baths, tracked iguanas, hermit crabs and conch at Biras Creek Resort, and spotlighted sea urchins, lobster, sea cucumbers and loads of fish from Biras’ glass bottom boat.

5)    Exercise your inner-adventurer. We went sea kayaking, boating, snorkeling and hiking all in one day. We also enjoyed biking around Biras’ expansive grounds (fun, but we’re curious where the expression, “It’s just like riding a bike” came from. Riding a bike for the first time in five years is hard!). Don’t be afraid to try something new – we went paddle boarding, and then tried our hand at surfing. We didn’t get far, but we had a blast. We think the “belongers” (those who hail from the islands) would be proud.