Panama City Beach: Not Just for College Spring Break

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For island-hopping beach-lovers, the British Virgin Islands are paradise. From Jost Van Dyke, which is quite simply the world's best beach-bar island, to Anegada -- hot, blonde and a total beach compared to her cool, green sister islands -- the BVI offers a bevy of secluded coves and idyllic anchorages along with intimate resorts that jibe with the territory's low-key, nature-friendly feel.

The beaches themselves range from the classic beauty of pure white sand and crystal-blue water to the otherworldly sight of strands coursing through fantastical rock formations. And though it's no problem moving between the islands (see "Island-hopping Made Easy"), you need a scorecard to tell exactly which unimaginatively same-named beach you're on. Going by the number of White Bays and Long Bays (at least three of each), the two Great Harbours, and the fact that Sandy Cay is right next to Sandy Spit, Christopher Columbus must have delegated the naming details to his assistant, Vasco de Obvious.Beach by Beach ...