Peter Island, British Virgin Islands Corks pop. Crystal clinks against crystal. Some couples chat with one another. Others hold hands and observe a gentle silence.

We are gathered on the highest point of Peter Island Resort in the British Virgin Islands to watch the sun set. Each couple is provisioned with their own iced bottle of Moët et Chandon, their own plate packed with fruit and cheese.

Terese Loeb Kreuzer/Travel Arts Syndicate (ENLARGE)

Some of the treatment rooms at the Rosewood Little Dix Bay spa open onto private patios with views of the Caribbean.

Terese Loeb Kreuzer/Travel Arts Syndicate (ENLARGE)

The entrance to a three-bedroom, private villa at Rosewood Little Dix Ba

Biras Creek Resort / Special (ENLARGE)

The living room of an oceanfront cottage at Biras Creek.

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The sky obligingly puts on quite a show. It slowly turns fuchsia, then deep magenta. And at last, in a brilliant flash of light, the huge Caribbean sun swoops down into the sea. There is a collective sigh.

It is yet another romance-packed moment in this tiny British colony, a chain of more than 50 deep green islands and islets, scattered like so many emeralds across 59 square miles of ocean, some 60 miles west of Puerto Rico.

Here in the British Virgin Islands, the pace is slow and the focus is on understated privacy and mega-romance.

That almost certainly explains why Larry Page, the 34-year-old Google co-founder, recently felt the British Virgin Islands' siren call of romance. He booked Sir Richard Branson's private Necker Island (and virtually every other hotel room in the island chain) for his December 2007 wedding.

If the British Virgin Islands is all about special moments for couples, it does have another overwhelming leitmotif: boating. Yachts and sailboats are ubiquitous here. Gaze out to sea in any direction and you'll see gracefully curved, white sails arced against a background of blue sky and green hills.

In fact, the only way to get to the intimate Peter Island Resort, one of the finest in the islands, is by boat (unless, of course, you hire a helicopter). Once there, you will find that the resort complex, alone on its 1,800-acre private island, is simply perfect, in an understated, old money sort of way. The resort's roughly 100 guests are served by a staff of 177, and that's it folks, except for the occupants of the yachts docked at the marina.

So many cake-flour-white beaches are tucked around Peter Island that, even at full occupancy, it is always easy to find a private place. On a recent midday, when the sun danced on the water and the breeze gently tickled the coconut palms, there was not a soul on the island's milelong Deadman's Beach — despite the fact that Deadman's frequently crops up on lists of the world's most beautiful beaches.

The guests were quite simply all over the place. Some were hiking the Loop to the top of Peter Island's tallest mountain, encountering goats (the babies the size of Yorkshire terriers) and wildflowers and magical views around every curve. Others were snorkeling at the island's White Bay, looking across to nearby St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Some were diving the nearby wreck of the "Rhone," said to be one of the top 10 diving sites in the world. One lucky couple had rented a yacht and crew and sailed to the original Treasure Island for the night. Another had gone heli-golfing in St. Croix.

Others chose the utterly romantic option of lounging in the white hammocks outside their oceanfront villas, heading to Deadman's Beach Grill for a lazy lunch, taking a dip in the infinity pool, strolling along the sand hand in hand. They relaxed in their double Jacuzzis before getting slightly dressed up for multi-course dinners in the Trade Winds Restaurant, its windows open to the sea breeze, its wine cellar worth $60,000.

Savvy resort guests, however, save one entire day for the Spa at Peter Island, 10,000 square feet of utter peace. The doors on its 12 treatment rooms open onto the sea. Its furniture is teak, its relaxation lounge calming, its whirlpools and meditation areas private, its infinity pool tranquil and welcoming.

If it is real romance you want, however, book one of the spa's two private Bohio Suites, on a hill overlooking the Caribbean. Indulge in the house special 75-minute Thermal Sand Bundle Massage for two, which brings deep Swedish relief to tired muscles. Afterward, you can relax in the over-sized Jacuzzi on your own private lanai there, and then step back inside to close the louvered teak shutters and enjoy total privacy.

Biras Creek, a Relais et Châteaux resort in a private area of the larger BVI island of Virgin Gorda, also packs megawatts of romance. In fact, while children toting fat volumes of Harry Potter can sometimes be spotted at Peter Island, quiet Biras Creek seems to dedicate its 33 suites to vacationing couples (including Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones).

Here too, the luxury is understated. Again, arrival is by boat, and you are greeted at the dock with an opulent mix of tropical fruit juices and grenadine before you climb into a golf cart to be driven to your suite. Private to the max, the oceanfront suites are so situated that no one can see you, even when you are lounging on your front porch.

The furnishings have all been recently redone, and the new over-sized easy chairs, with one large shared hassock, are heaven for readers. You step outside to shower under the stars and open your windows at night to let the pounding of the waves act as a lovely lullaby.

Biras Creek guests are issued old-fashioned bikes with baskets and coaster brakes (the information book in the room tells you how to stop, in case you're too young to remember), which most guests use to pedal and coast down to the beach for the lunchtime barbecue.

Here, too, the days are lazy. You can practice opening gambits on the giant chessboard on the beach or switch on the lights at the tennis court at midnight for a quick, moonlit match. Windsurfing and kayaking are available, but perhaps most popular are the easy-to-navigate Boston whalers (in another setting they might be referred to as skiffs) available for touring the North Sound at no charge.

Many couples, however, seem to find reading on the beach to be their favorite sport. If thirst overtakes, it's easy enough to raise the flag decorated with a red martini, and service swiftly appears.

Since Virgin Gorda is the loveliest, and one of the largest, of the British Virgin Islands, most guests at Biras Creek venture out to explore it. As you follow the single road that winds along the island's spine, the view of boats and beaches and distant islands is lovely.

The Baths, on the island's southwestern tip, is best visited in the morning, before the crowds arrive. There you can swim and snorkel in lagoons and grottos created by massive granite boulders, the result of volcanic pressure millions of years ago.

You will also want to climb to the highest point in the island, Gorda Peak National Park, to snap views of the graceful chain of islands below. A visit to the old Cornish Copper Mine, overlooking the sea, reveals some interesting ruins, as well as green strands of oxidized copper still in the rocks.

A stop in Spanish Town, the island's village-sized city, is good for T-shirt shopping. Stop by the Bath and Turtle pub there to hear some live calypso and ogle the big boats at Yacht Harbour. It's a fun day away, but it is equally delightful to board the boat back to paradise.

As we strolled up the hill to dinner on the last evening at Biras Creek, a few half-hearted warm raindrops fell. A couple walking just behind shouted, "Look, look," and we spotted a perfect double rainbow arcing over the North Sound. Where is the champagne?

Harmon has visited and written about all seven continents.

IF YOU GO

Getting there

There are no direct flights from the United States to the British Virgin Islands. One good option is to fly American Airlines into Puerto Rico. There you can switch to American Eagle, which will take you to Beef Island, just off the BVI's largest island of Tortola. A driver will transfer you to Trellis Bay to catch the boat to Peter Island or to the nearby dock for the boat to Biras Creek (ride is approximately a half-hour to either island). A second option is to fly into St. Thomas, where you can catch a ferry in Charlotte Amalie, which will deliver you to Road Town in Tortola in 45 minutes. From there a taxi will take you to the appropriate dock for your resort.

Passport reminder

All U.S. citizens are now required to carry a U.S. passport when traveling to the British Virgin Islands.

Where to stay

• Peter Island Resort, P.O. Box 211, Road Town, Tortola, BVI; 1-800-346-4451; www.peterisland.com . A small, luxury resort; accommodations include 32 rooms facing the bay and 20 larger seafront rooms on Deadman's Bay Beach. The hotel also rents four large villas, with staff, in the hills above the resort. Daily resort room rate in 2008: from $575 per couple in summer to $1,550 per couple over the Christmas holidays; includes three meals; afternoon tea.

• Biras Creek, North Sound, Virgin Gorda; 1-800-223-1108; www.biras.com . Small, private, laid-back Relais & Chateaux resort in a magnificent setting between ocean, sea and sound. All 33 suites line Berchers Bay on the Atlantic side of the 140-acre property. 2008 Romantic Escape package: four nights, including transfers and all meals for two, $2,275-$5,310. Abundant water sports such as guided snorkeling trips and introductory scuba lessons included. The resort recently announced plans to add a luxury condominium development, Oil Nut Bay, nearby.

• Bitter End Yacht Club, John O Point, North Sound, Virgin Gorda, P.O. Box 46, Virgin Gorda, BVI; 1-800-872-2392; www.beyc.com . Livelier, and more sailing, diving and family focused than other top-level Caribbean resorts, Bitter End includes free introductory sailing lessons in its rates. 2008 rates from $4,550-$8,680 for seven days, based on double occupancy, including three meals a day, Introduction to Sailing course and excursions.

Activities On Virgin Gorda

All water sports and other activities will be available in abundance at your resort. Many visitors never leave the property, but it can be fun to spend a day exploring Virgin Gorda.

• Book an island tour through your resort or rent a car to explore on your own (remember to drive on the left, British style, even though your rental car will have the steering wheel on the left, American style; you will have to get to Spanish Town to pick up your rental car).

• Start with a swim and snorkel in The Baths, on the island's southwest tip, but go early in the day to avoid crowds, including those from cruise ships docked in Tortola. You can rent snorkeling equipment on the beach. Afterward dry off at Top of the Baths restaurant and shops. From The Baths, it is possible to walk about 15 minutes down the beach to the less-crowded Devil's Bay National Park. www.b-v-i.com/baths.htm

• Drive to the 1,348-foot Gorda Peak National Park, the highest spot on the island and the second highest in all of the Virgin Islands. It's a bit of a climb to the top, but the views and photo ops definitely make it worth the effort. www.bvinationalparkstrust.org/vgparks.html

• Stroll through Spanish Town, where there are a few shops by the Yacht Harbour, and stop for a drink at the popular Bath & Turtle pub there. The action (and often the live music) starts early and lasts far into the night.

Information

• BVI Tourist Board: www.bvitourism.com ; 1-800-835-8530.