IT'S NOT hard to bump into celebrities in the British Virgin Islands. Eric Clapton wandered past me and hopped into his speedboat while I was waiting for a water taxi on Virgin Gorda, the third largest island, Robert de Niro likes to stay on Peter Island, while Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones favour beautiful Biras Creek Resort.

It's easy to see why the A-list flocks to this archipelago of more than 40 islands just east of Puerto Rico. With their laid-back vibe and pristine white-sand bays fringed by coral reefs, the BVI feel far less commercialised than their US Virgin Island neighbours.

I had arrived on Tortola, the largest of the islands, on a 30-minute flight from Puerto Rican capital San Juan. It was almost dark when we landed and by the time I cleared passport control and boarded a boat to my first stop, Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda, all I could see was a sprinkling of tiny lights across the water.

A couple of rum punches later I was deposited on the jetty at the Rosewood Little Dix Bay, a boutique resort with plenty of nods to the islands' British colonial past with its old-fashioned red postbox and faded Fifties black-and-white photograph of the Queen.

I enjoyed a freshen-up under the stars courtesy of my room's outside shower and soon I was sitting having freshly grilled fish at the open-air Sugar Mill restaurant with its exposed stonework and dark wood furniture.

The next morning revealed a paradise of untouched beaches and palm trees. Beautiful apartments and villas clung to the lush hillside, surrounded by neat lawns, tennis courts and numerous pools (although with the inviting, reef-protected bay just a few yards away, who would bother with a pool?) After a huge breakfast cooked by the chefs in the open kitchen and devoured with a view across the bay, it was time for the ultimate indulgence: an ocean-view massage.

My masseuse's expertise, combined with the sound of the gently lapping waves, made for an unforgettable experience and afterwards I plonked myself on a sun lounger by the stepped plunge pools on the clifftop. Later, I ambled along the virgin sands to the jetty where I had arrived. There had been some turtle sightings reported so I grabbed some snorkelling gear and set out towards the reef. It was a dazzling sight as I approached, fire-red coral teeming with shoals of brightly striped parrot fish.

Sadly though, no turtles. However, as I headed back to shore I suddenly realised I had company. One of these magnificent creatures had swum up alongside me. For 20 magical minutes I followed it up and down the bay. It finally wore me out and I headed back to the beach to dry off.

Next stop was Biras Creek. After a short taxi ride to Gun Creek dock and the close encounter with Mr Clapton, I was on another speedboat. Only reachable by boat or helicopter, Biras Creek is located on a strip of land between two hills on a 140-acre peninsula. Set on a protected lagoon, it is a paradise for swimming, sailing and snorkelling from its private beach.

The resort's main building is like a sort of Thunderbirds Tracy Island circular stone structure set amid palm-dotted gardens. My accommodation was a small beach-front villa no more than 10ft from the ocean, the sound of which gently lulled me to sleep at night.

If you can drag yourself out of the plentiful hammocks there is no shortage of activities. The resort is busy establishing a horse-riding centre and there are some great trails over the nearby hills from where you can peer across to Richard Branson's private island, Necker. On the southern tip of the island you will find The Baths. This group of small hidden beaches is renowned for its huge granite boulders that create dozens of little caves and pools.

You can climb across and through these to access the incredibly vivid blue sea beyond. Just around the corner from Biras Creek is the Bitter End Yacht Club, set alongside the protected waters of the North Sound.

It is far more inviting than its name suggests, with restaurants, bars and a small outside cinema which was showing Pirates Of The Caribbean (naturally) when I wandered past.

Yachts of all sizes are moored in the bay and the occupants head to the small yacht club community in the evening for dinner or to the tiny Saba Rock restaurant on an outcrop in the mouth of the bay.

For something a little more rustic there is The Fat Virgin's Cafe which serves up some great local dishes such as conch (a large shellfish), fritters, chicken roti (a curry in a thin flatbread) and the slightly more exotic flying fish sandwich. Richard Branson is a regular.

In BVI, it seems, there is just no escaping the VIPs.

GETTING THERE

Caribtours (020 7751 0660/caribtours.co.uk) offers seven nights at Little Dix Bay, British Virgin Islands, from £2,105pp (two sharing a Garden View Room), room only. Price includes return scheduled flights with BA (ba.com) to San Juan, inter-island flights from San Juan to Tortola, boat transfers to Virgin Gorda and use of a private lounge at Gatwick.
British Virgin Islands Tourist Board: 020 7355 9585/bvitourism.co.uk