One of the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Thomas is your stereotypical tropical paradise with crystal clear water, white sand beaches, warm friendly locals, and a plethora of activities and side trips you can take.

St. Thomas is very crowded and the traffic is heavy, heavier, and heaviest with very narrow streets, many pedestrians, dogs running everywhere, speeding cars, and even speedier mopeds and scooters weaving in and out between the cars. To get to the open air market (much like a flea market), you can either go by cab which could be a harrowing experience, or by boat because it's right across the bay. They have great bargains and you can pick up a bottle or two of "Blackbeard Ale" to bring home as a conversation piece.

If you choose not to attempt the trek to the market place, there is still very good shopping right near the docks along with some restaurants, bars, and even a U.S. Post Office (which seems very out of place) to mail home postcards.

Among the many excursions you can take, side trips to St. John or St. Croix remain very popular. Hobbled by hurricane a few years ago, St. John gave up it's #1 tourist destination status to St. Thomas, but boasting some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, it's worth a side trip. Snorkling, scuba diving, spear fishing, parasailing, or just a nice long nap under a shady palm on a secluded beach makes for great vacationing.