Livin it up in St. Thomas

The watersports in St Thomas are the best in the Caribbean, and the prices are fairly reasonable. Some of the best marlin fishing in the world (May-August), fishing, diving and snorkeling are the top activities. Make reservations through your hotel, with the Ritz Carlton being the best on the island, and the Renaissance Grand Beach Resort being the best bang for the buck (and my personal recommendation).

If you do one thing while visiting "The Rock", visit Megan's Bay (considered one of the 10 best beaches in the world!). You can literally fall asleep laying in snow angel formation in the water and wake up in the same exact place! Megan's is great for people watching too!

Secret Harbor is the spot for diving and snorkeling, with great coral, fish and privacy (after all it is called Secret Harbor:). Take a catamaran to Cook island for a fun day and great snorkeling.

Duffy's Loveshack and the Greenhouse are your party spots for picking up the opposite sex, but are poor attempts at ripping off the club scene in the states if you ask me. Iggies and Fungi's are great local bars/eateries with the much sought after island atmosphere.

Quick Tips:

Do's: Shopping abounds with top spots being the Port of Sale, Waterfront shops, and the best local finds at the market by the waterfront (you can haggle anything down 20%). Liquor, smokes and jewelery (in that order) are where to spend your money. When buying liquor, buy non-US made stuff where the savings are tremendous (Finlandia and Russian vodkas and Cruzan rums are the best deals). Spend some cash on the higher priced restaurants (Marisol [downtown], Azure [on saphire beach], and anything pricy in Frenchtown are all worth the cash).

Take the tram up to paradise point, but don't forget to take your camera (the best views on the island, and has a good bar, but don't waste your money on the horrible food there).

Take the , 15 minute ferry over to St. John and take a nature hike or spend some time on some of the less traveled beaches (Sugar Bay Plantation is my recommendation). Eat at Woody's in downtown Cruz Bay for lunch.

Dont's: Avoid anything by the airport. Don't drink tap water at even the fanciest restaurants (you probably won't get sick, but it tastes like crap!). Don't buy anything for what they offer you.

Best Way To Get Around:

Don't take an island tour. Rent a car if you are here for more than a couple of days, the taxis will empty your wallet. The island is all hills and poorly maintained roads, so walking sucks. Don't be downtown alone at night (actually, don't be outside at night alone, period).

Cabs and ferries are the way to get around if you don't rent a car. Everyone lives on "island time" down here, so if you are in a rush you are in the wrong place (although a twenty gets anything done twice as fast down here:).

The Renaissance Grand Beach Resort is a mid-priced resort on a spectacular beach that offers a terrific bang for the buck. Well decorated rooms with impressive architectural design compliment a private and tranquil beach environment. Restaurants galore (some of the best on the island), safety, privacy, and charm are all highlights of this little talked about resort. The view is magnificent and the service is comparable to the Ritz. Pay the extra cash for a romm overlooking the water and you won''t be dissappointed. The rates vary depending on the season and type of room, but generally you can work a four or five day stay for about $150/night/per person, which would include breakfast.

The overpriced Ritz recently underwent massive renovations, and for perhaps the first time offers a potentially wothwhile experience. Some $2,000,000 went into just the lavish decorations of the main entrance during these recent renovations. Take advantage of the service and amentities during the less busy off season (June through September) where rates are often half price, and the place is less crowded. The expansive pool is a can''t miss whether you are staying at the hotel or not. Rates range from $250 to $750/night with certain suites being even more expensive. If you think that''s bad, wait until you eat at one of their restaurants, although the food is out of this world!

Bolongo Bay Resort is the low priced value on St. Thomas, with room rates sometimes less than $50/per person/night in the offseason (close to $100 during high season). They also offer inexpensive and worthwhile all inclusive deals (the food is good at the hotel, so I recommend the all inclusive package).

The rooms are horrible. They have gated doors and windows, a midget sized TV, and a complete lack of bonus amentities. The view is incredible, however, and every room has an ocean view. The villas are the way to go, but the price triples and isn''t worth the extra money. The resort features two nice pools, two restaurants and a great atmosphere. This is where you take the family, as there are plenty of activities plus tennis, basketball and volleyball courts. Iggies restaurant and bar is one of the best spots on the island and is located on the resort''s grounds. The beach is nice, quiet most of the time and gets good rays. However, the last hurricane brought tons of rocks to Bolongo Bay and makes the water little more than a refreshing foot pool. I say it doesn''t much matter when you have two nice pools and Megan''s Bay nearby.

You can lay out in the water, snow angel floating style, and pass out for a half hour and wake up in the same place! There are no waves, little current and perfect white sand. It's like a giant lazy river. Total laid back attitude, and the main stop for cruise boat daytrippers. Beautiful people, friendly island atmosphere, and the best water and beach pretty much anywhere in the world (considered top 5 in the caribbean and top 10 in the world!). It's missing a volleyball court, but the beach is so long that you can make your own activities. No nudity, but the occassional topless risk taker is rarely approached by the laid back security on the beach.

The waterfront in downtown Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, is a fantastic combo of beautiful scenery and incredible shopping deals. There are two markets on the waterfront: The main shops and the open market. The main shops are modern and beautifully decorated expansive stores located on cobblestone streets and stretch about ten blocks by four blocks. The stores range from ultra high priced jewelry to overpriced gift shops, from sketchy electronic shops to well laid out and inexpensive liquor stores. This is where you to get that hard to find watch or rare china dinnerware. The liquor stores cater to your every need and offer a good deal. Do not buy cigars thinking they are Cuban because they're not!

The open market is my favorite place to buy stuff on St Thomas, but then again I am cheap and stingy and love to haggle. Rip off watches and jewelry, local products that include clothes, hats, wallets and wood carvings, are just some of the many things you will find at this open aired flea market. A lot of tables offer the same or similar products, so if you don't get 15 to 20% off what they ask, go to the next guy. If you buy a rip off watch (u name it they got it - rolex, movado, tommy hilfiger, etc.) make sure it fits and works after you shake it. Its a crapshoot but some will last as long as the real thing, but these cost $15 to $25! Downtown ofers some of the best food on the island, but avoid restaurants directly surrounding the shops, as these typically over charge because of their visibility. I recommend Marisol on the hill just behind the shops for a nice casual/romantic dinner.