It was called Megans Bay. My cruise ship was docked just about a 15 minute taxi ride away on the other side of a big hill. Megans Bay is often ranked as one of the top ten beaches in the world. From where I stood I could see a home nestled on the near hillside where President Clinton and family had once spent a vacation. It wasn't too far away from the red roofed house where Michael Jordan stayed when he was visiting the island.

WHERE IS MEGANs BAY?

Megans Bay is located in St. Thomas, a duty-free port and part of the U.S. vigin Islands. The island is centrally located in the Caribbean Sea and is a favorite stop-over for cruise ships. It is not unusual to see 4 or 5 gigantic cruise ships in port at the same time. St.Thomas is a stunning island surrounded by pristine beaches and inviting blue, green water that have welcomed travelers since the time of Christopher Columbus.

HOW IS THE SHOPPING?

Probably the best shopping in all of the Caribbean can be found in St. Thomas. Not only is it duty free, but the selection is truly remarkable. On any give day the town center of Charlotte Amalie is bustling with tourists ducking in and out of jewelery stores that line the main streets. The choices of diamond and emerald jewelery is simply amazing. Probably the best bargain of all however is to buy "loose" diamonds and have them made into jewelry of your choice when you arrive back home.

Jewels are not the only bargain one can find. I was travelling with a girlfriend from Switzerland and she found the prices on notebook computers so low I thought she was going buy three of them for a while there. However, calmer heads prevailed and she bought one that she would have cost her $1500 more in Switzerland. Liquor is also at rock bottom prices as well. It was not unusual to see fellow cruise ship passengers hauling 5 or 6 bottles of spirits back on board the ship.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS:

Needless to say, much like every Caribbean island, St.Thomas is surrounded by amazing white sand beaches. You can rent seadoos, try windsurfing or just bask in the hot tropical sun or sleep in the shade of a palm tree. For a change of pace, you can rent a moped and putter around the island. St. Thomas also has some quality restaurants, so there is no lack of interesting and top of the line cuisine. For the ultimate view of St. Thomas, there are plane excursions that will fly you over the island. I'm sure it would be pricey but I can only imagine how breath- taking it would be to see this jewel of the Caribbean from the air.

So if you are ever looking for somewhere to spend a week or two vacation, there are few more beautiful choices than St. Thomas. At the very least, if you are planning a cruise, make sure that this is one port that your ship will be stopping at.