Have you ever been to St Thomas? Did you stay in a hotel or one of the beautiful St Thomas villas? I was there a couple of years ago, and no, we didn't get to stay in a villa, we stayed in a hotel. I wish it had been a villa though.

During our stay we pretty much did everything you would expect to do in a Caribbean island; we went on a couple of fishing trips, we spent lazy afternoons on the fantastic beaches, we went out for great meals, and I enjoyed more than one trip to the waterfront stores! We also rented a car and traveled around the island to see the sites.

While keeping track on a map we stopped at many scenic overlooks to take in the views. From these standpoints it was easy to pick out the many bays that circle the island. As your eye would travel up from the water to the land you were bound to see some gorgeous St Thomas villas also enjoying their ocean view. As I looked at these Caribbean-styled villas I realized that the hotel we were staying at, while nice, was not as breathtaking as this.

Yes, the hotel had a nice room, and various amenities, but as I gazed at these private homes I realized we were missing what they were enjoying privacy. All Virgin Island villas usually enjoy a private pool, multi-level decks for sunbathing, fantastic views, and the enjoyment of living in your own home for the length of your vacation. Definitely appealing!

As we traveled around the island we also enjoyed the views from the waterfront, dotted with personal boats and those massive cruise ships. Everyday there were a couple cruise ships, but one of the days we were there we actually saw seven! That's a lot of people coming into St Thomas for one day! While we lingered at the view I watched the planes leaving and arriving at the airport, on the west side of the island.

We definitely enjoyed dining out at nights, all sorts of cuisine. We would take our time throughout our meals, enjoying all courses available to us, and usually accompanying that with glasses of wine or different cocktails. You can't help but feel relaxed on vacation waking up late, eating whatever you want, ignoring the clock and working on your own schedule. Very blissful.

Halfway through our vacation we wandered into a real estate office and snagged a couple of magazines to browse through on the beach. As I flipped through the pages of houses and apartments I would always pause on the pictures of St Thomas villas, and I decided right then and there that we would definitely book one for our next vacation. The villas all looked so colorful and well maintained. You could tell that each owner took pride in their investment and went to great lengths to make sure they put their personal touch on it, be it in the color of paint they chose for different bedrooms, or the linens they chose, the art on the walls, the furniture both inside and outside. The other thing I loved were the different names, which seems to be a trend not only for St Thomas Villas, but also all US Virgin and Caribbean villas. Names that encompassed nature and their surrounding ocean and rainforest views, or names that had to do with different activities you might enjoy while there. Sometimes the names were actually people names, but beautiful and uncommon, lending your thoughts to drift to beautiful and uncommon days of pure enjoyment.

Yes, I definitely have to say we thoroughly enjoyed our vacation on St Thomas. As we boarded the plane back home we relaxed back into our seats, closed our eyes, and both let our minds wander to the favorite memories we had just created. As I mentally drove the island again my thoughts kept going back to those brochures I had tucked away in my purse. Brochures with tagged pages of villas I wanted to check out. As I felt myself falling asleep to the sound of the plane's engine I pictured us at our private St Thomas villa, sitting on two lounge chairs, on a deck, watching a colorful sunset.

The US Virgin Islands is a great place to vacation. It has all the benefits of a Caribbean Island and the comforts of home. Because it is a US territory you can feel safe and secure in choosing an island like St Thomas.