Beach side lounge chairs waiting for you to relax…. (c)Sonne

To the Caribbean without a passport!  White sandy beaches, 80 degree sea water, and lots of good eating – welcome to St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands! The US bought islands from Denmark in the last century, and these tropical vacation spots are steeped with European and African influences, but English is the main language, the mail is delivered via the US Postal service and there’s even an US  “National Park” there with hiking travels not far from an underwater marked snorkel trail.

You can be a tourist- see the childhood home of Impressionist Painter Camille Pisarro, the Western Hemisphere’s second oldest Synagogue, the Caribbean’s first Buddhist Temple, and miles of restaurants and shops. You can also just sit until you feel like immersing in the warm waters.

Glide on in with open eyes or a face mask, snorkel and fins.

Underwater world of St Thomas

Float over an endless aquarium or hold your breath, and dive a few feet  to get eye to eye with tropical fish, urchins and corals that look like sculptures. The light shimmers and plays. The water gently rocks you.

No crabby people found topside, but underwater….

Sometimes there are surprises…

On a popular beach of Megan Bay, food shacks will deliver to you on the sand for barefoot dining. A few hundred yards away, underwater the fare is fresher and more lively.

This brain corral is a yard wide.

Your brain can relax as you take in dozens of different corals- from purple and orange fan corrals to large brain corrals.

And then look up………

Looking up is part of the fun of snorkeling in St Thomas. Schools of blue fish swim by. Sonne

Would you add St. Thomas to your “bucket list”?

-Lisa TE Sonne for Luxury Travel Mavens

Photos (c)  Lisa TE Sonne