I arrived in St. Thomas, ferried across the Sir Francis Drake Channel, and docked at St. John's historic Caneel Bay Resort late. Laurance Rockefeller's peninsular hideaway—so popular with honeymooners and celebrities--had already bedded down for the night. And the resort's spectacular beauty lay masked in the soft ground fog of light illuminating a string of footpaths and silhouetting the towering palms standing silent sentry. I would have to wait until morning to witness the resort in all its glory: the picture-postcard beaches of white sand and aquamarine sea; the harbor bay stocked with colorful catamarans and kayaks; the cultivated jumble of cascading bougainvillea. I was eager for these visions.

Still, there is something to be said for approaching the island of St. John like a cat-burgling thief. Sneaking up on so much beauty is an exhilarating experience. It heightens the senses. Mine were heightened beyond imagination.

Cacophonous tree frogs added to the mystery. Their music was loud, rhythmic, captivating. Outside my room overlooking Hawksnest Bay, I waved the telephone receiver in the air like a conductor's baton to transmit the island symphony back home to my landlocked sister. A moment later, I headed toward the sound of crashing surf, cast my sandals onto the duned sand of Hawksnest Beach, and tiptoed along the water's edge under a constellation-drenched sky.

Rockefeller purchased almost half of the island of St. John—in addition to the resort's 170 acres—when he sailed into Caneel Bay in the early 1950's. He built his Caribbean compound on the site of a former sugar plantation, the ruins of which are still visible. The remaining 5,000 acres Rockefeller donated for use as national park land. That act of philanthropy insulated St. John from over-development. Its beaches (among the most pristine you'll find in the U.S. Virgin Islands) are nothing short of paradisiacal. Caneel Bay boasts seven of these jeweled playgrounds: Honeymoon; Caneel; Little Caneel; Paradise; Scott; Turtle Bay; and Hawksnest Beach.

Cottage 7, located on Paradise Beach, is Rockefeller's former island retreat. And while the views from the multi-millionaire's balcony are inspiring, it is the panoramic sweep of Turtle Bay that is truly breathtaking. Here, guided by one of the resort's resident Self Centre instructors, you can spend an afternoon hour meditating away any residual tension you may have carted with you from the mainland. Afterward, idly sip mid-day tea on the hillside verandah overlooking Caribbean waters and contemplate endless horizons.

Today, Caneel Bay—a full-service luxury resort operated by Rosewood Hotels—is a self-contained community. Tennis courts, a pool, a fitness and massage center, and restaurants are strategically tucked into the lushly landscaped grounds; and water-related activities--swimming, diving, snorkeling, sailing, and sunbathing—could amply fill an island vacationer's days. But even the most reclusive honeymooners should make time to explore the rest of St. John (the most diminutive, at 19 square miles, of the U.S. Virgin Islands).

One of the most instructive ways to experience St. John is through the eyes of an island tour guide. Wesley Thomas is one of the best--and he has the papers to prove it. Voted "Best Damn Tour Guide" by more than one grateful group of vacationers, Wesley is as full of island lore as he is personable. His enthusiasm for the island is infectious. During his open-air bus treks across the island, he'll soon have you identifying (and sampling) such native delicacies as calabash, soursop, and sugar cane.

Once dotted with plantations settled by the Dutch and Danish, St. John (like its sister islands) was an active agricultural center for the production of sugar, molasses, and rum during the 18th and 19th centuries. One of the best-preserved of these early sugar plantations is the 1780 Annaberg Factory—a cluster of 18 ruins covering a quarter-mile, numbered trail that takes approximately 30 minutes to hike. Like much of St. John, Annaberg is, today, a property of the National Park Service. The park service also oversees adjacent Trunk Bay's popular underwater trail, guiding snorkelers past submerged markers that identify tropical reefs and fish.

For island fare as colorful as the island itself, Miss Lucy's Restaurant reigns as one of St. John's most picturesque. Here, Miss Lucy Smith holds court over a kitchen that serves up such traditional island favorites as conch fritters, the cornmeal and okra side dish known as fungi, and the delectable stew of island greens and okra called kallaloo. Between courses, an impromptu appearance by Miss Lucy herself is an added treat. The ground-breaking proprietor gained notoriety as St. John's first female taxi driver before turning her attention to a culinary life. Today, her full-moon parties (with the Caribbean moon reflecting off the waters surrounding Miss Lucy's like a brilliant diamond) are as famous as her "by appointment" flower-decorated taxi tours.

At Cruz Bay, the center of St. John's shopping and home to most of the island's residents, galleries, boutiques and restaurants are plentiful. Day trips "into town" provide temporary distractions from the island's more natural rhythms. Returning to Caneel Bay after one such foray, I find that the turn-down service has left more than the "obligatory" mint. In its place, a beautifully polished shell rests where my head soon will. Tucked under the shell is this small note: And I have loved thee, Ocean! The surf outside my open window punctuates the sentiment as the ebb and flow of the Caribbean rocks me to sleep.

Find out more about St. John by visiting the U.S. Virgin Islands website; or by calling, 800-372-USVI. For information on Caneel Bay, call 800-928-8889; website: www.caneelbay.com.

© 2001 Margaret Dornaus. Reproduction of this article and/or images, in whole or in part, including reproduction in electronic media, without the express permission of the author, is prohibited. For reprint information, contact mdornaus@earthlink.net.