In the spirit of escapism, we're turning our compasses to the island of St. John this week. Sure, only a select few homeowners can afford to pay for such extravagant real estate. But timeshare properties and hotel package deals make the dream attainable for others, if only on a temporary basis. The smallest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John is postcard-perfect. In contrast to neighboring St. Thomas, an island revered for its wealth of shopping and entertainment, St. John marches to a slower beat.
Visitors come here to unwind, period.
And St. John has gone to great lengths to accommodate our national quest for relaxation. Its natural scenery, of course, is enough to de-stress even the most wired tourist. Although the island is a mere 9 miles long and 3 miles wide, two-thirds of it have been designated part of the Virgin Islands National Park. That distinction protects the vast majority of the land on St. John, ensuring that its idyllic beaches and lush forests will remain pristine and unscathed by development. That leaves the remaining one-third of St. John for the developers, and creates an exclusivity that has sent residential real estate prices soaring.