Caneel Bay

My brother just took a job in what he has labeled an "international management position." In reality he will be selling beach goods (shirts and nail polish that change in the sun, swimsuits, etc.) on St. Thomas, Virgin Island. He will be staying with three other 21-year-old boys, each given room and board, a scooter to drive around the island and spending money.

When we were in elementary school, our parents took us to Caneel Bay, on St. John's. After landing in St. Thomas, we took an open-air taxi through the city to a yacht that awaited us on the other side of the island. We boarded the yacht and were immediately given island drinks of mango, pineapple and guava. If there is a drink in heaven, this would be it. By the end of the trip I think we each drank our weight in the stuff. We docked on one of the resorts seven private beaches, with white sand and clear blue ocean. The resort really is every bit as beautiful as the pictures.

I think my brother thinks that this is where he will be staying. For his sake, I hope his room is just as magnificent as the one he remembers at Caneel Bay, but I don't want to see the look on his face when he is presented with staff quarters.