The island signals its approach long before your plane touches down. The Caribbean Sea turns brilliant shades of turquoise, royal blue and green. Tiny islands occasionally pass underneath your view -- so small that you wonder if they're even inhabited. Then, St. Croix appears on the horizon. At first glance, the island appears dry and arid, but that's only half the picture. The northwestern side of St. Croix is covered by a lush rain forest. The eastern side is drier. Not as mountainous as the other two U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Thomas and St. John, St. Croix's terrain is comprised mostly of gently rolling, tree-covered hills. Its beaches are lined with luxurious palms, rising from pure white sand. And the surrounding waters of the Caribbean Sea are among the clearest you'll ever witness. Striking in its beauty, the ocean is a surreal experience for any first-time visitor.

Unlike busier St. Thomas, an island mecca for shoppers that offers plenty of nightlife, St. Croix is quiet, slower-paced and peaceful. If it's solace you're looking for, this island fits the bill in every sense. St. Croix is the largest of the three U.S. Virgin Islands. The island's population expanded greatly after the abolishment of slavery in 1848. At that point, immigrants from surrounding islands -- including St. Lucia, Trinidad, Dominique and Puerto Rico -- moved here to seek their fortune in St. Croix's sugarcane industry, which continued well into the 1960s, when tourism began to take off on the island. At the same time, the island expanded its industrial base to include oil refining, aluminium processing and, to accomodate those tourists, retail and hospitality. Although the sugarcane industry has passed the torch to these other vital industries since then, St. Croix remains dotted with the ruins of approximately 100 sugar mills in various states of decay. They're a fascinating relic to the days when sugarcane reigned supreme. During the sugarcane boom, plantations were built throughout the island to support the thriving industry. Many of those striking estates remain standing today.

St. Croix's cities -- which won't seem like cities at all to most of us mainlanders -- are small in size and somewhat sleepy in nature. Christiansted, the capital, is an old Danish port located on the island's eastern side. Most of its structures are pastel shades of yellow and pink, and the fact that they continue to stand despite their age is testimony to the expertise of the island's early Danish settlers. Christiansted is comprised of small, quaint retail shops -- the best of which are clustered in a relatively small area called King's Alley -- as well as art galleries, jewelry shops, duty-free shops (including several which offer Cruzian rum, the island's specialty) and a surprisingly large number of top-notch restaurants. Cuisine is extremely varied in Christiansted, ranging from Danish (Top Hat, run by a Danish couple known throughout the island for their hospitality) to Italian (Tutto Bene) to Caribbean/Creole (Harvey's, Indies). Bombay Club and Paradise Cafe are also good choices, offering a variety of fare touched by Caribbean, Italian and even good old American influences.

Frederiksted is St. Croix's other city, although that's a very loose term; Frederiksted is actually a village situated on the water and is marked by similar architecture to Christiansted. Although it's much sleepier than Christiansted, Frederiksted offers a nice mix of restaurants and shops. Both cities tend to close up shop between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. After that time, you can head to a pub or restaurant for socializing or perhaps some live jazz. In general, St. Croix prefers to live by the old adage "Early to bed, early to rise."

If you plan a stay in St. Croix, you'll need to bear a couple of things in mind. First, the rules of the road: St. Croix abides by the Danish standard of driving on the left side. Strangely enough, however, the driver's side remains on the left side; the island imports its cars from the mainland, yet opts to drive on the left. Second, the cost of living: It's high, although that doesn't always translate into the housing market. St. Croix has to import much of its staples, and that comes with a price.

One of the best aspects of St. Croix is that you can be as scheduled or as independent as you like while you're on the island. This is truly a nature-lover's paradise. You can go hiking along trails that range from easy to arduous, play golf on the world-renowned Robert Trent Jones course, go cycling, kayaking, scuba diving, sailing or snorkeling. Snorkelers simply can't miss Buck Island, accessible via several local charters. Half-day and day-long excursions take adventurists on a 30-minute boat ride from Christiansted to the shores of Buck Island, designated a part of the U.S. National Park System. This austere and gorgeous island is covered in white sand and surrounded by crystal-clear turquoise waters, in which coral and a wide variety of fish thrive.

During your visit to St. Croix, you'll be genuinely surprised at the number of transplants to the island. Mainlanders -- many of them from the Northeastern United States as well as Colorado and the Southeast -- have relocated to St. Croix in search of a more peaceful existence. And most of them will tell you that the island has delivered just that. Working in restaurants, jewelry stores, art galleries and other retail and tourism-related spots, transplants to St. Croix enjoy living on an island that feels a thousand miles away from urban smog and congestion, and yet, is still a part of the United States. This is our island paradise, marked different primarily by that wonderful island lilt spoken by the locals.

Residential real estate on St. Croix ranges from hillside plantations with native mahogany beams and massive, pink stucco villas overlooking the Caribbean Sea to modest abodes located seaside or inland. No matter where you live, you'll be within easy access to the ocean. Home prices are extremely reasonable on St. Croix. You'll find plenty of inventory -- including two- and three-bedroom single-family homes and condominiums -- priced under $100,000. Larger homes containing five or even six bedrooms may be purchased for under $200,000. In addition, St. Croix offers quite a few fixer-uppers for the ambitious buyer, as well as reasonably priced land for building your own island paradise. For the seasonal resident, timeshare fever has taken over some properties at St. Croix, allowing more people to own a peace of the dream. Affluent visitors often choose one of St. Croix's luxury villas, most of them set back high on hilltops overlooking the sea. During the off-season, which runs from early May through late September, rental rates for these villas are often significantly less expensive than during high season. Budget-watchers who round up enough friends to offset the cost can live like royalty for a week or more.

Whether St. Croix is a brief respite, a detour on life's hectic journey or a permanent retirement, this special island and its friendly people leave their mark on all who visit here. Although it's just a three-hour flight from Miami, St. Croix might as well be a world away. Its beauty and its spirit are infectious and offer an idyllic escape from life.