St. Thomas (the 2nd largest of the Virgin Islands), is a duty-free shopping mecca.

While we *should* have done some pre-cruise research to actually investigate and explore the islands (e.g. jumping on a ferry to the tranquil and unspoiled island of St. John for some hiking) , we didn’t. Instead, we hopped a bus to the capital ($4 per person in an open-air taxi/bus-type thing), Charlotte Amalie (pronounced Ah-mahl-yah), for a shopping frenzy instead.

I picked up a pair of Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses ($157) and Jody bought a nice TAG Heuer watch ($1400). I also found a super-cool and very unique shirt at this little off-the-beaten-path shop ($45).

We purchased the watch at a place called “Little Switzerland“, a totally cool shop with superb customer service and great prices…but the story gets better.

After we bought the watch, our salesperson asked if we’d like to relax in “Club 1″, located above the Tiffany & Co. boutique, while the watch was being shined and sized.

What is “Club 1″? Oh, hey, I’m glad that you asked!

Club 1 is a private club exclusive to Little Switzerland customers. We went upstairs and entered a very modern space where the fist thing we were asked upon entering was, “Can I make you a drink?” from the bartender at the front of the room. I ordered a double Ketel One on the rocks. The bartender then asked, “Would you like to to make a phone call home, or anywhere in the world? Feel free to use our telephones.” That’s right, free phone calls, anywhere on the planet. We took advantage and called home to say ‘hi’ to friends and family. Oh, and Internet and other business services were available from any of the 4 computer workstations available, free of charge.

It was hot outside, but definitely cool in this place! We stuck around for about an hour, relaxing, and I had another Ketel One, courtesy of Little Switzerland’s Club 1.

I couldn’t help but to snap a photo of the humongous dead cockroach that someone stepped on as they entered the Cartier store in St. Thomas. Classic.

We did nothing today but read books, sun, and swim. It was awesome.

Tonight we’ll sail pass to the far north of the Dominican Republic, then to the north of Puerto Rico before finally docking in St. Thomas in the early morning.