These beautiful islands lie in the path of soft trade winds and are blessed with powdery beaches and sun-drenched weather. They are part of the curving Antilles chain that separates the Caribbean and the Atlantic. Largest of the islands, St. Croix, is home to some of the most beautiful resort areas in the Caribbean. St. Thomas is half its size and is the capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands. St. John is mostly national park, donated to the U.S. government by Laurence Rockefeller in 1956. It is the most rural of the islands and is also considered the most serene.