"The Bachelor" films in St. Croix USVI (I'm pretty sure) ... incredible Buck Island

ST. CROIX, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS - There are a half dozen beautiful women parading about the Buccaneer Hotel and Resort here in St. Croix. There are movie cameras all over and folks wandering about with walkie talkies. There was a helicopter hovering over nearby Christiansted for much of the day.

Nobody can quite confirm it, but I’m pretty confident the hotel is being used for a filming of The Bachelor. I gotta say the women are pretty attractive. I’ve also heard a lot of giggling and a few whiny comments about responsibilities and a couple of what look like rum drinks being consumed near the beach.

It’s certainly a beautiful spot for the show to be filmed, with gorgeous beaches and grounds and lovely rooms and lots of privacy. I’ll be interested to see how the show unfolds, and those are words I’d never thought I’d say.

Because of whatever they were filming, the main restaurant at the hotel was closed the last couple nights. I did manage, however, to check out Mermaids, their ocean-side, casual restaurant. It was a tad rowdy on Sunday Night Football night and the pasta with sausage was a mushy mess. But the chicken kabobs were decent and they make a pretty good hamburger.

Most of the units at the Buccaneer are good size; 500 square feet or larger. We were given an ocean unit, with fabulous beach views and a small patio with chaise lounges. The room has marble floors and dark wood furniture with a four-poster bed with carved pineapples. There are colourful, local prints on the walls and a huge TV and they have free Wi-Fi, which is easy to access.

The hotel is painted pink and sits high on a hill where a sugar mill once stood. Some of the buildings date back to the 1600s, so it’s got plenty of character. The units are somewhat spread out but the grounds are quite well done and there are five beaches on the property, plus several pools and a basketball court, golf Frisbee course and a full, 18-hole golf course. You also can take scuba lessons in the pool and take a kayak out for free and they have a free kids’ camp.

The spa has manicures and pedicures and they also offer facials, wraps and massage treatments, including in-room massages for couples. The gym features a variety of machines, including Stairmaster units with their own TV’s.

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There are a ton of activities folks can do when they visit this beautiful island; four by four tours inthe rainforest, kayaking trips, golfing, sailing and lots more. One of the best trips you can take is a snorkeling visit to Buck Island, a U.S. national park

I did one with Big Beard’s Adventure Tours and it was absolutely outstanding. We took a 10 or 15 minutes ride out to the island, a small affair surrounded by the clearest aquamarine waters you’ve ever seen and with a beautiful beach straight out of Castaway with Tom Hanks. They’ll give you the drill on how to snorkel properly and you can swim around near the beach, where you’re frankly unlikely to see any fish. But it’s a nice swim and a pretty beach and high-energy types can take a hike through a scrub forest.

After an hour they motor over to the national park and anchor near a horseshoe shaped reef. A guide will show you the underground trail and make sure you don’t touch any coral. There are underwater signs along the way and glorious coral reefs with shapes straight out of a Rohrshach test. The fish are plentiful; deep blue tangs and canary yellow schoolmasters and lots more. I spotted a small barracuda and a couple guests spotted a two-meter reef shark.

“I see a shark everytime I come out,” said Brad, our good-humoured guide who looks like Owen Wilson meets Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys. “They won’t hurt you.” You don’t’ have to go far from the boat to see plenty of fish, and you’re provided with vests that inflate so you don’t have to get tired from treading water. The tour guides also will keep an eye out for you, so there’s no real safety issue. It’s $68 for a half-day tour and it’s well worth it.