It has been 22 years since the final scene of the 1994 movie Shawshank Redemption was shot at Sandy Point, St. Croix. The prison escapee portrayed by Tim Robbins works on his boat as Morgan Freeman, his just-paroled jail pal, finally arrives.

However, in Stephen King’s novel the guys were reunited on the beach in Zihuatanejo, not in the Caribbean, but some 3,000 miles west on the coast of Baja, Mexico. The hunted fugitive would never have gone to the U.S. Virgin Islands, risking being hauled back to prison to serve out his life sentence for a double murder he didn’t commit. Movie mix up or not, the St. Croix destination is great for senior tourist activities, offering year-round deep sea fishing, sailing, dining, entertainment and just sunning and snoozing on the sand. It’s less than a three-hour, non-stop flight from Miami. For more info, go to www.visitusvi.com/stcroix/homepage.

The same kudos apply to beautiful beachside Zihuatanejo, about a three-hour flight from San Diego. The port is also a favorite tourist stop for Baja-bound cruises out of Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego. More info is at www.ixtapa-zihuatanejo.com