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And 846 Days Later, The Beach Bar is Back! And So is St. John!

And 846 Days Later, The Beach Bar is Back! And So is St. John! 1

Well folks, they did it. The Beach Bar finally reopened yesterday afternoon, and I could not be happier for owners Reed and Sherry Compton. I know it may seem silly that a reopening of a bar could mean so much to so many people, myself included, but it truly does. The Beach Bar is one of the island’s staples, in my opinion, and its continued closure repeatedly reminded us of what happened here on September 6, 2017. Its reopening is yet another step forward in the island’s recovery. Now if we could only get the rest of Wharfside reopened. And no, I don’t know what’s happening at Joe’s Rum Hut  other than it no longer looks like a hut. It looks very Miami to me. But that’s just my opinion. 🙂

Many people ask me how the island is doing, and my answer is always “great!” because we truly are doing great. But this past two weeks have been different. We’re doing better than great. This island is hopping. All of our villas are filled. The Westin, Gallows Point and Grande Bay are filled. Our restaurants are packed, so much so that it’s hard to get a table some nights. Our shops are full, and the beaches are too. This island is thriving, and that simply makes me smile.

I have not seen this many people on island since before the hurricanes. This island is back. You should really come and see for yourselves.

Christmas and New Year’s weeks are always the busiest weeks of the year. So don’t worry, if you come any other week of the year, you will be able to get a table in a restaurant and a spot at the beach. 🙂 

Yesterday was such a great day in Cruz Bay. I was at The Beach Bar right at 3 p.m. (a big thanks to my babysitters yesterday!), and sat there with a smile on my face for several hours. The bar was full. The beach was full. Drink had a party next door, and it was full. The street was shut down, and it was packed with people – both those who live here and those who were visiting here. There was a concert over in the custom’s lot, and I heard that was full too. Destra played, and that is huge! She is the queen of soca music, and soca is huge here. (That was past my babysitter curfew, so I apologize for not having a video of that for all of you.) And there were even fireworks over Cruz Bay. It was just a magical night.

And 846 Days Later, The Beach Bar is Back! And So is St. John! 2
The Beach Bar at sunset.
And 846 Days Later, The Beach Bar is Back! And So is St. John! 3
The Beach Bar’s famous Bushwackers are back!
And 846 Days Later, The Beach Bar is Back! And So is St. John! 4
And everyone was so happy and excited!

Please check out this quick video we made. And a big thanks to Katie Rockefeller, owner of Drink, for sharing a video from Drink’s VIP section with us.

I don’t really know how to end this post today, other than to say thank you to all of you who love this place. I hope you have a wonderful 2020, and I hope you get a chance to visit us soon. Happy New Year everyone!

10 thoughts on “And 846 Days Later, The Beach Bar is Back! And So is St. John!”

    • Best place in the world. We were there in early November and the island is as beautiful as ever. What hurricanes? Intend to be back in paradise in 2020. See u soon!

  1. Thank you for keeping us abreast of how the island is coming. It is our favorite place to visit with some of the most wonderful people in the world. Arriving February 4th and will be enjoying the island for 5 weeks. Keep this post coming.

  2. Happy to report I was there for the Beach Bar re-opening. The vibe was great. I had been an annual visitor to STJ for decades, took last year off. Aside from a few restaurants that are gone, the place felt alive. I agree, the BB is part of the fabric of STJ culture.

    Maybe it was in my head, but some of the locals seemed a bit beaten down, a bit angrier. I did get the feeling locals are continuing to be squeezed out. Caneel is a good example. That resort employed many many natives, yet the “temporary” golf cart / beach vending operations are being run by kids from the US.

    Also not sure how I feel about “downtown maho”. Another souvenir / rum hut? Hopefully natives benefit.

    Praying you can keep it local and native, we already have Florida, Beaches Resort, and Cruise Ships, don’t need STJ drifting more towards that model.

  3. Congratulations BEACH BAR! We’ll be there late May/early June! Will you still have Tuna Down Now?….oh I hope so! Waited for that for a long time! See ya in May!

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