Hi all, it’s Jenn! Hillary is on vacation this week, so she asked me to help out a bit. For those of you who know me, hello! I’ve missed you! And for those of you who are unfamiliar with me, I am the former publisher of News of St. John. Hello to you all too, and thank you for reading this great blog! I figured I’d provide a little island update for you all today. 🙂
Gosh, I don’t even know where to begin today. I guess we can talk about the obvious… The island is still B-U-S-Y. It’s unbelievable! The amount of people here now rivals March or April in a normal year. (Let’s be honest, 2020 and 2021 have been anything but normal – lol.) We are still seeing high season numbers during what is supposed to be the cusp of low season. It’s pretty crazy, but in a good way. We are just so darn happy that you all are traveling once again! And so happy that you’ve decided to visit us! Thank you!
Now let’s talk about the island itself… It’s so green! My goodness, this place looks GREAT! The hillsides are green and lush, and the flowers are all in bloom. It all really looks amazing, especially the flamboyants as Hillary mentioned last week.
So I just mentioned that we are on the cusp of low season right now. That means that it’s that time of year when some of our restaurants start to close for low season. ZoZo’s, La Tapa and Lovango Resort & Beach Club closed over the weekend. Skinny Legs recently announced that it is closing on August 7th, and Lime Inn is closing on August 21st. And here is some exciting news… When La Tapa reopens this fall, it will be in a brand new location on the waterfront. Stay tuned for more info on that!
Check back next week for Hillary’s full list of seasonal closings.
So here is an insider tip for those of you who plan to travel during this busy time on island: Drive east. Yes, the North Shore beaches are beautiful, but so are the beaches on the East End. And they are much quieter. I love taking guests out there on my Explore STJ island tours. And the views of St. John and the neighboring British Virgin Islands are incredible along the way. You should definitely check it out if you can!
If you happen to have a vacation scheduled and you would like to see the entire island, please consider booking an island tour with me. I would love to show you the gorgeous views, our beautiful beaches, the island’s historical sites and some fun off-the-beaten-path spots. You can check out my website at www.explorestj.com or you can email me at [email protected]. You can even check out my TripAdvisor reviews where I have an “Excellent” rating. As I mentioned the island is busy, so please book early, and that goes for everything – my island tour, boat charters, restaurants, etc. 🙂
I think this is where we will end today. If there is anything you are interested in and would like me to write about while Hillary is on vacation, please feel free to leave a comment or even send me an email.
Thanks all, have a wonderful day!
Hello, Jenn….it’s good to hear from you and to hear that the little slice of paradise is busy, active, and doing well! Blessings.
Hello Jenn- so good to hear from you…is that great beach that Ash owns still open on East End?
Great to hear from you! Need an updated toddler pic 🙂
We just left on Saturday, the flamboyant trees are amazing. It was our first trip in summer. Water was amazing. Little windy though! Grocery store and restaurants were definitely busy, beaches didn’t seem too bad. Although we usually visit late Feb/early March, so maybe it was comparable.
Hi Jenn,
Great to hear from you.
I always enjoyed your work.
I’m excited that things are going well for the Island and hopefully for you guys.
Cheers
Nice to hear from you!
We’ve been coming to St John for 35 years- it’s changed a LOT. We didn’t come for the month of February like we usually do (we’re “older”and weren’t vaccinated)- but we’ll be back this February!
Really cool to hear about La Tapa. We really like the restaurant but wasn’t crazy about the location. We were there April and will be back end of October.
Hi, we just got back last week after a beautiful 2 weeks, great visit as always but my, my the island has changed. String bikinis strutting their stuff at the roundabout, many more drunken obscenities shouted out at Woody’s than I am accustomed to. Can’t imagine the locals are looking too kindly at that sort of behavior, we are hoping for a return to some semblance of normalcy soon. Any info regarding La Tapa’s new spot? The former Waterfront Bistro spot would be a great location. We really enjoyed our first dining experience at Shaibu’s, excellent food and service.
So many conflicting stories about Covid rules!! Many say you don’t need a covid test but can get in w an antibody test?? Is that true? Also someone said United wasn’t following that and required a test? Also. Do you need once on returning to mainland?? What a hassle! Hope to be back in September.
You need either a negative test taken within five days or a positive antibody test taken within four months of travel. Here is a link to the website that explains it: https://usvitravelportal.com
You do not need a test to return to the mainland because we are a US Territory.
I hope this helps! -Jenn
Thank you so much Jenn!!! OK I’m coming back! Yay
Everyone said I needed a test to return on United. Actually it was also on NOSTJ. I read a woman’s post that they stopped her in STT airport to show her test so was worried. Thanks again!!
Hey Jenn! Missed you when we were on island a few weeks ago- but great to hear from you here! You’re right it’s really busy- but we still had an awesome time! The island looks beautiful!
My wife and I have been going to St. John with our daughters for over 10 years. My son-in-law, Rusty occasionally does fund raisers. He did one after the hurricane for those who suffered losses on the Island.
We are scheduled to be on St. John August 2 for two weeks.
I must say, we have seen a steady increase of visitors since we begin visiting the Island over 10 years ago. St. John in my view is a gem sitting in the Caribbean and it doesn’t surprise me that every year more and more people are discovering it. I know more and more Island residents are concerned about this. I can only hope that if the volume of people visiting St. John continues to increase that sensible solutions through community outreach and contact with political leaders results in viable solutions. Right now, there are no restrictions being implemented and I hope it stays that way because St. John is a very special place for not only the Islanders but for those who have found its beauty and respect the Islanders and the natural beauty of the Islanders. There will always be those visitors who are rude and obnoxious hopefully they will be few.
Always love your writing about the island. Welcome back for a bit! Could you do a piece on direct flights to STT from Boston etc. ? We have been planning on booking for our annual Jan. Feb trip but only one direct on Delta. Nothing on our usual carrier, JetBlue. Do you have any sense on when they will open up the usual direct flights? Missed last year. SO looking forward to coming back! Thanks, Clay
Hi Jenn!
We have our second trip to STJ planned and can’t wait! We, like many others, have become enthralled with STJ and are seriously considering buying a place to live/rent in the next couple of years.
I would love to know anything at all from anyone who currently does this and could relay some of their thoughts and experiences. I try to collect info on various listings that are also rentals to try to get an idea of the related expenses to see just what we could possibly afford but have not been able to get a good feel for what occupancy rates are like during a year (and of course, recent events appear to be out of the norm with more off-season visitors – who knows if that trend will continue – I think it may).
Thanks!!!!!