Hillary Bonner

Hi! I’m Hillary Bonner. I’ve been on St. John for 8 years and have worn A LOT of hats in my time on island. Most of us do tho…A lot of times island life calls for ingenuity, flexibility and resiliency. And those things are what I kind of LOVE about the people in our Love City Community. Between boat days and day hikes and happy hours with so many happy faces, you may have seen me behind the bar at Asolare, Zozo’s, The Terrace or Drink (once upon a time, Motu) over the years. But after Hurricane Irma, I jumped from behind the bar into non-profit work. That desk job made me remember that, way back when, I DID go to college and I might have been letting some of those skill sets get a BIT rusty. My degree is in Journalism and Public Relations. When asked if I ever used it, my programmed response was, “Bar tending IS relating to the public.” But, back to the desk job…I was doing everything. Which is, again, what you do in a small office on an island. Events, marketing, handling in-kind donations, unloading containers, attempting to figure out logistics I didn’t even know how to spell, community meetings, board meetings, FEMA meetings. All of the meetings. One day, I decided that there were aspects I loved. And aspects…Well, not so much. So I started my own thing, supporting local small businesses and non-profits in the realm of design, marketing and events (specifically music related events…you’ll hear a lot about music from me). I have a bleeding heart for the small yet ambitious non-profits on St. John. And an overwhelming amount of respect for the small business owners who made their ideas take flight in a place where it’s very difficult to do so! I love life here on St. John. The highs are the highest and the lows are not so low as they can be in other places. The accessibility to Mother Nature on this little slice of perfection is unparalleled. She’s all around us all of the time. You can watch the phases of the moon, the rotation of the planets, the shifting of the sunset and the tides. Every damn day. Mother Nature’s restless spirit reflects the transient nature of the people here as well. That was hard for me at first. The coming and the going. But now, I like the fact that I will rarely visit a place that I don’t have a place to stay and a friend to catch up with from St. John. So, now, here I am (using my degree, Ma!). Contributing to a long standing super positive blog. Here I feel like I’m in a position to use my voice to entertain and inform you about the community and island that I love so much. I’m grateful for this opportunity and am ALWAYS open to story ideas! Let me know what, where or who you want to hear about!

Up, Up and Away!

August 29, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! It is Monday at 8AM at our home on St. John and I am writing to all of you just as we are about to make a mad dash to the door and then the ferry and then the airport (hurry up and wait?) and then the connecting flight and then into downtown Denver! We are taking a little off-season sabbatical to the states for family, friends, live music, great (inexpensive!) food and the chance to bust out some jeans and scarves in that “frigid” 60 degree weather 🙂 As much as I LOVE living here and calling this place home, a little time away from the Caribbean to rest and reset, enjoy some creature comforts and partake in gigantic hugs from loved ones is always a necessity. Too much of a good thing can still be too much right?

“Open the Elaine Ione Sprauve Library” Protest and Cleanup This Saturday

August 29, 2022August 26, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Day Everyone! For those of you in communities all over the country, you likely have access to a public library. A space to read, a space to research…A place for children to grow their minds and imaginations. A place for creativity and story telling hours. Well, the historic building that houses the public library here on St. John has not had its doors open to the community since the 2017 hurricanes, with the exception of a short stint in 2018-2019. And this weekend, the community of St. John will stand up to demand the doors of this incredible structure be re-opened to the public.

Ronnie’s Pizza, The St. John Post-Irma Communication Hub, Moves to New Location

August 24, 2022August 24, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

In a synchronistic timing of events, a St. John staple pizza joint will take leave from it’s home of 18 years. A physical space that gained notoriety as a communications hub in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. But, never fear! The new location is only a few moments away from their previous digs between Dolphin Market and The Lumberyard. The pizza (and more!) will be just as delicious as it ever was before. It’s more convenient for those of you who stay at the Westin or along the South Shore of St. John. AND…There’s a ton of parking!

Island Update- This Week on St. John

August 23, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! There has been a lot of really feel good stuff going down on St. John this week. Charity events this weekend raised a pretty sizeable sum of money for great causes on island, The rain has been coming down more regularly and the island is starting to green up quite nicely. The crowds continue to thin out and restaurants have begun the slow closing of their doors for a little break from the hustle and bustle. The seas remain calm and some of our underwater friends who enjoy the seasonally warm Caribbean waters have been passing through. Oh, and (in the realm of not-so-great news) there seems to be a bit of Tropical Wave activity in the Atlantic Basin that is definitely worth keeping an eye on if you are headed this way over the next few weeks. So, I thought today it might be time for a little Island Update!

Who’s in the Water?- Off Season Boat Charters on St. John

August 24, 2022August 19, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning Everyone! We have seasonally published a report in regards to restaurant closures during the peak months of hurricane season for the past few years (See this year’s list here.). But, a question that I see popping up all over the place is in regards to boat charters during the off season.

During this time of year, a lot of the boat owners on St. John relocate and/or haul out their vessels for the off season months. There are a few reasons for this…For starters, some boat insurance actually requires that the vessel be outside of a certain “hurricane zone” during the peak times of year. Many boat owners will plan to haul out this time of year for scheduled maintenance or to simply take a vacation with the peace of mind that their boat is safe and strapped down in the event of a storm. This is all great for the safety of some of our favorite charter boats, but it leaves folks who are vacationing this time of year with slim pickins when it comes to going for a play day on the water during the off season months. So, I thought it might be time to start publishing a list of St. John based boats that are in the water and available for charter from August to November!

Island Update: The Stillness Settles in on St. John

August 17, 2022August 17, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! Just this week, it has seemed that a calm has settled over St. John. And in more ways than one! We had no problem getting a table at Morgan’s Mango this week for a gathering of beautiful ladies. Tap and Still and the street in front of it was absolutely quiet on Monday evening. Parking has been relatively adequate in town. And pictures posted from the beaches are without the usual cameo of strangers sunning themselves down the way. But, it is not just the still of the crowds that has lulled this week. The Sahara Dust, which has intermittently lingered since May, has finally lifted for a bit. Bringing back those absolutely electric blues and greens and the kind of sunsets that paint the sky like a watercolor. The seas are incredibly calm and the winds have settled into their typical late summertime intermission. It’s absolutely beautiful here in so many ways right now. And, in an effort to give you a well-rounded glimpse at that beauty, I have collected some photos taken by myself and some shared by community businesses and villas around St. John.

Real Estate Spotlight: Come Home to Quaint Perfection at Brisas Del Mar

August 16, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! What is the first thing you think of when you think of owning a home on St. John? I’m guessing it has something to do with sweeping views of the sapphire sea and the breezes that go right along with it. Am I right? Ok, well the absolutely DARLING three bedroom, three bathroom home that would be perfect for a family is named Brisas Del Mar. Which literally translates from Spanish to English as sea breezes. Pair those notable breezes with an incredible view, a pool, a jacuzzi, a spacious open floor plan and spacious outdoor living spaces and you have yourself a beautiful little package of perfection in St. John home ownership.

Bar Wars Returns to The Beach Bar!!!

August 15, 2022August 13, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

One of my ABSOLUTE favorite things about this little rock is the way that the community comes together for a charity event. From Chaotic Kayak to Light Up the Night to 8 Tuff Miles…Volunteers, participants and supporters all show up in full festiveness and a healthy spirit of competition and support. My first season on St. John, I reveled at these make shift community gatherings for a good cause and a good time. A party with a purpose if you will 🙂 Well, the storms of 2017 slowed some of these incredible events and then the pandemic pretty much stopped them in their tracks. But, this month, the Beach Bar will host Bar Wars once again!!! And, if you are on island, or not, I highly urge you to set your sights on this little slice of ridiculous amazingness on the beach in Cruz Bay.

In Memorandum: A Love City Angel Gets Her Wings

August 12, 2022August 12, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning to you all. I’m afraid I have some very sad news to share with you all today…

Last Friday, August 5, at 1PM, St. John’s Barefoot Minister, Anne Marie Porter, took her last breath on the island she loved so much. And her spirit left this earthly world; casting behind it a light of kindness, strength and gratitude in her void for all who were lucky enough to know her well now feel. I, unfortunately, was not one of the lucky ones to have a history and personal connection with this beautiful woman who married hundreds of happy couples on the beaches of St. John. And, I don’t believe tributes as important as this one should be written without that personal connection behind them. So, I reached out to an old friend who readily agreed to write the following dedication. Both in healing and in memorandum….

The Restaurant Report (Seasonal Closures)- Updated August 10, 2022

October 4, 2022August 10, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Hello All! I have received a TON of updates and more information from different restaurants, so I wanted to take a moment today to re-share this list. As a reminder, please share the link to this article directly if you are attempting to spread the word. I noticed a few screen shots floating around that are now out of date. I’ll continue to update things here as more info rolls in!

Oh, I also added a link for each restaurant to their Facebook pages so you can double check before you stop by. The menus and hours can change in a day’s notice during the off season as owners decide to close for a day to give their staff a break, due to weather or the unavoidable WAPA outages 🙂