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!

Enter to Win an Escape to Love City!!!

April 14, 2022April 14, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! Last week we introduced the Island Green Living Raffle to win an all-inclusive trip for two to Love City. And, in one week, together we have raised $39k!!! Woot! This year’s prize package is absolutely incredible and includes everything the lucky winner and their travel companion could possibly ask for in a picture perfect week on St. John. I’ll get into a bit more detail on this amazing prize package that you can ENTER TO WIN in this post, but I do first want to cast a light on some incredible work being done by this organization at their ReSource Depot on Gifft Hill.

Take a Boat Ride in the USVI: Views From the North Shore

April 13, 2022April 13, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! And a Happy Wednesday to you! We had the lucky opportunity to spend the day motoring, and then sailing, along St. John’s gorgeous North Shore from Cruz Bay all the way to Waterlemon Cay yesterday. Rarely do we do this trip on Asante as the straight into the wind traverse along our beautiful shorelines prohibits sailing…unless you want to take several hours tacking back and forth to do it! But, our lovely guests for the day have been dedicated St. John visitors for many years and getting out to snorkel the cay from the beach has become a bit of a trek for them. And we always enjoy mixing it up a bit for a fresh perspective. So, we set to motoring towards the farthest reaches of the North Shore of St. John in order to get them out there for a beautiful snorkeling adventure. And I dedicated a lot of my afternoon to gathering images of the beautiful day to share with all of you this morning.

Real Estate Spotlight: Cinnamon Stones Villa Will Take Your Breath Away

April 11, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! I do A LOT of Real Estate write ups. Probably at least two a month. And, while ALL of the homes are stunning and with their very own pieces of island charm, every once in a great while, I am sent the link to a home that literally takes my breath away and sends me into a dreamland. Whether you are in the market for a new home or not, you do not want to miss the opportunity to take an in-depth look at this breathtaking villa in Estate Catherineberg with expansive views from Cinnamon to Francis to the British Virgin Islands.

Real Estate Spotlight: Cinnamon Stones Villa Will Take Your Breath Away 4 — Picture yourself here!

An Update From the Island Roadways

April 8, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Afternoon and Happy Fri-YAY! This morning was a whirlwind of getting some drafts ready for next week, but I wanted to take a quick moment to share two joyous updates with you about the roads on St. John before I hit the on the water “work” on Asante for the weekend!

Take a Walk Through Josephine’s Coral Bay Organic Gardens

April 7, 2022April 7, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

This week, I was in need of some fresh greens. And, rather than make my usual run to Starfish for a bag of Josephine’s locally grown freshies, I rang up a friend and we headed out a for a Coral Bay field trip to her gardens. I’m a little embarrassed to say that, although I always buy what I can of hers from the markets in town, I have never actually been to the gardens! And, man, was I impressed. It made for a lovely afternoon excursion AND I got an array of locally sourced produce. Win, win!

Business Spotlight: Choose Your Boat Day Adventure with Ocean Runner!

April 6, 2022April 6, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! Today, I want to share with you all a bit of info about a charter boat company that has been on St. John since 1994 and evolved exponentially over the years. A company that offers a vast array of charter options, from minimal bare boat rentals to all-inclusive luxury power yachts. A company that, in recent years, has merged with the premier diving operation on St. John. A company that makes it exquisitely easy for you to get to your boat for the day with a private dock and complimentary on-site parking and flexible pick up locations. You know them and you love them, but let’s take a deep “dive” into the updates and expansions at Ocean Runner….Pun intended 🙂

Brown Bay Beach Break

April 5, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! It’s been quite a while since we had a good beach break, right? Well, the past few months have been a whirlwind of busy here on St. John and, quite frankly, I haven’t had a beach break in months either! But, this weekend, Teddy and I took a rare whole day off and headed to Coral Bay for a day of fun. We hit the Brown Bay Trail to stretch our legs a bit before enjoying burgers at Skinny Legs and drinks at Salty Mongoose. All in all, it was a great day and I wanted to share the nature bit of it with all of you!

Escape to Love City: Enter to Win an All-Inclusive Trip for Two!

April 4, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

It’s that time of year again…The annual promotional partnership between Island Green Living and News of St. John kicks off today! And I am so excited to shine some light on this incredible and essential St. John non-profit while also giving all of YOU the chance to win an all-inclusive trip for two to Love City. This year’s prize package is now live and is packed FULL of amazing excursions, dining experiences and, of course, five star accommodations and travel certificates. So, read on and follow along to find out exactly what one lucky winner will be experiencing on St. John AND the nitty gritty on what the crew at Island Green have been up to this past year.

Travel Alert- Arrive Early for Your Departing Flight at Cyril E. King Airport

April 1, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! I just wanted to take a quick moment this morning to alert anyone traveling out of the St. Thomas airport this weekend to abide by the three hour rule. Several Facebook posts from residents and visitors this past week have noted lengthy lines for TSA/Customs beginning as early as 11AM.

Gifft Hill Students Experience the Adventure of a Lifetime Aboard Sailing Vessel Roseway

April 1, 2022March 31, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

This month, 17 Gifft Hill School eighth and ninth grade students set sail for an incredible educational experience aboard a 1925 wooden Schooner for four days. On this beautiful vessel, the students learned much more than just sailing. A fully encompassing, round the clock maritime immersion provided by the World Ocean School ensured that the students on board would take home a vast amount of knowledge of the sea, of themselves and of the sailing world around them.