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!

Flyaway Charters to Open Pirate’s Cove Shop in Coral Bay!

February 11, 2023 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! I would be remiss if I didn’t “dive” into one last story from the sea before I finish things up here! Well, technically this one is on land, but if you take a wander into the new Pirate’s Cove Shop across from Skinny Legs in Coral Bay, you are bound to be inspired (and better equipped!) to get out there on the water to explore!

Business Spotlight: Spend the Best Day (or Days!) of Your Vacation on Asante

February 10, 2023February 10, 2023 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! Our regular time together here is coming to an end shortly, unfortunately. But I will be checking in with you regularly right here on News of St. John in between our adventures at sea on Asante. So, I thought it might be fitting to leave you all with a little info on what we will be up to on Asante in this next chapter of life so you can check in with us when you are visiting next!

Caneel Bay Update: NPS Narrows Public Comment Scope to Two Options

February 2, 2023February 2, 2023 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! It has been a LONG time since we did a proper Caneel Bay update. And with the window closing rapidly on the expiration of the Retained Use Estate (the RUE is the 40-year Rockefeller contract) it is good to see some new traction on the part of the National Park Service (NPS) in these hopefully dwindling months of Caneel Bay Acquisitions, Inc. (CBAI) control of the once thriving resort property. We probably won’t have any true answers about the next steps at Caneel Bay until the NPS makes their decision based on this final round of public comments (Spring 2023). But this is one of the final steps on narrowing the scope of what’s next. And NPS is on the hunt for more community input to add to this important decision-making process.

Getting to the BVI and What to Expect Upon Arrival

February 1, 2023February 1, 2023 by Hillary Bonner

Good MORNING! Now that the dust has settled on the easing of the British Virgin Islands’ restrictions on foreign charters, there are still a ton of questions flooding in. How do we get to the BVI? How much is it? Is there any type of COVID-19 requirements? Do my kids need a passport? TONS of questions flood the ole inbox every week. So, I thought it might be time to address all of these concerns and answer all of your questions to the best of my abilities. 🙂

Where to Stay Spotlight: Leisure and Luxury Combine at Cay Syrah Villa

January 31, 2023January 31, 2023 by Hillary Bonner

Often times, when I write these villa posts, I simply read a TON about the particular home (reviews, websites, owner comments, etc.) and then go from there. But when Cay Syrah Villa came across my desk, I saw something special in it that begged me to come take a closer look. I linked up with the Property Manager, David, in order to do a little walkthrough of this awesome vacation rental located in a lovely neighborhood just outside of Cruz Bay. And, well, the magic is in the details of this unique rental with sprawling indoor and outdoor living spaces that are ready for your whole family (or group of friends) to come and enjoy!

Good Times Round the Bend

January 30, 2023 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! I have some slightly bittersweet news to share with all of you today. After nearly three years of spinning tales and truths of Love City to all of you beautiful people out there, I am moving on from my role as sole contributor and manager of News of St. John. I know, I know…I’m feeling a little nostalgic about it as well. But all good things must come to an end, and I will be popping in from time to time to check in and update you on St. John happenings and tales from the sea in the future. In the meantime, here’s what’s next for the blog…And for me!

Recycling Made Easy on St. John

January 27, 2023January 27, 2023 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! If you have been following along, you have probably realized that I am a strong and passionate supporter of the recycling and waste reduction programs here on St. John. When I moved here from Colorado in 2012, I was absolutely appalled at the wide range use of straws, disposable plastic cups and Styrofoam and even more put off by the lack of any type of recycling program on island! Well, here we are, a decade later, with a non-Reef Safe sunscreen ban, an incredible reduction in non-compostable plastic use on island AND an incredible recycling program right here on St. John! How far we have come…But, just like anything else in the world, if you don’t have the proper information on HOW to utilize the programs that are in place (or simply don’t know that they are in place!) they probably won’t be utilized. So, here’s the 411 on how to recycle while you are on St. John!

Mandatory Beach Break: Cinnamon Bay

January 23, 2023 by Hillary Bonner

On Sunday, I had the rare day off with opportunity to head to the beach for a bit! We headed out North Shore Road from town without expectations about which beach we would hit; knowing based on the boat’s schedule for the upcoming week and the crowds in town that the parking lots would likely be overflowing. So, we drove until we found a parking lot with an open spot. And settled in for the afternoon at Cinnamon Bay 🙂

Enter to Win a One Week Stay at Lovango Resort + Beach Club!

January 20, 2023January 19, 2023 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! A few months ago, the St. John Land Conservancy (SJLC) launched their Second Annual Love for the Land Fundraiser, giving all of you the opportunity to win a week-long stay for two at the luxurious Lovango Resort +Beach Club including St. John dining, activities AND airfare credits. And every ticket purchased in an attempt to win this incredible prize goes towards a great cause: Preserving the cultural and natural resources of St. John from unsustainable development. It’s a win, win! But the window of opportunity to win this contest is closing with the drawing happening just after Valentine’s Day (February 18)! So read on to find out more and get your tickets today!

St. John/St. Thomas Car Barge Schedules…Kind of :)

January 17, 2023January 17, 2023 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning! I had a few requests after yesterday’s post on ferry schedules for a similar post regarding the car barge. I always tell folks that the people ferry is pretty much the ONLY thing on St. John that is timely and reliable. The car barges, however, do not fall into that same category. It seems like, a lot of times, one of the barges is down for repairs, contracted out elsewhere or getting an inspection of some sort which really throws off the schedule for those of them that ARE running on a given day. So, a timely and accurate portrayal of what the car barge schedule looks like today, let alone over time, is a bit more difficult to tackle. But I’ll do my best with the disclaimer that these schedules, although sometimes very reliable, can also change on the daily.