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!

Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! St. John has been celebrating Halloween since Friday with tons of reasons to get into costume over the weekend. But the fun isn’t over yet! Take a peek at today’s festivities…

Halloweekend Events! Chaotic Kayak, Live Music, Costume Contests and More!

October 28, 2022October 28, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

If you are on island this weekend, join in the Halloween festivities! There are a ton of fun events for all ages happening on island this weekend. So, if you are visiting us, I hope you brought your costumes 🙂

Chaotic Kayak Race Honors Wounded Warriors on Cruz Bay Beach This Weekend!

December 15, 2022October 27, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Do you remember how I spoke about all of the amazing events we used to have on island when I wrote up The Return of Bar Wars a few months ago? Well, another incredible community event is returning to Cruz Bay this weekend that will be sure to keep you entertained all day long if you are visiting. I highly recommend finding a seat at The Beach Bar or on the beach in front of Rum Hut or High Tide this Sunday to take in the spectacular hilarity, filled with community spirit, that is Chaotic Kayak!

Soon Come: Caneel Bay Beach Club!!!

October 25, 2022October 25, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

I hope that the headline got your attention because THIS is some very exciting stuff! A new way to spend your beach day is coming soon to Honeymoon Beach and, no, not in the way that you are thinking. The focus of the Caneel Bay Beach Club will be to bring back that “Caneel Bay feel” of peace, connection with nature and luxury with inclusion of the local population and a reignition of the past…of what this coveted resort once was many years ago…

A Very “Green” Holiday Retreat at Eco Serendib – Exclusive to News of St. John Readers!

October 24, 2022October 24, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

It’s hard to believe the holidays are right around the corner, right? I overheard someone say the other day that there are only eight Saturdays between now and Christmas Eve. CRAZY right? Well, if you’re like me, you are probably prone to scrambling at the last minute through all of the stresses of the holidays and not really enjoying it until it is over 🙂 But what if you could just escape the cooler temps with all of your friends or family for a luxurious escape to your favorite place in the world? That’s St. John, right? 🙂

What if, by doing so, you would also be contributing to multiple St. John non-profit organizations without spending an extra dollar outside of your accommodation costs? If you’re intrigued, then read on. Because the President of the Island Green Living Association, Harith Wickrema, is offering his incredible home, Eco Serendib Resort and Spa, for the holidays at a discount, exclusively to News of St. John readers. And he is donating 100% of the rental fees (minus taxes and service charges) to local organizations that are doing some good here on St. John…

An Evolving St. John Culinary Scene Featured in Food & Wine Magazine

October 21, 2022October 21, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

A few days ago, I received a text from John Ferrigno, the owner of ZoZo’s at Caneel Bay and an old friend of mine, that simply said “FYI St. John in this month’s Food & Wine Magazine” with the following photo attached.

So, I immediately went online and bought a digital copy to find out what exactly was being featured in a magazine that was established in 1978 and has a foothold in delegating the who’s who in the food and beverage world. And what I found in the title (as pictured above), that brought a nostalgic tear to my eye, were these words:

“An Island Renaissance: A resilient dining scene burns bright on the tiny Caribbean Island of St. John.” – Food & Wine Magazine – November 2022

Very, very rarely am I impressed by the accuracy and perspective of an article written about St. John by a journalist who just passes through. A week or a month is not nearly enough time to understand and put it into words in my opinion. But this particular article hit some heart strings for me and, I believe, did a great job of capturing some snippets of St. John and the ever-evolving culinary scene here.

Where to Stay Spotlight – Villa De Vida: A Secluded Hideaway in Chocolate Hole

October 18, 2022October 20, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

If you haven’t already booked your winter or spring getaway to St. John, you are probably right now in the process of looking around for an incredible retreat for your family and friends. The stunning Chocolate Hole villa I am sharing with you today combines luxury, privacy and seamless outdoor living surrounded by mother nature and views of the Caribbean. All within a ten-minute drive to the shopping and dining of Cruz Bay and St. John’s stunning white sand beaches. Even at first glance, it’s quite obvious why a budding young country star, years ago, loved coming home to this beautiful space to get some inspiration for some of his number one hits (if you know, you know :)). Let’s take a closer look at Villa De Vida, a quaint and charming three-bedroom pool villa that could be your next Love City retreat!

Two New Restaurants to Open in Historic Cruz Bay Locations This Winter!

October 19, 2022October 18, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

How many of you out there have worked on opening a business in a historic district? If you have, then you understand the additional effort, time and expense it takes to make building modifications in order to keep the charm and integrity of the building in line with history. Well, last week, two upcoming Cruz Bay establishments were granted permissions from the St. John Historic Preservation Committee to move forward on their updates to the historic buildings in town that will house them. So, over the next few months, there will be two new options for dining and entertainment in town.

Big Improvements Are in the Works for Cruz Bay!

October 17, 2022October 17, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning! I hope everyone out there had a fantastic weekend! Generally, I wake up on Mondays moving a bit slow (you hear me, right?). But today as I took Chewy out for a walk and watered the plants, the sights around me were absolutely energizing! The water is like shimmery glass right now. The recent wave of Sahara dust has moved on, and the brilliant blues of the sea and the sky are beaming as you can see in the above photo. It’s a beautiful morning here on St. John. And I read an absolutely inspiring report about some up-coming improvements including a new community area, shelter and event center that are in the works for downtown Cruz Bay. It seems that our little town is getting a future facelift in the most positive way possible!

St. John Ocean Week Begins This Weekend!

October 13, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

In just a few days, a celebration and appreciation of the ocean surrounding our beautiful island begins. And, if you love St. John, the sea is probably something you’re a pretty big fan of as well, right? Well, over the next week, the businesses and community members of Love City will be doing some work to take care of and give back to our beautiful surroundings.

St. John Ocean Week Begins This Weekend! 13 — Friends of the Park employee Mark helping some trash with its journey OFF the beach.

You see, those of us who live here obviously LOVE the ocean as well. And it likely drew us here as well! But it is so much more to us here who depend on the sea for more than just her beauty. For many of us it is also our source of income. Our draw for tourism. And, most importantly, our source of utmost enjoyment and peace of mind during the busiest days. It’s probably also very likely it is the reason that you all visit us! And in order to keep that beauty growing through the ages, it is all of our duties to take care of the sea as she takes care of us every single day of the year. So, if you are visiting over the next week, or looking for a way to participate in some love for Mother Ocean from home, take a peek at some ways to join in the fun!