Jenn, Explore STJ

Hello everyone, and happy Friday! We have such great news to share with you all today! A reopening date has been announced for the campground at Cinnamon Bay! How exciting!

For those of you who have known and loved St. John for some time, you probably know that the campground at Cinnamon Bay was destroyed during Hurricane Irma back in September 2017. The campground has been closed since.

In May 2019, we learned that Tom Secunda – a part-time resident, philanthropist and cofounder of Bloomberg LP – took over the campground, was rebuilding it and planned to donate the proceeds back to the island once it reopened. Thank you so much Mr. Secunda for that!

Well construction hit a snag when asbestos was found in some of the sewer pipes. And then the pandemic happened. So that delayed the project too. But now it’s back on track and will reopen this year… woohoo!

A December 2021 reopening date was recently announced at the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park’s annual meeting. Such great news!

We took a little stroll over at the campground yesterday and took some pics to show you what’s happening over there. Please take a minute and check them out…

It’s starting to come together, folks!

And here is a short beach video for those of you who are experiencing the arctic air up north… I hope this warms you up a bit!

In the meantime, if you are looking to take a fun tour of St. John, please check out my tour company – ExploreSTJ.com. And if you are looking to have dinner delivered directly to your villa, condo or even your boat, we’ve got you covered! You can order online at www.stjtogo.com and have your dinner delivered in under an hour! We have a few spots open for our Super Bowl delivery this Sunday, but orders need to be placed today. You can do so at order.stjtogo.com/superbowl  Thanks all! Have an amazing weekend! -Jenn

Hello everyone, and happy Wednesday! For those of you who know me, you know how much I love exploring this island! Well today, I’d like to tell you about a new-to-me hiking trail that I recently explored. It led me to something pretty neat, so I thought I’d share it with all of you!

Chances are, you’ve noticed a sign along Centerline Road that marks the Water Catchment Trail. It’s on your left-hand side before the intersection of Route 104 (commonly known as Gifft Hill Road) if you are heading toward Coral Bay. It’s a rather short trail – just .4 miles from the road to the water catchment area – although it’s downhill most of the way. That means it’s uphill most of the way back. 🙂

The trail itself is rather wide most of the way and is maintained pretty well. I’d recommend wearing sneakers for this one,  and perhaps bring a bottle of water if it’s a hot day.

Check out this quick video I took:

Now you’re probably wondering what the heck this is. The water catchment area was used for Caneel Bay Resort back when it was in operation. (Feels like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it??!) The actual catchment area consists of a large, fenced-in basin that collects rainwater in a large holding tank. Water from Caneel Bay desalination plant, which is still in operation, was also pumped up into this tank. The water from the catchment area was filtered and chlorinated before it was brought into the resort. The water catchment area is located high above the resort, so when the water flowed down into the property and its buildings, it had all the water pressure it needed to adequately serve the resort. Pretty neat, right?

So the next time you are on island, take a little hike in the woods and check this out. Or better yet, take an island tour with me! I would love to show you around! For more information on my island tours – which are rated “excellent” on TripAdvisor!! – please visit www.explorestj.com

And in the event that you missed our announcement last week, I am now offering restaurant delivery on the entire island through STJ To Go. You can order from several of your favorite Cruz Bay spots and get it delivered to your doorstep in under an hour! We’re even offering a special Super Bowl package for those of you who want to have fun, but you don’t want to go out. We’re bringing the fun to you! Learn more about this great new service at www.stjtogo.com

Thanks all! And thank you News of St. John for allowing me to shamelessly plug Explore STJ and STJ To Go. 🙂 Have a great day everyone!

Hello everyone, it’s Jenn Manes! I am super excited to tell you all about a new business I just launched here on St. John!

How many times have you wanted a great dinner from a Cruz Bay restaurant, but you didn’t feel like making the drive into town? Perhaps you didn’t want to pay for your entire family to take a taxi, you were too tired after a long day at the beach, or you simply didn’t want to deal with the hassle of finding a parking spot in town. And for those of you who’ve visited the island in recent months, there may have been a time or two when you weren’t able to get a table at your favorite restaurant because of the current Covid restrictions. Well guess what… Your problems have been solved because STJ To Go is now delivering dinners right to your doorstep! Oh and we can deliver locally-made St. John Brewers beers, and even wine and spirits from our other restaurants too!

Read moreNew Business Delivers Dinners to Your Doorstep