News of St. John | News of St. John

A Few Minutes with… Ash, Owner of Saltwell Bottom Beach

December 12, 2019December 12, 2019 by News of St. John

There are so many amazing people who live here on St. John. Many were born and raised here, while others chose to relocate and make this island their home. For awhile now, I’ve wanted to share their stories with you. But truthfully, I’m a bit apprehensive about writing profiles. So I decided to try something different.

Today we’re introducing a new little thing here at News of St. John called “A Few Minutes with…” In these segments, we’re simply going to spend a few minutes with someone we find cool, interesting or unique. We’re starting with our friend Ash.

I introduced you all to Ash back in October when I mentioned how he was opening his family’s beach up to the public, so we can all enjoy the sand, the captivating views or even take a quick paddle out to Lime Out. His family owns a gorgeous stretch of land out on St. John’s East End known as Saltwell Bottom beach. Ash is welcoming, kind and has an infectious smile. Yesterday, I drove out to the East End to spend A Few Minutes with Ash…

Please click the play button below to listen to it.

He truly is a wonderful person. I hope you all take the drive out east one day, so you can see for yourselves.

Now I’m sure you heard the waves crashing in the background while Ash and I chatted. Here’s a video to show you how gorgeous his family’s beach is. Enjoy!

Great News from Miss Lucy’s on St. John!

December 12, 2019December 12, 2019 by News of St. John

Hello everyone, and happy Thursday! We have some great news coming out of Coral Bay to share with you today!

We were out and about on a News of St. John Island Tour yesterday, and we decided to take our guests to Miss Lucy’s for lunch. For starters, the place looks great! They added a small deck area in front of the bar, and it’s a perfect spot to have lunch or a few cocktails while enjoying the gentle breezes and amazing views.

Great News from Miss Lucy's on St. John! 3 — Great new deck area at Miss Lucy’s

We sat at the bar with Candy, and she shared some great news with us. Miss Lucy’s famous Sunday brunch is returning this Sunday! If you haven’t been, you are truly missing out. Brunch will be served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Be sure to check it out the next time you are on island on a Sunday.

And happening tonight and every Thursday night is Open Mic Night. This was held at Pickles last season, but since that spot has closed, it’s now over at Miss Lucy’s. Open Mic Night starts at 5:30 p.m. There is a limited dinner menu that includes conch chowder, kallaloo & crab soup, fried plantains, johnny cakes, conch fritters, beef sliders, beer battered shrimp, veggie burgers, veggie lasagne and more.

As of now, Miss Lucy’s is open for Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for lunch Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. and for a limited dinner on Thursdays for Open Mic Night from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Regular dinner service will resume in January 2020.

And for those of you who need a little more Miss Lucy’s in your lives, check out this video we took yesterday.

St. John Home For Sale: Affordable Three Bedroom with Guest House

December 11, 2019December 11, 2019 by News of St. John

Who wants to do a little real estate shopping today? Today we’d like to tell you about an affordable (by St. John standards) three bedroom home that even includes a guest cottage. Introducing Captain Awesome’s Bordeaux Mountain Villa…

Captain Awesome’s Bordeaux Mountain Villa is a charming three bedroom, two bath home that’s nestled among the trees on Bordeaux Mountain. A custom kitchen, an attractive living room, and a tranquil screened in ”garden room” with waterfall and pond are all located on the main floor. The master bedroom and bath are also on the main floor. There are two additional rooms on the lower level that can be used as an office, sitting room or bedrooms.

This tropical island home is surrounded by lush gardens including bananas, plantains, avocado, lime, mango, grapefruit, starfruit, coconut palms, coffee, lemon grass, orange, cashew, passion fruit, and breadfruit, and is adjacent to the National Park. The studio guest cottage is nestled into the hillside and is private from the main house. This is a gardener’s delight with easy access to Coral Bay and Cruz Bay.

Ready to own a piece of St. John real estate? Captain Awesome’s Bordeaux Mountain home is being offered for $649,000. For more information, please contact Tammy Donnelly of 340 Real Estate Co. at [email protected].

New Cruz Bay Steakhouse Opening Tonight

December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 by News of St. John

Well folks, we’re excited to tell you about a new restaurant that’s opening tonight! Dave & Jerry’s Island Steakhouse will open its doors to the public tonight at 5:30 p.m., and we have to say, the place looks great.

We were invited to a soft opening last night, and the food was very good. But please know that this is more of a fine dining steakhouse and the prices match that.

Dave & Jerry’s is located in the old D’Livio’s location, which is below Cruz Bay Hotel and across the street from De Coal Pot and Lime Inn. The space has been completely renovated, and I absolutely love the look. Check out a few pics:

Doesn’t it look fabulous??!!

And here are a few menu pics (sorry about the terrible image quality here!):

Dave & Jerry’s is open Monday through Saturday. They will offer happy hour specials from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Dinner is from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, please visit daveandjerrys.com

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now

January 25, 2021December 9, 2019 by News of St. John

It’s been more than four months since we last updated you on the status of Cinnamon Bay. It’s one of the top questions we have here at News of St. John, so we figured we were due for an update.

Will Cinnamon Bay Campground Re-Open Soon?

For starters, the campground is not scheduled to reopen anytime soon. But there is work being done there, so that’s great. When it was announced in May that Tom Secunda, a part-time St. John resident, purchased the campground contract, we were told that it wasn’t expected to reopen until the 2020-2021 season. And it looks like that’s still the case.

As we saw Sunday, crews are still in the process of installing more than 10,000 feet of pipe for water and sewer. Once that is completed, the plan is to work on the bathhouses and the main building, and then the actual campsites. So there is still a lot to do, but there is also a lot of progress happening.

What Does Cinnamon Bay Campground Look Like Now?

Rather than tell you about Cinnamon Bay, we prefer to show you. Here are several pictures we took Sunday plus a nice little video from the beach. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 22 — Walking in from the parking lot area

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 23 — The main path to the beach

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 24 — The main building is currently blocked off with fencing.

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 25 — An area behind the main building

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 26 — The campground areas are blocked off by fencing.

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 27 — The area where the cottages once stood.

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 28 — The main bath house

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 29 — An area that led to the eco tents.

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 30 — Preparing to install piping beside the main bath house

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 31 — The former archeology lab

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 32 — Looking toward the platform tent area

Cinnamon Bay Campground: What It Looks Like Now 33 — An alternate view of the main building

***
Free shipping on St. Johnopoly this holiday season! All sales will end December 19th. Guaranteed Christmas delivery! Order yours today at www.newsofstjohn.com/stjohnopoly

Cinnamon Bay: A Quick Video

December 8, 2019 by News of St. John

I just took this quick video at Cinnamon Bay. I thought you might enjoy it!

New Rum Bar Coming to Cruz Bay

December 6, 2019 by News of St. John

Well folks, we’ve been waiting to tell you about this for awhile, and we’ve finally received the go ahead! A new rum bar is coming to Cruz Bay! How excited does that make all of you rum lovers out there??! And even better, it’s somewhat of a wine bar too. Now that makes me excited! I can’t wait!

The new spot is called Lovango Rum Bar, and it is set to open later this month. The Lovango Rum Bar will be located directly above Drink, across the street from the beach in Cruz Bay. And seeing that it’s on the second floor, it has amazing views of Cruz Bay harbor and beyond.

Lovango Rum Bar is going to be more than just a bar. It’s actually a rum distillery with more than 100 types of rum to choose from. And as we mentioned above, it will have 100 wines to choose from and even a rentable wine cellar. Looking for something to munch on? Well they plan to serve a variety of artisan pizza specialties too.

This will be John Yob’s second bar here on St. John. He also owns Maho Crossroads on the North Shore. The Lovango Rum Bar will be managed by Mike Ramsey, a former owner of Woody’s.

And a quick little side note: Lovango Rum is not affiliated with the proposed hotel out on Lovango Cay. Lovango Rum Bar was named prior to the announcement of the Lovango hotel, owner John Yob told me earlier this week.

Lovango Rum Bar is expected to open within the next few weeks. We will keep you all posted. In the meantime, have a great day everyone!

St. John Tours: See the Island with Me!

December 5, 2019December 5, 2019 by News of St. John

Hello everyone and happy Thursday! We just wanted to take a quick moment today to remind you all that we conduct island tours here on St. John.

We started conducting island tours in each 2017, and the reception has been amazing! I absolutely love this island, and I love sharing that love with all of you. Whether this is your first visit to the island or if you are a repeat guest, I guarantee you will see something new. In fact, at least half of my guests are repeat visitors to the island!

During your tour, we will do a little sightseeing – St. John has some of the most beautiful views in the world. We will check out some of the island’s stunning beaches – who doesn’t want to dip their toes in our beautiful Caribbean waters! We can stop at one or more of the island’s sugar plantation ruins, and we can even do some light hiking if you’d like. I can guarantee some sea turtles sightings and we usually stumble on the donkeys too! I will tell you about the history of the island, and I can share with you the current happenings on island. Most importantly, we will have fun!

So you may be wondering what makes my tour different from the other island tours? Well, what makes us different is that we are the only, personalized tour on St. John. I will take guests pretty much anywhere they want to go. The taxi tours are sometimes limited in where they are able to go, but not us. I enjoy taking my guests off the beaten path and to out-of-the-way spots that they would typically never see. Another difference is that I can only take up to four guests and I never combine groups, so it’s a more private and personal tour. When I am out and about with my guests, it’s more like I am out with friends. And I love that.

So what types of tours do we offer? Well here are the details:

Half-Day Tours: For those of you who want to see a great deal of the island, but do not want to commit a whole vacation day to a tour, our three-hour, half-day tours are for you! These tours are great for those of you who would like to see the island from the eyes of an insider, but you do not want to commit to an entire day to touring the island. During this tour, we can still do some sightseeing, we can check out the beaches, ruins, and do some super light hiking (like a tenth of a mile walk in the woods to a beautiful site) while learning about the island’s history and current happenings. The only difference with this tour is that the stops are a bit shortened when compared to our full day tours. We offer half-day tours from 9 a.m. to noon or from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The cost for a half-day tour is $300.
Full-Day Tours: Our full day tour is five hours long and includes a lunch stop in Coral Bay or over at Lime Out. During these tours, we can see nearly the entire island if you’d like to. We can check out the beaches, ruins, hiking trails and more! If you’d like to spend some time snorkeling with the turtles, we can do that! Want to see the more obscure, out of the way places? We can do that too! Again, all tours are completely customizable, so we will do exactly what you want! Don’t have an itinerary? Well we’ll provide options and you can choose what you would like to do and see! The cost for a full-day tour is $425.
Land and Sea Tours: We offer St. John’s only land and sea tour. For this tour, we partner with our friends at Flyaway Charters in Coral Bay. These tours are six hours long. For our land and sea tours, guests spend the first half of the tour exploring on land with me, and then they spend the second half of the day on the water with Flyaway Charters. These tours are really the best of both worlds for someone who wants to see all that St. John has to offer in just one day. You can do some snorkeling at some great offshore spots and even visit Pizza Pi, the Caribbean’s floating pizza boat, or Lime Out, St. John’s floating taco boat! Flyaway Charters can also provide a great deal of history of the island. The cost for a land and sea tour is $600. Fuel for the boat is not included, and costs between $50 and $100 depending on where you choose to travel.

All prices are per tour.

Don’t they all sound great! Who is ready to book??!

If you are staying in the Cruz Bay area, I will happily pick you up right at your villa, condo or hotel. If they are staying outside of the Cruz Bay area, we can arrange a meeting point. We’ll pick you up with a cooler filled with water and ice, and if you’d like, we can bring along a jug of Painkillers for an additional $50 fee. We have beach chairs, noodles and boogie boards for you to use throughout the day. And to make your day even better, we can even take the top off of the Jeep!

You can book directly with me either by emailing me at [email protected], or by messaging me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/newsofstjohn. Please let me know which tour you prefer, as well as your preferred date.

Want to know what other guests have said? Then please check out my reviews on TripAdvisor.

I look forward to meeting you all and showing you just how amazing this little island is! Thanks everyone, and have a great day!

Tag: St. John Tours

St. John Real Estate: Quality Home with Lots of Amenities & Views!

December 4, 2019December 4, 2019 by News of St. John

Well folks, it’s Wednesday which means we’re halfway though the week! We thought we’d take a day off from the typical “news” today, and chat about real estate instead.

For those of you who are looking to purchase a beautiful, high-end home here on island, there’s one that recently listed for sale. And even better, it’s located in a great neighborhood, has amazing views and is located close to town. Here are all the details straight from its listing:

Every detail of this spacious 4BR 3BA pool villa was carefully considered and meticulously implemented, in the pursuit of lasting design, beauty and craftsmanship. At first glance of this gently sloped lot in desirable Chocolate Hole, one is immersed with stunning views south to St Croix, west to St Thomas from three covered porches, expansive pool area and deck, as well as master and guest suites. Daily sunsets and cooling tradewinds complete the picture. Complimenting this high-end construction process is an impressive roster of amenities for the discerning guest or owner, including granite counters, marble baths, stainless steel appliances, mahogany ceilings, doors and trim, coral stone flooring, and central air conditioning. This villa will make the perfect family home and or short-term rental with its interior access to all the living spaces and bedrooms.

Flat grassy manicured lawns and mature gardens surround the house. Ample parking for multiple vehicles and turn around areas along with the gentle sloping driveway allow for ease in your approach and access to the house.

All things considered, the synergies of this property, including the neighborhood, lot, view, construction, and amenities make it an exceptional find.

After 20 years, the original contractor-owner, who built this “safe house” for his family, is offering his home for purchase. This home has withstood every storm. Walls are monolithically poured concrete, with steel horizontally and vertically throughout the walls far exceeding code requirements. Roof structure is an engineered steel-reinforced truss system and was steel strapped from the cross beam into the foundation. Custom built metal storm shutters bolt directly onto the concrete walls. This house was unscathed when the majority of the surrounding homes, and the nearby Westin, suffered major structural damage.

Please check out a few more pics…

Ready to own a piece of St. John real estate? This Chocolate Hole home is being offered for $1,675,000. For more information, please contact Tammy Donnelly of 340 Real Estate Co. at [email protected].

St. John Webcams: New Cam Over Coral Bay

December 3, 2019December 3, 2019 by News of St. John

Hello everyone, and happy Tuesday! We know how much you love to check out your daily views of the island, so today we’re happy to tell you that we just added a new one to our list of St. John webcams.

The latest webcam to go online is located at Esprit Villa, a beautiful three bedroom home located high atop Bordeaux Mountain. The webcam faces east and has beautiful views of Coral Bay and beyond. You can check it out by clicking the image above or visit it directly at www.espritstjohn.com/live-webcam

The following is our complete list of webcams. You can bookmark them all at www.newsofstjohn.com/webcams

Great Cruz Bay & the Westin presented by News of St. John: