An Online Blog About the Daily Happenings of St. John, USVI
News of St. John 
This one is going out to all the music lovers out there! Whether you are visiting St. John and want to do some island hopping, you live on St. John and want one more getaway before the season picks up or you are in the states looking for a quick and easy island (and live music!) fix, Virgin Islands Shakedown at The Fred will be sure to cure your craving!
Read moreVirgin Islands Shakedown Music Festival in St. Croix Next Month
We have been reporting on a lot of of featured homes and villas over the past few months. I’m sure many of you have been following along wondering, “What does the real estate market look like on St. John during this pandemic?”
Here we are today on the anniversary of IRMA in the midst of a different type of storm unlike any other we have experienced in our lifetimes.
COVID has changed our lives in many ways and changed the island that we all love as much. Unfortunately many aspects of COVID separate us physically; we can’t hug who we want to hug, and share space with strangers who we want to get to know. And of course it has torn us apart spiritually and politically as well.
A St John business owner recently posted on facebook a question of what was worse COVID or IRMARIE?
Different people have different opinions based on their circumstances and experiences, but one thing that stood out in the responses is that the storms brought us together as people. We weren’t fighting over politics, culture, masks, shutdowns, and tourism. We were coming together to help one another, friends and strangers alike.
We encourage you today to take a day (or a week, or a year) off from disagreements and remember back what it was like to love one another in a time of need…..and maybe help a stranger.
Please remember by watching this post-storm video from Steve Simonsen.
There is a very exciting announcement regarding the property above Colombo Smoothies on Centerline Road!
The name of the property is Love City Fresh Farm & Picnic. The basics of the property is that it is farm, picnic area, with food truck on site.
There was a launch video posted to the Facebook Page that you should see after reading this post. But first check out the pictures of the property.
The best part is definitely the views, especially at sunset, as seen above.
You can see Maho Bay from one side of the property and Coral Bay from the other side.
Most importantly, there is a Freight Farms indoor hydroponic growing container with the capacity to grow over 8000 plants at a time. This will include many different types of greens for area restaurants, mint for drinks, and also a program for residents and tourists to participate.
The property also has dozens of fruit trees such as lemon, lime, orange, mango, and papaya, as well as rows of pineapple.
The container farm will provide the island with a source of fresh greens even in the case of storms.
There is a food truck that will be offering tacos cooked to order and some of the coolest tables you have ever seen.
One of the unique features of the property is that after you purchase your produce from the food truck you may use one of the onsite BBQ Grill tables to heat your kabobs to your preferred temperature in the picnic area.
Love City Fresh plans to open the property to the public Thanksgiving of 2020.
Please remember to check out their Facebook page for further updates!
(these pictures were taken at a private event prior to the surge in covid)
It is easy to get consumed by the weekly press conferences by the Governor and changing policies for travel and restaurants that come with the spread of the virus. But things are beginning to return to a ‘new normal’, venues are opening, and beaches are relatively busy.
There are some updates worth mentioning:
Windmill Bar – There is a new bar opening up called the Windmill Bar. It is located at Neptune’s Lookout where they have held several music festivals, including VI Jam Fest the last two years. It includes a bar with the best view on St John, as well as a 9 hole disc golf course! The Windmill bar Facebook page posted that it would be opening “soon”. We will do a longer post once it opens to the public.
Maho – Maho Crossroads is open and now offers table service at their picnic tables to comply with the Governor’s Executive Orders and maintain a healthy environment. They have not been having live music regularly like they did in 2019, but the Echo People have played a few times in recent weeks. Keep an eye out for them on Sunday afternoons. You can purchase discounted gift certificates to Maho Crossroads at St John Deals.
The Love Maho store at Crossroads is renting transparent kayaks so that you can see the turtles and other marine life under you while enjoying the exercise.
There have been new speed bumps installed at Maho to encourage cars to slow down when driving so close to the beach.
Trunk and Cinnamon – The beaches are open to the public but the concessions are still closed. We will report more as we learn more about their timing.
Honeymoon – Bikinis on the Beach has been having live music regularly and has full concessions open. You can purchase discounted Gift Certificates to VI Ecotours at St John Deals.
The COVID cases continue to slowly increase on St John, but restaurants are open, beaches have visitors, and life is returning to a new normal. We continue to encourage you to wear your mask and practice safe social distancing. We are all in this together.
We love St John. That is why we read News of St John, and follow the St John social media pages. We are biased.
But the Caribbean has no shortage of gorgeous islands. Clear blue waters, pristine beaches, and vibrant culture draws in visitors from all around the world looking for a tropical getaway. What makes an island stand out? What makes a traveler choose one out of more than seven hundred? Often, the first spark is media attention.
Anyone working in or interested in the travel industry has likely heard of Travel and Leisure Magazine. The publication has existed in some form for nearly a century. This mass media corporation is responsible for some of the most famous magazines in the world, including Time, Sports Illustrated, and Entertainment Weekly. In short, Travel and Leisure is a big deal. They rank St John #5 in their Top 25 Island in the Caribbean, Bermuda, and the Bahamas.
(The ‘elephant in the room’ when discussing Caribbean travel these days is that most countries are closed off to international travelers. St John and the US Virgin Islands are one of the few locations you can go to relax, unwind, and enjoy the culture after several uncomfortable months in the states. This means more visitors to the island. Please remember to be safe, social distance, where a mask when required, and follow the rules. We are all in this together.)
Read moreGovernor Announces Big Changes to Pre-Travel Testing, Bars, Restaurants
It was only a matter to time.
There has been a surge in cases of COVID on St Croix and St Thomas, and in last nights update from the Department of Health that uptick also made its way to St John. There are two new positive tests on St John, bringing the total number of positive tests to six. Both cases were travel related rather than spread in the community, which is a positive sign. Six total cases, and two new cases, is a very small number relative to what is happening across the country, but any new cases is a cause for caution and concern.
Read moreTwo New St John Positive Tests: Governor Bryan Speaking at 1pm Today
There has been a surge in COVID testing on St Croix, St Thomas, and St John.
Unfortunately St Croix continues to see positive tests, and to a lesser extent St Thomas.
Read moreJuly 8th COVID Update: Another Surge in Testing Results…….
“Yum, yum, yummm”
“The best pizza on island”
“The best pizza, period.”
Lovango Rum Bar has been open for roughly a month and the reviews have been fantastic. People love the amazing Neapolitan pizza paired with a craft cocktail or flight of rum and a spectacular Cruz Bay sunset. But how would the business know how they’re doing without your reviews?
The News of St John is adding a new “review” feature so that YOU can review and rate St John businesses after trying their products!
Lovango Rum Bar is helping to launch the new News of St John review service by adding 20 additional gift certificates to the StJohn.Deals marketplace. Have you heard about StJohn.Deals? Well, its a new site that allows you to purchase activitity, dining, shopping and lodging vouchers at a discount before you visit! Lovango Rum Bar vouchers are available in limited quantity and when you buy one for $80, you get $100 to spend on dinner and drinks!
Please take a moment to read the previous Lovango Rum Bar spotlight. If you have already checked out the place, then please leave a review at the bottom of the article (screenshot shown below, use links to participate).
If you haven’t yet been, there then feel free to buy a gift certificate and leave a review afterwards.
We have tested the review feature on the Just Fish charter and will be adding review functionality to more business spotlights regularly. Check out this new feature and, if you have used Just Fish, please review them!