After closing down temporarily for low season, Joe’s Rum Hut recently reopened and it’s undergone quite the transformation. The popular Cruz Bay bar added a second bar with a ton of seating and it looks great! See for yourself…
The second bar and seating area was built in the area that formerly housed the kitchen area. The kitchen area has moved over to where the ice cream store used to be. Joe’s Rum Hut now has about 30 additional seats, which is great (especially during happy hour 🙂 )
In addition to the new bar and seating area, Joe’s Rum Hut added a few new drinks, sandwiches and pizzas. And speaking of drinks, the Rum Hut still offers the “Call Your Own” drink for $3 every day between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. It doesn’t get much better than that, now does it? And the icing on the cake – the Rum Hut has pretty good wifi as well.
So next time you’r over at Wharfside Village, be sure to check out the new space and perhaps grab one of my favorite island drinks… Cheers!
Back in October we told you about a fund that was set up to fight proposed marina in Coral Bay. It was astonishing how quickly money was raised – more than $8,000 during the first weekend and more than $75,000 to date. Today we’d like to tell you that the money is being put to use and that a notice of action was filed last Friday. Here are the details straight from the Save Coral Bay Fund…
“The Save Coral Bay Fund, with the full support of the Coral Bay Community Council, announced (last week) that it is partnering with the Virgin Islands Conservation Society (VICS) to initiate legal action against the development of the St. John Marina proposed by The Summers End Group, LLC, for Coral Bay Harbor, in St John, US Virgin Islands. Later this week VICS will be filing appeals against permits granted to the marina developers by the St. John Coastal Zone Management committee.
“Following unprecedented public outcry against a marina that would be destructive to federally listed endangered sea turtle habitat, endangered coral species, and a prime nursery for lemon and black tip sharks, a grass roots movement has quickly drawn over $75,000 in financial support from hundreds of people inside and outside of the Virgin Islands who are opposed to this project. The Save Coral Bay Fund is supported by residents of all of the US Virgin Islands, business owners, frequent visitors, mariners, marine biologists, realtors, and people from all walks of life who see this proposed mega marina as the most threatening development ever to be considered for the island of St John. All financial donations to the Save Coral Bay Fund are being managed by the Coral Bay Community Council, a 501(c)(3) non- profit organization.
“The Virgin Islands Conservation Society has an over 45 year track record of successes in protecting the natural environment of the USVI. VICS has successfully fought to prevent environmentally destructive development from damaging the fragile ecosystems of the Virgin Islands and encouraging responsible development.
“The partnership has retained legal counsel to oppose the proposed development. At the VI territorial level, attorney Jennifer Jones (vienvironmentallaw.com) will be the lead counsel, assisted by attorney Andrew Simpson (coralbrief.com) as chief litigation counsel. Between the two, these attorneys have over 30 years of experience successfully fighting environmental cases in the Virgin Islands. Jennifer Jones said ‘The numerous problems with these applications and the manner in which they were reviewed will all be noted in the filing with the Board of Land Use Appeals. This is an important environmental case that will highlight how the Coastal Zone Management Commission reviews CZM applications and whether it truly protects the environment and the public’s interest.’
“To handle aspects of the lengthy federal multi-agency regulatory review process coordinated by the Army Corps of Engineers, the nationally known environmental and energy law firm, Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox (mankogold.com) is providing pro bono legal services. The Save Coral Bay Fund is extremely fortunate to have the services of partners Robert Fox and Jonathan Rinde of the Manko firm. They bring extensive experience in regulatory compliance and litigation in federal environmental law.
“David Silverman, spokesperson for the Save Coral Bay Fund, said ‘I am thrilled that VICS is lending their vast experience in environmental protection to this vital cause. The voices that have been raised in opposition to the marina proposal of the Summers End Group will now have an effective channel through which to pursue appeals and, if necessary, litigation in our territorial and federal courts. We applaud VICS for standing up with us to fight for our Virgin Islands environment.’
“Jason Budsan, President, Virgin Islands Conservation Society, said ‘The protection of our natural environment is the prime mission of VICS. We stand with the people of Coral Bay , St John and all responsible Virgin Islanders in their opposition to this environmentally destructive marina development. Our voice was heard at the public hearing, and now we are adding the voice of hundreds of St John residents to our firm stance in this critical matter.'”
Charlie, my new dog that I recently adopted from the ACC, and I hopped into the Jeep last night and drove up to the Cruz Bay overlook. We recorded it for you, sped it up some and added a little music. So here’s last night’s sunset in just over four minutes. I think you’ll like it. Check it out…
Perhaps your more of a sunrise person? Here’s a video we made earlier this year on another “Beautiful Day.”
The opportunity to own a beachfront Home on St. John comes rarely. Villa St. John’s classic estate feel is the perfect large party vacation rental retreat with six equally oversized master bedroom suites, a pool and two hot tubs. This luxury villa generates a substantial income while providing a retreat for the owners and their extended family in one home.
Villa St. John has a flawless layout, central AC throughout, total privacy, easy North Shore and town access, an oversized waterfront lot in a desirable neighborhood with a history of strong appreciation, spectacular sunset views from every bedroom, ample parking, a private and easy staircase to the beach, the large pool and huge patio, mature professional landscaping, two full size gourmet kitchens … the list goes on and on for this turnkey property.
What makes Villa St. John truly unique among villa rentals is the identical bedrooms. All six master bedroom suites have great views, private balconies, equal square footage, equal master bathrooms with his and her sinks, walk in closets, mini-bars, a jetted bathtub for two and separate showers. The home regularly accommodates families and groups of up to 20 people and still gives privacy when wanted.
Want to see more? Check out this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcxiUnOL5ZQ
Villa St. John is listed for $3.495 million. All offers will be considered.
Looking for additional information? Contact Jared Warren at RE/MAX Island Paradise Realty at [email protected]
I knew something was up yesterday when I passed safari taxi after safari taxi filled with very nicely dressed people while driving along the North Shore. A few hours later, I drove into town and saw a smaller cruise ship anchored off of Cruz Bay. You may have seen it on the Spice Cam or perhaps on either Grande Bay or Hillcrest Guesthouse’s webcams. The ship is called Seadream 2 and its appearance, in my opinion, officially marks the start of high season.
Seadream 2 has since left Cruz Bay is is currently approaching Virgin Gorda as of early Wednesday morning. You may be curious how or why I have all of this random knowledge on a cruise ship. Well today, I’m going to let you in on a fun little secret … there’s an app for that.
Ever wonder what the boat is that you’re seeing on one of St. John’s many webcams? Well simply go over to MarineTraffic.com or download the Marine Traffic app, and you’ll have info on most of the ships in the world at your fingertips. This app is especially fun to use in the winter when all of the megayachts are cruising through the waters.
The way it works is simple. Simply open the app or visit the website. Then zoom into the part of the world you’re interested in. Once you find your spot, simply click the symbol on the screen and the vessel’s name will pop up. You can learn everything from the ship’s size, country of origin, last port call and more. It’s pretty neat.
This is what my app looked like last night. Seadream 2 is the blue diamond off of Cruz Bay.
I clicked the blue diamond and the vessel’s name popped up:
If you click the small “i” icon, information on the ship will pop up. There is more information if you scroll through the app.
These types of cruise ships always anchor off of Cruz Bay, so it’s best to check them out on the Spice Cam, Grande Bay webcam or Hillcrest Guesthouse webcam. Two other great webcams for ship spotting are Island Stones and La Jolla Caribe, which both have great views of Cinnamon Bay and Maho Bay. You can see all of these webcams and more on our webcam page at www.NewsofStJohn.com/webcams or by clicking here.
I visited a new bar yesterday – well new to me – and I enjoyed it so much that I thought I’d share it with all of you. It’s called Corsairs and it’s now at the top of my favorite off island places to visit.
Corsairs is a fun, quirky little spot located in Great Harbor over on Jost Van Dyke, which is the same spot that Foxy’s famous bar is. It’s located just a few steps from the dock to your left if you’re walking toward shore.
Corsairs opened back in 2003 by a man named Vinny. Vinny told me he came to Jost Van Dyke by way of the island of Coney – yup. he’s a bit of a smart ass, which makes him all that more likable in my opinion. He ended up in this part of the world after sailing down to St. John where he ran a charter business before purchasing Corsairs.
“I saw the writing on the wall and made a deal,” he said about purchasing Corsairs whose walls happened to be covered in years worth of signs, signatures and scribblings.
Vinny was quick to point out that Corsairs happens to be the number one bar in all of the British Virgin Islands, which is pretty impressive considering there are 191 in total.
“It’s pretty simple down here,” Vinny said of maintaining his top ranking. “Good food and good people.”
Speaking of food, we only stopped for drinks but have heard from several folks that Corsairs food is top notch. I can vouch for the drinks personally, however. Vinny poured my friends and I a cup of Voodoo. I’m not sure what it was, but it was absolutely delicious.
VinnyMy Voodoo drink
According to Vinny, Corsairs is open eight days a week from 9-ish till the last one falls. They may take a break during the afternoon from time to time if the bar is slow. In that case, just go look for him on the beach.
St. John has a lot of cool plants and animals as many of you may know, and yesterday I happened to stumble upon one of them as Mr. News of St. John and I decided to spend some time at Honeymoon Beach. Rather than hike in via the Lindt Point trail, we opted to park in Caneel’s lot. We knew we’d grab drinks and lunch at the bar afterward, so the $20 parking fee wasn’t a worry to us. (The fee gets waived when you spend $20 or more on property.)
When we pulled into the parking lot, we were pretty psyched to get a spot in the shade because yesterday was a hot one! I hopped out of the Jeep and immediately saw a very cool tree. Check it out:
The tree is called Monkey No Climb for reasons you could see for yourself. I decided to seek out a bit more about this tree from an island expert, so I started searching Gerald Singer’s See St. John website. What I learned is that this tree is also called the sandbox tree. Here’s what Gerald had to say about it:
The sandbox tree is recognized by its many dark pointed spines and smooth brown bark. The sharp spines along the trunk have caused it to be called monkey no climb. The white prickle, yellow prickle and kapok have also been called monkey no climb for the same reason.
Another name for this tree is monkey pistol. The tree has beautiful seed pods that look like tangerines made out of wood. When the seed pods are perfectly ripe, the individual segments, which are the separate seeds, burst apart making a sharp cracking sound like a pistol being fired.
The origin of the name sandbox tree was once explained to me by St. John horticulturist, Eleanor Gibney:
“During the Victorian era a necessary desk accessory was something called the sandbox. People kept sand in it to blot ink with. Some enterprising person, upon finding these pods in the West Indies, must have decided that if you got them right before they split open and put a little glue in them, they would stay intact, and they would make perfect little sand holders.”
“There are probably hundreds of them sitting around in the attics of Europe,” she added.
Pretty interesting, right? Here’s a closer look at the prickly spines…
Now for those of you interested in gorgeous beaches a tad more than my random tree knowledge this Monday, this video’s for you. It was taken yesterday afternoon at Honeymoon. Enjoy! And Happy November 10th!! -Which happens to be my birthday… 🙂
Good morning everyone, happy Sunday! Today we’d like to recognize one of our island friends for receiving some pretty major accolades. Stacy Mulcare has been planning weddings since 1986 and opened Ceremonies of St. John in 1996. We’ve written about several of them and can attest to her work as being top notch. Well it seems that others have seen and enjoyed Stacy’s work as well because she was just named one of the top 25 influential wedding planners in the world. Yes, in the world! How wonderful is that?!
So please join me in congratulating Stacy on this incredible honor. And if you happen to be planning a wedding or thinking about planning a vow renewal ceremony, give her a ring at 1-888-282-3933 or email her at [email protected].
Again, congrats Stacy! Here are a couple of pics of her work…
By now I know that a lot of you have given thought about packing up your things and moving to the island. But for one reason or another a full time leap just isn’t in the cards. Well today we have a great alternative that you may be interested in, as the Grande View Residences at Grande Bay are now available for fractional sale.
The Grande View Residences offer all of the advantages of second home ownership, yet are complimented with the amenities and personal services of a luxury resort. Owners have exclusive access to Grande Bay’s Jeep Club, Yacht Club, concierge services, indoor gym, pool and spa and more.
Pricing for a one-bedroom unit starts at $19,700 per week. Two bedroom units start at $25,900 per week. The units are truly remarkable. See for yourself…
For more information on the Grande View Residences at Grande Bay, please call 888-383-9019 or click here to visit its website.
So as we mentioned back in September, Deli Grotto had closed its doors and a new deli was planning on opening in its place. Well we finally got over to try it this week, and it was absolutely delicious!
The new spot is called North Shore Deli and the new owners have done an amazing job with the place and with the food. I ordered a greek flatbread with grilled chicken, feta, lettuce and tzatziki sauce, which was $10. I grabbed it to go and ate it over at Cinnamon Bay with some friends. It was very good.
North Shore Deli offers a great variety of breakfast and lunch options including sandwiches, salads, hot dips, grab and go food and more. All are reasonably priced too at about $10 or less.
Now I know a lot of you were concerned about the fabulous desserts of Deli Grotto going away forever. Well we’ve got great news for you – North Shore Deli has a ton of delicious desserts including the ever-popular coconut chocolate bar. Yum!
They even added some specialty drinks to the menu including Bucket List Bushwackers, pina coladas, daiquiris, milkshakes and more. All come in a nice little North Shore Deli to go cup too.
Another great thing about North Shore Deli – free wifi! It’s the little things in life. 🙂
Definitely add this to your list of places to eat on your next trip down, or if you’re lucky enough to be on island now, make sure to stop in and grab some great food today.
After closing down temporarily for low season, Joe’s Rum Hut recently reopened and it’s undergone quite the transformation. The popular Cruz Bay bar added a second bar with a ton of seating and it looks great! See for yourself…
Good morning everyone, happy Sunday! Today we’d like to recognize one of our island friends for receiving some pretty major accolades. Stacy Mulcare has been planning weddings since 1986 and opened Ceremonies of St. John in 1996. We’ve written about several of them and can attest to her work as being top notch. Well it seems that others have seen and enjoyed Stacy’s work as well because she was just named one of the top 25 influential wedding planners in the world. Yes, in the world! How wonderful is that?!
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