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News of St. John Weekend Swag Sale

Bottle Can Shot Glass

Summer is coming and you’re going to want to keep those drinks cold. Why not keep them cold with a super cool News of St. John bottle or can koozie – or perhaps both! Or maybe you’re more of a one ounce kind of person – If so, then you’re going to want to take home one of our News of St. John shot glasses. You really can’t go wrong either way. 🙂

And just think of how cool you will look in front of all of your friends…

Because we love all of you so dearly, we decided to offer another sale this weekend. Use the code “maho” and receive 25% off of your entire order.

Online store: www.NewsofStJohn.com/onlinestore

Westin Construction Update: April 2014

Westin Pool
Renovated pool area

As you know, the Westin is in the midst of a pretty major renovation. It’s been a few months since our last construction update, so we thought it’d be helpful to provide some new information on where the Westin is with the project.

As we mentioned back in December, renovations to the pool, the poolside rooms and the beachfront rooms have all been completed. The pool area now has additional seating and just looks great. See for yourself in the pictures above and below:

Renovated poolside rooms with lush landscaping
Renovated poolside rooms with lush landscaping

The lower hillside rooms (buildings 21, 22, and 23) are currently being converted into what will become Coral Vista Villas – luxury vacation ownership units. Those renovations are expected to be completed in Spring 2015. (Click here to read more about this project.) Here’s what that project currently looks like:

Westin hillside renoThe Beachside Cafe is also undergoing renovations and is expected to reopen in mid to late June. In the meantime, breakfast and dinner is being served in the restaurant above the lobby (formerly Cruz Bay Prime). We hear that the new and improved beach cafe will have a new name when it reopens, but nothing is official on that front as of yet.

Westin beach cafe reno
Construction at the beach cafe

Lastly, there is some work going on over at the shops which are located near the entrance of the resort.

Construction near the shops
Construction near the shops

So what’s next on the Westin’s list in terms of construction? Renovations will begin in the lobby area in mid to late June. At that time, the restaurant will close down as well. That project is expected to be completed by December of this year. The workout center and spa is also slated to get a facelift.  Those facilities will be affected from July through October.

We mentioned this in a previous construction update, but it’s worth repeating. Yes, there will be some inconveniences for tourists, as well as noise associated with construction, but in my opinion, it’s not that bad. And we have to give the Westin credit –  its staff does an outstanding job in accommodating all guests, so kudos to you Westin.

On the Road: East End to Maho Bay

Cruise with us from the East End to Maho Bay in less than three minutes. Oh and we brought a friend along with us – you may have heard of him. 😉

(Dear Kenny Chesney, please don’t get upset with us for “borrowing” your song. Love, Jenn)

Turn your volume up…

This video was created using a GoPro Hero3.

Gotcha!

news palm treeYou have to admit, yesterday’s story was pretty funny. We wanted to do something to make you all laugh and we knew John Brandi would be game, so we concocted this silly story to trick all of you. Once Captain John got Winsome involved at the Soggy Dollar, we knew it was going to be great!

So we have to ask – How many of you believed us at least for a second?? Let us know below.

More Drama with New Gas Station

Gas Station March 2014

So I have to admit, this never even crossed my mind…

As you all know, the new South Shore gas station is very close to being completed. Despite the fact that the land it is being built on is the subject of an ongoing court case (Click here to read New Gas Station Prompts Land Dispute), work is continuing and it appears that the gas station will be open for business in the very near future. Well things might not work as as planned…

Call me oblivious, but I never saw this coming.

How many of you have either driven or walked up Jacob’s Ladder? For those of you unfamiliar with this section of roadway, it’s located on Southside Road just before the new gas station. It’s an extremely steep and pretty intense section of roadway to say the least. Well as it turns out, Jacob’s Ladder is so steep that trucks have trouble getting up it. Case in point: Last week’s gas delivery to the new gas station. Check out this picture taken by St. John Tradewinds:

Image credit: St. John Tradewinds
Image credit: St. John Tradewinds

According to the Tradewinds, “St. John emergency officials expressed concern after they responded twice to incidents involving a fuel truck trying to make the first delivery to the new gas station on South Shore Road on Wednesday, March 26. After the truck blocked traffic for more than hour when it couldn’t climb Jacob’s Ladder — and was escorted back to Cruz Bay. The driver made a second attempt to make the delivery by trying to go through Contant to the top of the hill, where it became stuck again, and St. John Rescue responded once again as a backhoe was brought in to turn the truck around.”

We heard the truck never made it to the new gas station and had to sell it off to E&C. We’re not really sure what the current status is, but we do know that the truck dropped off the gas container in Cruz Bay Tuesday night before hopping on the barge to St. Thomas.

gas tanker

All we have to say is, karma?

Ferry Boat to Serve New Purpose

John Brandi Red Hook 1
So as you all know, the situation with the new ferries has become laughable. The government essentially ordered them without ever consulting the current ferry operators. The current ferry operators own their own boats, so it makes no sense for them to lease them from the government. Delrise Varlack of Varlack Ventures, one of the current ferry boat operators, was even recently quoted as saying the government needed to “get serious” about contract terms.

Well it seems that someone has gotten serious – Captain John Brandi of Palm Tree Charters.

“You know, I was just plain sick and tired of seeing those two beauties docked over there at the sub base in St. Thomas,” Captain John said recently. “So I made the government an offer they couldn’t refuse.”

What exactly was the offer Captain John made? Well beginning this Saturday, Red Hook 1 will be renamed Palm Tree Charters Express. You read that right – Palm Tree Charters has leased one of the ferry boats. How exciting is that?!

Untitled-1

“Now this is going to be good. Each Saturday and Sunday, I’m going to offer an express trip over to see Mick and the girls at the Soggy Dollar. Boy oh boy, I can’t wait,” Captain John said.

“The good thing is I can now transport 250 people at a time,” he continued. “The bad thing is that people will have to pack light because there’s barely any luggage space.”

Seriously, I can’t wait for the inaugural trip on Saturday.

Even the folks at the Soggy are excited. Here’s what they had to say Monday:

Trips aboard the Palm Tree Charters Express will depart each Saturday and Sunday from the National Park Dock. The cost is $50 per person roundtrip. You must be 18 and older to ride, so leave those kiddos at home.

Want to be among the first to ride on the Palm Tree Charters Express? Click here to visit Captain John’s website and to make a reservation.

On the Market: Hear the Sounds of the Surf from this Income Producing Home

boat calabash

Hear the sound of the surf lapping at the water’s edge just a stone’s throw away from this pod-style quasi waterfront family home.

Located in Calabash just past Coral Bay, this home features two separate income producing units plus additional space to add on. The lower level features a living room, kitchen, loft bedroom and bathroom while the upper unit consists of one bedroom, one bathroom, a kitchen and living room. The upper unit also has upper and lower decks with water views out toward the East End and British Virgin Islands.

exterior calabash

The home has a fully fenced in yard, making it very dog-friendly, and has an abundance of large trees and native stonework. The home is fully hurricane shuttered.

water view calabash

Another great feature of this Calabash home is its proximity to the shops and restaurants in Coral Bay. Enjoy the cooling tradewinds while you walk on over and enjoy all that Coral Bay has to offer. This location also affords you the ability to moor your boat in nearby Coral Bay harbor, allowing you to keep an eye on it 24/7 from one of your private decks.

All of this can be yours for only $655,000.

Want to learn more? Contact Tammy at 340 Real Estate Co. at [email protected]

Authentic Caribbean Cuisine in the Heart of Cruz Bay

Norma Coal Pot
Norma Herman, owner of De’ Coal Pot

People often email us here at News of St. John asking for recommendations on good, authentic local fare. Well there’s a new restaurant in town that fits the bill and we have to say, it’s pretty delish.

De’ Coal Pot has garnered quite a name for itself since it opened less than four weeks ago. Located in the heart of Cruz Bay – next to The Lime Inn and across from Sogo’s Restaurant and the Cruz Bay Boutique Hotel – De’ Coat Pot serves up authentic Caribbean cuisine that includes shrimp creole, garlic herb conch, herb crusted steak and more. It has a large, beautifully decorated dining room and a bar that seats six.

Coal Pot Inside

De’ Coal Pot is owned by Norma and Glycerius Herman – Norma grew up in St. Thomas while Glycerius is from St. Lucia. Together they are bringing the delicious flavors of the Caribbean to Cruz Bay. Here are a few dishes they serve:

DE_COAL_POT_FLYER
Click to enlarge

You may have even had the opportunity to taste one of the Herman’s dishes in the past. The couple owned the Windy Level up on Centerline from 2009-2011. The location wasn’t ideal, according to Norma, so they decided to relocate into town.

“I wanted a spot in town because of the traffic,” Norma said. “It took four-and-a-half months to build. We did it one day at a time.”

So what exactly is the meaning behind the coal pot?

“The coal pot is what we grew up cooking on,” Norma said. “Conch, oxtail – it took a lot gas to cook them and get them soft, and gas was too expensive, so we had to use the coal pot.”

The coal pot is simply decorative at De’ Coal Pot but serves as a reminder of the past.

De’ Coal Pot is open Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. It currently accepts cash only; however they will begin accepting credit cards in the upcoming weeks.

You can contact De’ Coal Pot at (340) 714-2625. You can also find them on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DeCoalPot

De Coal Pot Exterior


Yesterday’s Waves

We told you yesterday how the waves were expected to be quite large – 13 to 15 feet to be exact. They were pretty intense. See for yourself:

sailboat waves

waves rocks

high surf

waves

trunk waves