Enjoy the beauty of St. John 365 days a year with one of these two great calendars.
The first calendar titled Tropics was created by Carolyn Caldwell. Carolyn lived and painted on St. John for 16 years. Tropics includes paintings of Caribbean scenes from traditional wooden boats at Foxy’s to fruit sellers at outdoor markets. Carolyn’s images are alive with color and warmth that will delight you all year.
Click here to see more images and to purchase Tropics. Click here to learn more about Carolyn and to visit her website.
The second calendar created by Christian Wheatley contains 12 full color images of the Virgin Islands. What makes this calendar extra special, aside from its stunning images, is that it includes all of the 2014 goings on within the Virgin Islands.
This calendar can be purchased at various gift shops on the island or by contacting Joanna at [email protected]
We told you earlier today how housing sales were up in 2013. Want to own a slice of the island? If so, then check out the newly listed Riley’s Retreat:
Riley’s Retreat is a beautifully remodeled six bedroom, five bathroom villa with amazing views of St. Thomas, St. Croix and Pillsbury Sound and dramatic sunsets. The villa features beautiful travertine floors and mahogany trim throughout with genuine Venetian plaster. The upper level has three bedrooms, including a master. The master bedroom features an en suite bathroom with large stone shower and access to another outdoor shower. The upper level also includes a gourmet kitchen including top of the line appliances with custom Brazilian cherry cabinets and granite countertops centered around a large island eating area.
The covered decks on both levels offer a beautiful eating and sitting area to enjoy the sunset views and cool breezes. The two bedroom, one bath lower apartment has its own kitchen and can be rented separately. It too features custom cabinets, granite countertops and travertine floors. It is also fully air conditioned.
There is also an additional cottage on the property with a full bath and decorative concrete countertops.
The property is showcased with magnificent professionally landscaped grounds including mature fruit trees and large palms. The pool is 13.5 x 24 with a total volume of about 14,000 gallons The spa is a large, six-person hot tub. This area also has a large wrap around deck with bar area. There is an exercise room and additional full bath located right off of the pool deck.
Riley’s Retreat has solar H2O and 2.9KW/HR solar electricity, so you can save a ton on your WAPA bill.
Square footage at a glance:
Upstairs: 1,622
Lower apartment: 905
Exercise room: 426
Cottage: 272
Total: 3,225
Laundry/Garage: 717
Covered deck: 1,124
Pool deck 1,063
Riley’s Retreat is also a popular rental villa. Check out the great reviews it has received on VRBO.com – www.vrbo.com/351432
Riley’s Retreat is listed for $1,445,000. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact Tammy Donnelly at 340 Real Estate Co. at [email protected] or at (340) 643-6068.
Villa Anansi is one of the 153 homes on the market.
Who doesn’t want to live on a beautiful island in the Caribbean? Considering last year’s home sale stats, it seems that more and more people are making that dream a reality.
Forty eight homes sold during 2013 compared to 28 in 2012. That represents a 71% increase … not too shabby. In total, there was more than $50 million in home sales throughout 2013. That’s a pretty incredible number.
The most expensive home sold for $3.5 million in Chocolate Hole while the least expensive home was a studio in Carolina, which sold for $165,000. The average home sale price in 2013 was $1,054,698, an 11 percent decrease from the year before. Things are getting more affordable folks. 😉
When it comes to condos, eight were sold in 2013 compared to nine in 2012. Of those sold in 2013, one unit each was sold at Battery Hill, Grande Bay, Lavender Hill, Palm Terrace and Upper Deck. Three units were sold at Gallows Point.
The total amount of condo sales was just under $5 million while the average condo sales price was $613,688. The most expensive unit was a three-bedroom at Grande Bay and the least expensive was a two-bedroom unit at Battery Hill.
Thirty one land parcels sold in both 2013 and 2012, but the total amount of land sales jumped more than $2 million. The largest and most expensive parcel sold was a 13.44-acre site on Monte Bay while the second most expensive parcel was only .76 acres in Peter Bay. That parcel sold for $2 million. Ten parcels sold for less than $100,000 in neighborhoods ranging from Pastory to Carolina.
More than $12 million of land sold in 2013. The average parcel price was $396,016.
Here’s a map to give you a better idea of where the most expensive home and land parcel were sold:
There are currently 153 homes, 35 condos and 269 land parcels for sale throughout the island. Want to see the listings yourself? Check out one of these real estate companies:
Presidio Del Mar, the location of Friends’ 11th annual gala – Image courtesy of www.friendsvinp.org
Check out these great events that raise money for two of the island’s most important organizations – Friends of Virgin Islands National Park and the Animal Care Center.
From the Animal Care Center: A glorious fun-filled evening and a loving way to celebrate the holidays, this annual event features delicious creations by the island’s best chefs, great music, local talent & FUN! This year’s theme is “Party like a Rock Star”. Come dressed as your favorite rock star and prizes will be awarded for the best costume. Music will be provided by DJ Adonis, and there will also be a big raffle and silent auction. Both are known to be two of the best on the island, because the local merchants love to help the animals.
The gala will be held on Saturday, January 18 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the home of Joann and Glenn Hall in Chocolate Hole. Tickets are $100 in advance and $125 at the door. Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here or at any of the following merchants:
Chelsea Drug
St. John Hardware
Connections, East and West
And of course at the ACC shelter.
From Friends of Virgin Islands National Park: By popular demand, the 11th Annual Gala will once again be held at Presidio Del Mar in Peter Bay on February 1. Our gracious hosts for the anticipated event are Steven and Pamela Deckoff. Guests will be welcomed to this prestigious affair with champagne, red carpet and white roses! Truly the gala event of the year on St. John.
This year’s “National Treasures” gala will feature gourmet appetizers from start to finish, carving and food stations and specialty desserts from various culinary experts. As always, wine and champage offerings are top notch, and two full bars are at your service. Dance under the stars in this ultimate villa to In the Sand Band, and possibly a “special guest”. Go home a winner with our famous raffle prize table and silent auction treasures.
Tickets are $250 per person and always sell out in advance. Raffle tickets are $25 each or 5 for $100. Contact Friends at (340) 779.4940 for more information or to get your tickets.
The new year is a time for new beginnings, so what better time to launch our new logo than New Year’s Day. We’re pretty psyched about it, and we hope you like it too.
So what do you all think? Like it???
We’re also launching some fun new swag today. Check it out:
Both beverage coolers are made out of high-quality neoprene. The bottle cooler has a zippered back and rubber bottom. The shot glass is made entirely of glass.
Happy New Year everyone! If you’re reading this, it means we here at News of St. John are still sleeping off last night’s festivities. But check back later today … We have something cool up our sleeves.
Let’s end the year off right by giving credit where credit is due. We’d like to publicly acknowledge one business for its vast contributions to the St. John community throughout 2013. That business is Grande Bay.
Now let’s first address the elephant in the room – Grande Bay isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. (We know, we read all of your emails and comments, both positive and negative.) It seems that people either love it or hate it, but what’s important is the fact that Grande Bay is doing a pretty darn good job of being a good neighbor, not to mention that it’s a pretty cool place to stay.
Throughout 2013, Grande Bay has donated more than $50,000 to the community, mostly in the form of nightly stays. That’s a pretty huge number if you ask us. In fact, it’s the same amount that Kenny Chesney donated to Friends of Virgin Islands National Park last summer. Kudos to both.
Here is a list of the organizations/events that Grande Bay supported in 2013:
Wounded Warrior Project
Little Pink Houses of Hope
Rotary Club Flavors event
Julius Sprauve School – fundraiser
Gifft Hill School – fundraiser
Mount Carmel Church – fundraiser
St. John Rescue
Animal Care Center’s annual gala, No Fleas Please fundraiser and Wagapalooza event
St. John Yacht Club & Kids and the Sea (KATS)
St. John Cancer Fund
Woody’s Save Second Base Block Party
Relay for Life
St. John Dinghy Poker Run
Grande Bay also donates all of its aged and/or discolored towels and linens to one of our favorite organizations – the Animal Care Center (ACC). Speaking of our favorite furry friends, we’d also like to publicly thank Sirenusa for donating $4,225 to the ACC last month. The money was a combination of a direct donation from Catalus Capital, as well as proceeds from a silent auction.
So again, a huge thank you to Grande Bay, Sirenusa, Kenny Chesney and all of the other businesses, residents and tourists who supported the St. John community in one way or another throughout 2013. Kudos to all of you.
Well by now it’s pretty clear that the girls over at Motu know how to throw a great party. Tomorrow night shouldn’t be anything different.
For those of you not making the trek over to Jost tomorrow night, be sure to stop by Motu. The party starts at 9 p.m. and will feature a live ball drop at midnight. There’ll be three bars, a champagne toast at midnight and music by DJ Top Notch. We’re pretty sure this will be one party not to be missed.
A lot happened on St. John in 2013, so let’s take a trip down ole’ memory lane to see which stories stood out among the rest.
The first major story of the year happened within moments of the calendar switching over to 2013 when we all learned that the 13.8-acre Maho Bay parcel had been sold to a mysterious buyer. “Nobody Knows Nothin‘” were the words Frank Barnako used to describe the deal which remained a secret for a good part of the year. All we did know at the time was that Stanley Selengut was preparing to close Maho Bay Camps after 37 years of operation and set May 15 as the official closing date.
But on a positive note, we did in January learn that villa sales for 2012 were the highest in five years. The average price of a villa sold in 2012 was about $1.2 million. That number was increased a bit due to the impressive sale of a six bedroom Peter Bay villa. That home alone sold for $8.45. Wouldn’t it be nice folks, wouldn’t it be nice.
February was a pretty chill month with not too much happening. High season was in full swing and the weather was glorious as usual. The highlight of the month occurred on February 23 when the 17th annual 8 Tuff Miles race rolled through town. David Riddle, a 31-year-old from Cincinnati, took the top spot finishing the 8.3 mile course in 45 minutes and 46 seconds. Talk about impressive.
We were stunned in March when we all heard that not only was the Beach Bar sold, but Woody’s was too. That sale definitely made us turn our heads. But alas, it was true, Todd and Chad decided to sell the popular watering hole “with heavy hearts,” according to their Facebook page. Little did we know at the time that Todd and his wife Christy had something cool coming along just around the corner … literally.
An eco-resort was approved over in Coral Bay back in March, although no progress has been made thus far on that front. And lastly, a new House Hunters International episode debuted – Chez Shell over in Great Cruz Bay – and this time, they left the scenes of monkeys and horses on the beach on the cutting room floor. (Please give me a like if you know what I’m talking about.)
In April, we learned that Kenny Chesney was planning to donate a portion of the sales from his latest album Life on a Rock to the Friends of Virgin Islands National Park. We also got our first listen to his new CD, which can be described as a love song to St. John. There isn’t a bad song on the album and if you haven’t bought it yet, we highly suggest you do. You gotta love Kenny. That guy’s a class act.
Some of us got a little ticked off later in the month when we learned that the powers that be had begun charging for parking at Wharfside. Long gone were the days of endless circling in an effort to grab a free spot. Parking now costs $3 an hour and as much as we hate to see free parking go, it hasn’t been that bad.
Our hearts here at News of St. John broke a little bit in April when a fire swept through Cafe Roma. It turns out something electrical was to blame. Something good came of this tragedy, however, when stories started to spread about the local businesses who quickly sprang into action, trying to douse the fire themselves in an attempt to save Roma. Kudos to all of you.
The month came to a close with Frank Barnako’s announcement that his days at the helm of News of St. John were nearing an end. Frank decided to offer the business for sale, which piqued the curiosity of one girl you’ve all come to know.
After months of rumors swirling about chickens being shot in front of patrons and people passing out in the dining room, the folks at the Donkey Diner decided to call it quits. Citing an off-island medical emergency, the owners listed the business for sale at $299k. The price was lowered to $50k, according to a post on their Facebook page, and as of today – well, we’re not quite sure what’s going on over there. We do know that it’s no longer listed in the MLS from what we see.
We tweaked things a bit in the beginning of June starting with the launch of News of St. John’s official Facebook page. Check us out of you haven’t already at www.Facebook.com/NewsofStJohn. We also launched a new daily feature – News of St. John’s Daily STJ image. This was our way of spreading the beauty that is St. John, Monday through Friday.
Early in the month, we also reported that someone was digging up the old Domino over in Coral Bay. The old fuel tanks were removed and the property was cleared. Nothing seems to be happening there since and the gas station in Cruz Bay remains the only one on the island for now.
A stretch of Centerline Road out near Coral Bay made headlines once again in June as it literally started crumbling before our eyes. Small band aids were put around it in the form of speed bumps and barriers, and repairs were promised to start. Well they never did. They’re supposedly going to start within the next week or so, but honestly, we’ll believe it when we see it.
House Hunters International returned to the island again in June to tape an episode about a couple searching for a home in Coral Bay. The episode has yet to air and details on an air date remain scarce. We’ll let you all know as soon as we know. I don’t know about you, but I love a good House Hunters episode.
We also learned in July that Woody’s had one last well-known visitor before ownership changed hands. Kenny Chesney made a quick pit stop while filming his video for When I See This Bar. The video’s pretty cool and features a lot of familiar faces and places. Be sure to check that out too if you haven’t already.
In August, we learned that Todd and Christy Beaty (of Woody’s fame) were planning on opening a family friendly restaurant over at the recently closed JJ’s location. And from the few tidbits we knew at the time, we all knew it was going to be great.
We stayed on the Denis Bay story throughout August and showed our readers firsthand the damage that had been done to Park land, as well as the adjacent property owner’s land. This story was so huge that it was mentioned in the New York Daily News. We have to admit, that was pretty darn cool.
The super classy and super cute (sorry Mr. News of St. John!) Kenny Chesney wrapped up his No Shoes Nation tour and immediately flew to … where else but St. John. He let us all know by posting a series of pictures to his Facebook page. That guy’s got quite the life. Hey Kenny, can we be friends?
September marked the beginning of slow season, although big things were still happening on island. We first learned that Caneel had decided to part ways with the Rosewood Hotel Group, instead opting to be an independent boutique resort. We were also sad to hear the the Bones Rum store and bar just beside the ferry dock had closed its doors for good. We heard at the time that they were hunting for a new location, but nothing has popped up as of yet.
So the folks in Washington couldn’t make nice and agree on some things (that’s as political as we’ll ever get here) so a government shutdown went into effect. This in turn affected a huge part of St. John. Why, you ask? Well because the National Parks were closed as part of the shutdown and we all know that the majority of St. John is National Park. Government Shutdown: 1. St. John: 0.
But wait! Just like no one puts baby in the corner, no one shuts down St. John. There was a bit of controlled civil disobedience as people ignored the barriers at the beaches and removed the yellow tape that blocked the parking lots. But thankfully after six days, the National Park on St. John was reopened and things were mostly back in business.
We here at News of St. John shed another tear back in October as another one of our favorites burned to the ground. Pirate’s Bight over on Norman Island was completely destroyed in the early morning hours of October 1. They rebuilt a temporary bar and restaurant pretty quickly with operations resuming after less than two months. Phew.
Signs of high season began arriving in November as the annual trek of the megayachts began. The first sighting was Barry Diller’s impressive 305-foot sailing yacht – Eos – which sailed into town toward the end of the month. It was almost immediately followed by a sighting of Devid Geffen’s even more impressive yacht – The Rising Sun – which comes in at a whopping 453 feet. Again, wouldn’t it be nice folks. Wouldn’t it be nice.
The year wound down just as it started – with some pretty big news about Maho Bay. After sitting on the buyer’s identity for months, we finally decided to share with all of you the details we knew about the Maho Bay buyer. Prior to that, it was an open secret on the island that the buyer was Jon Stryker, a wealthy conservationist. Together we all hoped that what we heard was true – that Mr. Stryker would preserve the land and use it as a private residence. Only time will tell.
And again on the Maho front, we also learned earlier this month that the National Park acquired an additional 74 acres of land near Maho Bay bringing the entire land total acquired for that area to 225 acres. The 225-acre beach and the hillside above are the single largest land addition since Laurence Rockefeller’s generous land donation created the National Park back in 1956. What a great way to end the year.
So as one chapter closes, another one opens. Cliche? Yes. But oh so true. We can only wonder what 2014 will bring for our beloved St. John. I guess you’ll all have to stay tuned…
Check out this neat little video taken yesterday by Captain John Brandi of Palm Tree Charters. He encountered a pod of dolphins on his way back from Jost Van Dyke. So cool.
