An Online Blog About the Daily Happenings of St. John, USVI
Advertorial
Travelers truly seem to be enjoying Grande Bay Resort and Residences as indicated in several new reviews on TripAdvisor.com. Luxury. Great location. Paradise in Cruz Bay. These are just a few ways travelers are describing the waterfront resort.
Click here to visit Grande Bay’s Featured Business page where you can read more about what travelers have to say.
We’ve gotten a lot of emails about the construction that’s been going on at the Westin. Well, we wanted to see what it was like firsthand, so we checked ourselves in for a couple of nights last week. (This was purely for investigative journalism purposes and had nothing to do with room service opportunities. Really, we swear.)
Our thoughts – it wasn’t that bad. But on the other hand, we can see why people might be frustrated if they waited quite some time to set out on a perfect St. John vacation only to realize that a large part of the resort is under construction. Here are the details:
Construction started last August and is expected to continue through January 2014. Buildings 10 through 16 are being extensively renovated. These are the beachside and poolside rooms. This area is currently surrounded by green fencing and is closed off from the public. When we were on site, they were re-roofing some of these buildings in addition to other work.
The pool and Snorkels Bar & Grill closed last month for renovations and this area is also cordoned off with green fencing. As a result, the Westin set up a few tents on the beach in which staff were on hand to dole out towels and such. There was also a makeshift Snorkels “bar” where guests could purchase beer or a rum punch. The staff members were very nice and very helpful, and all of the guests we encountered seemed happy despite the inconvenience.
The bright side regarding the pool renovation is that it is slated to be completed a bit sooner than the room renovation. According to Westin staff, it is on schedule to reopen December 18.
So what about the noise? Obviously with any renovation, noise can become problematic. Just how problematic that is depends on the person. Yes, there was a bit of banging and what sounded like jackhammering from time to time, but in our opinion, it was not horrible. But again, it really depends on the person.
Here are a few more images to give you a better idea of the current state of the renovations:
If you have any specific questions on the renovations, you can contact the Westin directly by clicking this link.
VIVA! Villas started an online contest today and we thought you’d all want to know about it. It’s a Facebook contest, which means you need to have a Facebook login to enter.
Here’s how it works:
Go over to the contest page and give VIVA! Villa’s Facebook page a “like.” You will then be able to click a button to enter the contest and your name will automatically be entered into a drawing. One lucky winner will be chosen, and he or she will receive a free seven-night stay at Coral Oasis, a three bedroom home in Mamey Peak. The contest runs through April 30, 2014. The winner must use his or her winning week between August 2014 and November 2014.
Coral Oasis is a very nice property with beautiful views of Coral Bay and beyond. Click here to learn more about the property.
Click here to be brought to the contest page.
After 16 long days, the government shutdown has finally ended. As many of you may know, St. John received an early reprieve on October 7 when it learned it could reopen its beaches, as well as the trails that lead to the beaches. But despite that reprieve, parts of St. John continued to be affected. Now we can fully get back to business.
We’re pleased to report that the Virgin Islands National Park Visitor’s Center was open Thursday morning and the staff members were very happy to be back to work. Annaberg remained closed as of late morning but that too has been given the go ahead to reopen, as will the remaining trails and facilities throughout the National Park.
Speaking of trails, the ranger-led Reef Bay Hike will resume on Monday. While the trail was reopened October 7, rangers were not allowed to lead the hikes during the shutdown. This not only affected hikers, but it also negatively impacted the Sadie Sea, the vessel that picks up guests from the guided hike and returns them to Cruz Bay.
So along the lines of National Park news, we’d like to mention one of the Friends of Virgin Islands National Park very cool, upcoming events – Paddle in the Park.
Paddle in the Park is a standup paddleboard race that take place on Sunday, November 3. There will be two courses. The Open Course will be a roughly three-mile race from Maho Beach to Whistling Cay and back. The Elite Course will also begin at Maho Beach and will head out to Whistling Cay, then to and around Cinnamon Cay, back behind Whistling Cay and then back to Maho Beach. The Elite Course is approximately 5.5 miles.
The cost to register is $60 for adults and $30 for those ages 18 years and under. The cutoff date for these prices is November 1. A late registration option will be available on November 2 at the Friends of the Park Store until 2 p.m. The cost that day will be $80 for adults and $50 for people ages 18 and under.
Click here to learn more about the race and for information on how to register.
Looking to capture all of the beauty the island has to offer, but unsure of how to use that camera of yours? Want to create one of those beautiful hand-painted shirts you’ve seen on so many people across the island? Well you’re in luck as two of the island’s most talented residents have released their upcoming workshop schedules.
Renowned photographer Steve Simonsen will teach the basics of photography while artist Sloop Jones will teach painting techniques in which participants can leave with their own wearable piece of art.
Steve Simonsen
Steve’s photography workshops kick off this week. Here are the descriptions of what he has to offer:
Tropical Light Photography:
With the advent of digital cameras, photography has never been easier or more exciting. This workshop covers the principles of photography, lighting, focus and composition and explains in an easy to understand hands on fashion, most of the buttons, dials and menus found on today’s sophisticated point and shoot cameras.
No previous knowledge or experience required. Bring camera, manual, batteries, space on your memory card and water.
Beyond the Basics:
If you own an advanced digital camera that has manual settings and/or a digital SLR with interchangeable lenses, this class is for you. This workshop goes more in depth into the functions, features and menu options and helps push your photography to the next level to better acquaint you with the sophisticated features found in today’s high end digital cameras. This course will help sharpen any photographer’s skill and acquaintance with their camera system helping to unleash more of your creative vision.
For the intermediate to advanced digital camera owner.
Snorkel Photography:
An introduction to underwater photography for the point and shoot waterproof camera, or a point and shoot in a watertight housing. This course introduces the principles of underwater photography including available light, artificial light, custom white balance, color absorption, improving sharpness, color saturation and creative camera angles.
For the snorkeler who owns their own underwater camera, this course will help you get sharper and more colorful images from your camera system.
Underwater Photography:
More comprehensive look at the principles of underwater photography including the use of digital SLR’s in underwater housings with underwater flashes. This course is for certified scuba divers. Covers, macro, wide angle, available light, flash photography and close focus wide angle.
Better suited to those photographers that already use external underwater flashes.
If you are interested in attending any of these workshops or if you would like more information on pricing and schedules, call Steve or his wife Janet at (340) 775-4485 or (340) 690-8986. You can also email Janet at [email protected].
Click here to learn more about Steve and to see some of his stunning photography.
Sloop Jones
Beginning October 22 and continuing through Aug. 5, 2014, Sloop will offer workshops on Tuesday and Friday mornings. (Fridays will be reserved for groups of four or more.) Guests will learn that blue and yellow doesn’t always make green, according to Sloop, and they will leave with a beautiful shirt of art. Workshops are three hours long and begin at 9:30 a.m. The cost is $100 per painter and space is limited.
Click here to learn more about Sloop Jones and to sign up for one of these incredible workshops.
After 14 years of sailing out of Maho Bay Camps, Pepper – the little, yellow wooden boat fashioned after an 1860s Island Sloop – is returning back to its roots. The boat will now sail from the Coral Bay dock, which is mere feet from where it was originally built.
“Pepper was built behind Skinny’s, so we brought her back over here,” said Lance Davies, who now owns Pepper with his wife Kim Sammartano. “We are originating right from the dingy dock, right behind the fire station, right behind Skinny’s. That’s where all the sails will start.”
Lance and Kim purchased Pepper after chatting with its former owners at Maho Bay Camps’ employee going away party. Kim worked at the campground for one season where she was affectionately known as the “beach cafe girl.”
“Kim knew the owners of Pepper through Maho, and at the going away party, they started having a conversation about us buying it. So, we did,” said Lance, who worked as a divemaster at Caneel Bay’s dive shop.
“It was a bittersweet moment,” Kim added. “I wanted to keep something from Maho. I wanted to keep it going.”
Pepper will remain connected to Maho Bay Camps as it will serve as Concordia’s primary sailing charter. (Concordia was Maho’s sister property prior to its closure last May.)
In addition to providing charters to Concordia’s guests, Lance and Kim will also book their own trips. The couple plans to stay in local waters in and around the Coral Bay area. They also plan to intertwine some of Pepper’s history into each charter.
“Pepper was hand built behind Skinny’s in 1998, and is modeled after an 1860s Island Sloop, so she has a bit of a history,” Kim said. “And many people know all about her, some even more than us. We plan to use that history aspect, along with the history of Coral Bay in our daily routine. We hope it’ll be a lot different from all the other charters.”
Pepper can be reserved for either a full day or a sunset sail. Full day charters leave Coral Bay at 9:30 a.m. and will return at approximately 2:30 p.m. The full-day charter costs $95 per person and includes one snorkel stop and a gourmet lunch. Snorkel locations may include Le Duck, Pelican Rock or Round Bay. Next year, Lance and Kim hope to be able to bring guests into Hurricane Hole as well. (Boaters need to obtain a permit before being able to sail into Hurricane Hole. Permits are currently unavailable.) Pepper also offers sunset sails complete with hors d’oeuvres for $65 a person. The boat can accommodate up to six guests and they do combine groups if necessary.
And in an homage to Maho, Kim made sure to point out that there will be no waste stemming from Pepper’s sails.
“We’re really eco-conscience,” Kim said. “There will be no disposable cups or straws. Everything will be reusable. We want to keep the island as beautiful as possible.”
If you’d like to learn more about Pepper, Lance or Kim, you can check out there website Sail Pepper by clicking here. You can also check them out on Facebook by clicking here.
Hundreds of kids descended onto Winston Wells Field Monday morning to take part in the fifth annual Just Play event. The event, organized by Dean Dowling, founder of Using Sport for Social Change, was geared toward children ages five through 17 and featured a variety of activities including basketball, tennis, conga lines and more.
We took a quick video of some of yesterday’s fun. Check it out below:
This year’s festivities kicked off Saturday night with a fundraising event over at The Beach Bar. Inner Visions played the event and a good amount of money was raised to help the kids. While on island, Dean will also provide one backpack filled with school supplies to each child attending Julius E. Sprauve School. He is doing so in conjunction with the Global Backpack Project.
It looks like Caneel is inching a little bit closer to becoming independent – and at the same time inching a little bitter further from the Rosewood name – as it debuted a new website last week.
When Caneel Bay reopens for the season November 1, it will do so as an independently managed boutique resort. Caneel made the official announcement last month saying that it had chosen to part ways with the well-known hotel group. (See our story on that here.)
The new website touts the resort as being a place to “escape and unplug,” a place for “fun for the little ones,” as well as a destination spot for a memorable wedding. The site is visually appealing but there are a few minor factual errors that bug us a little. For example, it refers to the National Park as the Virgin Island National Park sans the “s” in Islands. It also states that the majority of the island is National Park when it’s really only two-thirds National Park. (Ok, that is technically true, but it’s a bit misleading.) There are a few other factual errors, and yes, maybe I am being picky, but I really think they should have gotten it right.
You can check it out for yourself here: www.CaneelBay.com
The site also includes a brief writeup on Zozo’s, which is also set to open over at the old Sugar Mill Restaurant space on November 1. Here is what they had to say about their new restaurant:
“Perched atop the resort’s 18th-century sugar mill ruins, overlooking the stunning scenery surrounding Caneel Bay, ZoZo’s Ristorante offers a menu of northern Italian fare presented by famed local restauraeur John Ferrigno and his team. Bask in the breeze in this open-air environment while you gaze at the shimmering lights of St. Thomas, scattered along the horizon.”
(I had to add the period in at the end because they forgot that too.)
ZoZo’s menu has also been released. You’ll noticed a few old favorites in addition to a few new dishes. Here is it in its entirety:
Primo
Calamari – Fried crispy with pesto aioli and marinara – $14
Bruschette di Giorno – Changes nightly – $14
Speck Wrapped Cambazola – Blackberries, smokes paprika almonds and port wine drizzle – $15
Grilled Octopus – Cherry tomoatoes, capers and lemon rosemary stew – $15
ZoZo’s Anipasto – An assortment of Italian meats, cheeses and vegetables – $15
Oyster and Clam Bake – Blue points with pancetta, arugula and anisette mascarpone; Little necks with spicy tomatoes and crispy spaghettini – $16
Pasta
Fresh Pappardelle – Wild mushrooms, shaved pecorino and white truffle cream – $15
Beet and Goat Cheese Ravioli – Micro green pickled beet salad with fresh sage brown butter – $15
Fettucini Bolognese – Braised wild boar, hot Italian sausage and spicy pomodoro – $15
Lobster Manicotti – Herbed ricotta, Caribbean lobster relish and yellow pepper brood – $16
Insalate
Orange Salad – Baby greens, toasted walnuts, gorgonzola cheese and raspberry vinaigrette – $15
Lump Crab and Mango Salad – Toasted coconut, cucumber, local arugula and fresh mint lemon vinaigrette – $16
Pesce e Carne
Pan Seared Jumbo Shrimp – Sweet corn aged parmesan risotto and truffled herbed garlic butter – $38
20oz Porterhouse – 28 day wet aged, roasted bone marrow, crispy potatoes; haricot vert salad and chianti demi glade – $46
Caribbean Lobster Tail – Roasted eggplant, yukon potatoes, jumbo asparagus – $42
Grilled Porchetta – Mustard Green, Blood orange and fresh fennel roulade with a hot Italian sausage and white bean ragout – $38
Oven Roasted Mahi Mahi – Pistacio crust, local arugula goat cheese salad; crispy polenta and sweet bell pepper chutney – $38
Osso Buco – Slow simmered veal shank, saffron risotto and broccoli rabe – $40
Grilled Swordfish – Citrus marinade, sun-dried tomato glaze, toasted orzo salad and mango pineapple brodo – $38
Bone-in Veal Scalloppine – Creamy lemon polenta and wild mushroom marsala – $40
What do you think of the new site and ZoZo’s new menu? Let us know in the comments section or over on our Facebook page.
Advertorial
Looking for a pristine property with killer sunset views? How about a villa that would allow you to watch the sun dip down below the horizon while soaking in a pool that overlooks the Caribbean Sea. If this sounds like your cup of tea, you should check out Casa de Sonadores.
Casa de Sonadores is a luxurious 4.5 bedroom villa located in Virgin Grand Estates. It’s great for a large family who prefers to spare no expense while vacationing or for a few small groups who enjoy fine accommodations.
Please click here to learn more about Casa de Sonadores.
Maari Casey recently began planning her sixth trip to St. John. Like may people, she viewed numerous properties online in an effort to find the best deal. Maari sent out a few inquiries through different booking websites and soon received a response from a business she couldn’t recall contacting – Smart Rentals Online.
The email stated that Smart Rentals Online received Maari’s request and offered her a significantly discounted rate. They also said they would waive all taxes if she booked within 10 days. (Red flag: No one can agree to waive taxes.) The email left Maari uneasy, so she reached out to travelers on the Virgin Islands On Line forum and asked their opinion. She also contacted us, and we immediately started to do a little digging.
The consensus: If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.
So how exactly did Smart Rentals Online get Maari’s information? Well it seems that they were able to intercept an email she sent through a rental booking site. A few examples of rental booking sites include HomeAway.com, VRBO.com and FlipKey.com. It is important to note that this scam did not originate from an on-island villa management company.
Once Smart Rentals Online intercepted that email, they had all of her contact information including her desired villa and travel dates. They took that information and offered her a deal.
The thing about these sites is that they look somewhat legitimate at first glance. They usually lift the pictures and information from the villa’s real listing and place it on their websites. Fortunately Maari was adept at spotting the signs of a scam; however not all travelers have been that lucky.
We reached out to all of the villas and villa management companies who advertise on our site to make them aware of this scam. The stories we heard from some were pretty troubling.
One villa management company told us a story of a family who came to the island to celebrate a holiday only to find out that they didn’t have a place to stay when they arrived. They too were the victims of an online scam. Fortunately the villa management company was able to find them a place to stay during one of the island’s busiest weeks of the year, but the family ended up paying double for their accommodations.
Another villa owner told us how her villa was listed on one of these types of scammer sites in March of last year. She learned of this after being contacted by a potential guest who had spoken with the scam company over the telephone.
“This man almost did it until he noticed on my site that the villa wasn’t available during his dates. The company that contacted him said it was,” said the villa owner who asked to remain anonymous. “The big key is the wire transfer. They always ask for a wire transfer.”
“Never wire transfer,” she continued. “And try to pay attention when you’re sending out emails and pay attention to where the responses are coming from. And look out for things that look fishy like when the availability is wide open.”
A few big things jumped out to us when we dug a little deeper into Smart Rentals Online’s website. First, the company said it launched in 1982, however their website was created last month. (A quick way to check out who owns a website and when it was created is to visit www.whois.com and enter the site’s domain name.) Another thing we noticed was that the villas were listed in the wrong neighborhoods. A popular Chocolate Hole villa, for example, was listed as being in Hawksnest Bay, yet the map indicated it was located in St. Thomas.
So what else should potential renters look out for? Here are additional tips from provided to us from a few on-island villa management companies:
And a tip from us: Do what Maari did and ask other travelers for their opinions. You can do so over on our Facebook page or on the forum at Virgin Island On Line. If you find that you’ve encountered a fraudulent rental site, you can report it online. (We intended to provide you a link but since the government is still shutdown, we were unable to confirm the correct link. We’ll add it as soon as we can confirm it.)
Lastly, you can check out our list of reputable villas and villa management companies by clicking here. (Please note: There are many other reputable villa management companies and rental villas on island. Our list consists of businesses/villas that we have personally done business with.)
