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New St. John Restaurant Opens

New St. John Restaurant Opens 1
The view from The Danforth on Tuesday afternoon

Hello everyone and happy Wednesday! We have so many wonderful things happening here on island! Not only is the weather nearly perfect – it’s going to be 84 and sunny all week – but we have lots of new places opening up just in time for season to kick in. Today we’d like to tell you about a new St. John restaurant that recently opened in Coral Bay – The Danforth.

Earlier this year, we told you how Wok on the Beach sold in Coral Bay. It briefly became TBD while the owners Sarah and John Joyce worked on its new concept. Well after months of preparing, the Joyce’s new restaurant, called The Danforth, opened at the Isola Shoppes on November 1st.

The Danforth is a Caribbean-inspired restaurant that’s located on the waterfront in Coral Bay. The name The Danforth comes from a common boat anchor and fits perfectly with the vibe of the restaurant, which combines the quality of fine dining, with a casual, family friendly setting. Its vibrant menu features seafood and Caribbean-influenced food made from fresh, local ingredients. At the bar, refreshing cocktails are curated using local liquors and local craft beer is served ice cold from the tap.

The restaurant has been receiving rave reviews from both residents and guests to the island. It is currently open every day but Thursday. Happy hour is from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and features 25 percent off appetizers. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Danforth will serve brunch starting this Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Beginning December 1st, brunch will be served daily from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please check out The Danforth’s menus and a few pics:

New St. John Restaurant Opens 2

New St. John Restaurant Opens 3

New St. John Restaurant Opens 4
Caribbean lobster
New St. John Restaurant Opens 5
Pork belly tortas
New St. John Restaurant Opens 6
Tostones trio – shrimp, pork & lobster

Looks great, doesn’t it?

And as a thank you to the community for its support, the Joyce’s are offering a free Thanksgiving dinner on November 28th. Dinner will be served at 2 p.m. and will continue until the food runs out. The bar will open at 1:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving for the Lions vs. Bears game and will stay open through the Cowboys game (which starts at 5:30 p.m.).

There’s a lot happening at the Isola Shoppes in Coral Bay, so stay tuned for more fun details… In the meantime, have a wonderful day everyone!

New St. John Restaurant Opens 7
The Danforth

St. John Villa Auction Starts Soon!

St. John Villa Auction Starts Soon! 8
Mare Blu is one of the villas being offered for auction.

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday! We’re back from a little weekend off island, and we have a story today that will certainly put your vacation planning into overdrive. We’ve been checking out the temps up north, and it looks like many of you are quite chilly at the moment. So why not bid on a St. John villa stay while supporting the Virgin Islands National Park? Sounds like a win-win to me!

Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park is launching its annual St. John villa auction this Friday, November 15th. This auction raised more than $60,000 for the park last year, and fingers crossed that they surpass that number this year. As of this morning, there are more than 30 St. John villas or hotel stays listed on Friends’ website. More may be added this week. As of this morning, the following St. John villas/hotels stays are up for bid, according to Friends’ website:

  • Villa Bismarkia
  • On a Clear Day
  • Cruz Bay Hotel
  • Hillcrest Guest House
  • Treetops
  • Fiddlewood Cottage
  • Coral Bay Vista
  • Estate Lindholm
  • Calichi Guava Villa
  • Gallows Point Villa
  • Garden By the Sea
  • Reef Madness
  • Southern Exposure
  • Sun Flower Villa
  • Sunset Ridge
  • The Hills St. John
  • Hummingbird Seacret
  • The Other World
  • Three Mangos
  • The Cottage at Battery Hill
  • Kiddel Bay Cottage
  • Turtle’s Nest Villa
  • Little Tortuga
  • Satinwood
  • Mare Blu
  • Love Palace
  • Great Expectations
  • Papaya Suite at Sunset Serenade
  • Paradise Carest
  • Villa Bombalassey
  • Oceanport Villa
  • Dream Come True
  • Little Petit Bijou
  • Sea Stone

Bidding opens this Friday, November 15th at 9 a.m. EST and will continue until November 29th at 3 p.m. EST. Please click here to view all of the St. John villas and hotel stays up for bid and also to register to bid.

Good luck everyone! Stay warm up there! And thank you for all of the birthday wishes!

St. John Webcams: Please Check Them Out!

St. John Webcams: Please Check Them Out! 9
This morning’s view from the News of St. John webcam.

Hello everyone! So yours truly is having a BIG birthday this weekend… the big 4-0. I’m off island for a few days celebrating, so I am going to take a few days off from the “news.” I know all of you enjoy your daily St. John fix, so today, I’d like to remind you about all of the wonderful St. John webcams we have here on the site. And even better, I just added a new one from Gifft Hill this morning.

Our first cruise ship of the season arrives this Sunday. So be sure to check out the Spice Cam Sunday morning and maybe you will catch a glimpse of Seadream anchored off of Cruz Bay.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. See you all next week!

Great Cruz Bay & the Westin presented by News of St. John:

news of st john tours webcam

Bordeaux Mountain – Courtesy of David Silverman. This webcam also includes current weather conditions.

Peace of Bordeaux

Coconuts & Plumeria – Vacation rentals on Gifft Hill 

CocoPlum Webcam

Coral Bay Views – Two vacation rentals in Coral Bay

coral bay views webcam

Island Abodes – Vacation rentals in Cruz Bay:

Sunset Serenade Webcam

 

Island Abodes – Down Yonder Villa in Chocolate Hole

down yonder webcam

Cruz Bay and Pillsbury Sound presented by Sunset Ridge Villas:

sunset ridge webcam

South Shore and Rendezvous presented by Mare Blu: 

mare blu webcam

Bordeaux Mountain and Coral Bay presented by Esprit Villa: 

esprit st john webcam

Gifft Hill presented by Starstruck Villa: 

St. John Webcams: Please Check Them Out! 10

St. John ferry dock presented by St. John Spice:

Spice Cam

Soggy Dollar Bar, Jost Van Dyke

soggy dollar webcam

Great Expectations – South Shore St. John 

great expectations webcam

Calichi at Picture Point – Coral Bay & Beyond 

Calichi Webcam

Peter Bay Gatehouse – Peter Bay

Peter Bay Gatehouse Webcam

St. John Vacation Rental Spotlight: The Other World

Other World View Toward Westin (1)
Looking Out Toward the Westin from The Other World

You have several options when looking for a place to stay when vacationing on St. John. But every then and again, something truly special and unique pops up. Today we’d like to tell you about one of those places. Please check out today’s St. John vacation rental spotlight…

The Other World is so relaxing, you’ll never want to leave. You’ll first enter the private lush grounds through a security gate. Next you’ll discover an open-air living space that features native stone columns and archways, as well as eclectic/global furnishings and artwork. A true couples retreat, the villa has two air-conditioned, enclosed master suites, each with its own bathroom, television and french doors that open up to the stunning views outside. For those of you traveling with children, there is also a room on the lower level equipped with bunk beds.

The entrance to The Other World
The Entrance to The Other World
The Open Air Living Space
The Open Air Living Space
Dining with a View
Dining with a View
One of the Three Bedrooms
One of the Three Bedrooms
Beautiful Stonework Detail Throughout
Beautiful Stonework Detail Throughout

A fully-equipped kitchen/bar area combined with a large patio with immaculate views as far as the eye can see make for a perfect happy hour spot. The villa also features a dipping pool, a great feature after a long day hiking or at the beach. Need to cool off? No problem. With a convenient location just 10 minutes from downtown Cruz Bay, this villa has everything you need for the ultimate St. John experience.

Please check out a few more pics…

View Toward the Open Kitchen
View Toward the Open Kitchen
Video Games Too!
Video Games Too!
Lush Landscaping
Lush Landscaping
Large Outdoor Lounging Area
Large Outdoor Lounging Area
The Other World Looking Southwest - Perfect Sunset Views
The Other World Looking Southwest – Perfect Sunset Views

Rates for The Other World start at $500 per night and vary based on season. To learn more, please visit TheOtherWorldVilla.com

Current Condition of Caneel Bay: A Quick Golf Cart Ride

Current Condition of Caneel Bay: A Quick Golf Cart Ride 11
Caneel Bay, Summer 2019 File Photo

So last week, my other half and I happened to have a day off on the same day. Dalton also happened to have a date with several of his friends at playgroup, so we hopped in the Jeep and headed over to Caneel Bay.

As you likely know by now, you’re not allowed on the property except to take a golf cart ride (for $10 roundtrip) to Honeymoon Beach. Honeymoon is pretty full service these days, so that’s where we chose to spend our afternoon.

Knowing that you are all probably curious about the current condition of Caneel Bay, we took out our iPhone and filmed. Now please keep in mind that we were on a golf cart on a very bumpy road, so this video isn’t our best work. But you can slow it down or pause some sections and see for yourselves what the area from the entrance, past ZoZo’s, the gelato shop, the restaurants, and down the trail to Honeymoon currently looks like. We even added some fun music to the background for you. This is one video where the music really adds to it, so turn up the volume if you can. 🙂 Please take a little over five minutes to check it out.

Want to read out past stories about Caneel Bay? Click here to do so.

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