An Online Blog About the Daily Happenings of St. John, USVI
The winter season is shaping up strongly for hotels, resorts, guest houses and villa managers. Caneel Bay’s manager Nikolay Hotze told the St. John Source December bookings are ahead of last year, with the Christmas period full up. (Read the story.) The Source also surveyed Estate Zootenvaal and found "the property is booked up from … Read moreThe tourists are coming to St. John, US Virgin Islands
The Animal Care Center is hoping home owners will do a little late summer cleaning this week and sell their old household "stuff" at the ACC’s first "No Fleas, Please, Flea Market". The sale begins at 10 a.,m. on Saturday at the Winston Wells Ball Field at the Sprauve School. All children and dogs on … Read moreFlea market this weekend
This is not good. After just a few months, the president of the Hotel and Tourism Association quit, abruptly. Rik Blyth, formerly managing director at Caneel Bay Resort on St. John, indicated the job wasn’t his cup of tea. Blyth told the Virgin Islands Daily News he was accustomed to large organizations with hundreds of … Read moreHotel group’s Blyth bolts
The Stone Terrace finished solidly at the top of a poll of visitors’ favorite high-end restaurants in Cruz Bay over the past week. Zozo’s at Gallows Point came in second. While Tage comes in for much praise on various travel forums praise, it finished in third place, far back of the leaders. Almost 750 votes … Read moreStone Terrace #1 for $plurging
A German couple’s north shore villa is on the cover of this month’s Architectural Digest magazine. Hawksview Estate, described on the property’s Web site as a "villa that marries the best of old world charm and modern comfort" rents for $25,000 a week in high season, $18,000 off season. The five-bedroom property, located between Hawksnest … Read moreArchitectural Digest “covers” St. John villa
Governor John deJongh said the second property tax bills of the year will be mailed by the fall. The 2006 bills reflect results of a territory-wide property reassessment that’s been underway for more than a year. In remarks to the V.I. Territorial Association of Realtors at Caneel Bay, deJongh said the 2007 bills will be … Read moreThe Tax man cometh, again
Back in April, we ran a survey asking people whether they bring their laptops. Hundreds of people said they did. Villa agencies are also reporting renters are often asking where can find Internet connectivity. One source estimates as many as 40% of villa have Wi-Fi, and both the Westin and Caneel also offer connectivity). Here’s … Read moreWhere to get wired on St. John
Frank Barnako is the previous owner of News of St. John. I’ve been writing about St. John for almost ten years. I figured a newsletter might help the rentals of our island home-away-from-home in Great Falls, Va., Blue Tang. See it at BlueTang.vi. What started as a weekly text newsletter almost 10 years ago, has … Read moreAbout Frank Barnako
Years ago, we swam with sea turtles off Caneel Bay’s main beach. Tuesday, we went kayaking with dolphins off the beach at the St. John Westin. The mammals were swimming, surfacing, and diving as close as 10-feet away from us, and just outside hotel beach’s the swim area buoys. I’d brought my camera on the … Read moreKayaking with dolphins
Frequent visitors and locals know you can play tennis at Caneel Bay, at no cost, twice a week during the Tuesday and Thursday round robins from 4 p.m. to about 6:30 p.m., according to Lee Hersh. This year, the resort’s Tennis Center has added Cardio Tennis, an aerobic workout on the courts. “The focus is … Read moreTennis anyone?
