Hello everyone, and welcome to the middle of the week! It’s been a bit since I’ve posted an island update, so here we go!
Season is here, and the island is busy! March is one of our busiest months of the year, and parking at the beaches has proven that once again. The lots are filling up rather quickly, but do not be discouraged, you will still be able to visit your favorite beach when vacationing. The key is to go early or later in the afternoon. Trunk Bay is always the toughest, so you want to be there no later than 9:15 a.m. to get a spot. You can also go later in the afternoon. Or better yet, take a taxi. Maho also fills up rather quickly. I’d suggest getting out there no later than 10 a.m. to get a spot. Earlier is better. It’s another super easy spot to taxi to. (Click here to view the current taxi rates.)
If the North Shore beaches are full, you can always drive east. It’s always a little hotter out there and there are less raindrops overall on the east end. Just something to think about. There are two beaches at the end of Route 10 (Centerline Road ) – Hansen Bay and Saltwell Bottom. Both are great. Check them out. And when you’re at Saltwell Bottom, be sure to check out their handmade souvenirs too.
The water right now is absolutely incredible. It looked like a lake yesterday. There is almost no wind happening right now, so it’s a great time to hop on a boat. Check out Palm Tree Charters out of Cruz Bay and Flyaway Charters out of Coral Bay if you’d like to spend a day on the water.
(Click here to check out a video I took yesterday of the unbelievably flat waters.)
You may encounter some delays due to the ongoing pole installation, which has been happening since the 2017 storms. They are currently replacing the wooden poles with stronger poles near Zootenvaal and on Bordeaux Mountain, so you may have a few short delays when traveling in those areas this week.
Now let’s talk about the restaurants… The are full, but not crazy. I still suggest making a reservation in advance for the fancier spots (Morgan’s Mango, Extra Virgin, La Tapa, Lime Inn, ZoZo’s and The Terrace) to make certain you get a spot. You can also reserve bar seats at all of these restaurants if you prefer that over a table. The walk-in restaurants are full, but I haven’t seen or heard of any crazy long wait times like we had back in 2021 and a bit in 2022.
Don’t have a vacation planned, but you want to see what’s happening here on island? You can check out our webcams at www.ExploreSTJ.com/webcams. I have more than 20 webcams posted there, and I am always adding more.
And for those of you who are lucky enough to be on island now or have a trip planned and you want to get to know the island a little bit more, I would love to take you out on an island tour! You can email me at jenn@explorestj.com or check out www.ExploreSTJ.com/tour to learn more & to check out my reviews.
I think I am going to end this post here. As always, if there is anything you’d like to learn more about, please feel free to email me or inbox me on social media. Thanks so much & have a great day!
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Looking to take a St. John island tour?
Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.
Is the parking at Hansen & Saltwell Bottom pay or free?
There is a small fee because you are parking on private property. The fee goes directly to the landowners.