There’s a great new spot to get breakfast on island!
Our friends over at The Windmill Bar just started serving breakfast, and from what I hear, it is delicious! It’s happening on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. They’re serving everything from breakfast sandwiches and tacos to pancakes and grilled cheese. Here is the menu in its entirety:
They also have bottomless mimosas for $25. Cheers to that!
Now I know you all love The Windmill Bar because of the great views and live music, but let me tell you another reason why I love it. I love it because the owners are such kind people. I popped in before Christmas with island tour guests who wanted to grab a quick drink. We were standing at the bar for less than a minute when Christie, one of the owners, noticed we were waiting. She was standing on a ladder hanging Christmas lights, but despite that, she hopped off to get us our drinks. I was happy to wait, but this is who Christie is, and I really appreciated it. Every time I walk into that restaurant – which is almost daily with my tour guests! – she is always there to greet me with a smile. 🙂
And for those of you who may have missed it, The Windmill Bar now has happy hour specials daily from noon to 3 p.m. Click here to read more about that.
If you would like to book an island tour, please contact me sooner than later, if possible. January is almost completely booked, and February is getting there too. You can learn more about Explore STJ’s island tours at www.explorestj.com/tour. You can also email me at jenn@explorestj.com with any questions. Have a great day everyone!
It’s a little easier to visit Trunk Bay and other popular beaches thanks to a new park and ride option.
Hello everyone, and happy Thursday! I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas! We definitely did over here in the Manes/Hedy household! We are up in Connecticut for a few days, and Dalton was able to see snow on Christmas Eve! He was beyond excited, which made me so happy! You would have thought this child won the lottery! 🙂 Santa was great to him, and it was time very well-spent with family. That’s the most important thing in life, right?
Well now that the holiday has passed, Mike is sadly en route back to the island due to work, Dalton is in YMCA camp up here on Connecticut today, and yours truly is also back to work! That being said, want to hear about a new beach shuttle?
Parking at the beaches has gotten crazy over the past few years. There are more people than parking spots at the beach, which leads to some crazy parking efforts on that roadways that clog up the streets. Well the folks at the Virgin Islands National Park have taken notice, and are trying to alleviate some of the parking issues that we see during the busier winter months.
People visiting the popular North Shore beaches – Hawksnest, Trunk, Cinnamon and Maho – can now park at Caneel Bay for free and take a regular taxi to the beach from there. This is a new “park and ride” option, according to Tonia Lovejoy, Executive Director of Friends of Virgin Islands National Park.
Visitors using the new park and ride option at Caneel Bay can park in Lot A, which holds roughly 45 vehicles.
Here’s how I see this working…
Say you have a family of four with bags, coolers, noodles and chairs. You don’t feel like dragging the kids out of the house at 8:30 a.m., which is pretty much the time you need to leave in the winter to ensure parking at your favorite beach. With this new park and ride option, you can leave whenever you’d like, drop your family and beach gear at your beach of choice, then one family member parks the car at Caneel and meets the family back at the beach. Is this the ideal way to visit the beach? No. But it’s not a terrible option. It also allows you to visit whatever beach you’d like, whenever you’d like.
Taxis go up and down the North Shore every day, all day. They are consistently driving this route between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. – prime beach time. Certain taxis will stop at Caneel daily at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to pick up passengers using the park and ride option. If you choose to park in the lot at different times, you can always walk out to the road and catch a passing taxi. Taxi prices range from $6 to $12 from Caneel to the North Shore beaches. Please remember that the taxis are cash only.
This new park and ride option will continue through May 30th. The hope is that it not only helps with parking issue, but that it also helps the environment. When people look for alternative parking at the beaches, they often park on tree roots, eroding surfaces, and on smaller plants. If this park and ride option works, we may see additional options in the future. I’ll keep you all posted.
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!
See the island of St. John with a resident. See the nooks and crannies that many visitors miss. Explore the beaches, historical sites, perhaps a tiki bar or two, and much more. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.
We lit up a few more trees & added some snow after I took this pic!
Well this is fun news to share! The Virgin Islands Lottery just held a holiday lights competition, and we won! Merry Christmas to us!
I’m the mother of a six-year-old child, which is prime Christmas time. He loves everything about Christmas, including holiday lights and snow. I decorated the house for Christmas last year, but, in his opinion, I didn’t do a good enough job, so I promised to go all out this year.
I flew up to Connecticut in early November to ship out all of the Trunk Bay puzzle preorders. While I was there, I popped into Lowes and walked out with more than $500 worth of holiday lights and garland. I packed it into three huge duffel bags and dragged it all the way back down to the island. Luckily I was traveling with a friend who helped me schlep it through the airports. 🙂
When I got home, Mike and I went all out for Dalton. We put garland along our white picket fence and stood precariously on the top of ladders so we could toss green lights on top of our palm trees. (Fun fact: One of the palm trees in our yard grew out of a coconut that fell at Maho during Hurricane Irma. It’s the little things in life that make me smile.) We got eaten alive by the no see ums as we did it, bit that didn’t matter because we could see the sheer joy on Dalton’s face while we were doing it.
I love Christmas!
About a week or so after the lights were up, I came across a flyer on Facebook advertising a holiday lights content. The Virgin Islands Lottery was giving away three prizes per island for the best holiday lights. I immediately applied!
Shakima, St. John’s amazing Administrator, called me Friday night while we were watching the Pan Dragons perform at Mongoose Junction to get directions to my house. “Oh my gosh, this is real!” I thought with complete excitement. I gave her directions and crossed my fingers.
I received a call this afternoon from the Virgin Islands Lottery informing us that we not only won, we took first place. How exciting is that! Thanks to Dalton, we won $3,000!
Thank you so much Virgin Islands Lottery! This is such a great gift!
If you are on island, head over to Fish Bay and check them out! We have friends staying at our house while we visit family this week, but they’re keeping the lights on for us. Please go out and enjoy them! Take the main road into Fish Bay and you will eventually stumble on them. Merry Christmas everyone!
Paulie’s Luncheonette is located in the Lumberyard parking lot.
St. John is a small island as you all know. So when something new opens, word travels fast. And when something new opens that is absolutely delicious and affordable, word travels even faster!
Paulie’s Luncheonette is a brand new Cruz Bay food truck. It’s located in the Lumberyard parking lot which is right near Cool Breeze Car Rental, Hercules Pate and Dolphin Market. It’s only been open for a few weeks, but everyone has been raving about it, so I decided I needed to try it for myself.
I stopped by late yesterday afternoon to grab a quick bite. I arrived about 30 minutes after the last sub roll was sold, so I opted for sourdough bread. There were a lot of options, including an Italian and roast beef, which Paul makes himself. I chose a ham, salami and provolone sandwich, and it did not disappoint!
This sandwich was delish!
The sandwich took all of two minutes to prepare. No island time here, folks! I had the option of dining in – there are a handful of tables with a nice little water view – or taking it to go. I had morning of island tours and a house showing, so I opted to take it home.
The sandwich was only $14, and it was worth every penny. Drinks and sides are available to purchase, but I opted simply for the sandwich. Here is the menu:
As you can see in the pics above, there is parking beside the luncheonette. So it is easy to pop in a grab a sandwich here. That makes it that much better.
Want to know exactly where Paulie’s Lunchette is located? Check out Explore STJ’s searchable restaurant map at www.explorestj.com/restaurantmap.
Hello everyone, and happy Wednesday night! I apologize that I have been absent for a few days. I caught a nasty little cold, and I was down for the count for a few days. But I’m back now and feeling better than ever, despite having a raspy voice still. 🙂
Ok, so I thought I would share a quick little island update with all of you. I know that many of you of deep in holiday planning, and so are we! That seems to be affecting the island, as it has been nice and quiet the past week or so. We are expecting the crowds to arrive right after Christmas, because that’s when everyone’s calendars really start to pick up!
For those of you who are planning to book an island tour with me this winter, please reserve your date sooner than later. January is almost fully booked, and February and March are really starting to fill in. It’s never too early to book. Just send me a quick email at jenn@explorestj.com to do so. You can also get more information on my island tours at www.explorestj.com/tour.
Everything is now open on St. John. ZoZo’s reopened earlier this month, and Lovango Resort + Beach Club opened over the weekend. Lovango is not technically on St. John, but they’re a neighbor – a good one at that – so I always like to include them. They are typically the last two to open for season.
The Christmas winds are definitely here. It’s normal for the winds to pick up around Christmas time, and that’s currently happening. Hawksnest was rather wavy today, and Cinnamon had some decent waves too. Maho was nice and calm though, as was Francis Bay.
There’s a lot more happening on island, like a great new spot to eat, a new breakfast option, and much more. I’ll have info on all of that and more soon. In the meantime, have a fantastic evening!
How does this sound? Brunch, water views and breezes. Yes, please!
Our friends over at Surf Club Cantina just launched a new brunch option, and I have to say, it looks really good! Brunch is now being served every Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon.
Surf Club Cantina is located across from Coral bay harbor. It’s a cute little open air spot that always has incredible breezes and views. It is located in the Isola Shoppes complex, which also includes Sharky’s, Jolly Dog, Zemi and 340 Real Estate.
The menu includes everything from a traditional bacon, egg and cheese sandwich to local favorites like Johnny Cakes. Check it out:
