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Author: Jenn Manes

Villas for the Park Happening Now

Villa Circe is a beautiful villa that is up for bid.

Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park is currently holdings its annual Villas in the Park fundraiser. There are currently 35 villas, condos and suites that have generously donated stays. The auction continues through November 29th. All proceeds will support Friends of the Virgin Islands Park and their efforts to preserve and protect the natural and cultural resources in the Virgin Islands National Park.

Here are a list of vacation rentals that are currently up for auction:

  • Aahana at Grande Bay Resort
  • Bombalassy Villa
  • Coral Caribe Villa
  • Cruz Bay Boutique Hotel
  • Dreamview
  • Dream Come True
  • Fish Tales Cottage
  • Frenchman’s Reef in St. Thomas
  • Garden By the Sea
  • Lime Time
  • Lots of Knots
  • Marketplace Suites
  • Mayan Sky Villa
  • Mystical Mermaid
  • Meridian
  • On a Clear Day
  • Rebecca’s Fancy
  • Reef Break Vista
  • Riley’s Retreat
  • St. John Inn
  • Seaside at Grande Bay Resort
  • Stonehouse
  • Sunnyside Villa
  • Sunset Ridge Villas
  • The Fred Bourque Resort & Spa in St. Croix
  • The Green Iguana Hotel in St. Thomas
  • The Hills St. John
  • The Other World Villa
  • The Last Resort
  • Turtle’s Nest
  • Villa Adagio
  • Villa Bijou
  • Villa Circe
  • Villa Madeline
  • Wharfside Village Hotel

Click here to learn more about these vacation rentals and to bid. 

St. John Resort Villas: STJ’s Only All Inclusive Vacation Rental

A villa with a pool on the beach… yes, please! Welcome to Shangri-La.

Vacationing in St. John isn’t always the easiest., You have to book a place to stay. You have to find car rental. Perhaps you want to book a boat trip too. You finally arrive at the airport, and you decide you’d rather not cram into a taxi filled with people, but you don’t know who to call. Well you’re in luck, because one company takes care of all of this St. John vacation planning and more – St. John Resort Villas.

St. John Resort Villas has nine villas to choose from, including several that are directly on a sandy beach! For those of you who are familiar with St. John, you know that’s a rarity! They also have a fleet of vehicle rentals to choose from, as well as a 36-foot luxury Aquila that you can book for a day in the USVI or an excursion over in the British Virgin Islands.

St. John Resort Villas also owns Utopia, a beautiful vacation villa in Upper Peter Bay that’s available to rent.

St. John Resort Villas is owned by Al and MaryKae Scott, who are truthfully two of the kindest people I have ever met. Al and MaryKae began vacationing on St. John in 2011 and soon decided to purchase their own place after renting a variety of villas around the island.

“After many frequent trips to the island, we decided that it’s time to buy our own place; somewhere we can call home and that would encompass what we loved about our frequent stays,” Al said. “Waterfront, directly on the water was what we both loved and that was our number one criterion when searching. We saw Lime in de Coconut Villa advertised and immediately fell in love with it and bought it right then.”

“Since that time, we’ve done extensive renovations to make it a tropical paradise with lots of palm trees and beautiful tropical landscaping,” MaryKae added. “All of our family love the island and at our family gatherings, there’s always a great story or fabulous memory shared. It’s everyone’s favorite place to vacation!”

I’ve seen several of the St. John Resort Villas properties myself, so I can tell you first-hand that they truly are top-notch. Here is a quick rundown of their offerings:

Lime in de Coconut – Five bedroom home located directly on the waters of Chocolate Hole Bay.

Coconut Cottage – A cute, one bedroom cottage located on Chocolate Hole Bay.

Shangri-La Villa – A five-bedroom home located directly on the sand at Chocolate Hole.

Palms Villa North – A three-bedroom home located directly on the sand at Chocolate Hole.

Palms Villa South – A three-bedroom home located directly on the sand at Chocolate Hole.

Beach Oasis – A six-bedroom home located directly on the sand in Chocolate Hole.

Poseidon’s Retreat – A three-bedroom home located on the sand in Chocolate Hole.

Neptune’s Retreat – A three-bedroom home with water access in Chocolate Hole.

And last, but certainly not least is Utopia Peter Bay. – A spectacular seven-bedroom home located in St. John’s prestigious Upper Peter Bay neighborhood.

Utopia Villa overlooks Peter Bay and has views of Cinnamon Bay, Francis Bay, the British Virgin Islands and beyond.
That view!!
Utopia is a great villa for family & friend gatherings. It is a great home for entertaining.
Sunset views from Utopia Villa

And as I mentioned previously, they also have a fleet of vehicle rentals, a luxury charter boat, and land and sea taxi service. It’s totally one-stop shopping, folks! 🙂

Book a 7-night stay and get a free rental car! (Based upon availability.) Offer ends/booking must be made before Dec. 15, 2024. *Subject to availability.
Spend the day on St. John Resort Villa’s Aquila!

And even better, Al and MaryKae are offering one heck of a deal for Explore STJ readers! If you book one week at any of their properties by Dec. 15, 2024, you will get a one-week vehicle rental for FREE!* (This is subject to availability.) In order to claim this offer, you need to make your booking before Dec. 15, 2024. You can book online at www.stjohnresortvillas.com and simply type FREECAR next in the Discount Code section.

For more information on St. John Resort Villas, please visit www.stjohnresortvillas.com. Happy vacation planning!

Island Blues is Finally Torn Down

For those of you driving through Coral Bay in the upcoming days or weeks, you will see that the old, severely hurricane-damaged Island Blues building is finally being torn down. It’s about darn time.

Island Blues was a funky little waterfront restaurant that was located across the street from where Johnny Lime is today. I loved hanging out on its deck, sipping on a cold drink while listening to the waves slowly hit the shore. Sadly, Island Blues closed permanently back in 2014 after the owner could not successfully sell the place. Her last asking price was only $35,000. How times have changed!

A very old pic of Island Blues

The building (the opposite side of Island Blues) was the home of Tall Ships Trading, a screen printing business owned by Elliot, a well-known Coral Bay resident, when Hurricane Irma destroyed it back in 2017. The building has remained in shambles and relatively untouched since.

Random hurricane fact – the storm blew the front door off of what was the Island Blues bathroom, yet the toilet paper remained on the holder after the storm. How crazy is that! I know I have a picture of it somewhere. If I find it, I will share it with you all because it is completely bonkers.

Progess was being made yesterday when I drove by.
The building should be completely torn down in a matter of days.

This property is said to be part of the Coral Bay marina project that has been going on for more than a decade. That marina has yet to get the official go-ahead by all government agencies, but it is still very much in play. I will provide an update on that in the near future.

That’s it for today, folks. Heading out to take guests on an island tour now! Have a wonderful day!


Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

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.

Click Here to Book Now

 

St. John is Getting Real Street Addresses!

Ok, so that headline not might sound exciting, but for those of you who have visited the island, you know it is!

St. John is a quirky little place. One of our quirks is the lack of true street addresses. Directions to someone’s house can be quite funny and/or interesting. I live after the second bridge, for example. Friends of mine used to live at the house past the Westin with the orange cone that had a conch shell on top. I’m not making this up, folks!

Mike and I were outside doing yard work yesterday when a couple – one was wearing a reflective vest – walked over to us. We knew they had to be official due to the vest – haha. They were working with the USVI’s Street Addressing Initiative, they told us, and they were visiting to provide us with a real address. Say it isn’t so!

I’ve seen signs around the island announcing this project, and the couple confirmed that it has been happening since 2012. Island time at its finest!

The addresses used around St. John today are based on estates and plot numbers. They weren’t assigned in an orderly manner, so finding a house could be extremely difficult. We are number 93. The house one side of us is number 94, as expected. A house three parcels down on the other side is 54. It just doesn’t make sense. The new addresses will be done in chronological order and will make sense, the couple assured us.

Before they left, they gave us a handout with our new address. We are now 3225 Marina Drive in additional to being 93 Fish Bay. Even more confusing, I know!

The new addresses are expected to be provided to the utility companies, 911 and other agencies that should probably know this sort of thing. Now how long it takes for this to catch on is another thing. Only time will tell, I guess.

That’s it for today. Have a fantastic day, everyone!


Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

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.

Click Here to Book Now

 

St. John Real Estate: Gorgeous, Grande Bay Condo Just Listed For Sale! An Amazing Investment!

I am unbelievably excited to share today’s story with all of you. I just listed an incredible condo for sale. It is not only gorgeous and completely remodeled, but it is also an extremely solid investment! Curious? Then read on!

St. John Escape is a beautifully-designed & decorated one-bedroom condo that’s located in a premier location at Grande Bay Resort. This impeccably-maintained unit was remodeled from top to bottom in 2020. Not only was it remodeled, the owners even reconfigured the space to create the ultimate vacation rental.

The Details

St. John Escape is a large, one bedroom, one bathroom corner unit located in building four, which is the top left section of the resort. It has a large patio complete with vaulted ceilings, and unobstructed, panoramic views of Cruz Bay beach, the harbor and St. Thomas, and all the way out to the outlying cays, including Thatch, Grass, Mingo and Lovango. I have been in a lot of units at Grande Bay, and I have to admit, St. John Escape is top-notch.

A new kitchen was installed in 2020, including all new cabinetry, countertops and appliances. The bathroom was remodeled, as well, and now features a new vanity in addition to the large, newly tiled shower. Even the floors were updated! St. John Escape features beautiful, modern-looking tiled floors, both inside and out. This is truly a special property.

The unit is designed with comfort in mind, however it does not lack styling. St. John Escape is decorated beautifully and features numerous pieces of the owner’s photography throughout.

Making the unit even more special is a large, walk-in laundry with storage. No more leaving your dirty laundry in the hallway like a lot of the other units!

An Incredible Investment

St. John Escape is not only beautiful, but it is also a great investment. This unit rents extremely well. The occupancy rate for 2024, thus far, is 95 percent. It is on track to rent just as well in 2025.

(If you have a future reservation to stay at St. John Escape, do not worry. The new owners will honor all rental reservations.)

The Location & Resort

Grande Bay Resort is located in the heart of Cruz Bay. It is within walking distance to the ferry, taxis, shops and restaurants, as well as beaches and hiking trails. It is located directly across the street from Cruz Bay beach, so you do not have to walk far to dip your toes in the sand. The resort has a heated pool, hut tub, gym and concierge services onsite. There is an ice maker in the garage, a trash compactor and the front desk is staffed 24 hours a day.

Additional Details

St. John Escape comes with one parking spot, a feature that vacation renters often prefer. Because the unit is owned by one of the first people to buy at Grande Bay, it has a great location in the upper parking garage and is an easy spot to park. (For those of you who have been to Grande Bay, you may be aware that some of the parking spaces are tricky to get into.) There is a large owners’ closet inside of the unit that allows you to store personal items. There is an additional storage locker in the garage for beach chairs, noodles, and more.

Want More Information? 

St. John Escape is listed for $995,000 with me, Jenn Manes. I am a licensed agent at 340 Real Estate Co.. Please email me at jenn@explorestj.com or call/text at 203-376-3786 to learn more. I am happy to answer any questions you may have. As I mentioned above., St. John Escape is a solid investment. Financials are available upon request. All confirmed rental reservations must be honored.


Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

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.

Click Here to Book Now

 

 

 

Fun Event Happening at Beach Bar!

For those of you who are lucky enough to be on St. John this weekend, you are going to want to stop by The Beach Bar Saturday to watch one of the island’s zaniest events – Bar Wars.

Bar Wars is an annual fundraiser that has teams competing against one another in an obstacle course of fun. The event is raising money for St. John Rescue this year, a much-needed local nonprofit. St. John Rescue is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to saving the lives of people living in and visiting St. John.

Bar Wars begins on Saturday, November 16th at noon. The event is expected to last several hours, so make sure you swing by for part, if not, all of it. You will see several familiar faces, including teams from The Windmill Bar, The Longboard, and more.

More rain is forecasted for today, so grab yourself a barstool and support this great organization with us!

Not on island? No problem! You can watch some of the event from anywhere in the world! Just visit Explore STJ’s webcam page at www.explorestj.com/webcams and you can catch a glimpse of the action!


Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

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.

Click Here to Book Now