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Watch the Super Bowl on the Beach!

This could be your view for the Super Bowl!

Who wants to watch the Super Bowl on the beach? Well if you’re lucky enough to be in St. John this weekend, you can!

The Beach Bar is planning to put not one, but two screens directly on Cruz Bay beach for Sunday’s big game. They will have one large inflatable down on the sand and a second projection screen on the beach stage. They have four televisions inside the bar, so you will be able to see the game from every single barstool. They’re having a lot of drink specials too, including a bucket of Bud Lights (five beers) for just $15.

There are so many spots to watch this game this Sunday throughout the island. Here’s a quick rundown of some other options. (Please contact the business for exact details.)

The Tap Room – They have several TVs behind the bar, plus they make beer, so that pretty much goes hand-in-hand with the Super Bowl, right?

Greengo’s – Another spot with a ton of TVs behind the bar. This will be another happening spot.

The Windmill Bar – They are offering reserved seating, although purchasing one is not required to attend. They have TVs behind the bar and will have a large projector screen set up too. Another great spot for the Super Bowl with a view!

Cafe Roma – They have a brand new television behind the bar & are offering food & drink specials.

Lovango Rum Bar – They’re holding a ticketed event that includes a buffet and reserved seating.

Drink – They’re having a Ladies Night event with drink specials too!

High Tide – They have two TVs at the bar.

Quiet Mon Pub – They have TVs behind the bar.

Inn at Tamarind Court – I hear there is a little potluck party happening here.

Cruz Bay Landing – There is one TV behind the bar.

Skinny Legs – They are holding a ticketed event too, which has already sold out.

Want to see where all of these restaurants are located? Click here to check out my restaurant map.

Want to watch some live images of how we Super Bowl here on St. John? Click here to check out our webcam page and see live images from the Beach Bar, The Windmill Bar & more!

See beautiful sights. Go off the beaten path. Explore the island’s rich history. Or perhaps check out a tiki bar or two. Book your Explore STJ island tour today!

Island Tidbits is Holding a Raffle! Win a Complete STJ Vacation for just $25!

For just $25, you can enter to win a week-long St. John vacation right here in Cruz Bay.

Hello everyone! I am ridiculously excited to share today’s tidbits with you! Ok, so anyone who knows me know that I love a good raffle! I’ve held a handful over the years, and I think it’s time to do it again!

I received a call earlier this month from Carey Deckard, an owner at Grande Bay Resort in Cruz Bay. Carey and his wife Janelle generously offered to donate a week-long stay over at Grande Bay. Carey is a longtime reader of mine, and he wants to help raise money for the Animal Care Center of St. John. I immediately said yes, and then reached out to friends who own businesses on island, asking for additional donations. And they all immediately said yes too! So exciting!

Drum roll please…

I am super excited to announce the first very first (but certainly not the last!) Island Tidbits raffle in conjunction with the Animal Care Center! There is only one grand prize, and it is pretty incredible. For just $25, you can enter to win the following St. John vacation:

The raffle has an estimated value of roughly $4,500.

The raffle period has ended. 

How the drawing works: Once the entry period is over, the raffle committee will personally write/type the names of each entrant on a raffle ticket. If you buy one ticket, we will write/type your name on one ticket. If you buy two tickets ($50 total), we will write/type your name on two tickets. If you buy three tickets ($75 total), we will write/type your name on three tickets. And so forth. You will not receive a ticket by mail or email. All of the names will be placed into a secure bucket/basket/box. Once all of the names are written on tickets, we will draw the winner live on video. The winner will be announced on explorestj.com. A video of the drawing will also be posted on explorestj.com. The raffle period will end on Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 9 p.m. AST. The winner will be announced on explorestj.com on or about November 18, 2022. All tickets purchased will be treated as donations to the Animal Care Center on St. John. Now go ahead and enter! Good luck!! And thank you for supporting the Animal Care Center!

The Fine Print: 

  • The winner must adhere to the individual property/business rules and restrictions.
  • The one-week stay at Livin’ the Dream is based on availability. The winner can choose to stay at either the studio OR the one-bedroom unit. If Livin’ the Dream requires a deposit, the winner is responsible for paying that fee.
  • The half-day island tour with Explore STJ is based on availability. Gratuity is not included. 
  • The sunset sail on Palm Tree Charters is based on availability. Gratuity is not included. 
  • All gift certificates will be provided to the winner at check in. 
  • In the event that a property/business becomes uninhabitable due to a storm, fire, or Act of God, the winner agrees to forfeit the prize.
  • We strongly encourage the winner to purchase travel insurance.
  • None of the prizes are transferrable without the business owner’s consent.

Good luck!

You can bookmark this page at www.explorestj.com/raffle.

Caneel Bay Beach Club Set to Open at Honeymoon

Honeymoon Beach – The view from the soon-to-open Caneel Bay Beach Club.

You know that I love to share a good tidbit with you, and today I have a couple of interesting morsels!

I was walking down to Honeymoon Beach yesterday when I noticed some work happening at the former concessions area that closed back in January. Being the curious gal I am, I walked over and asked a few questions. And here’s the scoop!

The Caneel Bay Beach Club is preparing to open at Honeymoon beach, and it sounds pretty nice. It will be a more upscale operation than in years past, they said, and it will be open daily from sun up to sun down.

The Caneel Bay Beach Club will offer cabana and chair rentals, as well as food and beverage, which will be provided by one of our favorites here on St. John. (More to come on that soon!) Restrooms and showers will be available to guests, and there will be a gift shop onsite that will sell towels, beachwear and other items needed for a perfect day on the beach.

Screenshot from Caneel Bay Beach Club’s website
The former food hut has been repainted
The gift shop
Plantings look great!
An additional building sits at the far end of the beach.

Transportation to Honeymoon Beach will return, and will include a shuttle from Caneel Bay’s main entrance to Honeymoon. That cost will be $10 roundtrip. They also plan to offer water shuttle service from Cruz Bay, as well as villa pickups. I will provide more details on those services, including the water shuttle schedule, when its becomes available.

If all goes as planned, the Caneel Bay Beach Club is set to open around November 1st.

(Clarification: Caneel Bay is not running the concessions area: it simply leased the space to the new Caneel Bay Beach Club concessionaire.)

Want to know exactly where the Caneel Bay Beach Club will be located? I just added its location to our restaurant map. Visit www.explorestj.com/restaurantmap to check it out.

New Bar Coming to Cruz Bay!

The Upstairs is set to open next month at the former Dog House Pub location.

Well folks, in keeping with this week’s restaurant tidbits, I am excited to share that a new bar & restaurant is coming to Cruz Bay!

For those of you who are familiar with St. John, you are probably aware that the former Dog House Pub spot in Cruz Bay has been shuttered since early 2020. The restaurant, which is located across the street from The Longboard, was sold in early 2020. There were plans to reopen it as a spot called Cocktails & Dreams, but that never came to fruition. And it’s been sitting empty ever since.

Enter Christie Register and Andy Peter, who co-own The Windmill Bar along with Ronnie Jones and his family.

I am super excited to share that Christie and Andy have taken over the spot and plan to reopen it sometime next month. They’re hoping for a mid-month opening, specifically, if all goes as planned.

Their new spot is going to be called “Upstairs Bar & Grille” and it will be located, well, upstairs. 🙂 The lower level will reopen down the road – to be determined.

I chatted with Andy earlier this week, and I am pretty excited about what they have in store. He described the Upstairs as being a very relaxed spot that will be comfortable both for residents and vacationers alike. He said the space will be designed in homage to the bars of yesteryear that used to occupy the building, including Dog House Pub, Castaways, Duffy’s, Crazy Crackers and The Backyard. They’ve even located old signage from some of those spots and plan to incorporate it in their decor. Even the wood that was used in the remodel tells a story – It’s the old wood from Maho Bay Camps, which was salvaged after they closed in 2013. Check out some pics…

The view from Upstairs
An alternate view
No more Cocktails & Dreams here…
A painting from Dog House Pub
Who recalls what bar this is from?
Wood salvaged from Maho Bay Camps

The menu will be simple, fast and affordable, Andy said. He plans to bring back a good ‘ole classic happy hour a la Castaways, etc. No blenders, however. 🙂

And for all of the residents who are curious what happened to the roll money that was being held when Dog House closed? It was recently handed over to Andy, and he is excited to say that the roll will start at $2,200 when the Upstairs opens next month. (Not familiar with the roll, it’s essentially a game of Yahtzee. St. John residents pay a small fee to roll three times. If they get five of a kind, they win the roll money. Fun stuff!)

So many great things happening in such a small place! Have a great day everyone!

Familiar Faces & Places Featured in Popular Magazine

Lime Out is one of several businesses featured in the November issue of Food & Wine magazine. Image credit: Food & Wine

Hello everyone, and happy Wednesday! I didn’t intend for this to be a week of restaurant tidbits, but that’s what it’s shaping up to be! I have said for years that St. John has a pretty incredible food scene, especially for such a small island in the middle of the Caribbean. Well I’m excited to share that a pretty prominent publication has taken notice… very exciting stuff!

The November issue of Food & Wine magazine features a four-page spread on St. John. It calls what’s happening here “an island renaissance” and goes on to say that our “resilient dining scene burns bright.” And you know what, that statement could not be truer.

The article features many familiar faces and places including John from ZoZo’s, Carlos from Morgan’s Mango. Alex from La Tapa, Chelsea from Lime Out, Meredith from St. John Provisions and even an adorable pic of Laura and William from Irie Pops.

If you want to check out the article, but cannot grab one from a newsstand, you can sign up to receive the issue online. (There is a cost associated with this – fyi.) The article is great and written by a frequent traveler to the island.

That’s it for today, folks. Just trying to spread more love and keep a smile on all of our faces. 🙂 As always, if you want to see where these restaurants are, and where all of our restaurants are, please check out Island Tidbits’ restaurant map at www.explorestj.com/restaurantmap

Have a great day!

 

High Tide Expands! More Seating to Enjoy the View!

High Tide is located right beside the ferry dock in Cruz Bay.

Hello, and happy Tuesday! I have some great tidbits to share with you all today. Our friends over at High Tide recently expanded, which means there is more room for you to enjoy the spectacular views!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with High Tide, it is located right beside the main ferry dock in Cruz Bay. They open daily at 8 a.m. and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have a great happy hour too.

So as I mentioned, they recently expanded and their new seating area looks great. Check it out for yourselves:

High Tide’s new seating area
Looking toward the bar & main dining area
An alternate view

Looks pretty great, right??!

So in addition to this great new seating area, High Tide has lot of bar seating and even a few Adirondack chairs on the beach, so you can enjoy the beautiful Cruz Bay views with your toes in the sand.

Not a terrible place to eat, drink & be merry. 🙂

If you want to see exactly where High Tide is located and where all of our restaurants on St. John are located, please check out our restaurant map at www.IslandTidbits.com/restaurantmap

Have a great day!

Tag: High Tide St. John