Well folks, there’s going to be another spot to eat lunch in Cruz Bay next month. And it’s air conditioned! With a full bar! It’s the little things in life sometimes. š
Cafe Roma has decided to try its hand at the lunch game once again. And I have to say, I am pretty excited about it. Cafe Roma will begin serving lunch Sundays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. beginning on Tuesday, November 1st. Cafe Roma serves dinner daily from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and is currently open.
For those of you who are not familiar with Cafe Roma, it’s been dishing up great Italian fare in Cruz Bay since 1980. It is located just one block from the ferry dock, upstairs from The Longboard. It consistently receives the top spot for Italian food and pasta dishes in the Virgin Islands Daily NewsĀ Best of the VI poll.
Take a peek at Cafe Roma’s new lunch menu.
Lunch begins on Tuesday, November 1st.
Go off the beaten path. See beautiful beaches. Explore centuries-old historical sites. Grab a cocktail or two along the way. But most importantly, have fun! Explore STJ island tours is rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.
Hello everyone, and happy Friday! Who needs a little beach break to start the weekend? Today we’re heading out to one of my favorite Explore STJ stops – Saltwell Bottom beach on St. John’s quiet East End. Turn up the volume, listen to the waves, and enjoy one minute of pure island bliss.
Go off the beaten path. See beautiful beaches. Explore centuries-old historical sites. Grab a cocktail or two along the way. But most importantly, have fun! Explore STJ island tours is rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.
October 11th 9am Update: Miss Lucy’s just announced that they are unable to reopen today as expected. We will keep you posted.
Hello everyone, and happy Thursday! Today’s post is short, sweet and to the point. Miss Lucy’s, one of our favorite restaurants out in Coral Bay is reopening for lunch well over a month earlier than expected! Cheers to that!
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Miss Lucy’s, it’s been a St. John staple for quite some time. It’s located right on the water in Coral Bay, about ten minutes or so from the Coral Bay triangle. Not only does Miss Lucy’s have amazing waterfront views, but it also has great food and even better staff!
Gorgeous views at Miss Lucy’s…
Miss Lucy’s was expected to reopen in late November or early December, but they announced this week that they are now reopening for lunch next Tuesday, October 11th. Miss Lucy’s will be serving a limited menu Tuesdays through Fridays from noon to 3 p.m. Despite having a limited menu at first, they will be offering a full bar. (Let’s be honest, that’s important when you’re on vacation!)
And for those of you who love a good open mic night at Miss Lucy’s, that will resume on Thursday, November, 3rd. No word on when hours will be expanded beyond that, but I will definitely let you know when I know.
I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty excited for some Johnny Cakes! Grouper Ruebens, soon come…
Want to visit Miss Lucy’s but you don’t want to rent a vehicle? Please check out Explore STJ for information on full & half day island tours.
Oh and before I go, I would like to publicly give a big CONGRATULATIONS to Candy, Miss Lucy’s amazing manager, on the birth of her new baby! Congrats to you and your family!!
Go off the beaten path. See beautiful beaches. Explore centuries-old historical sites. Grab a cocktail or two along the way. But most importantly, have fun! Explore STJ island tours is rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.
Sunset from Gifft Hill – No filters. It was really this pretty!
Today we’re talking sunset…
Sunset is easily my favorite time of day on island, and we are super lucky to have some incredible ones in the Virgin Islands. I know many of you, like me, would hate to miss a good sunset when you’re on island, so here is a handy primer for you.
As of today, October 5th, sunset is at 6:04 p.m. We will lose a minute nearly every day until the end of the month when it sets at 5:47 p.m.
Did you know that the sun never sets earlier than 5:41 p.m. on St. John? That will happen between November 15th and December 3rd. We will gain a minute or so of light every day beginning on December 4th.
(Random fact: We do not observe daylight savings on St. John, so when most of you fall back an hour on November 6th, time in the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico will stay the same. That means we will be one hour ahead of EST until daylight savings on March 12, 2023.)
On the flip side, the latest that the sun sets on St. John is 6:59 p.m. That will happen between June 28th and July 14th in 2023.
There are a lot of great spots to watch the sun set on St. John. I love to watch it set from the Westin around Christmastime when it’s setting just beyond the resort. Gifft Hill, as seen in the image at the top of this post, is also a great spot to watch it. In the summer months, the Windmill Bar takes the cake for sunset watching. Check out this time lapse video I took from the Windmill Bar last July:
Beautiful, isn’t it?
Here are a few other pictures I have taken over the past couple of years. None of these pics have been edited or altered for color. It’s that pretty!
January 2019June 2019June 2020April 2022
Want to see when the sun will set when you’re visiting St. John? Click this link to view the current sunset times.
Go off the beaten path. See beautiful beaches. Explore centuries-old historical sites. Grab a cocktail or two along the way. But most importantly, have fun! Explore STJ island tours is rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.
Hello everyone, and happy Tuesday! Let’s talk about the British Virgin Islands, shall we?
I am super excited to tell you all that there is a brand new way to get over to the BVI! Cruz Bay Watersports, which is based out of the Westin on St. John and out of the Ritz Carlton on St. Thomas, is now offering weekly trips to Jost van Dyke. Cruz Bay Watersports is the only St. John-based company that allows you to purchase a spot on a multi-passenger boat, as opposed to chartering an entire vessel to the BVI.
Cruz Bay Watersports is now offering Jost van Dyke trips every Tuesday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., departing from the Westin dock. Guests will sail aboard a luxury 65-foot catamaran for a day of sun and a lot of fun. Guests will first visit Great Harbor, Jost van Dyke where the crew will clear you through Customs. You will then spend the day enjoying picturesque White Bay, home to the Soggy Dollar Bar, One Love, Gertrudes, Hendo’s Hideout and some of the most beautiful water youāve ever seen!
Beautiful White Bay… (throwback pic)
The cost of this trip is $199 for adults and $149 for children ages 12 and under. There is an additional $75 fee for Customs. You must have a valid passport to book this trip. The trip includes a continental breakfast, open bar, snorkel gear, towels, flotation devices, and fresh water showers onboard. Lunch is not included.
And because Cruz Bay Watersports appreciates everyone who calls St. John home, they are offering a 40%-off local discount through November 1st. You must be a full-time USVI resident to receive the discounted rate.(The 40% comes off of the base price, not the Customs fee.) All you have to do is email Cruz Bay Watersports after booking, and they will apply the discount.
Cruz Bay Watersports also offers Discover Jost van Dyke trips out of the Ritz Carlton on St. Thomas every Thursday.
Lastly, Inter Island Boat Services offers ferry service between Cruz Bay and Great Harbor, Jost van Dyke every Sunday, Tuesday and Friday. Click here for more information on that.
I don’t know about you, but I love a good BVI day! Cheers!
Go off the beaten path. See beautiful beaches. Explore centuries-old historical sites. Grab a cocktail or two along the way. But most importantly, have fun! Explore STJ island tours is rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.
Happy Monday everyone! That weekend sure flew by! Ok, so when I started chatting about this new blog with friends on island, one mentioned how some of my readers may be new to St. John, so it’s important from time to time to chat about the basics. Well today we’re going to do just that! We’re going to start at the beginning – how to get to St. John. Now for my seasoned visitors, don’t leave just yet! You never know when you’ll get some new information. š
Traveling Here & Heading Home
In order to get to St. John, you must fly into St. Thomas. The airport code over there is STT. All of the major airlines fly into St. Thomas, including Delta, American, JetBlue, Spirit and United. We also have two smaller airlines – Cape Air and Silver Airways (formerly Seaborne) that have daily flights via San Juan.
St. John (and neighboring St. Thomas and St. Croix) are part of the United States Virgin Islands. Because we are a United States territory, you do not need a passport to visit. When you leave, however, you will have to pass through US Customs & Border Protection. Ā This is because the US Virgin Islands fall outside of the “Customs territory of the United States.”
When you’re heading home, you always want to give yourself some extra time at the airport as it’s a multi-step process to leave. If you are checking a bag, you have to stop at the airline counter. They do not take your bag there, however. You’ll keep your bag and head to Customs. (For those of you with a carry on, you head straight to Customs.) Depending on the time of the year, the Customs line can be quite long.
The Customs agent will ask you some questions like where are you heading and where did you stay. They will ask if you have any souvenirs, fruits, vegetables, tobacco, alcohol. etc. It’s a lot faster if you have a passport or passport card with you, although a driver’s license works too.
From there, you will drop your bag just before security if you have one. Then head through security. There is a pre-check lane, but it’s not always open. During certain times, there will be one line, and pre-check passengers will be handed a card indicating they’re pre-check.
Once You Get Here
Taxis
There will be plenty of taxis available to take you to one of the three ferries to St. John. They are located just outside of the baggage area. The taxi drivers squeeze as many passengers inside as legally allowed, so the ride can be quite cramped at times. If you prefer not to be squished, you can hire a private driver onsite. That costs $90 for up to four people if traveling to Red Hook. You call also call my good friend Yogi, who is my number one driver on St. Thomas. His cell is 340-626-5695. Feel free to say Jenn on St. John sent you. He will love that. š
Ferries/Barges
There are three ferries that connect St. Thomas with St. John – Red Hook, Crown Bay and Charlotte Amalie. I will post their current (as of Oct. 3, 2022) schedules below.
You can rent a vehicle in St. Thomas and take it over to St. John via the car barges if you prefer. Click here to view those schedules.Ā (Selfishly, I prefer that you rent on St. John to free up space on the barge for people who need it for work, doctor’s appointments, etc.)
And after all of that, you’ll be on St. John! We might not be the easiest place to visit, but we’re the best! And once you’ve arrived, be sure to explore the island with me! Explore STJ offers full and half day island tours. Check out beautiful beaches, centuries-old historical sites, grab a cocktail or two along the way, and have fun! It’s never too early to secure your spot! Just send me an email at jenn@explorestj.com or check out the website at www.ExploreSTJ.com.
That’s it for today, folks! If you’d like to bookmark this page, you can find it easily at www.explorestj.com/gettinghere. Have a great day!
