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St. John 2025 Calendars Now Available

I know how much you all love having a little St. John hanging in your homes and offices. Well, three of our favorite St. John calendars are now available to pre-order or purchase.

Elaine Estern – Coconut Coast Studios

Elaine’s 2025 calendar is titled Corals and Florals. It features 12 handprinted watercolor scenes that depict life above and below our beautiful Caribbean waters. Elaine is an amzingly talented watercolor artist who has been living in St. John since 1975. Elaine owns Coconut Coast Studios, a quaint and colorful studio and retail shop in Frank Bay. For those of you who’ve visited the shop or Frank Bay, you may have been treated to a visit from Elaine’s adorable Chocolate Lab Dove.

Click here to pre-order Coconut Coast Studios’ 2025 Corals and Florals calendar. This calendar retails for $25.

Christian Wheatley Photography

Looking for a stunning photograph showing scenes around St. John each month of the year? Then look no further than Christian Wheatley’s 2025 St. John calendar. Start the year with a beautiful scene from Cinnamon Bay and end the year with a gorgeous aerial photograph from St. John’s North Shore. Christian is a St. John-based photographer, who specializes in commercial beach lifestyle photography.

Click here to purchase Christian Wheatley’s 2025 St. John calendar on Amazon. The calendar retails for $19.99 and is available via Amazon Prime.

Steve Simonsen Photography – Coming Soon!

And last, but certainly not least is Steve Simonsen’s annual St. John calendar. Steve’s calendar is not available for sale currently, but it will be soon. So check back often. Steve’s calendar features some of the island’s most popular residents on the calendar – our beloved donkeys! The calendar also features Steve’s beautiful photography, including images from below and above our turquoise waters.

Click here to purchase Steve Simonsen’s 2025 St. John calendar. You can also purchase Steve’s coffee table book by using that link.

Happy shopping!

On the Market: Westin Units Available for Purchase & Rent

The Westin resort is located on the water of Great Cruz Bay.

Hello everyone, and happy Tuesday! I know a lot of you have been planning your next St. John vacation, and chances are, you’ve looked at the Westin as one of the places you might stay. The Westin is a great waterfront property, and it’s located just minutes from Cruz Bay. And even better? It’s a quick ride to all of the best beaches.

Did you know that you can own a week at the Westin? I know, you may be thinking, why should I buy a week when I can just rent one? Well, truthfully, it’s not that easy. The Westin is a very hard property to get into, so it’s beneficial to own a deeded week. I looked to reserve a week for many of the weeks available for sale, and the Westin is sold out. Or, if it is available, the price is usually much higher than what your annual fees would be.

Beachfront… Yes, please!

The properties listed below are all deeded weeks, so you own that unit for that specific week. Can’t use it? Not a problem! You can let friends or family stay there; you can rent it out; or you can convert it to points and use those points to vacation at another property within the network. It’s kinda a win-win!

I have the following properties listed for sale. All units include full use of all of the Westin’s amenities, including additional pools, hot tub, waterfront restaurant, poolside bar, gym, market, private ferry service, and more. If there is a week you are looking for that is not listed, please email me at jenn@explorestj.com, and I can help.

  • Spend early March (Week 10) in your very own two-bedroom, three-bathroom townhouse. This unit is located on the hillside, so the views are great! Next year’s dates are March 8-15, 2025. This unit is listed for $8,000. The annual dues are $3,290.
I wasn’t kidding… sold out!
  • Spend Labor Day 2025 (August 31-Sept. 7, 2025) in St. John! Enjoy Week 35 annually in this three bedroom, three bathroom villa in the Bay Vista section of the Westin Resort. This unit is located just steps from the beach, main pool, restaurant, and more. This unit is listed for $8,000. The annual dues are $2,988.96.
  • Get a jumpstart on your summer vacation – Week 22, first week of June – in this beautiful three bedroom, three bathroom villa located on the beachside of the Westin Resort. Just steps to the beach and all of the resort’s amenities. This unit is listed for $11,000. The annual dues are $2,988.96.
This week is available for rent, but the cost is more than double what your annual fees would be.
  • Spend the first week of March (Week 9) in a two-bedroom townhouse. Enjoy the gorgeous sunset views from your private balcony in this hillside unit. This unit is listed for $12,000. The annual dues are $3,489.41.
  • Enjoy week 18 (May 10-17, 2025) in unit 4313, a three bedroom, three bathroom townhouse that has its own private pool and hot tub. This unit is listed for $15,000. The annual dues are $4,775.02.
  • Enjoy week 19 (May 17-24, 2025) in unit 4313, a three bedroom, three bathroom townhouse that has its own private pool and hot tub. This unit is listed for $15,000. The annual dues are $4,775.02.
  • Weeks 18 and 19 in unit 4313 can be purchased together.
  • Spend an entire month in St. John! Unit 3422 is a one bedroom, 2 bathroom townhouse that’s located in the highest part of the Westin resort, which means it has some of the best views on property! You can enjoy an entire month here – August 21st through September 21st annually. Escape the high season crowds and enjoy some downtime on the island during the quietest time of the year. And even better, this unit is scheduled to get a complete upgrade next year! This unit is listed for $19,000. The annual dues are $13,528.86.
A rainbow was captured from Unit 3422!

For Rent

  • March 8-15, 2025: Hillside unit. Two bedrooms,. Three bathrooms. Asking price: $4,500 for the week. This week is also listed for sale for $8,000. Please contact me at jenn@explorestj.com for more details.

If you are interested in learning more about any of these properties, please email me at jenn@explorestj.com or 203-376-3786. Are you interested in buying or selling a different property? I would love to help you! I am a licensed realtor with 340 Real Estate Co. and I am happy to help you with all of your real estate needs. Thanks 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. 🙂

The Weather has Been Stunning! See for Yourself!

September 22, 2024

We have hit the weather lottery over the past week. The skies have been bright blue and crystal clear, and the water has been like glass! I was out and about on an Explore STJ Island Tour yesterday, and I took several pics to share with all of you. Enjoy!


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. 🙂 


Pre-Order Your Trunk Bay Puzzle Today!

Limited quantity available.

Click the Buy button below to order yours! (Link brings you to a secure payment processing website.)


Order Your Trunk Bay Puzzle Today!

Support a small business this holiday season!

I am super excited to tell you all about this today! For years, I’ve been toying with the idea of creating an amazing puzzle for all of you St. John lovers out there. Well, I have finally done it, and I am excited to share that it is now available to pre-order! How exciting is that??!

This is a custom-made puzzle created by me, Jenn Manes! My parents are graciously shipping puzzles for me from Connecticut, so they get to you all much faster! Thanks mom and dad!

The next batch of orders will be shipped on December 17th. Order yours no later than December 16th for Christmas delivery. Puzzles are shipping via USPS Ground Advantage to save on your shipping costs. USPS says all orders shipped by December 18th will arrive in time for Christmas. We’re shipping a day early to be safe!

The price is $45, plus $9 shipping. Thank you for supporting a small business!


New Webcam Overlooks Cruz Bay & Sunset Views!

The view from Serendip St. John’s brand new webcam!

Hello everyone, and happy Thursday! I am super excited to share a brand new webcam with all of you! Seriously, will there ever be too many webcams to watch? The answer in my world is no way!

Our friends over at Serendip St. John just installed a new webcam at their property in Cruz Bay. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Serendip St. John, it is collection of studio and one-bedroom vacation condos. Each has a beautiful view overlooking Cruz Bay, and there is a shared pool onsite too.

Their new webcam is available 24/7, so you can check out the beautiful views during the day, sunset and then even the twinkling lights over St. Thomas at night. So fun! Check it out below:

I just added Serendip to our webcam page. You can see more than two dozen live cameras at www.explorestj.com/webcams.

Happy watching!

Nighttime views from Serendip’s webcam

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

–> www.facebook.com/explorestj

–> www.instagram.com/explorestj


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. 🙂 

Help Us Control St. John’s Pet Population

The ACC plans to spay & neuter 200 cats in November, but we need your help to do it.

When I was a kid, I loved pretending to be too sick for school simply so I could stay home and watch The Price is Right. I loved the excitement, the games, and most of all, Bob Barker. I loved how he ended each show with the same exact message: “Help control the pet population. Have your pet spay or neutered.” He’s one of my favorite television personalities from my childhood.

St. John is carrying on Bob Barker’s work, but we need some financial support. The Animal Care Center, with the help of Visiting Veterinarians International, is about to embark on a major spay and neuter event, the largest St. John has ever undertaken.

From November 8th through November 11th, the Animal Care Center of St. John (I am proudly a board member) plans to spay and neuter 300 cats. As I mentioned, this is the largest spay and neuter event that we have ever undertaken. It’s a big deal, and it will make a huge impact in the community. But events like this take money to organize, and we are looking for donations to help.

We are so thankful that Visiting Veterans International is donating their time and equipment, but it is up to us to pay for their housing and transportation, as well as dozens of cat traps needed to successfully pull off this event.

The Animal Care Center has set up a GoFundMe for this event, but we are woefully short of our $65,000 goal. If you are able to donate, your money would go to a great cause, and we would be beyond thankful. All donations are tax-deductible too.

Click here to donate to this event via GoFundMe. 

For those of you who prefer to donate the old fashioned way, you can send your donation directly to the Animal Care Center via their website at www.stjohnanimalcarecenter.com/donate. Again, all donations are tax-deductible.

I love kittens as much as the next gal, but the shelter has been completely overrun with kittens this year. Together, we can help control St. John’s pet population. Thank you for your support!

Our ACC rescue Lucy. We adopted her back in 2022.

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

–> www.facebook.com/explorestj

–> www.instagram.com/explorestj


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. 🙂