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Palm Tree Charters Now Chartering to the BVI!

Jenn Manes 7 Comments
The view from Foxy’s on Jost Van Dyke … Palm Tree Charters can take you here!

Well folks, the wait is over! Palm Tree Charters is the first St. John-based, private charter company to bring guests back to the British Virgin Islands! And they’re accepting reservations now, so act fast to reserve your spot!

It only took 956 days, but Palm Tree Charters returned to the British Virgin Islands with guests Sunday morning, marking an exciting return to normalcy, post-Covid. The last time they were able to bring guests to the BVI was March 18, 2020. The British Virgin Island closed their borders due to Covid the following day, and when they reopened to charter companies, their newly-imposed requirements made it prohibitive for most local companies to bring guests over into BVI waters.

Well Palm Tree Charters – a company that has been in business on St. John since 2005 – has fulfilled all of the BVI’s new licensing requirements, and they are currently approved to bring guests over on several of their boats – their Palma Bellas and Last Call, their luxury, 36-foot Aquila. They can literally take you over tomorrow if you’d like! Seriously, go book that trip!

Chartering to the BVI
Last Call is Palm Tree Charter’s Luxury 36-foot Aquila

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love a BVI day. There is something so magical about island hopping to spots like the Soggy Dollar Bar, Seddy’s One Love and Foxy’s, snorkeling over in the Caves or at the Indians near Norman Island, or simply cruising up and down the Sir Francis Drake Channel.

There isn’t a dock at Soggy Dollar Bar, hence the name. Guests have to swim/wade in to get there when visiting from White Bay.
Toes in the sand & a drink in your hand at Seddy’s One Love on Jost van Dyke.
The Caves at Norman Island in the British Virgin Islands is one of my favorite snorkeling spots.
The Indians are another great snorkeling spot. You feel like you are snorkeling in an aquarium.

Ready to grab some friends and head over to the BVI? I know I am! In fact, I am heading over with Palm Tree Charters for my birthday next week!

Full disclosure here: The price to take a private charter to the BVI has increased due to the cost associated with the approval process, including licensing fees, work permits, taxes, etc. Palm Tree Charters understands the cost is high. I understand the cost is high. But a day in the BVI is priceless, right?? 🙂 For those of you who’d rather stick to US waters, prices for these trips remain the same.

Ok, so the cost to charter the Palma Bellas to the BVI is $1,250 for up to eight guests. Customs is an additional $75 per person, and a passport is required for all BVI trips. (You must clear through Customs & Immigration when entering the British Virgin Island, and again when you return to St. John.) Trips to the Baths in Virgin Gorda and North Sound locations like Saba Rock, Bitter End and Oil Nut Bay will incur an additional $250 cost per trip. Fuel is not included and will cost roughly $170 to $350 depending on which island you decide to visit (and also based on the current cost of fuel). Simply want to visit Jost Van Dyke? Fuel will average about $170. Looking to jump off the Willy T? Gas to Norman Island will cost roughly $260.

The Willy T is a restaurant/bar located on a boat, which is permanently anchored in the bight off of Norman Island.

The cost to charter Last Call, Palm Tree Charter’s luxury Aquila to the British Virgin Islands is $2,700 for up to 12 people. Customs is an additional $75 per person, and fuel in not included.

All trips depart at 8:30 a.m. from Cruz Bay and will return at approximately 4:30 p.m.

So as I mentioned, I am super excited to head over to the BVI with Palm Tree Charters next week. With so many amazing places to visit, I simply do not know where to go! A breakfast mimosa at Oil Nut Bay followed by lunch over at Saba Rock, perhaps? Maybe we will head straight to see our friends over at the Soggy Dollar Bar and Foxy’s followed by a Bushwacker at Pirate’s Bight. So many possibilities!

I am obsessed with Oil Nut Bay in Virgin Gorda!
Pirate’s Bight at Norman Island is one of my favorite spots in the BVI!
Treat yourself to a Bushwacker… or two at Pirate’s Bight on Norman Island.

If you’d like to learn more about Palm Tree Charters USVI and BVI charters, please visit their website at www.PalmTreeCharters.com. Have a fantastic day everyone!

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One Day in St. John: Things to Do & See

Jenn Manes 2 Comments
Trunk Bay beach, St John

So you have only one day to spend in St. John. Maybe you’re visiting by cruise ship, or perhaps you’re staying over at one of the St. Thomas resorts. In today’s post, we are going to tell you how to best spend one day in St John when visiting via the St Thomas to St John ferry.

Plan on taking the ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay early in the day to fully enjoy everything St John has to offer. The first ferry leaves Red Hook at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, and at 6:30 a.m. on the weekends. There is a 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. boat daily, and then the ferry leaves Red Hook every hour on the hour beginning at 9 a.m. Tickets cost $8.15 per person, per way. I suggest taking either the 8:30 a.m. or 9 a.m. ferry over to maximize your time in St John. You can save time by buying your tickets in advance at www.stjohnticketing.com

The St John ferry dock in Cruz Bay

Once you arrive at the ferry dock, numerous taxis will be waiting to whisk you away on your St John adventure. But before we do that, wander across the street and over to the park, and grab yourself a coffee from Cruz Bay Landing’s Coffee House & Creamery. Choose from a variety of signature Virgin Islands Coffee Roasters brews or even a cocktail latte like an Almond Joy, a delicious concoction of coconut rum, Amaretto and chocolate. Then head back over to the taxi area and ask to visit Trunk Bay.

Cruz Bay Landing’s Coffee House & Creamery

The cost of taxi from Cruz Bay to Trunk Bay is $12 if you are traveling alone or $9 per person if you are traveling with two or more people. The majority of our taxis are open air safari trucks, so you can enjoy the views and a nice breeze as you travel along the north shore and out to the beaches.

The trip out to Trunk Bay is breathtaking. You will drive past three overlooks and a handful of beautiful beaches and bays along the way. Ask your driver in advance to stop at Trunk Bay, so you can snap a pic at one of the most beautiful spots on St John.

The view from the Trunk Bay overlook

The taxi ride from the ferry dock to Trunk Bay takes roughly 15 minutes. It costs $5 per person to visit Trunk Bay. (It is the only beach within the Virgin Islands National Park that has a fee to enter.) Children 15 and under are free, as are military card holders. You can also use a National Park pass to enter with the exception of the “red” annual pass.

The cost to visit Trunk Bay

Trunk Bay has food, beverage, showers and restrooms, as well as chair and snorkel rentals. It is home of the famous underwater snorkel trail, which is located to the left of the cays if you’re looking out toward the water. Once you arrive at Trunk Bay, you will quickly see why it is consistently ranked one of the top beaches in the world.

Trunk Bay, home of the underwater snorkel trail

Spend a few hours at Trunk, and then head back to the taxis. They are almost always waiting in the parking lot. And if a taxi isn’t there when you walk out, no need to worry. One usually arrives within minutes.

Trunk Bay taxi in parking lot

By now it is likely early afternoon, and many of you – like me – enjoy a good break from the sun. Hop in a taxi, and ask to be dropped off at the Cinnamon Bay Sugar Factory, a quick five-minute drive up the road.

Cinnamon Bay is one of the oldest plantations on St. John. The site includes a horse mill, bagasse shed (where crushed sugar cane stalks were dried before they were used for fuel in the boiling process), a factory building and two cemeteries among other items.  Walk along the boardwalk for a bit, discover the area’s rich history while enjoying the sounds of nature.

Inside a doorway at the Cinnamon Bay Sugar Factory

By now, it’s mid to late afternoon which means it’s happy hour somewhere. Walk over to the Cinnamon Bay campground, which is just across the street, and hop in a taxi back to Cruz Bay. Looking for a spot on the water with a great view? Then look no further than The Beach Bar or High Tide.

Now a trip to St John wouldn’t be complete without sampling one of the island’s most popular drinks – the Painkiller. It’s a refreshing concoction of orange juice, pineapple juice, a coconut mixer and a ton of rum. And I mean a TON of rum. Grab one for $2 off during happy hour at The Beach Bar, which runs daily from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Are you more of a wine drinker like me? Then wander over to High Tide, home of the best wine pour on island. (I totally made that up, but it’s so true!!)

Happy hour is from 3-7pm daily at The Beach Bar.
High Tide is located right beside the ferry dock.

By now, you’ve had a full day of fun, sun, history and some rum, so chances are, you’re ready to take the ferry back over to St Thomas. The ferry from St John to St Thomas leaves every hour on the hour during the afternoons and evenings until 11 p.m.

Still have a little left in you? Then check out one of Cruz Bay’s amazing restaurants for dinner. We have so many great options to choose from like the very casual Roti King food truck and Uncle Joe’s BBQ to fancier, fine dining spots like The Terrace and Lime Inn. (I recommend making a reservation in advance for the St John’s fine dining restaurants.)

Want to know more about Cruz Bay restaurants, including their exact location? Then please check out our restaurant map at www.explorestj.com/restaurantmap.

And lastly, for those of you who love a good sunset view like me, take one last taxi ride up to The Windmill Bar, which is just two miles outside of town. The cost is $12 if you are traveling alone and $9 per person, per way.

Sunset captured from The Windmill Bar’s webcam

So let’s recap: Ferry –> Coffee or a cocktail –> Trunk Bay –> Cinnamon Bay Sugar Factory –> Happy Hour –> Dinner and/or Sunset Views = A completely full day on St John!

What does a perfect day look like for you in St John? Leave your thoughts in our comments section or over on our social media pages. You can also share this post by clicking the share buttons below.

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Another St. John Restaurant Reopens!

Jenn Manes 0 Comments

Hello everyone, and welcome to the weekend! One of the biggest parts of planning a vacation (for me at least) revolves around where I’m going to eat. Well I am excited to tell you today that yet another great St. John restaurant has reopened, signaling that high season is just around the corner.

Our friends over at Extra Virgin Bistro reopened last night after being closed for off season for nearly three months. They plan to continue with their three-course tasting menu this season, which is delish! Guests get an appetizer, salad and entree for $100. Children under the age of five are able to order off of a kid’s menu for those of you with little ones like me.

Nearly all of our fine dining restaurants have reopened on St. John at this point with the exception of ZoZo’s. They plan to reopen at Caneel Bay in December. Numerous restaurants remain closed for off season, but are expected to reopen soon. Here’s the scoop:

  • Banana Deck – Reopening November 13th if all goes as planned
  • Cinnamon Bay’s Raintree Restaurant – Reopening November 1st (Food truck is currently open beside the beach for lunch.)
  • Drink – Reopening on Halloween
  • Island Breeze – Reopening mid-November
  • Kati Lago/Island Cork – Reopening TBD
  • Lovango Resort & Beach Club – Reopening December 19th
  • Pizza Pi – Reopening date TBD
  • Ronnie’s Pizza – Reopening in new location soon…
  • Skinny Legs – Reopening November 1st
  • ZoZo’s at Caneel Bay – Reopening in December

Want to know where all of our restaurants are located? Then please check out our restaurant map at www.explorestj.com/restaurantmap

Please don’t forget to enter our raffle. For just $25, you can enter to win a St. John vacation. Proceeds will support the Animal Care Center of St. John. Get the details and purchase tickets at www.explorestj.com/raffle.

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The Guided Reef Bay Hike is Returning!

Jenn Manes 0 Comments
The beginning of the Reef Bay hike

Well folks, some tidbits are too good to wait to share! The Reef Bay hike is returning next month… how great is that??!!

For those of you who are not familiar with the Reef Bay hike, it’s a rather tough 2.2-mile hike down a rather steep hill from Centerline Road to Reef Bay beach. There are remnants of the longest running sugar plantation at the base of Reef Bay, as well as petroglyphs, which are reached from a quick .22-mile spur trail. The hike down isn’t too terrible; it’s the more than two mile hike back up that gets you. But that’s all about to change!

Beginning on Monday, November 21st, you will be able to hike down Reef Bay alongside a Virgin Islands National Park ranger, who will discuss a variety of items along the way, including the area’s rich history, the local flora and fauna, and much more. You will have the opportunity to visit the petroglyphs, as well, which are ancient rock carvings done by the pre-Colombian Taino. Once you get to the bottom of Reef Bay, you will hop aboard the Sadie Sea boat, which is now owned and operated by Wharfside Watersports.

Remnants of the Reef Bay plantation – Image credit: Sarah Hanson
Some of the petroglyphs carved by the Taino – Image credit: Sarah Hanson

The cost of this guided hike is $75, and trips run on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. Trips will depart from the National Park Visitor Center at 8:45 a.m., and transportation will be provided to the Reef Bay trailhead. The hike down takes roughly three hours. The guided hike concludes with a picturesque 40-minute boat ride back to Cruz Bay… so no more hiking back up! Unless you want to, that is. 🙂

Please note: The only way to take advantage of the boat ride back to Cruz Bay is by buying a ticket for the guided hike in advance. If you hike Reef Bay on your own, a boat will not be waiting at the bottom to transport you back to town, nor will you be able to hop on the boat when it is there, unless you have a ticket. 

And for those of you who have been paying attention to our weather lately, you have probably seen that the island has received a tremendous amount of rain this week. Rains like this create an beautiful waterfall at Reef Bay. I’d like to thank Sarah Hanson for sharing the following pics with us, which she took yesterday during a hike with her two adorable pups.

The waterfall was flowing yesterday! Image credit: Sarah Hanson
Even Kush & Milo love Reef Bay! Image credit: Sarah Hanson & these are her adorable dogs 🙂

If you’d like to learn more about the guided Reef Bay hike, please visit the Friends of Virgin Islands National Park’s website. Ready to book? Simply click this link to visit their secure checkout page.

Please don’t forget to enter our raffle. For just $25, you can enter to win a St. John vacation. Proceeds will support the Animal Care Center of St. John. Get the details and purchase tickets at www.explorestj.com/raffle.

 

 

On the Trail: Lind Point to Honeymoon Beach

Jenn Manes 3 Comments
The view from Honeymoon

People often ask me during my island tours if there is a beautiful beach they can walk to from Cruz Bay. The answer is yes, and it’s one of the best!

Honeymoon is one of the closest north shore beaches to Cruz Bay. It is very quiet and serene, as you can only access it currently by hiking in via the Lind Point trail or by boat. It’s a decent-sized beach, especially for St. John standards, and it has a nice reef, which is nestled between Honeymoon and Salomon beaches. The walk to Honeymoon via the lower Lind Point trail is roughly a mile, and it takes about 25 minutes or so depending on your pace.

The Lind Point trail starts just behind the National Park’s visitor center in Cruz Bay. If you are not familiar with that building, it is the large yellow building that is located next to the creek and across the street and down a little from Mongoose Junction. Walk behind the visitor center, and you will see a set of stairs. That is where the hike begins.

(If you have a vehicle and plan to park and hike, you have to go into the visitor center to obtain a parking pass. There is not a fee associated with this pass.)

The trail begins behind the National Park’s visitor center in Cruz Bay.
Walk up these stairs, take a left and then a right to begin the Lind Point trail.

To start the hike to Honeymoon, you will walk up these stairs and then take left at the top. You will see the Caneel Bay apartments to your right and beautiful views of Cruz Bay to your left. You will walk up a small hill, and will quickly see the trail going into the woods on your right.

Lind Point trail sign
Take a right and walk up the stone stairs to start the Lind Point trail to Honeymoon beach.

There is a small incline at the begin of the trail as you walk up the rocky steps and onto the main path. This slight climb lasts only for a few minutes before the trail levels out.

Within just a few minutes of walking, you will come to an intersection with a large rock in the middle. The trail to your right takes you to the upper Lind Point Trail. This trail also leads you to Honeymoon beach, but today we’re sticking to the lower Lind Point trail. So you will want to take a left at this intersection.

When you arrive at this intersection, take a left to stay on the lower Lind Point trail.

As you can see in the photos below, there are some rocky areas along this trail. There are also some spots that are very sunny, and others that are rather overgrown. This trail is definitely doable in flip flops, but it’s a lot easier in sneakers or sandals with straps like Tevas or something similar to that.

The lower Lind Point trail is rocky at times.
There are some spots that are in full sun, so sunscreen is recommended.
The trail is a bit overgrown at times due to the recent rain.

After roughly 15 minutes of walking, you will come the trail that leads down to Salomon beach. As you continue walking, you will see another trail that leads slightly uphill on your right. This connects to the upper Lind Point trail. Skip both of those trails and continue forward if you’d like to visit Honeymoon beach.

Stay straight and follow the lower Lind Point trail signs.
The skinny trail on the left leads to Salomon. Stay on the main trail (slight right) to go to Honeymoon.

You will come to yet another intersection about five minutes further. This is a larger intersection where the trails are wider. If you follow the trail straight and up to your right, you would eventually come up to North Shore Road, or Route 20 on the map. Take the more narrow trail downhill to get to Honeymoon beach.

This is your final intersection. Take a left to go to Honeymoon.
Honeymoon is at the end of this path.

And then you come to this…

Pretty gorgeous right??!! Check out a few more pics:

So as I mentioned, I absolutely love Honeymoon beach. The views are gorgeous, as you can see, but it’s also a great place to snorkel. And there are so many fish! If you are interested in snorkeling and seeing numerous species of fish, including blue tang, parrotfish, sergeant major and more, simply access the water at the far end of the beach to your left if you are looking at the water. That’s where the reef is located. Be cautious though, because there is usually a small current that pulls you to your left.

Want to walk to Honeymoon from the ferry dock? The map below shows you how to do so.

This map has you walking along the road to the trail. You can also cut through a small parking lot to walk to the trailhead.

 

 

St. John Taxi Rates Increased this Week

Jenn Manes 2 Comments

Hello everyone! This post is going to be short, sweet and to the point. St. John taxi rates increased this week. Here’s the scoop…

Taxi rates have remained the same since October 2005, so they are long overdue for a rate increase. After several months of discussion, the official rate increase began earlier this week. (Rates increased on St. Thomas as well.) Here is a sampling of the new fares from Cruz Bay:

  • Cruz Bay to Hawksnest Beach: The cost is now $9 for a single rider and $8 each for two or more traveling together.
  • Cruz Bay to Trunk Bay: The cost is now $12 for a single rider and $9 each for two or more traveling together.
  • Cruz Bay to Cinnamon Bay: The cost is now $14 for a single rider and $11 each for two or more traveling together.
  • Cruz Bay to Maho Bay: The cost is now $17 for a single rider and $12 each for two or more traveling together.
  • Cruz Bay to the Westin: The cost is now $9 for a single rider and $7 each for two or more traveling together.

Here is the complete list of fares originating from and going to Cruz Bay courtesy of vinow.com:

Image source: vinow.com

There are additional fares originating from and going to the following spots on island:

  • Coral Bay
  • Gallows Point
  • Caneel Bay
  • Westin Resort
  • Neptune’s Landing/Windmill Bar

If a spot is not listed on the tariff sheet, the rate will be determined based on the two nearest points. You can see the full rate sheet in its entirety on vinow.com.

Please don’t forget to enter our raffle. For just $25, you can enter to win a St. John vacation. Proceeds will support the Animal Care Center of St. John. Get the details and purchase tickets at www.explorestj.com/raffle.

Thanks everyone! Have a great day!