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Visiting St. John: Cash or Card

Jenn Manes
Trunk Bay

One of the most common questions I receive when people are visiting St. John is whether credit cards are widely accepted and if they need to bring cash. Here’s the scoop!

In a nutshell, nearly everyone takes credit card at this point. Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted on the ferries, in restaurants, shops and more. American Express is a different story, however. Numerous businesses across the island do not accept American Express, which is a bummer for those of us who like to earn points by using these cards. Discover is hit or miss too.

When it comes to the taxis, they are cash only. So if you are planning on taking taxis, please bring small bills. The taxis follow a rate schedule set by the taxi association, which can be found here. A taxi from Cruz Bay to Trunk Bay is $9 per person, and a taxi from Cruz Bay to Maho Bay is $12 per person just to give you an idea about fares.

The only beach inside of the Virgin Islands National Park that has a fee is Trunk Bay. There is a $5 amenity fee for people age 16 and up. This is card only or Apple Pay. They do not accept cash to get into Trunk Bay. They do accept cash at the snack shack and bar in Trunk Bay.

You do not have to pay to park at any of the beaches inside of the Virgin Islands National Park. All parking lots are free. There also is not an entry fee to get into the Virgin Islands National Park.

I hope this info is helpful when you are planing your next St. John vacation. Have a great day, everyone!

Are you looking to purchase a home, condo, land or a business here in St. John? I would love to help you! Looking to list your property? I can help you with that too! I, Jenn Manes, am a licensed real estate agent with 340 Real Estate Co., and I would love to help you with your buying and selling needs in the US Virgin Islands. Please contact me at 203-376-3786 or jenn@explorestj.com to explore the possibilities.

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. 

Silver Airways Cancels All Flights Indefinitely

Jenn Manes
STT airport

Silver Airways, a Florida-based companies that flies between St. Thomas and Puerto Rico, cancelled all flights beginning today, June 11th. Flights are cancelled indefinitely.

Silver Airways posted the announcement on social media around midnight this morning. In the announcement, it told travelers not to go to the airport. It stated that all purchases will be refunded.

This was posted around midnight on June 11, 2025.

Silver Airways filed for bankruptcy in December 2024.

Silver Airway’s website does not mention that it has ceased operations as of 7 a.m. on June 11th; however when I tried to book a flight to Puerto Rico, it stated all were sold out.

Silver Airways is a codeshare partner with United, JetBlue, American and Delta. If you have a flight booked with a layover in San Juan, Puerto Rico, please check your tickets to ensure that your flight to or from St. Thomas is not on Silver Airways.

Are you looking to purchase a home, condo, land or a business here in St. John? I would love to help you! Looking to list your property? I can help you with that too! I, Jenn Manes, am a licensed real estate agent with 340 Real Estate Co., and I would love to help you with your buying and selling needs in the US Virgin Islands. Please contact me at 203-376-3786 or jenn@explorestj.com to explore the possibilities.

See St. John in Real Time

Jenn Manes
The view from Mare Blu villa

I know that the weather is great pretty much everywhere in the country at this point, but I also know how much you all love St. John year-round and many of you like to catch a glimpse of your favorite piece of paradise as often as you can. So today, I’d like to remind you – and show you – the many webcams that are located around the island and over in the British Virgin Islands. You can recognize a few of these, and you may see some new ones. These webcams are available online 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The ones that link to a YouTube page can even be rewound about 12 hours in case you missed something.

These webcams are located permanently at www.explorestj.com/webcams. 

St. John Spice Cam – Overlooking the ferry dock & Cruz Bay

The Windmill Bar

The Beach Bar – Bar Cam

The Beach Bar – Stage Cam (This webcam is only online when The Beach Bar has live music.)

Lime Out, St. John’s Floating Taco Bar 

Soggy Dollar Bar – British Virgin Islands 

Coconut Coast Studios – Overlook Frank Bay toward St. Thomas – Sunset Views & Sound 

Mare Blu villa – Overlooking Rendezvous Bay

Serendip St. John – Views offer Cruz Bay, Sunset Views Too!

Villa Circe – Views of Tortola, Jost Van Dyke, Sir Francis Drake Channel & more

Calichi at Picture Point – 360 degree views!

Grande Bay Resort – Overlooking Cruz Bay

Sunset Ridge Villas – Located above Cruz Bay with views toward St. Thomas 

Great Expectations villa – Overlooking Hart & Rendezvous bays

Long Bay Beach Villa – St. John’s East End

Lovango Resort & Beach Club

Maho Bay House

Windsong Villa – Overlooking Fish Bay & beyond

Windswept Point Live – Located on a point between Trunk & Cinnamon bays 

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. 

2025 St. John Seasonal Closings

Jenn Manes

It’s that time of year, folks! Seasonal closing time! Not too many businesses have announce their plans yet, but we do have a few to share. We will continue to post the fully updated list at www.explorestj.com/closings.

  • Explore STJ Island Tours: Closed July 26th; Reopening September 2nd
  • ZoZo’s at Caneel Bay: Closed for the season
  • Lovango Resort + Beach Club: Closing July 17th; Reopening mid-December
  • High Tide: Closed September 15th through September 26th
  • Soggy Dollar Bar: Closing August 29th; Reopening October 4th

Most businesses close around the same time each year. You can see the current list of closings, plus last year’s closings at www.explorestj.com/closings.

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. 

New Restaurant Opens in Cruz Bay!

Jenn Manes
The Saint is located across from Gallows Point Resort.

A brand new restaurant recently opened in Cruz Bay!

The Saint is the island’s newest hotel. It opened back in March and is located across the street from Gallows Point Resort. While The Saint is an adults-only property, children are welcome at its new restaurant Aerial.

Aerial is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. every day but Tuesday. It is also open for brunch on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations are required for people wanting to eat in the dining room at Aerial. There is a bar that accepts walk-ups.

Aerial is located on the second floor above the pool & pool bar.

Check our the dinner and brunch menus:

The Saint also offers day passes to its pool. The cost is $55 per person. You must be 18 years old or older to visit The Saint’s pool.

Are you looking to purchase a home, condo, land or a business here in St. John? I would love to help you! Looking to list your property? I can help you with that too! I am a licensed real estate agent with 340 Real Estate Co., and I would love to help you with your buying and selling needs in the US Virgin Islands. Please contact me at 203-376-3786 or jenn@explorestj.com to explore the possibilities.

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. 

2025 St. John Festival Event Schedule; Parking Lot Closing

Jenn Manes
Image credit: Sarah B. Swan Photography

St. John’s annual carnival festival celebration kicks off soon. Here is the official schedule:

  • Saturday, June 7th -The St. John Royal Parade & Presentation show takes place at 4 p.m. at the National Park ball field. There will be food, drinks and music to honor this year’s contestants.
  • Saturday, June 21st – The Princess and Queen pageant will be held in the Village. The Village will be located in the parking lot that is beside the yellow Customs building and across the street from the Post Office. The event will begin at 5 p.m. and will continue until 10 p.m.
  • Saturday, June 28th – Food Fair begins at noon and will be held on the street beside the ferry dock where the taxis typically park. Food Fair continues until 5 p.m. Pan-o-rama starts at 5:30 p.m. over in the Village and will continue until they stop. 🙂 Boat races will also happen in the bay throughout the day.
  • Sunday, June 29th – The Village officially opens at 7 p.m. The schedule says it will stay open until 1 a.m., but my guess is that it will stay open much longer than that. This is the night that the music begins. There will be a variety of food and beverage vendors onsite too.
  • Thursday, July 3rd – Jou’vert begins at sunrise in honor of the first morning of freedom after emancipation. During this event, revelers will parade through the streets of Cruz Bay. This is an incredibly fun and special event. The emancipation program will take place between 1p.m. and 4 p.m. at Slim Man’s main parking lot across from Wharfside Village. Slim’s lot will be closed to public parking during this event.
  • Friday, July 4th – The schedule says the parade starts at 11 a.m., but we all know better. Plan for closer to noon and hope for the best. 🙂 The fireworks will be at 9 p.m. and are set off from a barge over Cruz Bay.

Parking Lot Closures 

  • The Customs lot will be closed from June 10th through July 17th. It will initially close for carnival and will remain closed following the festivities, so the lot can be repainted.
  • Slim’s main parking lot across from Wharfside will be closed briefly on July 3rd.

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.