Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Espresso Martinis. Some of the best ones, in my opinion, are at The Parrot Cub at Wharfside Village and also at 1864 at Mongoose Junction. Well I am super excited to tell you that another of my favorite spots is now offering an Espresso Martini mix to go!
I was perusing social media earlier this week when I saw a post from St. John Brewers. They announced that they are now bottling Espresso Martinis, which means you can enjoy them at The Tap Room and several other spots here on island, and you can even take it to go!
St. John Brewers’ Espresso Martini is island-made, bar-quality and crafted right here in the Virgin Islands. They’re selling two sizes. There is a smaller 8 oz size that’s available for $8, and a larger, one liter bottle for $40. I tried one last night, and I have to say, it was quite good!
They just launched this week, so as of today (Tuesday, January 13th), they are being sold at The Tap Room, Trunk Bay, Shambles and The Upstairs Bar. I am sure they will be available at several other spots very soon.
Be sure to try one when you can! Cheers!
Thank you St. John Brewers for letting me be one of the first to try these!
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!
See the island of St. John with a longtime 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.
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. t’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.
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…
Gorgeous, isn’t it??!
The Caneel Bay Beach Club is located at the opposite end of Honeymoon Beach. It has food and beverage for sale, as well as chair rentals among other amenities.
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.
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!
See the island of St. John with a longtime 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.
If you are lucky enough to be in St. John this weekend, be sure to check out the 6th annual seafood festival!
The seafood festival kicks off at 2 p.m. and will continue until 10 p.m. It’s taking place at Franklin Powell Park, which is right across the street from the ferry dock in Cruz Bay.
The event will also feature entertainment, including King Judah Sounds, Klimaxx, Love City Pan Dragons, Dynamic Dancers, Pan in Motion, and more!
Salty Alibi is one of the great villas up for auction.
The Animal Care Center has launched its annual auction, and there are so many great prizes up for grabs! The auction continues through the end of the month, and it is one of the ACC’s biggest fundraisers of the year. The following is a list of auction items.
The Inn at Tamarind Court’s courtyard dining area.
Looking for a new place to grab dinner when you’re visiting St. John? Well if you like spice and Cajun cooking, you’re going to want to check out the new Cajun-style menu over at the Inn at Tamarind Court.
Chef Isaac Buckner has been heading up the team over at Tamarind Inn for the past few months, and the reviews have been amazing! He was crowned King of the Wing over in St. Thomas and even won a chicken wing contest up in Buffalo, New York a few years back. This man knows spice!
Chef Isaac Buckner
Isaac is serving a variety of Cajun dishes including Cajun Ratatouille, French Onion Meatloaf and more. He even has a special sliders menu every Saturday. Check it out:
Looks great, doesn’t it?
Now if Isaac looks familiar to you, it’s probably because you’ve seen him over at The Tap Room. He cheffed over there for several years before coming over to the Tamarind.
The Inn at Tamarind Court serves dinner Monday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. They are also open for breakfast seven days a week.
(All images courtesy of Inn at Tamarind Court.)
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!
See the island of St. John with a longtime 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.
Today’s post is a quick PSA for those of you who are scheduled to travel to St. John soon and plan to dine at one of many amazing restaurants.
My parents visited us for the Christmas holiday, and we ate out a lot. There were several restaurants that we dined at that added 20 percent gratuity to the bill. A few of the servers pointed out that gratuity was already added (auto-grat as we call it), but not all did. This happened at fine dining restaurants, but also at some of the most casual restaurants on island.
If a restaurant chooses to add gratuity automatically, that is fine. But I think the server should be required to tell the customer.
I am not knocking any of the restaurants who choose to do this. I am simply saying, check your bills.
