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With all of the power outage nonsense this week, I completely forgot that it’s Memorial Day weekend. I remember being so excited for this weekend when I lived in Connecticut because it was the unofficial start of summer, and I used to LIVE for summer! I’m sure many of you are planning to head to the beach this weekend or later this summer, so I thought I would re-share the following list of helpful items to bring on your summer beach vacation. For those of you planning a trip to St. John, a lot of these items are great to bring here too.

Neso Tents

The Neso tent is a great way to bring some shade along with you to the beaches that have less natural shade. These are definitely pricey, but they are a great investment. They come in a variety of sizes, they don’t take up a ton of room in your suitcase (you can put it in your carry on too), and they are easy to set up. You simply put the poles up (not into the sand, so they’re turtle-nest friendly), fill a few bags with sand and voilà!  Click here to check them out on Amazon.

A GoPro Waterproof Camera 

I absolutely love my GoPro. I can strap it to the Jeep to take cool driving videos, and I can take it in the water to shoot video underwater. It is very pricey, but you truly cannot beat the quality. I film all of my driving videos using a GoPro. Click here to check them out on Amazon. 

Rechargeable Fan 

This is a must for hot summer days! It will not only keep you cool, but it can charge your phone too! This camping fan with LED light is affordable, and can be charged in your car. We have several of these at our house, and they are invaluable! Click here to check it out on Amazon. 

A Soft-sided Backpack Cooler

These backpack coolers are great because it can double as your carry on bag on a plane if you’re traveling. It makes it easier to bring drinks and snacks to the beach being that it’s a backpack. A lot of villas here provide coolers, but they can be the larger, bulky ones. This is another great investment, and you will likely use it at home too. Click here to check out a few options on Amazon. 

Items That Are Great For Your Next St. John Vacation 

Baby Oil or Skin So Soft

I learned this little trick from a taxi driver several years back, and it changed my life. If you are one of the unlucky people, like me, that gets eaten alive by the no see ums, baby oil is a must. I haven’t tried Skin So Soft, but a lot of my tour guests have said it works well too. In either case, the oil prevents the no see um from biting you. I promise you, it will change your world. 🙂

Insulated Travel Cup

A lot of people opt to bring their favorite insulated cup with them on vacation. It’s great to have on the plane, so you can have a lid on your drink when it gets bumpy. And then you can obviously use it at the beach, or even at a restaurant to keep your drink colder longer.

Reef Safe Sunscreen 

It is actually illegal to use sunscreen that is not “reef safe” in the US Virgin Islands. This law was enacted back in March 2022. Rather than scrambling to find some when you arrive, you can grab some off of Amazon and bring it with you. There are numerous options, but Caribbean Sol is one of my favorites. Reef-safe sunscreen protects us, our coral and the marine life that we are all so excited to see while snorkeling. Basically you do not want to use sunscreen with any of the “Toxic 3 Os” – oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene. Click here to check out Caribbean Sol’s reef-safe products. 

Caribbean Fish ID

This is a handy tool for snorkelers. This waterproof card shows you which fish and other sea creatures you may see while you are snorkeling or diving in our waters. And the best part? It’s only $3.99 on Amazon. Click here to check it out.

Defogger

Speaking of snorkelers, defogger is a must. Nothing ruins a snorkel faster than not being able to see anything due to fog on your snorkel mask., A couple dabs of defogger will do the trick! You can also use Dawn dish soap as a backup defogger, and sometimes you will find that in your villa or condo rental. Both the defoggers and dish soap are sold in containers that are less than three ounces, so you can easily take them along with you even if you are not checking a bag. Click here to check out a few defoggers on Amazon.

Beach/Pool Noodle

Noodles sell for around $10 apiece here on island, which is crazy. You can purchase inflatable ones on Amazon for as little as $4.55, and they take up no room at all in a backpack or suitcase. Traveling with a group? I recently purchased six inflatable noodles for only $17. Click here to check them out on Amazon.

A few other items that are helpful to bring to St. John are reusable shopping bags, a reusable water bottle, and reusable straws because not all restaurants provide straws.

Something Not for Vacation, But Something My Family Loves 

This is one of the best purchases I have ever made. We used to rent and now we have a small house. We currently do not have the ability to install a regular-sized pool, so this does the trick! We purchased this Intex hot tub and use it as a pool for Dalton. It’s great because it holds up to the island heat, and it has a filter so it stays nice and clean. We’ve had it for several years, and we haven’t had a single issue. And as you can see in the picture above, Dalton loves it!

You can buy it from several places, but here is a link to buy it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/46IVfkO

(I’m all about free shipping through Amazon!)

Happy Memorial Day everyone. I hope you all have an enjoyable and safe holiday weekend.

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Want to learn more about St. John? Looking to take an island tour?

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.

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

–> www.facebook.com/explorestj

–> www.instagram.com/explorestj

Looking to purchase a home on St. John or interested in listing your property? I am now a licensed realtor. Please contact me to jenn@explorestj.com or at 203-376-3786 to see how I can help.

Tag: St. John packing list 

 

 

 

This is absolutely incredible.

Ryan Granger, a boat captain for Island Roots Boat Charters – was cruising along the Northside of Tortola in an area that is usually free of beachgoers when he noticed two men standing in street clothes, rather than swimwear, Sunday. Realizing this was an unusual sight, Captain Ryan drove closer to shore to get a better look.

The two men appeared to be leaning over something quite large on the sand. As Ryan got even closer, he realized that it was a very large sea turtle.

“It was humungous,” Ryan told me yesterday with clear excitement in his voice.

The turtle turned out to be a female leatherback, which is the largest species of sea turtle. Leatherbacks are typically four to six feet long and can weigh up to 1,100 pounds. Ryan estimated this leatherback was approximately four-and-a-half feet long.

Leatherbacks are not a common sight here in the Virgin Islands, although they are one of three species that call our waters home. We tend to see Green and Hawksbill turtles more than leatherbacks in our waters here in St. John. It is even more uncommon to see one nesting on our beaches.

Ryan said the leatherback appeared to be burying eggs in the sand. It looked as if she’d been doing so in the hot sun for several hours.

“It was unusual because they usually lay their eggs at night,” he said Tuesday morning.

The men who Ryan saw in street clothes tagged and measured the turtle. They appeared to be working as part of a British Virgin Islands turtle patrol program much like what we have here in St. John, Ryan said.

Leatherbacks nest every two to three years, according to the Virgin Islands National Park. They can nest four to seven times a season, and lay an average of 80 eggs. Those eggs take just over two months to hatch.

The majority of sea turtle nests found on St. John are from Hawksbill turtles. While these turtles can nest year-round, the peak season is from August to November. The last time a leatherback nest was found on St. John was back in 2022. Prior to that, it was 2016.

“It was very special,” Ryan said of Sunday’s encounter. “That’s the first one I have ever seen. I haven’t seen one nesting. It was impressive.”

Check out the video:

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Want to learn more about St. John? Looking to take an island tour?

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.

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

–> www.facebook.com/explorestj

–> www.instagram.com/explorestj

I absolutely love St. John, and I love real estate. I’ve been writing about the amazing properties we are fortunate to have here on St. John for more than a decade. And for the past 7+ years, I’ve been discussing locations, villas, condos, and land areas with guests almost daily during my island tours. Well, today, I am excited to tell you all that my love of real estate is not simply a pastime anymore. I am now officially a licensed realtor in the US Virgin Islands.

🥳🥳🥳

I am excited to share that I am the newest realtor at 340 Real Estate Co. I have worked with 340 Real Estate Co. for nearly 10 years, and I adore its owner Tammy Donnelly.

If you are reading this blog, chances are that you know me pretty well. You know how much I love this island and how I love sharing that love with all of you. (That’s a lot of love! haha) So if you are interested in buying a home here on St. John, whether it be a permanent residence, vacation rental, condo or villa, please give me the opportunity to help you. If you are a current property owner and you are looking to sell, I would love to list your property and market it to potential buyers. If you dream of owning a business here in St. John or are looking to purchase land to build on, I would love to help you along that journey.

For those of you who aren’t as familiar with me, I am originally from Connecticut, and I have lived in St. John for over a decade. I have a five-year-old son who attends Gifft Hill School. (He’s basically five going on 15! lol) I love this community, and I do my best to support it as much as I can. I am a board member for the Animal Care Center and also the Estate Fish Bay Owners’ Association. I purchased a teeny tiny house in Fish Bay with my longtime partner last summer. I never thought I would be able to own a home on St. John, but 340 Real Estate Co. helped me attain that dream. Let me help you attain yours.

If you are interested in buying, selling or just learning some general information about St. John real estate, please feel free to email me at jenn@explorestj.com. You can also call or text me at (203)-376-3786.

(Side note: I will continue offering island tours too! If you are interested in learning more about my island tours, please visit www.explorestj.com/tour.)

Cheers to new beginnings!

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Want to learn more about St. John? Looking to take an island tour?

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.

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

–> www.facebook.com/explorestj

–> www.instagram.com/explorestj