A National Park ranger is now stationed inside the entry booth. Previously a security guard employed by EHI Acquisitions had been stationed here. I also see National Park vehicles at the entrance. It’s such a great sight!
For the first time in nearly seven years, I can finally see the remnants of the plantation buildings from the Caneel Bay overlook. The buildings, including the horse mill where ZoZo’s was located before the storms, had been obscured due to overgrowth. Not anymore!
Great job National Park!
I also saw a construction truck on the sand at Caneel Bay beach yesterday, so presumably some sort of cleanup is underway over there too.
Caneel Bay beach
A few dead trees look to have been removed at the main entrance, and I saw a ranger working on the front gate last week too.
The Virgin Islands National Park said in a release last week that they are working to reopen the property in a phased approach; however there isn’t a timetable for the public opening at this time.
“We thank our neighbors and visitors for their patience as we work towards re-establishing visitor services at Caneel Bay,” Virgin Islands National Park Superintendent Penny Del Bene said in the release. “Our goal is to invite Virgin Islanders and visitors back to Caneel Bay as soon as safely possible. The full reopening of the Caneel Bay Resort will take time, and we ask for your continued understanding.”
There is a public meeting regarding Caneel Bay tomorrow night (May 13th) at 5:30 p.m. at the Cruz Bay Visitor Center. Park staff will update the public about the current work happening on the property. There will also be an opportunity for the public to ask questions. There will also be two public taxi tours happening on Wednesday morning. The first will leave the Cruz Bay Visitor Center at 9 a.m. The second will leave at 10:15 a.m. Each tour will be approximately two-and-a-half hours. You are asked to bring water if you plan to attend.
I took a quick video from the overlook yesterday morning. Check it out:
I will keep you posted on all of this! Have a great day everyone!
Want to learn more about St. John? Looking to take an island tour?
Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tourSee 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.
I know how so many of you love watching St. John on HGTV as much as I do. Well today I am excited to tell you that a beautiful vacation rental featured on HGTV is currently listed for sale. Could you be its next owner???
Caribe Breeze is a well-maintained, two bedroom masonry home. It is located in St. John’s quiet Concordia neighborhood, which is located in the southeast part of the island near Salt Pond Bay. Caribe Breeze was featured on House Hunters International back in 2016 when the current owners purchased the home as a vacation rental.
Caribe Breeze is a very special property that has had countless upgrades over the years. This well-rented vacation property has epic ocean views and is located minutes from the National Park. Salt Pond Bay and the Ram Head hiking trail are just five minutes down the road while Little Lameshur, a more off-the-beaten path beach, is located just two miles away.
Salt Pond Bay (seen in the background with sailboats) is five minutes away.Caribe Breeze is located near the Virgin Islands National Park.
Since its current owners purchased it nine years ago, Caribe Breeze has undergone countless capital improvement starting with new doors, windows, hurricane shutters, furnishings, appliances and more during phase one. Caribe Breeze was one of the few houses that sustained very little damage during hurricanes Irma and Maria. The home did not have any damage to its roof, windows or shutters, proving it’s a solid, well-built home.
Over the past three years, the owners continued to make improvements to the home, including new decks and supports. But most importantly – especially following two days of very long power outages here on St. John – 16 solar panels and two Tesla power walls were installed, ensuring 24/7 power. This is a big deal in my opinion, and also to people vacationing on the island.
Solar!!
Check out a few more pics:
Welcome to your new home! New brick entry patio & large concrete parking area
Views from every room!Sit back, relax & enjoy the breeze.A large, recently refinished pool.
Caribe Breeze features 1,650 square-feet of indoor living space and more than 1,300 square-feet of outdoor living space.
Caribe Breeze is listed for $1,099,000. Please contact Rosanne Ramos Lloyd of 340 Real Estate Co. at 340realestaterrl@gmail.com to learn more. You can also see more of 340 Real Estate’s listings by visiting www.340RealEstateCo.com.
Want to learn more about St. John? Looking to take an island tour?
Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tourSee 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.
Today’s post is for all of you who have a dream of living here in St. John. 🙂
The majority of my island tour guests ask what it’s like to live here on St. John, and the reality is that it’s pretty incredible… until it’s not – lol.
I woke up yesterday morning around 6:45 a.m. Usually I can hear the TV in the next room (remember I live in an itty bitty little house), and yesterday, I heard silence. “Mike, do we have power?” I asked from our room. “Nope. It just went off.” I was aggravated by it, but this happens from time to time here, so we’re somewhat used to it. I expected it to be back on within the hour, but that didn’t happen yesterday. All I could think was, thank goodness I showered last night! Yesterday’s guests were probably thankful for that too!
When I woke up yesterday, there was a ton of thunder and lightning. That’s pretty unusual for St. John. Well apparently lightning struck somewhere in St. Thomas, and both islands were fully out of power. It was raining pretty hard, which means traveling around the island can be pretty tough. Sheets of water pour down the hillsides, and small rocks fall into the roadway. Within minutes, the school text us and told us that we had a two-hour delay – for rain. We don’t get snow delays, we get rain delays. 🙂
My tour guests still wanted to see the island (the rain let up before our start time, fortunately), so Mike took Dalton to work with him before school started. You may have caught a glimpse of him on The Beach Bar’s webcam yesterday morning. I am thankful that I live in a community where we can bring our children to work if need be.
Dalton at work yesterday with daddy and Kim. Screenshot sent by one of my tour guests 🙂
So here we were in an island-wide power outage and guess what decides to happen – generators decided not to work. The one at Wharfside Village was out, which mean the restaurants and hotel were in the dark. The one over at Skinny Legs quit too, as the restaurant was filled with guests. The Windmill Bar and Miss Lucy’s were forced to close too due to the power and weather issues.
As I walked out of Skinny’s yesterday with my hungry tour guests, I text Bridgett, owner of Palm Tree Charters:
“This is the day we need to tell everyone about when they ask us what it’s like to live in paradise lol,” I wrote.
“For real,” she immediately responded.
The power finally came on yesterday about six or seven hours after it went out, and life was back to normal. But was it? Fast forward to today…
I woke up a bit warm around 3 a.m. this morning. Mike happened to be up too. “No power?” I asked. “Nope,” he immediately replied. Ugh, here we go again!
It’s now 8:45 a.m., and we still do not have any power. My house is basically a dead zone, so no power means no internet, no cell service, no communications, nothing. So we hooked up the small generator simply so I can get internet to share this story with all of you. Thanks Mike for begrudgingly turning it on for me!
The outdoor shower came in handy for the generator today! (And yes, I know it needs to be power washed!)My current setup: Internet via a generator, rechargeable fan & mosquito racket.
We have been out of power for about 10 or so of the past 24 hours with no end in sight. For those of you who want to move to St. John, this will become part of your normal. It’s something that you simply have to roll with and find the humor in. Like this post by WAPA this morning, our water and power company. They graciously pointed out that offices will have a delayed opening this morning “due to a districtwide power outage.” Hey guys, just letting you know that you can’t pay your power bill because we don’t currently have power. But as soon as we fix it, make sure you head on over and pay your bill!
The irony…
You can’t make this stuff up, folks! And this is why I love it here – with or without power. 🙂
Have a great day!
Want to learn more about St. John? Looking to take an island tour?
Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tourSee 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.
My absolute best friend in the world is visiting for the first time next week, and I could not be more excited! I’ve been busy playing travel agent for his family, and I am confident that I have created the perfect long weekend itinerary for them. With flights being so inexpensive right now, it’s the perfect time to book a last-minute, long weekend trip to see us! And if you are lucky enough to be able to pull off a quick visit, here is a great little itinerary to follow! (Click here to read a recent post about all of the cheap airfare that’s currently available.)
Day 1: Arrival Day (Thursday)
Your first travel day is never fun, Chances are you woke up sometime in the middle of the night to make it to the airport for your early morning flight. The good news is that most flights arrive in the early afternoon, so you can still have fun on arrival day.
I suggest not planning anything too grueling on arrival day because you will undoubtedly be tired from the flight. Luckily happy hour and sunset have never been categorized as grueling, so add them to the list of must-dos for day one! When you arrive on St. John, check in to your hotel, villa or condo, freshen up and then head right to the beach in Cruz Bay. Belly up to the bar or grab a seat in the sand, and enjoy the good ‘ole Caribbean life. My friends are staying at The Grande Retreat at Grande Bay next week. It’s a perfect location for those that want to be close to all of the action. The Grande Retreat is a beautiful, three-bedroom unit that was purchased by frequent tour guests of mine, who I am now lucky enough to call friends. Click here to check it out!
Spend some time on Cruz Bay beachThe Grande Retreat is a great three-bedroom condo located in Grande Bay, a complex directly across the street from Cruz Bay.Happy hour is from 3-7pm daily at The Beach Bar.
Day 2: (Friday)
St. John is home to the best beach in the world, so that is where you should spend your first full day on island (provided there aren’t too many cruise ships over in St. Thomas that day – Click here to learn more about the cruise ships and how they can impact St. John). Trunk Bay is a quick 15-minute drive from Cruz Bay. Parking is extremely limited, so this is a beach that’s best to taxi to. It’s the only beach with an entry fee – just $5 per person, credit cards only – and it is well worth the price. Happy hour starts in the morning at Trunk Bay, so get there early if day drinking is on your agenda!
Trunk Bay has a great lunch spot, a full bar, snorkel and chair rentals, showers, and restrooms. It’s also home to the world’s only (I think!) underwater snorkeling trail. The trail is a bit of a swim, so I recommend bringing a noodle or a life vest along for the swim.
Trunk BayThe underwater snorkeling trail is located to the left of these small cays.
Later that night, you can take a dip in your pool, enjoy a great dinner in town, or perhaps check out the sunset again. If that sounds good for you, head up to The Windmill Bar. It’s only 10 minutes from Cruz Bay, and it has some of the best sunset views on island. Taxis regularly go there around sunset time, so it’s easy to visit if you opt not to rent a car. Insider tip: They also have delicious buffalo chicken dip!
Sunset views from the Windmill Bar’s webcam
Day 3: (Saturday)
Boat days are the best days! Considering my friends have never visited the island, I figured a boat day is a must! We’re opting to stay local for this trip, so the plan is to snorkel with the turtles at Maho Bay, grab a bite at Pizza Pi, and perhaps a cocktail at Lime Out. If the water cooperates, we may even do a quick visit to Water Island, which is just off of St. Thomas.
Pizza Pi is a floating pizza boat.Lime Out is a floating taco bar.
Since we have two teens visiting next week, we are sending them over to St. Thomas (with their parents of course!) for a water sports day at Sapphire Resort and perhaps Coral World. Sapphire has parasailing, jet skiing and other fun motorized sports that you can’t find here in St. John. Sapphire is only a five-minute taxi ride from the Red Hook ferry, so it’s a very doable day trip.
If you prefer to spend your last full day on St. John, I would suggest visiting another one of St. John’s beautiful beaches, or perhaps take an island tour with me! Together we can explore some lesser-known spots, including secluded beaches, historical sites and so much more. You can learn more about Explore STJ’s Island Tours at www.explorestj.com/tour
Explore the island with me!
Relax over at Mongoose Junction that evening and get your shopping on. Mongoose has dozens of stores that sell a variety of items like hats, t-shirts, upscale clothing, ornaments, note cards, home goods and more.
Mongoose Junction is located in Cruz Bay.
Day 5: The Walk of Woe (Monday)
All good things must come to an end, right?
Enjoy a nice breakfast at either Cruz Bay Landing or High Tide before you do the walk of woe over to the ferry dock. But don’t worry, I’m pretty confident that you’ll start planning your next visit before you hit the dock in St. Thomas.
High Tide is located on the beach beside the ferry dock.Cruz Bay Landing is located across the street from the ferry dock.
Looking for more information on a visit to St. John? Feel free to email me at jenn@explorestj.com.
Have a great day everyone!
Want to learn more about St. John? Looking to take an island tour?
Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tourSee 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.
I apologize for being a few days late to the party regarding today’s story. Dalton had school vacation last week, and we were up at 3:30 a.m. traveling today… hence why I am posting a story at night. 🙂 That being said, I have more news regarding the Caneel Bay situation to share with you all. Better late than never!
Just as many of us expected, EHI Acquisitions – the private equity firm that operated the Caneel Bay Resort until the 2017 hurricanes – has asked the judge to reconsider her decision to award the Caneel Bay property to the National Park. This isn’t an appeal, but rather a “Motion for Reconsideration.” According to the filing, the motion “is based on the need to correct clear error or to prevent manifest injustice.”
Manifest injustice is defined as an outcome in a case that is plainly and obviously unjust.
EHI believes that the judge erred in her decision and stated that the RUE (type of lease) that the Caneel Bay Resort had been operating under actually did not expire last September. A good chunk of the court case revolved around the fact that the RUE had expired, and, as a result, EHI no longer had an interest in the property. EHI clearly disagrees with that and stated in their filing that “the RUE cannot lapse or expire so long as a mortgage is in effect on the Property, and there are mortgages on the Property. This was one of the rare points that both EHI and the United States agreed upon.”
EHI believes that because the RUE did not expire (in their opinion due to the mortgage), that the “title to the improvements should not be transferred to the United States because mortgages remain recorded against the Property and therefore the RUE has not expired.”
On the flip side, the superintendent of the Virgin Islands National Park stated publicly last month that the Park intends to “work immediately toward transitioning the property to the National Park Service management, in keeping with the court’s decision and Laurance Rockefeller’s vision for Caneel Bay.”
The United States has yet to respond to this motion, nor has the judge issued a ruling on it.
I have a feeling this is going to be a very long road, folks. I will keep you posted.
Want to learn more about St. John? Looking to take an island tour?
Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tourSee 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.
Villa Cin Cin was just named the best vacation rental in the world!
Earlier this week, I told you how Trunk Bay was named the best beach in the world… in the world! Well today I would like to let you know that one of our amazing vacation rentals here on St. John was also just named the best in the world! This is an incredible honor, folks!
Villa Cin Cin is an ultra-luxurious villa that’s perched atop Ditleff Point on St. John’s south shore. This stunning vacation rental property has unparalleled views of the Virgin Islands National Park, an array of nearby islands and bays, as well as the sparkling turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea. I have seen a lot of vacation rentals over the past decade here on St. John, and Cin Cin (pronounced “chin,” Italian for “cheers”) is one that truly takes my breath away. And the people over at Vrbo clearly agree, as they just named it the Vacation Home of the Year.
Villa Cin Cin was selected from more than 2 million properties available worldwide on Vrbo. It was selected due to its stellar star ratings, rave guest reviews, incredible spaces inside and out, and because of its exceptional guest experiences.
“Hospitality means everything to us,” owner Christine Fano told Vrbo. “Our family has a delicious welcome dinner prepared for guests on their arrival day so they can relax, go to the beach, play in the pool, and enjoy the jacuzzi at sunset without worrying about dinner.”
Villa Cin Cin is a custom-built estate which boasts more than 10,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor living space. The home has five identical king en suite bedrooms, ensuring that everyone gets the best room in the house. Each bedroom has a private veranda and balcony with expansive sunrise and sunset views.
Villa Cin Cin is located in a private, gated community.It is perched high atop Ditleff Point.The home boasts expansive views of the Virgin Islands National Park and Caribbean Sea.Villa Cin Cin has five identical king en suites.Each bedroom has a private balcony and veranda.
Villa Cin Cin features a large Great Room with a gourmet kitchen and three, nine-foot luxuriously plush, family-friendly sofas. There is also a large game room inside the home that has an indoor/outdoor bar with a roof-top deck and 270-degree views.
Gourmet kitchenGreat RoomGame Room
One of my favorite features at Villa Cin Cin is its outdoor space, including its large, heated pool that is covered in sun all day. I don’t know about you, but I would love to float here all day while taking in the beautiful Caribbean views.
Overlooking Rendezvous BayPicture yourself here…Infinity-edge poolPrivate hot tub
Pretty incredible, isn’t it?
Villa Cin Cin is located less than 10 minutes from Cruz Bay. It’s a promise location that’s close enough to the fun, but far enough away to feel completely quiet. Ditleff Point even features a small, sandy beach that is accessible by a nearby beach path.
Want to see more of this exquisite villa? Check out this quick video below:
Villa Cin Cin can accommodate up to 20 guests, making it perfect for large gatherings, family reunions, weddings and more. Weekly rates start at $18,900. Please visit www.villacincin.com to learn more.
