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Island Update: Closures, Thunder, Lightning & more!

Jenn Manes February 7, 2024 1 Comment

It’s a soggy day in Fish Bay. (Deck railings soon come!)

Hello everyone, and happy Wednesday. I had a great story planned for today, but that went out the window when we lost power and internet last night. 👀 So I’m going to post a little island update instead.

As I mentioned yesterday, there was a ton of rain forecasted for yesterday and today. Luckily it held off until about 6 p.m., but then it came down with a vengeance. It was on and off monsoon rains here in Fish Bay, which is located about 15 minutes from Cruz Bay on St. John’s south side. We also had crazy thunder and lightning, which is very unusual for St. John. At one point, I asked Mike if I thought we’d lose power. He said no and not even five minutes later, we were in the dark. A psychic, he is not! haha

We didn’t have power, which means no internet either at our house, for about two hours. Both of our generators decided they didn’t want to work, so that was fun. (You all sense my sarcasm, right??) I plan to shop for a whole-house backup generator later today. 🙂 If you have any suggestions, feel free to email me!

It’s raining again now, and it’s supposed to continue on and off all day.

All schools on the island are closed today. (So if you head over to The Beach Bar or watch its webcam, you may catch a glimpse of my son helping daddy at work for a bit this morning.) Lime Out is closed. Windmill Bar is closed. Miss Lucy’s is closed. Sweet Shack is closed. Pizza Pi is closed. Trivia at Johnny Lime is cancelled. The kitchen at Sun Dog is closed. Maho Crossroads was closed yesterday, but I hear they are opening back up today despite the rainy weather.

I assume that the bars and restaurants will be busy, yet again, today. Skinny’s was packed when I stopped there with my island tour guests yesterday. I want to give a public shout-out to the staff at Skinny’s for always treating my tour guests so well when we visit. A big thanks to everyone, but especially to Mary. 🙂

There has got to be an amazing waterfall flowing beside the petroglyphs at Reef Bay. If you are adventurous enough to head down there today, please send me pics and videos! There should also be one on the side of the road just past Cinnamon Bay en route to Maho.

And again, if you are stateside, you can always see what’s happening here by checking out our webcams at www.explorestj.com/webcams.

Have a great day everyone!

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

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Here’s What To Do on a Rainy Day in St. John

Jenn Manes February 5, 2024 0 Comments

Well folks, I have bad news to share for those of you who are currently vacationing in St. John. There is a ton of rain in the forecast over the next couple of days. We’re expected to get two to four inches of rain over the next two days. So today I am going to provide you with some suggestions on what to do on a rainy day in St. John.

Shop, Dine & Drink

The shops and restaurants will remain open even if we receive monsoon rains. Mongoose Junction is a great place to spend a few hours on a rainy day. Enjoy a locally crafted beer from The Tap Room, fresh-rolled sushi at 1864, or an ice cream cone over at Scoops. Looking to shop? I love Sugar Birds and Island Fancy for unique souvenirs, Big Planet, Just Beach, and Lulee for clothing, and Caravan Gallery for jewelry. There are a ton of other great spots at Mongoose, so check out everything while you’re there. When it rains super hard, the gut that runs underneath Mongoose will become a raging river. It’s a pretty neat thing to check out.

Grab an umbrella and head over to Wharfside Village. I am fairly certain that The Beach Bar and High Tide will be rocking. There’s great shopping over there too. Check out the Spice Shop, The Little Things, the jewelry stores, and more.

For those of you who enjoy having a shot while you’re on vacation, The Upstairs, which is located across from The Longboard, offers free rain shots. Please drink responsibly!

If you have a vehicle, you can head up Centerline Road and check out Shambles or Mid Way Cafe & Grill. Both have ample covered spaces and are great places to grab a bite or enjoy a few cocktails.

Over in Coral Bay? Head to Skinny Legs and join in on the fun. There is a great retail shop there called Mumbo Jumbo, so you can combine some retail therapy with one of Skinny’s famous burgers. Once you’re done, walk across the street and check out Pirate’s Cove or go around the corner to Jolly Dog and Coral Bay Adventures.

Explore the Island

If you have a vehicle, take a ride around the island. Be careful if it is raining hard because small rocks sometimes fall into the roadway and there can be a lot of water that pools on the roadways.

You can grab a book and sit under the pavilion at Hawksnest, or grab a raincoat and check out some of the island’s rich history. You can explore Catherineberg, Annaberg, or even the Cinnamon Bay Sugar Factory. All are very cool spots, rain or shine. Speaking of Cinnamon Bay, they are now serving lunch in the main restaurant. This is a large covered restaurant, so it could be a nice new spot to grab some lunch this week.

Hike to a Waterfall

If it really does rain as forecasted, a waterfall will form at Reef Bay. This is definitely a sneaker or sandals with straps kind of hike, as it will definitely be slippery. The trailhead for the Reef Bay trail is about five miles outside of Cruz Bay and about three miles outside of Coral Bay on Route 10, also known as Centerline Road. The trail is 2.1 miles in each direction if you are going from the road to the ocean, and it is quite steep. There is a spur trail on the right that will lead you to the petroglyphs where the waterfall will form. Pack a bag, bring snacks, and plenty of water for this hike.

A small waterfall is likely to form between Cinnamon and Maho bays. The water will flow across the road, so be careful when driving in that area.

“Invite Someone Over Your House”

Dalton, my five-year-old, is sitting beside me and asked me to tell all of you that you can also “invite someone over to your house” when it rains. So there’s that too. 🙂

For those of you who are off-island, you can still see what’s going on. Check out more than 20 live-streaming webcams at www.explorestj.com/webcams.

Stay dry everyone!

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

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Spend a Minute at Jumbie Beach

Jenn Manes February 1, 2024 2 Comments

I walked down to Jumbie this afternoon, and it was so pretty that I decided to take a video to share with all of you. If you are cold, stressed, or simply need some island in your life, I think this can help. Enjoy.

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

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When I’m Wrong, I’m Wrong… (Sorry Trunk Bay!)

Jenn Manes February 1, 2024 7 Comments

Trunk Bay is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world!

Well folks, I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong, and by god, I was wrong yesterday.

We had more than 17,000 people visit St. Thomas on five different cruise ships yesterday. Everyone was talking about the craziness that was likely to ensue. We expected the masses to come over and crowd our streets, shops, and restaurants. We expected the masses to descend onto Trunk Bay.

And you know what, it didn’t happen. I’m so sorry Trunk Bay!

I told all of you to avoid Trunk Bay yesterday, and I was wrong. A friend who happens to run the concessions over there reached out to poke a little fun at me for that comment, and he mentioned that Trunk Bay was pretty quiet too. So I don’t know where those 17,000+ people were, but it didn’t look like they made it over here.

So if you are looking for something nice to do today, hop in a taxi and head over to Trunk Bay. Grab a drink. Buy some food. Enjoy one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. And when you wander over to the snack shack and bar – happy hour starts in the morning at Trunk Bay FYI – please tell them that Jenn sent you. Maybe it will give me some brownie points over there. 🙂

Have a great day everyone! Enjoy Trunk Bay today!

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

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17,242 People Visiting By Cruise Ship Today!

Jenn Manes January 31, 2024 3 Comments

The dock at Havensight this morning. One cruise ship arrived by 8 a.m. & a second waits to dock.

There are more than 17,000 people visiting St. Thomas by cruise ship today, and this will undoubtedly affect St. John. If you’re planning on visiting Trunk Bay today, I would highly recommend picking another beach. 🙂

Five ships are docking in Charlotte Amalie today, including Icon of the Seas which is the largest cruise ship in the world. Icon of the Seas left Miami on its maiden voyage over the weekend. St. Thomas is its second port stop. (It visited St. Kitts yesterday.)

None of these ships are docked in St. John; however, all offer excursions over here. Several of the ships hire their own ferries to shuttle people into Cruz Bay. These ferries arrive at the bulkhead in the Creek, which is near the National Park Visitor Center. Taxis are waiting to pick them up and provide island tours and typically dropoffs to Trunk Bay.

Numerous passengers will likely make their way over on their own using the regular ferry to Cruz Bay. I’m sure the restaurants and shops along Cruz Bay beach will be very busy today.

So where should you go if you’re on St. John today? I would suggest Hawksnest or Jumbie because there are not any food or beverage offerings. That isn’t as appealing to people visiting by ship. Trunk is going to be crawling with people, so I would avoid that at all costs. It’s quite possible that Cinnamon and Maho will be a tad busier than usual too today considering that those two beaches are easy to taxi to, and both have food and beverages for sale. All other beaches should be normal, but our normal right now means rather full.

It’s a busy time of year, folks!

Not on island, but want to see some of the action? You can see what’s happening by checking out some of our webcams. Check out the St. John Spice Cam around 8:45 a.m., 9:15 a.m., and 10:15 a.m. to see how many people are coming in via the regular ferry. (These times are AST, which is an hour ahead of New York City time.) You can also check out The Beach Bar’s barcam to see how many are visiting the restaurant today. See these webcams and more at www.explorestj.com/webcams.

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

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Friends of the Park Raffle & Silent Auction Happening Now!

Jenn Manes January 30, 2024 0 Comments

Lovango is hosting Friends’ annual gala this weekend.

Hello everyone, and happy Tuesday! It’s gala season here in St. John! We held the Animal Care Center’s annual fundraising gala last Saturday, and the turnout was great! Thank you to everyone who came and supported St. John’s cats and dogs. The ACC’s online auction continues through Friday. Click here to get in on the action and to see what’s up for bid!

But wait! There’s another gala and auction happening! Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park is holding its annual fundraising gala at Lovango Resort + Beach Club this Saturday. The event itself is sold out, but you can still participate in its raffle and silent auction.

Friends has more than 50 amazing items available through its silent auction. Friends’ silent auction ends Friday, February 2nd at 3 p.m. EST. Items include artwork created by local artists including Elaine Estern and Jane Cook-Rutnik, boat trips, jewelry, and more. You must register to bid before viewing the 50 available items. Click here for more information.

Friends is also holding a raffle that includes restaurant gift certificates, boat trips, jewelry, and more. Tickets are just $25. Click here to purchase a raffle ticket.

And lastly, you can purchase a raffle ticket for a Lovango Resort + Beach Club experience. For $50, you can enter to bid on a cabana for the day at Lovango’s Beach Club for up to six people. This prize includes roundtrip ferry transportation and a bottle of Prosecco. Click here to purchase a raffle ticket.

That’s all I have for you today! It’s super busy on island, so it’s time for me to head out and pick up more island tour guests! It’s never too early to book! Please visit www.explorestj.com/tour for more information or email me at jenn@explorestj.com. Have a a great day everyone!

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

–> www.facebook.com/explorestj

–> www.instagram.com/explorestj