I know there are a lot of you who read Explore STJ from New England, and I think several of you are going to love this! Not in New England? No problem! I still have some useful flight tips to share with all of you.
Avelo Airlines will begin offering nonstop flights from New Haven, Connecticut to San Juan, Puerto Rico beginning on November 15th. The flights between the two cities will happen on Wednesdays and Saturdays only, and prices start at $99 each way. I looked at the calendar for November and December, and prices were between $99 and $149 each way. The airport in New Haven in tiny, so you will get through security in minutes. It’s worth the drive to save time!
You’re probably thinking that’s great, but how do we get to St. John? You can easily buy a second one-way ticket from San Juan to St. Thomas. The New Haven flight lands at 12:15 p.m., so you have plenty of time to hop on an afternoon flight on either Cape Air or Silver Airways. The flight back to New Haven leaves at 2:15 p.m., so again you have plenty of time to take a morning flight over to San Juan on either of these airlines. The flight between San Juan and St. Thomas is roughly 20-30 minutes depending on the airline.
For those of you living in different parts of the country, check out Southwest Airlines too. They fly into San Juan, but not St. Thomas. You can buy the second one-way ticket if the schedules line up. If you choose any of these options, it’s best not to check bags. That way you do not have to leave security to retrieve them, and then pay to recheck them on the second airline.
If there are any other budget carriers flying into San Juan, please let me know so I can share it with everyone.
I’ve been perusing airfares, and it looks like they are finally starting to drop a bit. Thank goodness! I will have more on that next week. In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Hello everyone, and welcome to the middle of the week! There’s a fun little event happening Friday night in Cruz Bay, and you’re all invited to attend!
The Animal Care Center of St. John is holding a Yappy Hour event on Friday, August 4th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Drink. For every Tito’s vodka drink bought, $2 will be donated to the Animal Care Center. So come ready to drink some vodka for the pups!
Is there anywhere else in the world where you can drink vodka and support animals at the same time? I doubt it!
A unique property just listed for sale, and I thought you might be interested in learning more about it.
Everyone dreams of owning a home in St. John, right? I know I do! Well, this Glucksberg property has three units, so its new owner can live in one if he or she chooses while renting out the other two units. Or you can rent all three!
Let’s start with the location. This home is located in Glucksberg, which is commonly referred to as the Gifft Hill neighborhood. It is just off Route 104 and is less than 10 minutes from Cruz Bay. The closest sandy beach with parking is Hawksnest, which is a 15-minute drive.
This property is located 10 minutes from Cruz Bay.
Now on to the property itself: This multi-unit property has a main house that consists of a two-bedroom, one-bath unit on the top floor, and a one-bedroom, one-bath unit on the lower floor. There is an additional studio apartment on site. The beautiful rooftop pool is located above the studio. The sale includes architectural plans and approved building permits for an additional four-unit structure. The property is zoning compliant for the current units, as well as the approved units to be built.
The main houseThis great property is currently listed for sale.The studio apartment with rooftop poolLiving space in the two-bedroom apartmentLiving space in the one bedroomLiving space in the studioThe two bedroom has a beautiful stone shower.
Gifft Hill is one of my favorite neighborhoods. The area has excellent breezes and even better views. This Glucksberg property has panoramic ocean views, as well as views of St. Thomas, Little St. James, Great St. James, and beyond. It also has amazing sunset views to the west.
Beautiful views abound
The property has a whole-house generator with an automatic transfer switch, so you never have to be in the dark when one of the island’s notorious power outages pops up. It has many other upgrades, including an electronic security gate, a new 500-gallon propane tank, and more.
This property has high consistent cash flow, low fixed expenses, online apps to manage from afar without a property manager, and room for an even higher rate of return with the approved permits and building plans. It is listed for $1.795 million. The sale includes a 2022 Jeep Wrangler.
For those of you who are interested in the main home only, which has a two-bedroom apartment, as well as a one-bedroom apartment, you can purchase that house separately (without the studio apartment and rooftop pool) for $999,000.
Owner financing is available to qualified buyers for the $1.795 million listing only.
Interested? Like to know more? Please contact Tammy Donnelly, owner of 340 Real Estate Co. at 340realestateco@gmail.com. You can see more of Tammy’s listing by visiting www.340RealEstateCo.com.
Nearly six years after Hurricane Irma destroyed Caneel Bay, the National Park Service has announced that it intends to rebuild the renowned resort.
The National Park Service released a Finding of No Significant Impact decision document last week, which details the Park’s plan to restore commercial overnight accommodations and expand public access at Caneel Bay. The report doesn’t detail too much about the intended accommodations other than to say that “visitors will be provided an overnight experience commensurate with storied legacy and site history of Caneel Bay.” It goes on to say that it will be a twenty-first-century eco-resort.
The number of rooms at the new resort will not exceed the previous lodging capacity of 166 rooms. It will continue to be a low-density, landscape-sensitive resort.
Public access will be expanded to include Caneel Beach and Little Caneel Beach. This is the area on each side of the dock, which can be seen from the Caneel Bay overlook on North Shore Road. Public access will continue at Honeymoon Beach. These day-use areas will have public restrooms and showers, picnic tables, food and beverage offerings, and non-motorized watersports rentals. Visitors can access these areas via roads and trails.
Regarding access to Turtle Bay Beach, Scott Beach, Paradise Beach, and Hawksnest Beach (north), “access will continue to be permitted along shoreline areas specified in the USVI Open Shoreline Act and will be determined in consultation with the USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources.”
A few more areas of note:
Historic areas on site will be restored and/or rehabilitated.
Interpretive programs will be developed to tell the story of the Caneel Bay area.
The plan calls to reestablish the Turtle Point and Hawksnest Trails.
Employee housing will be built onsite.
An onsite farmers’ market and wellness facilities may also be included.
There is a potential area for community meeting space, an amphitheater, and/or community gardens.
An overview of the redevelopment of Caneel Bay
This all comes with a caveat, however. As I told you all last month, the National Park Service is currently in a messy legal battle with the current operators of Caneel Bay. EHI Acquisitions (the company that currently holds the retained use agreement that allowed it to operate the Caneel Bay Resort) filed a federal lawsuit against the United States back in June 2022 that asked the court to declare EHI as the owner of all right, title and interest to the Caneel Bay property. The United States is fighting the lawsuit and stated it “defies logic and common sense.” A trial is scheduled for October 16th.
Should the United States prevail in that lawsuit, the National Park Service will put out a request for proposal regarding the redevelopment of Caneel Bay. The developer and operators will be selected through a competitive commercial services process, and the bidder’s ability to meet the National Park Service’s sustainability goals will be determined during evaluations.
In the meantime, we wait.
The National Park Service took into account public feedback when making its decision. I was surprised to learn that only 1,122 comments were submitted during the open comment period. Of those, only 152 were submitted by Virgin Islands residents. Numerous comments and the National Park’s response are included in the Finding of No Significant Impact decision document. Click here to read that document.
There’s a lot going on here, and I’m fairly certain that we have a long road ahead. As always, I’ll keep you posted.
Looking to take a St. John island tour?
Get to know St. John. Visit beautiful beaches & centuries-old plantations. Perhaps stop at a tiki bar or two. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor. 2023 & 2022 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Winner. Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour
Hello everyone, and welcome to the weekend! A brand new webcam just popped up, which means there is yet another beautiful live view you can check out every day!
St. John’s newest webcam comes to us from Long Bay Beach Villa, a brand new vacation rental that is currently under construction on St. John’s East End. The view is over Long Bay, which is around the corner from Hansen Bay and Saltwell Bottom Beach. The view shows the waters of Round Bay and across to St. John. Check it out!
Hawksnest Bay is one of my favorite beaches on St. John.
Hello everyone, and happy Thursday! A top travel magazine just highlighted St. John as a great place to visit, so I thought I would share that information with all of you! 🙂
Travel + Leisure posted an article yesterday that serves as a guide to visiting St. John. It’s a great little read that discusses the island’s natural beauty, culture, history, activities, and more.
Here’s a little bit of what Travel + Leisure had to say:
The U.S. Virgin Islands continually top lists highlighting the best islands and beaches in the Caribbean. The island group — which includes the three main islands of St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John, in addition to around 50 small islets and cays — is known for its white-sand beaches and healthy reef, the best of which are protected by Virgin Islands National Park on St. John.
The park sprawls across most of St. John, protecting unspoiled beaches edged by coral reefs, sea turtle breeding grounds, and hiking trails that meander through tropical forests. The park also preserves plantation sites and the ancient petroglyphs of the Indigenous Taino so guests can learn about the island’s history of colonialism and enslavement.
A journey through Virgin Islands National Park is both breathtakingly beautiful and culturally enlightening. Both aspects make the park a must-visit, especially for those looking to get out of their lounge chairs and off the beaten path.
The article mentions several St. John businesses including Jolly Dog, a great retail shop in Coral Bay, and Bajo el Sol Gallery & Art Bar in Mongoose Junction. It mentions Cinnamon Bay Campground and Lovango Resort & Beach Club among other great places to stay, and Lime Out and The Longboard as two great places to dine.
I was surprised to see Hawksnest Bay get a mention. Hawksnest is my go-to beach, and it rarely gets the love it deserves. Annaberg, Trunk Bay, and Reef Bay got a few mentions too – no surprises there. 🙂
I love when St. John receives the accolades it deserves. We are so lucky to call this amazing island home, and I am thankful that those of you reading probably love St. John as much as I do.
