Hello everyone, and happy Friday! I know many of you love St. John real estate as much as I do, so today I want to tell you about an amazing home that recently listed for sale. It’s modern, affordable and has nice views! That’s the trifecta here on St. John! Check it out…
Flannagan’s Peak is a uniquely designed, off-the-grid home that features two bedrooms, expansive outdoor living and spectacular views. And even better, there is ample room to expand down the road.
This recently constructed home has all modern finishes, including stainless steel appliances, UV filtration, solar power with a battery backup and generator. It is also fully air-conditioned.
The 40-foot container-based structure is Hardie-board sided and fully insulated. The site is approved to support a second home on the property, if desired, and the original plans include a pool. The property it sits on abuts National Park land and is located within a very private, lush setting.
Check out this quick video that shows just how private this location is…
Flannagan’s Peak is the perfect spot for a personal island retreat, starter home, or investment property. The Flannagan’s Passage development includes underground utilities and paved roads. This property is definitely a must-see!
Flannagan’s Peak is listed for $620,000. 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? Take an island tour with us!
Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tourFull & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.
It looks like it’s starting to get rather chilly up north, so I thought I would do my best to warm you up today. I took this video at Cinnamon Bay beach yesterday morning. The temperature was a lovely 84 degrees. It was yet another sunny day with very few clouds. Enjoy!
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with us!
Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tourFull & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.
Hello everyone, and happy Wednesday! There is a brand new bar and grill on St. John, and today I am going to tell you all about it!
Mid Way Cafe & Grill opened recently on Centerline Road, which is Route 10 on the map. It is located at the Mid Way gas and grocery store complex, which is about three miles from Cruz Bay and about five miles from Coral Bay. It’s a beautiful spot that includes a bar and a large dining area.
Mid Way Cafe & Grill is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week. It has a robust menu and a full bar, which includes blended drinks. Check out the menus:
And here are some pictures from inside the restaurant:
It looks great, doesn’t it?
Another great feature here is parking. It can be hard finding a spot when you’re looking to eat in Cruz Bay, so it’s nice to have another new option outside of town. Mid Way Cafe & Grill joins Coco Jims, Heading East, Flavours Nightclub, Shambles, Windmill and Tony’s Truck as options outside of Cruz Bay on Centerline Road. All are located between miles two and three.
Want to know exactly where this is located? Visit www.explorestj.com/restaurantmap to see its location. This is a searchable map that includes all of St. John’s restaurants.
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with us!
Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tourFull & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.
You can spend a week in St. John for as little as $10!
Hello everyone, and happy Giving Tuesday! Today I would like to tell you about an amazing raffle that’s happening right now. But time is of the essence on this one, because it ends today at 3 p.m. EST. The great part about that, however, is that the winners will be pulled today at 4 p.m. EST. So you will know pretty quickly if you need to start shopping for airfare!
Love City Strong’s annual Island Gems raffle features three amazing prizes. Each prize has its own ticket, so you get to choose which prize you’d like to be entered for. Here are the details on each of the three prizes…
The Emerald Ticket
Cruz On Inn is located directly on Great Cruz Bay.
The Emerald Ticket features a one-week stay at Cruz On Inn, a 5 bedroom luxury villa in Chocolate Hole, as well as a discounted rental from Slim Man’s Jeep Rental. Activities include a cabana day at Lovango Resort & Beach Club and a half-day charter with Rock ‘n Rolla Charters, plus gift certificates to Sam & Jack’s Deli, High Tide Seafood Bar & Grill, Morgan’s Mango, Tap Room Brewtique, and Lulee St John.
The Sapphire Ticket
The cottages at Cinnamon Bay are located steps from this beautiful, sandy beach.
For the adventurous vacationer, the Sapphire Ticket package offers a one-week stay in a cottage at Cinnamon Bay, a dinghy rental from Wharfside Watersports, an outing on Salt Deck, and gift certificates to Trunk Bay Concession, Dazey Drive In, The Windmill Bar, Golden Hour, and Virginabis.
The Ruby Ticket
The view from Wharfside Hotel
If you’re looking for a romantic getaway, the Ruby Ticket package is for you. Featuring a five-night stay at Wharfside Village Hotel, a sunset sail with Cruz Bay Watersports, a day at Caneel Bay Beach Club, plus gift certificates to The Wine Shop, The Terrace, The Tap Room, Freebird, and The Little Things.
Raffle tickets start at just $10. You can get 10 entries for $10, 30 entries for $25, 75 entries for $50, 200 entries for $100 or 1,500 for $500.
All of the funds raised from this raffle will support the Resilient Housing Initiative, which was originally launched in 2018 in response to damages from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. In partnership with other organizations, St. John businesses, and local contractors, this program has completed 37 full rebuilds here on St. John, which is pretty incredible. The COVID-19 pandemic put even more strain on resources, and we saw prices of shipping and materials rise. In response to the changing needs of the island, Love City Strong expanded its program to include smaller repair projects. The objective is to mitigate damage from future impacts and make homes more safe and accessible for residents.
Again, this raffle ends today at 3 p.m. EST, so go ahead and purchase your tickets! You can do so using the link below:
A floating pizza boat? Yes, please! (Image credit: Pizza Pi)
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love pizza. Honestly, I could eat it every day of the week if calories didn’t matter! So today, I am super excited to tell you all that one of my favorite spots on the water recently reopened for the season, and it’s better than ever!
Pizza Pi reopened last week over in Christmas Cove after being closed for off-season. Pizza Pi is the Caribbean’s only floating pizza place, perhaps the world’s only floating pizza place! It’s a pretty cool concept, and the pizza itself is delicious. And even better – it’s located in a picturesque bay that’s pretty close to Cruz Bay.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Christmas Cove, it’s located behind Great St. James, which is a small island located southwest of Cruz Bay. It’s roughly a 15-minute or so boat ride from Cruz Bay, depending on the waves. You can only access Pizza Pi by the water.
Pizza Pi has been open since 2014. It sold earlier this year, and the new owners have made some exciting new changes this year. For starters, they have a brand new menu that now includes a Caesar salad and frozen drinks like a Bushwacker, Pina Colada, and more.
But perhaps the best change is that they now have floats for guests to hang out on, much like our friends over at Lime Out in Coral Bay. Eating pizza while lounging in the beautiful Caribbean Sea certainly sounds amazing to me!
New floats! (Image credit: Pizza Pi)
Pizza Pi is open from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. seven days a week. There are numerous boat charters that can take you there, however here are a few that we recommend…
Hello everyone, and happy Tuesday! Let’s be honest, there isn’t a whole lot of work happening this week. Am I right?? Haha. So today, let’s talk about shopping. 🙂
So I was driving along the North Shore earlier this year when I noticed a business was selling beach noodles for $14. Fourteen dollars for one pool noodle! I know things are pricey here, but my goodness, that is just nuts. I joked to my island tour guests that I should start selling noodles out of my trunk! Ok, so I won’t get that crazy, but it got me thinking… An inflatable pool noodle is such an easy thing to pack for a vacation to St. John. There are so many minor things that you can easily pack in a suitcase that will not only save you some pennies when you’re here, but it will also make your St. John vacation that much better. So you know what I did? I compiled a list for all of you. 🙂
Here are some items that you may want to add to your St. John packing list. I included links to buy, when possible, too. This list is helpful for any warm-weather vacation spot.
Beach/Pool Noodle
One of my repeat island tour guests using a noodle at Saltwell Bottom.
Clearly, we have to start with beach/pool noodles. 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.
Neso Tents
Image credit: neso.com
There isn’t a ton of shade on the majority of our beaches here on St. John. And let’s be honest, it’s hot here, so shade is our friend. 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 a pricier item, 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.
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 of 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.
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 videos 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.
A Soft-sided Backpack Cooler
These backpack coolers are great because they can double as your carry on bag on the plane. It makes it easier to bring drinks and snacks to the beach being that it’s a backpack. A lot of villas 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.
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.
A few other items that are helpful to bring are reusable shopping bags, a reusable water bottle, and reusable straws because not all restaurants provide straws.
I hope this helps you all plan your next trip to St. John. And if there is anything you think I should add to this list, please email me at jenn@explorestj.com. Thanks, everyone!
Something Not for Vacation, But Something My Family Loves
This is one of the best purchases I have ever made. We purchased this Intex hot tub and use it as a pool for our son. It’s great because it holds up to the island heat, and it has a filter so it stays nice and clean. And as you can see in this older 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 when possible!)
Later this week, I’ll tell you about local stores here on St. John that are great options for your holiday shopping. In the meantime, have a great day everyone!
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with us!
Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tourFull & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.
