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St. John Real Estate: What Your Money Can Buy

Jenn Manes June 28, 2023 0 Comments

One of the most commonly asked questions during my Explore STJ island tours is about the cost of housing on St. John. Let’s be honest, many of you, like me, dream of owning a home on St. John. Buying a home on any island can be costly, but it’s not impossible. Here are the details on what your money can get you on St. John.

There are currently 58 homes and six condos available for purchase on St. John. The least expensive home is listed for $399,000 and the most expensive is $12 million. The least expensive condo is $620,000 and the most expensive is $1.95 million. There are only nine homes and two condos listed under one million dollars on St. John.

So what exactly will your money get you? Let’s start with a couple of the least expensive homes.

There is a small eco cottage located on Bordeaux Mountain listed for $399,000. This is an off-grid, non-conforming, wood-frame building that’s approximately 420 square feet, including interior and exterior space. It does not have a toilet, so you must purchase a composting one if you plan to glamp here. You cannot get windstorm insurance for wood frame homes at the moment, so this would have to be a cash deal. The house is located on just over a half-acre, has excellent views, and is a very buildable lot. This home is listed by 340 Real Estate Co.

For an additional $100,000, you can get a one-bedroom masonry home with 1,300 square feet of indoor and outdoor living space. This home is located just minutes from Coral Bay’s shops and restaurants. Because the house is masonry, you should be able to get a mortgage on it and windstorm insurance. This home is listed for $499,000 by Cruz Bay Realty.

Now let’s look at the most expensive homes, shall we?

Villa Indo is a newly-built, waterfront home on Great Cruz Bay. It has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, and more than 4,000 square feet of living space. It is a beautifully designed home with floor-to-ceiling windows and an infinity-edge pool. Villa Indo is listed for $12 million by Islandia Real Estate.

The second most expensive home currently listed for sale is one of my favorite vacation rentals – Mare Blu. Mare Blu is an expansive, seven-bedroom home with panoramic views of Rendezvous Bay. It has a giant pool overlooking the Caribbean Sea, and ample indoor and outdoor living space. This is a fabulous vacation rental that’s located less than 10 minutes from Cruz Bay. Mare Blu is listed for $10 million by Holiday Homes.

Please note: Being listed for sale does not affect future vacation rentals. Typically when a home sells on St. John, the buyer has to honor all rental reservations.

As of Tuesday night, there were 17 homes listed for sale between one and two million dollars, and there were 11 homes listed between two and three million dollars. The median list price for a home on St. John is just under $3 million. The total asking price for the 58 homes currently for sale on St. John is more than $172 million. Wow.

Now let’s talk condos. As I mentioned, there are only six currently listed for sale. The least expensive is a great unit over at Serendip. It’s a very cute and updated condo with a nice deck that has views of Cruz Bay. Serendip is a great vacation spot complete with a pool, and it’s located about five minutes from Cruz Bay. This unit is listed for $699,000 by Cruz Bay Realty, and the monthly HOA dues are $1,519.

(Serendip is currently offering discounted summer rates. Click here to learn more.)

There are four condos for sale between one and two million dollars. The second least expensive condo is listed for $975,000.

Looking for more information on any of the properties listed above or just want some general information about what’s currently for sale on St. John? Here are a few real estate companies located on St. John:

340 Real Estate: 340 Real Estate Co. has been rock solid & island wise since 1978. Click here to learn more.
American Paradise: American Paradise has been making dreams come true, one view at a time, since 1987. Click here to learn more.
Holiday Homes of St. John: Holiday Homes has been specializing in St. John real estate since 1960. They have a storefront on the first floor of The Marketplace if you’d like to stop in. Click here to learn more.

(Disclaimer: The three companies listed above are advertisers on ExploreSTJ.com.)

Want to purchase land on St. John? Stay tuned for information about building on St. John.

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

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Lots of Great Island Events Happening Soon!

Jenn Manes June 27, 2023 0 Comments

If you are lucky enough to be on St. John over the next week, you are in for a treat because there are several great events happening!

Happening Now

The carnival is still open daily from 5 p.m. or so until it closes, which is well after dark. Rides are $5 each, and it’s a lot of fun. The carnival will be open through July 5th. Click here to learn more about the first carnival St. John has had in more than 10 years!

Opening Thursday

The St. John Celebration Village (simply called the Village around town) will open on Thursday, June 29th and will stay open through July 4th. The Village features a variety of local food and drink vendors, as well as live music every night. It opens at 6:30 p.m. and closes well after midnight.

Saturday, July 1st

J’ouvert is happening a couple of days early this year. J’ouvert is an event that celebrates the first sunrise of freedom, so the event will kick off right around sunrise which is currently at 5:45 a.m. Slaves were emancipated on July 3, 1848, so the Fourth of July celebration on St. John is to celebrate their freedom.

Monday, July 3rd

There will be a cultural display at the park across from the ferry dock starting at 10 a.m. The 175th anniversary of emancipation will be celebrated with a program in the park at 1 p.m. The day will culminate with a torch light parade that begins at 7 p.m. at the entrance of the Village.

Tuesday, July 4th

The celebration parade will begin around 11 a.m. It starts in front of Mongoose Junction and takes a right at the Post Office. The parade will continue toward the ferry dock and will then take a left up the one-way and past Connections. It will continue up the street past Woody’s and Quiet Mon and will end somewhere around the roundabout.

Expect road closures throughout the latter part of the morning and into the afternoon. The road along the entire parade route will be closed for several hours, therefore you will have to take Centerline Road to get to the North Shore beaches. You will be unable to drive to the ferry dock during this time.

The fireworks are scheduled for 9 p.m. and will take place in Cruz Bay.

There are two more great events happening later next month. Stay tuned!

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

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

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Coral Bay Gets a New ATM!

Jenn Manes June 26, 2023 1 Comment

It’s the little things in life, folks. 🙂

The owners of the Lime Lofts building, which is located across the street from Skinny Legs, recently installed an ATM on the second floor, just outside of Coral Bay Gallery & Gifts. It is located above Pirate’s Cove, a great new retail shop and rental spot that opened earlier this year. (Click here to learn more about Pirate’s Cove.)

The ATM is located outside, so it is available 24/7.

Looking for an ATM in Cruz Bay? They are plentiful. There is one at Mongoose Junction behind Just Beach. There is one beside Connections and another beside The Little Things, which is across from High Tide. There is one outside the bank at The Marketplace, and there is one at Dolphin Market across from the Westin too. Several other restaurants and stores have ATMs too.

That’s all I have for you today. Short and sweet, but useful information! Have a great one!

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

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

–> www.facebook.com/explorestj

–> www.instagram.com/explorestj

Watching the Weather: Tropical Storm Bret & Tropical Depression Four

Jenn Manes June 22, 2023 0 Comments

Hello everyone, and happy Thursday! The tropics have been busy this week, and there are currently two storms in our area – Tropical Storm Bret and Tropical Depression Four. The good news is that Tropical Storm Bret is forecasted to pass to our south, and Tropical Depression Four is forecasted to pass to our north. Some rain would be great, but I can confidently say that none of us want high winds around here.

The ocean temps where these storms typically form are higher than normal, which means we will likely see more storms form earlier this hurricane season. (Hurricane sesson is June 1 through November 30.) Today I wanted to share some of my favorite weather apps with all of you, so you can keep your eye on our weather. You can even use these apps where you live.

Living Earth

This is a great app that shows a live, 3D simulation of weather around the world. It costs $4.99, but I think it’s well worth the price. You can pan to any spot in the world to see the current weather. It’s pretty cool. I use this to keep an eye on the west coast of Africa, which is where our storms typically form. I can then keep an eye on these storms to see if they grow as they near the US Virgin Islands.

We are the blue dot under the “T” in Thursday. That’s Tropical Storm Bret to our east.

Wunderground

I think that Wunderground is the best app and/or website to use to check out St. John’s weather. It seems to be the most accurate, in my opinion. You can look at real-time satelites, including rain, clouds, etc.

Current radar as of 7:13 a.m. on June 22.

Windy

Windy is pretty straightforward. It’s an app and website that shows you the world’s current winds. You can also scroll ahead to see the wind forecast for up to five days wirth the free version, and up to nine days with the premium (paid version). It tells you what the wind direction is too, which is helpful when you are choosing which beach to visit here on St. John.

Current winds as of 7:17 a.m. on June 22.

Wind prediction for 11 a.m. on June 23. That shows Tropical Storm Bret passing to our south.

National Hurricane Center

And lastly, the National Hurricane Center is the best website to check out when we do have named systems. I’m sure you’re all familiar with this one.

So again, it does not look like Tropical Storm Bret or Tropical Depression Four will impact St. John. But it’s always good to have some tools when it looks like the weather will affect St. John.

That’s all I have for you today, folks. Have a great one!

New Food Truck Opens in Cruz Bay

Jenn Manes June 21, 2023 1 Comment

A great new food truck opened in Cruz Bay last week, and I think you’re all going to love it.

Love City Wing Spot is located in the gravel lot beside the car barge area in Cruz Bay. It’s a great new spot that serves more than just wings. For those of you who are looking for chicken wings, they serve traditional, boneless, and even cauliflower. They have 14 different sauces, including Buffalo, bourbon, and mango habanero among other flavors.

There are also a variety of appetizers on the menu like conch fritters and mozzarella sticks. Need something more substantial? They have regular and an impossible burger, as well as a delicious chicken sandwich. They have ice cream and dessert too.

The chicken sandwich and fries were delicious!

Check out the full menu:

Love City Wing Spot is owned by Charmaine Vante-Calixte and Magabe Calixte. (Charmaine and Magabe also own Healthy Alternatives, a CBD retailer near the Westin. Magabe serves as the fire department’s deputy chief of operations on St. John as well.) It’s a nice and breezy spot that has four, shaded picnic tables for you to dine at. You can also take it to go. You are allowed to park for free in the gravel lot if you plan to visit. Just let the parking attendant know that’s where you’re headed.

Love City Wing Spot is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Not certain where it’s located? Click here to view Explore STJ.com’s Restaurant Map, which includes more than 80 restaurants, bars, and food trucks around St. John.

The Carnival is Here!

Jenn Manes June 18, 2023 4 Comments

This is really big news… The carnival is here! We have not had a single carnival ride on St. John in more than 10 years, so this is a really big deal for us. I spent way too much time and money over there on Sunday afternoon, but seeing the smiles on Dalton and his friends’ faces was worth every penny.

The carnival is located in the gravel lot near the car barge area. (Click here to find its location on Explore STJ’s Logistics Map.) It will be open from 5 p.m. until midnight every night through July 5th. Tickets are $5, and each ride takes one ticket. The price is the same for children and adults. There will not be a bracelet night, according to the carnival operator. The carnival is cash only.

(Monday evening edit: They opened late on Monday. So let’s say they will open at 5-ish every night.)

The carnival features a ferris wheel, an umbrella ride that goes rather high (I did it once, and that was enough for me!), a Himalayan-style music ride, teacups, motorcycles, and a Frozen-themed bounce house. One really cool thing is that the ride times were pretty long, so I felt we got our money’s worth every time.

There is also a spot where you can get all of the yummy carnival foods like cotton candy, candy apples, popcorn, soft-served ice cream, and more. This is also cash only. There is even a table where you can buy bubble guns, silly string, glow-in-the-dark toys, and other fun things.

Seriously, this was so much fun. Whether you’re here on vacation or live here, grab the kids (and a lot of cash) and go have some fun! And lastly, I’d like to give a huge THANK YOU to I Land Rides of St. Croix for bringing the carnival to us!

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Take an Island Tour!

Want to see St. John? Consider taking an island tour with Explore STJ. We are rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor. Full & half days are available. Check out www.ExploreSTJ.com/tour to learn more.

Click here to read Explore STJ’s TripAdvisor reviews.