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New Restaurant Opens in Cruz Bay!

Jenn Manes
The Saint is located across from Gallows Point Resort.

A brand new restaurant recently opened in Cruz Bay!

The Saint is the island’s newest hotel. It opened back in March and is located across the street from Gallows Point Resort. While The Saint is an adults-only property, children are welcome at its new restaurant Aerial.

Aerial is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. every day but Tuesday. It is also open for brunch on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations are required for people wanting to eat in the dining room at Aerial. There is a bar that accepts walk-ups.

Aerial is located on the second floor above the pool & pool bar.

Check our the dinner and brunch menus:

The Saint also offers day passes to its pool. The cost is $55 per person. You must be 18 years old or older to visit The Saint’s pool.

Are you looking to purchase a home, condo, land or a business here in St. John? I would love to help you! Looking to list your property? I can help you with that too! I am a licensed real estate agent with 340 Real Estate Co., and I would love to help you with your buying and selling needs in the US Virgin Islands. Please contact me at 203-376-3786 or jenn@explorestj.com to explore the possibilities.

Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

See 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.

Click Here to Book Now. 

2025 St. John Festival Event Schedule; Parking Lot Closing

Jenn Manes
Image credit: Sarah B. Swan Photography

St. John’s annual carnival festival celebration kicks off soon. Here is the official schedule:

  • Saturday, June 7th -The St. John Royal Parade & Presentation show takes place at 4 p.m. at the National Park ball field. There will be food, drinks and music to honor this year’s contestants.
  • Saturday, June 21st – The Princess and Queen pageant will be held in the Village. The Village will be located in the parking lot that is beside the yellow Customs building and across the street from the Post Office. The event will begin at 5 p.m. and will continue until 10 p.m.
  • Saturday, June 28th – Food Fair begins at noon and will be held on the street beside the ferry dock where the taxis typically park. Food Fair continues until 5 p.m. Pan-o-rama starts at 5:30 p.m. over in the Village and will continue until they stop. 🙂 Boat races will also happen in the bay throughout the day.
  • Sunday, June 29th – The Village officially opens at 7 p.m. The schedule says it will stay open until 1 a.m., but my guess is that it will stay open much longer than that. This is the night that the music begins. There will be a variety of food and beverage vendors onsite too.
  • Thursday, July 3rd – Jou’vert begins at sunrise in honor of the first morning of freedom after emancipation. During this event, revelers will parade through the streets of Cruz Bay. This is an incredibly fun and special event. The emancipation program will take place between 1p.m. and 4 p.m. at Slim Man’s main parking lot across from Wharfside Village. Slim’s lot will be closed to public parking during this event.
  • Friday, July 4th – The schedule says the parade starts at 11 a.m., but we all know better. Plan for closer to noon and hope for the best. 🙂 The fireworks will be at 9 p.m. and are set off from a barge over Cruz Bay.

Parking Lot Closures 

  • The Customs lot will be closed from June 10th through July 17th. It will initially close for carnival and will remain closed following the festivities, so the lot can be repainted.
  • Slim’s main parking lot across from Wharfside will be closed briefly on July 3rd.

Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

See 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.

Click Here to Book Now. 

 

 

So Much Sahara Dust

Jenn Manes
The view from The Windmill Bar normally and with the dust.

If you are currently visiting the US Virgin Islands or if you’ve been checking out one of St. John’s many webcams, you may have noticed a pretty thick haze in the skies over the past several days. It’s not actually haze in the skies, but rather dust, dust that is traveling into the region from the Sahara Desert in Africa. It happens every year, and it’s been extremely thick recently.

Each year, typically during spring and summer months, dust and sand from the Sahara Desert float up from Africa and travel thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean via the trade winds. When the dust arrives in the territory, our typically bright blue skies are replaced by a grey haze. Visibility is reduced, and our air quality becomes poor. The dust can last for a day, a few days, or even a week in some cases.

You can see in the top image how the dust affects our skies. Those pictures were taken from the same spot at The Windmill Bar. The left was taken a few months ago on a regularly clear day, and the second was taken last week during a dusty period.

You can actually track the Saharan Dust on radar just like you can track any weather system. I like to use myfoxhurricane.com to track it. Here is the image I pulled up this morning that shows the current cloud of dust affecting the region.

The Saharan dust can cause people to have a runny nose and dry throat. You may be sneezing more and have itchy eyes. It can also affect people who have asthma. So if you are here now and you are sniffling and sneezing, it’s likely that the dust is getting to you.

Want to see what’s currently happening around St. John? Check out nearly two dozen webcams located around the island at www.explorestj.com/webcams.

Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

See 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.

Click Here to Book Now. 

New Vacation Rental: Views, Pool & Close to Cruz Bay!

Jenn Manes
The view from the shared pool at On Island.

I am extremely excited to tell you about a brand new vacation rental here on St. John. It’s a spacious, two-bedroom, two bathroom condo that is close to Cruz Bay. It has nice views from every room, balconies galore and a large, shared pool with spectacular views. And the best part? I was lucky enough to represent the buyers when they purchased this home last month! Curious? Want to know more? Then please read on!

On Island is a brand-new St. John vacation rental located in Sunset Quarters, which is located right beside the Sunset Ridge Villas. The condo was recently purchased by Breanne and Blair Walsh, who are longtime St. John visitors, along with their 13-year-old daughter Kendall.

The Walshes are the new owners of On Island, a new two-bedroom condo near Cruz Bay.

I was thrilled when the Walshes contacted me last summer to help them locate the perfect vacation rental property for their family. It took some time to find the right match, but good things do come to those who wait!

On Island has two large bedrooms. One is an ensuite, while the second has a bathroom located beside it. Both bedrooms have private decks and brand new furniture throughout.

The living space is generous and includes two additional decks located off of the dining and sitting areas. On Island also has a nice, well-appointed kitchen for those of you who plan to dine in while on vacation. On Island is fully air conditioned. It has a washer and dryer inside of the unit, and there is onsite parking.

One of the balconies located off of the secondary bedroom.

Sunset Quarters shares a pool with Sunset Ridge Villas (the timeshare side of the property). The pool has one of the nicest views on St. John, including amazing sunset views. See for yourself!

On Island is located in the Bethany neighborhood, which is located above Cruz Bay. You can access On Island from Centerline Road (Route 10 on the map) or from Southside Road (Route 104 on the map). It is a less than 10-minute drive from Cruz Bay. Check out the map below:

On Island rents for only $420 a night, which is a great price for a two-bedroom condo near Cruz Bay with all of these great amenities!

If you are planning a vacation to St. John, please check out On Island. You can learn more about the property, see additional pictures and book your next stay by visiting www.onislandstj.com.

Are you looking to purchase a home, condo, land or a business here in St. John? I would love to help you! Looking to list your property? I can help you with that too! I am a licensed real estate agent with 340 Real Estate Co., and I would love to help you with your buying and selling needs in the US Virgin Islands. Please contact me at 203-376-3786 or jenn@explorestj.com to explore the possibilities.

Flamingo Frenzy at Francis Bay!

Jenn Manes

I counted 23 flamingoes on Friday. I saw at least 14 on Saturday and another dozen or so on Sunday. Yesterday, I counted 30. I can officially say that there is a flamingo frenzy at Francis Bay!

I’ve been writing about flamingo sightings every then and again since February 2023. That’s when the first flamboyance of flamingos paid a visit to the island. The flamingoes have dipped in and out ever since, visiting in relatively small groups and spending time most of their time out near Salt Pond, in Grootpan Bay and over near Miss Lucy’s. Well, that’s until now…

The flamingos made their debut at the salt pond behind Francis Bay beach about two weeks ago, and they have remained there ever since. It’s amazing, and it’s causing quite the frenzy here on St. John.

I think the reason everyone is so excited is twofold. One, the flamingos are so accessible. You can easily see them from a viewing platform just off of the boardwalk near the salt pond. And two, because there are so many of them to see!

Francis Bay is usually one of the quieter beaches, especially in late May, which is typically a quieter time of the year. The parking at Francis over the past week has been quite crazy. So many people are walking down the boardwalk to catch a glimpse of these beautiful birds. It’s quite magical. Check out this quick video I took last week:

You really need your own vehicle to get to Francis. The taxis may drop you off there, but they do not regularly go there to pick up passengers. I saw two separate couples hitchhiking home from Francis last week, so something to think about. Francis Bay is located about 25 minutes from Cruz Bay and less than 15 minutes from Coral Bay. If you are on St. John this week or possibly in the upcoming weeks, you should plan a quick visit to Francis Bay. The flamingos are truly a sight to see.

Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

See 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.

Click Here to Book Now. 

 

 

Caneel Bay Will Remain National Park; Appeal Denied

Jenn Manes

A judge ruled earlier this week that Caneel Bay will remain part of the National Park. This ruling will hopefully end the years-long battle over land ownership rights of the 150-acre parcel.

Chief Judge Theadore A. McKee issued a relatively quick opinion affirming the lower court’s decision to award the Caneel Bay parcel to the National Park Service. Here is the opinion in its entirety:

EHI Acquisitions,LLC appeals the District Court’s grant of Defendant’s motion for summary judgment.

In her well-reasoned and thorough opinion, Judge Krause explained why EHI is not entitled to relief and why the Defendant was entitled to judgment as a matter of law. As Judge Krause detailed, even if the relevant indenture is ambiguous, extrinsic evidence makes the result clear. We can add little to Judge Krause’s analysis and discussion, and we will therefore affirm the District Court’s order substantially for the reasons set forth in that opinion.

The area formerly occupied by the posh Caneel Bay Resort is set to be redeveloped by the National Park. Bids by interested parties were placed in March. The National Park has yet to announce who has bid to redevelop the property, nor have they announced the winning bid or if one has even been chosen.

The National Park plans to bring back the 166-room resort while expansion public access throughout the property. As of May 2025, guests can park at Caneel Bay and walk to Caneel Beach. They can also park at Caneel Bay and take a paid shuttle to Honeymoon Beach. Hikers can access Honeymoon and Salomon beaches via the Lind Point Trail. Caneel’s other beaches are accessible from water only at this time.

Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

See 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.

Click Here to Book Now.