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September 6th is a weird day in my world. It’s probably a weird day for many of my friends too. On one hand, you can’t help but think about where we were six years ago at this very moment. But on the other hand, we just want to keep it in the past. It’s an odd juxtaposition.

When I woke up this morning, I wasn’t sure if I would even write today. Like what do you say? Do I write about Irma or do we act like that today is just another day? Well here I am, and here are a few of my rambling thoughts… 🙂

I guess I’ll start with the fact that not everyone wants to talk about Irma. I’ve been asked about it for six years while on my island tours, so it doesn’t bother me that much. I do, however, get goosebumps on my arms every single time that a guest asks me about that day. It’s interesting how your body reacts to certain things.

I’ve been at restaurants over the years and witnessed people sit down and immediately ask their servers or bartenders about the storms. No hi. No how are you doing? Just tell me about a day that scarred you for life. I completely understand the curiosity, but again, it’s not something everyone wants to relive or chat about. Just something to think about, and I hope I don’t sound like a jerk saying that.

Someone walked into The Beach Bar a few weeks back and basically told my other half that we should all be “over it” because “it was so long ago.” Well, not everyone is. 🙂

Ok, on to the positive! I was floored at how quickly Mother Nature bounced back after Irma! As you probably know, most of our leaves were stripped from the trees that day. But miraculously, just a few weeks later, we had buds on the trees again. Amazing!

I saw some crazy stuff the day after Irma. The craziest was a piece of steel that was dangling on a powerline in front of Margarita Phil’s in Cruz Bay. It looked like a guardrail or something of the sort. It was bent in half and just dangling over the street. Crazy.

I was over at Gallows Point a few days later and chatting with Akhil, the general manager, when he told me to look up. A door frame was dangling in a tree high above our head. That was also pretty crazy.

I was overwhelmed by the love we received following the storms. I still cannot thank you all enough for donating to so many great organizations and for coming back so quickly that year. I had so many first-time visitors on island tours that winter, which was just mind-boggling to me. I asked why they were here, St. John still hadn’t fully recovered, and most stated that they heard we needed tourism dollars. I cannot count the number of times I got a little teary-eyed on island tours that winter. I blame my pregnancy hormones for that, of course! – lol.

This island has come a long way since Sept. 6, 2017. We’re a resilient little bunch, and there is a lot of love down here. We’re gearing up for another great season, and I hope to see many of your faces this winter. Now go ahead and start perusing for airfares. Start browsing villas, and book that trip!

I love ya all. Thank you so much for reading.

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Hawksnest on Friday morning

Well folks, it’s slow season. The island is super quiet at the moment, which gives us all a nice reset after another great season. I drove past Maho at 10:15 a.m. Saturday morning, and there were only two cars in the parking lot. It was heavenly.

Slow season is a great time to visit St. John. It’s less expensive, and there are no crowds. The water is warm, and the island is green. We do, however, have to keep our eye on the weather. There is a system to the east of us that hopefully go north. It’s currently Invest 95, but it looks like it will become Hurricane Lee over the next day or so. I am keeping a close eye on it and will keep you all posted.

The main downside of slow season (besides potential bad weather, of course) is that numerous restaurants close briefly. But there’s no need to worry – we still have a lot of great ones open. So rather than talk about what’s closed today, here is what’s open…

Island Tours

Go off the beaten path with me!

I am back on island and excited to get back to work! Explore STJ island tours are open once again. I offer both full and half-day options. During our tour, we do a great amount of sightseeing, which is pretty easy to do considering how beautiful St. John is! We can stop at the beaches and historical sites, or even do a little light hiking. I can teach you about St. John’s rich history along the way, and perhaps we will bump into a donkey or two! There is always time to stop at a tiki bar or even the super popular Windmill Bar. Explore STJ Island Tours are rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor. Book a tour and see for yourself why we’re rated number one!

You can learn more at www.ExploreSTJ.com/tour or feel free to email me at jenn@explorestj.com.

Boat Charters

A lot of the boats are still in the water this off-season. If you are looking to explore some of St. John’s lesser-known bays and cays, or perhaps you want a day trip over to the British Virgin Islands, you still have lots of options. Here are a few companies that I recommend:

• Dulce Vita Charters
• Flyaway Charters
• Island Roots Boat Charters 
• Palm Tree Charters
• Sunshine Daydream

Restaurants

The following restaurants are currently open:

• 420 to Center
• Amore Arowako Vegan Club
• Bajo el Sol Gallery & The Art Bar
• Beach Bar
• Caneel Bay Beach Club
• Caps Place
• Caribbean Food Delights
• Coco Jim’s
• Colombo’s (Closing September 9-23)
• Coral Bay Catering
• Cruz Bay Landing
• Delyvonne Breakfast Bistro
• Dolphin Grab & Go
• Downtown Sips
• Estela’s Sosa’s Food Truck
• Flavour’s Night Club
• Greengo’s Caribbean Cantina
• Gwen’s Place
• Heading East
• High Tide (Closing September 18-24)
• Hillside Terrace
• Little Olive Food Truck
• Lovango Rum Bar (Closing September 9-23)
• Love City Barbeque
• Live City Bites
• Love City Cafe
• Love City Wing Spot
• Love Supply by Reef2Peak at Maho
• Maho Crossroads
• Margarita Phil’s
• Morgan’s Mango (Closed September 6th; Reopening October 6th)
• Natures Nook
• North Shore Deli (Closing September 23rd through October 1st)
• Our Market Smoothies
• The Parrot Club
• Pizzabar in Paradise (Closing mid-September through mid-October)
• Sam & Jack’s
• Shambles
• St. John Catering & Mathayom Private Chefs
• St. John Scoops
• Sun Dog Cafe
• Surf Club Cantina
• The Tap & Still
• The Longboard
• The Tap Room
• The Refinery
• The Roti King
• Tony’s Kitchen Food Truck
• Trunk Bay Concessions
• Uncle Joe’s BBQ
• Upstairs Bar & Grill
• Surf Club Cantina
• Woody’s
• Windmill Bar

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Cruz Bay is getting a brand new ferry terminal in Cruz Bay, and it is starting to look great!

Work has been happening at the ferry dock for several months now, but a lot of big changes have happened over the past month. For starters, the building that will house two new restrooms looks to be complete, although it is not operational yet. The framing for the new canopy is currently being installed, which means there will be more shade for people coming and going. That is much-needed, as it is sweltering here right now!

The ferry dock may look closed in the image above, but it is very much open. There is a new temporary entrance right behind that beautiful stone wall, which is the bathroom area.

An emergency backup generator is also being installed, which means it will be easier to accept credit cards during a power outage.

Missing Cruz Bay? Check out this quick video I took yesterday. Have a great day everyone!

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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