Explore STJ

Hello everyone, and happy Tuesday! We are in the midst of super high season, so I thought this would be an opportune time to let you all know what’s currently happening in St. John.

The island is busy! President’s Week is one of the busiest weeks of the year here. Several towns up in New England have school vacation this week (I’m sure other areas around the country do too), so we have a ton of families visiting right now. This means that the beaches are filling up very quickly, and the restaurants are full too.

Parking at the beaches was pretty ridiculous along the North Shore Monday afternoon. It always ceases to amaze me when people park directly next to “No Parking” signs or literally in the street where they are blocking half of the lane. The National Park loves to give tickets, so just a gentle reminder if you are visiting us anytime soon – no parking truly means no parking. Click here to read a recent story that details where it’s safe to park at the beaches and where it is not.

If you don’t want to get up early and arrive at the beach by say 9 a.m. or 9:30 a.m., just plan to take a taxi. They are plentiful and it’s so much easier, not to mention stress-free. The beaches are filling up that fast during this time of year. The key is to get there very early, or go later in the afternoon.

The restaurants are full too. We ate at Extra Virgin Bistro Sunday night (which was delicious by the way), and I was surprised to see so many families there with children. It was packed, as are most places these days.

A little reminder of the restaurants that you will need a reservation for this time of year: Morgan’s Mango, The Terrace, Extra Virgin Bistro, La Tapa, Ocean 362, and ZoZo’s. If your heart is set on 1864 and Banana Deck, I would recommend making a reservation there too.

The weather has been great over the past week, although it feels like it’s a little warmer than usual for February. I think this may be a sign of the times, so head to the beach early to ensure a shady spot. We had a lot of rain two weeks ago, so there are a fair amount of mosquitos milling about. Be sure to have some bug spray with you.

In case you missed it yesterday, the cute little wine shop and bar at Wharfside Village reopened last week. It’s a great spot to enjoy a glass of wine and some light bites in the AC. You can also buy a bottle off the wall and take it to-go. Click here to read that post in case you missed it. 

Looking to buy a business in St. John? Well if there are any dentists out there, St. John’s only dental office just listed for sale. Click here to learn more.

I think that’s it for today. I took today off and am looking forward to spending the day over in Jost Van Dyke. If you’re watching the Soggy Dollar Bar’s webcam today, you just may catch a glimpse of us! Check out that webcam and nearly two dozen more at www.explorestj.com/webcams.

Have a great day everyone!

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

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It’s a question that’s asked time and time again – is it better to rent a vehicle on St. John or over on St. Thomas? I understand that many of you prefer to start your vacation immediately upon landing. You’d like to hop in a Jeep at the airport and head to Red Hook, perhaps stopping for groceries along the way. Or maybe on the flip side, you’d like to hang out in St. Thomas for a few hours on departure day before flying out. One thing that you really need to consider when doing this is delayed flights. It’s happening a lot lately, which is why I strongly encourage everyone to reconsider renting a vehicle on St. Thomas.

Tomorrow’s island tour guests were scheduled to land today at 3:19 p.m. They were flying from Orlando to St. Thomas and were delayed. They finally landed at 7:49 p.m., four-and-a-half hours late. Luckily they rented a Jeep on St. John, but if they opted to rent it on St. Thomas, they would have had no way of getting it over to St. John.

The people ferry runs from Red Hook to Cruz Bay until 11 p.m. The car barge, on the other hand, runs until 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. depending on the season. This means that you really can’t land later than 6 p.m. in order to make that last barge, and that’s cutting it close in my opinion. It takes time to get off the plane and into the terminal. Some of you have to check bags, which can take 10 minutes or an hour. You just never know. Then you have to get and actually pick up your rental. And from there, it’s a good 35-40 minute drive from the airport to the car barge area.

I went to a wedding in Connecticut last weekend and was supposed to fly home Tuesday. Well a foot of snow delayed that plan, and it also delayed my original flight from JFK to STT. Rather than landing at 1:38 p.m., that flight landed at 5:43 p.m. For the folks who checked bags, they were really cutting it close if they opted to rent on St. Thomas and wanted to make that last barge.

Other island tour guests of mine flew on the Miami flight to St. Thomas last Sunday. When they arrived in the area, they were told the runway was closed, so they had to circle a bit. They circled so much that they were starting to run out of fuel, so they were diverted to San Juan to refuel. They finally landed at STT at 6:55 p.m., more than two hours late.

These are three situations over the past week that I am personally aware of. I am sure there have been more this year.

When I used to vacation here way back when, I always wanted to rent a Jeep on St. Thomas. I wanted to start my vacation immediately, so I completely get it. But it is simply not worth it. Parking is at a premium in St. Thomas. If you miss that last barge, you have to find a place where you can park overnight. (The parking garage at the dock was full this morning when my island tour guests tried to find a spot, so that’s not a guarantee.) Say you find a spot. Now you have to pay to park your car overnight and take the people ferry to St. John. Then once you arrive here, you have to take a taxi to wherever you’re staying unless it’s within walking distance of the dock. If you happen to be staying in a further location like Fish Bay, Coral Bay or beyond, it could be rather tough to even get a taxi to agree to drop you off. And then you will have to do the reverse the next day – Take a taxi to town, take the ferry to St. Thomas, get your vehicle, and then take the barge back to St. John. I don’t know about you, but that sounds completely miserable to me.

Just something to think about when you are planning your next vacation to St. John. 🙂

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

–> www.facebook.com/explorestj

–> www.instagram.com/explorestj

There is a great raffle happening now, but you have to act fast if you want to get in on the action!

The St. John Land Conservancy is about to conclude its annual Love for the Land fundraiser. For as little as $59, you can enter to win a stay on not one, but two different islands, plus so much more!

The St. John Land Conservancy is a non-profit 501(c)(3) community organization dedicated to the preservation of the natural and historic resources of St. John. It’s a great organization here on St. John.

There will be one grand prize winner for this raffle. Want to know what you can win? Check it out!

• A four-night stay in a luxurious Glamping Tent at Lovango Resort & Beach Club in either May or June 2024 at a time that mutually works for all parties. This includes all resort amenities, highlighted by daily breakfast and resort shuttles to/from Cruz Bay.
• A three-night stay at Joy of Life, a private villa in Coral Bay, St. John. This stay comes complete with a 4WD Jeep rental courtesy of Sunshine Jeep Rentals.
• A private power boat trip for two courtesy of Ocean Runner by Low Key Watersports
• A private boat trip for up to six guests courtesy of Salty Daze Charters USVI
• Dinner in Cruz Bay courtesy of Dave & Jerry’s Island Steakhouse.
• A top shelf rum tasting for two in Cruz Bay courtesy of Bajo El Sol Gallery, Art Bar & Rum Room

One ticket is $59; two tickets are $109; three tickets are $159; five tickets are $225; and ten tickets are $400. The more you buy, the less the tickets cost individually.

Online raffle sales end Friday, February 16th at noon EST. A winner will be chosen live on Saturday morning. Don’t miss out! Buy your tickets now!

Want to enter and support the St. John Land Conservancy? You can purchase tickets securely online by clicking this link.

Want to learn more about the St. John Land Conservancy? Click here to visit www.stjohnlandconservancy.org.

Good luck everyone, and thank you for supporting the St. John Land Conservancy!

Quick Note: This raffle is not being held or sponsored by Explore STJ. Please email the St. John Land Conservancy at info@stjohnlandconservancy.org with any questions. 

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

–> www.facebook.com/explorestj

–> www.instagram.com/explorestj