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I started doing this on my old blog back in 2014, and I’m excited to be doing it here on Island Tidbits today. I hope you enjoy this St. John-version of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Merry Christmas everyone.

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through Cruz Bay,
Smiling faces filled the streets, we love it this way!
The koozies were hung by The Beach Bar with care,
In hopes that a cold beer soon would appear.
So here in St. John, we do things our way,
We do not have reindeer or even a sleigh.
When Santa comes here, he comes in by ferry,
He strolls through the town, and always looks merry!
And as the crowds waited, we all heard a clatter,
I sprang from my barstool to see what’s the matter.
I ran past High Tide, I flew like a flash.
Arrived at The Landing when I heard a big splash!
The moon on the bay with the St. Thomas lights,
Giving a luster of midday to something in flight.
When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,
With a cute little driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.
More rapid than mongoose, his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blixen!
Let’s head out to Mongoose, I’m glad there’s no mall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!
To the top of St. John, to Bordeaux we must fly,
With a quick stop at Tony’s, we need to say hi!
Then out to the East, the coursers they flew,
With a sleigh full of swag, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof,
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head and was turning around,
Down the palm tree St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was wearing flip flops, had a drink in his hand,
He looked very happy to have swapped snow for the sand.
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack.
His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
Which beach should I go to, he wanted to know,
Want to see turtles? Then check out Maho!
With sunscreen in hand and a snorkel in tow,
Santa was ready. Get on with the show!
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
and I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
He grabbed his swim shorts, took a sip from his drink,
Santa picked up a map, then gave me a wink.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, as he flew toward the Bight—
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Last week, I told you all about the beach bar and snack shack at Trunk Bay. Well today I’m going to tell you about all of the other amenities that are available at St. John’s most popular beach.

Let’s start with the location: Trunk Bay is located on St. John’s North Shore, which is Route 20 on the map. It’s about 15 minutes from Cruz Bay and about 25 minutes from Coral Bay. The parking lot at Trunk Bay is on the smaller side, so it’s best that you get there early if you want a parking spot – by 9:30 a.m. to be safe. If you are staying in Cruz Bay or over at the Westin, it’s easier to taxi to Trunk Bay. The cost recently increased to $12 per person, per way for single riders, and $9 per person, per way for groups of two or more. St. John taxis are cash only. (Click here to see all of the rates.)

Trunk Bay is the only beach in the Virgin Islands National Park that has an entry fee because it has showers and restrooms. The cost is $5 for adults. Children 15 and under are free. All National Park passes are accepted with the exception of the “red” annual pass.

Once you enter Trunk Bay, you will see a rental booth to your left, and showers and restrooms to your right. The rental hut offers chair, snorkel (masks and fins) and life vest rentals. I implore everyone to wear a life vest or bring a noodle when snorkeling the underwater snorkeling trail at Trunk Bay. The rental booth is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week.

The showers and restrooms are open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

And as I mentioned in a previous post, Trunk Bay has a full bar and snack shack on site. They food is not only tasty, but it is very affordable. Click here to read a detailed post on Trunks food and beverage offerings.

Now let’s chat about the reason we all visit Trunk Bay – the beach. Trunk Bay is easily one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and perhaps the most beautiful beach on St. John. It has bright white sand and turquoise blue water. It is absolutely stunning.

You will notice three small cays toward the eastern side of the beach. The underwater snorkeling trail is located to the left of these cays if you are looking toward the water. The trail was replaced earlier this year, and now discusses the fragility of the world’s coral reefs. The signs are located down on the sand, and you can snorkel above them, reading about the world’s coral reefs along the way. There are some fish and corals near the underwater snorkeling trail, but there isn’t an abundance of fish and the coral isn’t in the best condition. But it is still a very cool thing to check out.

Trunk Bay is a great place to spend an entire day when visiting St. John. Want to see more? Click here to watch a quick video we recently posted from Trunk Bay.

Want to learn more about St. John beaches? Please visit www.explorestj.com/beaches for additional information, plus more pictures and videos of several St. John beaches.

In keeping with the theme of let’s pass some time at work during the holiday week, who has dreamt of owning a business on St. John? I know I used to, and I’m fairly certain many of you have too! But before I get into the particulars of what’s currently for sale on St. John, please know that all of the businesses mentioned below are open for business as usual. The fact that they’re listed for sale has no impact on daily operations. So go ahead and continue enjoying them all. 🙂

The most affordable business that’s currently listed is Cafe Roma. Cafe Roma has been dishing up Italian fare in Cruz Bay since 1981. The current owner purchased the business after reading about it on my former blog, so maybe the new owner will purchase it after reading about it here on my new blog! This sale is for the business only, as the restaurant space is leased. Cafe Roma is listed for $150,000 by Sea Glass Properties.

If you’ve ever visited St. John, chances are you’ve picked up one of our popular cartoon maps or guidebooks. Well that business is up for sale too! Island Treasure Maps launched in 1984 when a local cartoon artist wanted to use her talents to connect visitors with merchants on the island. The sale includes three maps, one guidebook, original artwork and reproductions. The maps print twice a year. Island Treasure Maps is listed for $225,000 by 340 Real Estate Co.

Two boat charter companies are currently listed for sale as well. Cimmaron Yacht Charters is a successful charter business that includes two sailboats – Cimmaron, a 43-foot classic wooden yawl built in 1969 and Grace, a 41-foot center cockpit Bristol high performance cruiser with a distinctive classical styling built by some of New England’s finest craftsmen. The sale includes two moorings in Great Cruz Bay. Cimmaron Yacht Charters is listed for $295,000 by Cruz Bay Realty.

Just Fish, a well-established and renowned fishing charter company based out of Cruz Bay, is also listed for sale. Just Fish offers half days, three-quarter days, full days, and marlin trips. There are two boats in the fleet, which are both moored in Cruz Bay. Just Fish is a 42-foot Liberty Express sport fishing boat, and Go Fish is a 32-foot center console boat. The charter experience includes fishing offshore on the north or south drop, or inshore around the inner cays. Just Fish is listed for $895,000 by Cruz Bay Realty.

How does a beautiful waterfront hotel sound? Pretty amazing, I know! The priciest piece of real estate that’s for sale on St. John is Sea Shore Allure. This is truly a stunning property that’s impeccably maintained. The sale of this business includes two parcels and the lease of a third waterfront parcel, and all are located in the Coastal Zone Management’s regulations free zone. This beautifully-built hotel has eight units – four one-bedrooms, two two-bedrooms and two three-bedrooms. It has a pool and an ample-sized outdoor bar and lounge area, as well as private access to a pebbly beach. There is potential to add a restaurant or small marina onsite. Sea Shore Allure is listed for $29 million by Cruz Bay Realty.

Surf Club Cantina, formerly known as Wok on the Beach, is also listed for sale, although it’s not on the official MLS. This business is listed for $850,000 on Biz Buy Sell. It recently had a $250,000 price reduction, according to the listing.

Interested in learning more about what’s for sale on St. John? Then please check out Island Tidbits’ two real estate advertisers – 340 Real Estate Co. and Holiday Homes. Click here to learn more about 340 Real Estate Co. Click here to learn more about Holiday Homes.

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