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Island Update! So Much to Share Today!

Jumbie

Hello everyone, and happy Monday! How about a little island update? I have so much to share with all of you!

Let’s start with the island itself. The island isn’t super full right now. You know what that means? It means you should start looking at airline tickets, and come and visit us! December is typically a busier month, as it’s the start of our “season,” but this one seems to be a bit slower than the last few years (2020 excluded, of course). I’ve driven past Trunk Bay numerous times this week and have seen a half-empty parking lot around 10-11 a.m. more times than I have not. The parking at Maho has been pretty empty too when I passed there around the same time.

Trunk Bay parking lot at 10:35 a.m. last week.
Maho Bay parking lot at 10:55 a.m. last week.

Ok, now let’s talk restaurants. There is so much to share! How does grabbing a slice of pizza in a beautiful, turquoise-colored bay sound? Pretty amazing, right??! Well I’m excited to tell you that Pizza Pi is reopening today for the season. Pizza Pi is located in Christmas Cove, which is behind Great St. James, which is an island that’s somewhat between us and St. Thomas. You have to take a boat to get to Pizza Pi, and any boat charter company on St. John can take you there.

Pizza Pi reopens today! Pic taken during sunset last night.

Now let’s chat about a few restaurants here on St. John. We told you last month how Ronnie’s Pizza was moving to a new location next to the Westin Resort. (Click here to read all about if in case you missed that story.) Well Ronnie reopened last Thursday, and is now serving pizza and more Monday through Saturday. Be sure to check it out!

For those of you who’ve been on island recently, you’ve probably noticed that The Longboard has been closed and covered with brown tarps. They’re undergoing a pretty extensive renovation, and they plan to reopen around December 15th, according to owner Clint Gaskins. Here’s a quick sneak peek of the new look (which is still under construction):

The bar at The Longboard is getting a complete makeover.
New floors and paint in the restrooms too!

Ok, now let’s talk about the Caneel Bay Beach Club at Honeymoon beach. This is a spot we were the first to tell you about back in October. (Click here to read that story in case you missed it.) It has yet to open, although they are ready to go. They are simply waiting on the Department of Planning & Natural Resources to sign off on its permits. I will let you know when they finally reopen.

We were also the first to tell you (shameless plug, sorry! lol) about a new bar coming to Cruz Bay – The Upstairs. It’s going into the spot where Dog House and Castaways used to be. They hoped to open last month, but the island didn’t allow that to happen. So they’re now hoping for a December 15th reopening… fingers crossed on that! Click here if you missed our story on The Upstairs.

And lastly, let’s talk about the water. We have a huge swell on the North Shore right now, which is expected to last a few more days. This means there is dangerous surf and a high risk of rip currents. The waves were crashing pretty hard at Trunk and Cinnamon yesterday. They water was up to the tree line in sections of Trunk yesterday, and it’s expected to be a bit worse today. There were even small waves at Maho yesterday. Please be careful if you head out to the North Shore beaches. Looking for somewhere calmer? Head to Salt Pond, Lameshur, Haulover south, Hansen or Saltwell bottom. All are beaches on the island’s south side.

Trunk Bay waves on Dec. 4, 2022

It’s pretty crazy how high the water is in some spots currently!

Well I think I will end today’s post here. Time to take guests on another island tour! Want to explore St. John while learning all about this place? Please consider taking a tour with me. You can learn more at ExploreSTJ.com.

Thanks everyone! Have a great day!

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5 Comments

  1. Pingback:Surf's Up! - Island Tidbits

  2. David

    Hey Jenn,
    I emailed previously, but with the slow cell service in spots I’m not sure it went through. What is being built at the Lavender Hill? Are they tearing down and rebuilding?

  3. Pingback:Best Beaches to Visit When We Have Big Swells - Island Tidbits

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