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Hello everyone, I hope you had a wonderful weekend! This post is all about island tours. 🙂

I know how daunting vacation planning can be. Throw driving on the left into the mix (which is what we do here in the USVI), and many people struggle over whether it’s best to rent a vehicle, or rely on the taxis. Perhaps you decided to go the car rental route, but you aren’t familiar with the island, so you really don’t know where the best beaches are, which spots have the best snorkeling, where you can grab the best Painkiller on island and so forth. Or perhaps you’d like to taxi during your vacation, but you’d like to check out the more obscure spots here on island. That’s where I come in.

I launched Explore STJ island tours back in 2016, and I absolutely love exploring this beautiful island with guests. I offer both full and half day tours in a Jeep Wrangler, so it’s a more personalized experience. I enjoy taking guests off the beaten path and to out-of-the-way spots that they would typically never see. I can only take up to four guests in my Jeep and I never combine groups, so it’s a more private and personal tour. When I am out and about on an island tour, it’s more like I am out with friends. And I love that.

During your ExploreSTJ island tour, we will do a little sightseeing – St. John has some of the most beautiful views in the world! We will check out some of the island’s stunning beaches – who doesn’t want to dip their toes in our beautiful Caribbean waters?! We can stop at one or more of the island’s sugar plantation ruins, and we can even do some light hiking if you’d like. All of my island tours are completely customizable, so we will do exactly what you want during your full or half day tour. I can guarantee some sea turtles sightings, and we usually stumble on some of the island’s most beloved residents – our donkeys! I will share some of the island’s rich history along the way, and I can also tell you all about the current happenings (and some island gossip if you’re interested!) here on St. John. But most importantly, we will have fun!

Explore STJ island tours are great to familiarize yourself with the island during your first trip, but they’re also great for seasoned visitors… I promise I can show you something new.

Want to hear what others have to say? Please check out my favorite TripAdvisor review below. (Click this link to read all of my TripAdvisor reviews.)

Have any questions? Ready to book? Please email me at jenn@explorestj.com. I am looking forward to exploring the island with you!

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Today we’re talking about St John time change. We don’t do it here in the US Virgin Islands. End of today’s post.

Kidding! 🙂

But seriously, the US Virgin Islands, as well as our neighbors over in the British Virgin Island and Puerto Rico, do not observe daylight savings. We are on Atlantic Standard Time, which remains the same year-round. To simplify this, we are an hour ahead of New York City (and the rest of the EST states) from Nov. 6, 2022 through March 12, 2023. When mostly everyone springs ahead in March 2023, we will, once again, be on the same time as New York and the rest of the EST states.

One downside of being an hour ahead of EST is that all of our television shows start an hour late. For example, Good Morning America will now start at 8 a.m. instead of 7 a.m. Another random tidbit right there!

Now this may lead many of you to wonder when the sun will set on St. John. Tonight’s sunset time is 5:44 p.m. The earliest the sun sets on St. John is 5:41 p.m. this year. That will happen between November 15th and December 3rd. We will gain a minute or so of light every day beginning on December 4th.

Curious when the sun will rise and set when you’re on St. John. Check out our sunset page at www.IslandTidbits.com/sunset

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This story was originally posted Nov. 3, 2022. 

Let’s get straight to it, shall we? Today we’re talking about food and drink at the St. Thomas airport.

Leaving St. John is never easy. Hanging out at the St. Thomas airport isn’t super fun either. But I am happy to tell you that the US Virgin Islands has been making small improvements when it comes to the airport’s food and drink game, a much-welcomed change.

For starters, when you arrive inside the airport terminal (after going through Customs and security), you will see that there is not a single chain restaurant inside the Cyril E. King airport on St. Thomas. Instead we have just a handful of options, including one grab and go restaurant, a couple of bars and some kiosks. Check them out:

Hibiscus Cafe

Hibiscus Cafe is the main restaurant inside the St. Thomas airport. It’s a grab and go spot, although there are some made to order items. (There isn’t table service here or anywhere inside the St. Thomas airport.) Breakfast is particularly good, as you create your own omelette, and the portion size is huge. They also offer Johnny cakes, croissants and the like during breakfast. Lunch features great soup, burgers and fries, as well as some local dishes. You can also take advantage of the grab and go section that features yogurts, sandwiches and salads, among other things. The crispy chicken salad is particularly good, and is typically my go-to item when I’m flying out in the afternoon.

There is also a full bar inside Hibiscus Cafe. It opens at 11 a.m. daily. Looking for an adult beverage prior to that? You can grab a cold beer from the cooler earlier in the morning. And no judgement if you do! haha

Airport Bar & Rum Room

Speaking of bars, the new-ish Airport Bar & Rum Room is a great addition to the St. Thomas airport in my opinion. It’s located in the far right corner when you walk inside the terminal, beside the hallway to the Spirit Airlines departure gate.

This spot has a full bar, plus additional seating. You can sit and have a drink or two (or three…again, no judgement!), or you can grab some duty-free liquor to take back home with you.

Island Grind

Another newer spot that is a great addition to the airport is Island Grind, which is located somewhat in the center of the terminal, but closer to the American, Delta and JetBlue gates. This is a coffee and wine bar, but it also offers a variety of grab and go food options. And I have to say, they really look good, especially the morning pastries.

Rounding out our food options at the airport are two snack bar kiosks and a gift shop. The gift shop has sodas, snack items and a variety of souvenirs.

And for those of you who are curious, yes, there is free wifi at the St. Thomas airport.

That’s all I have for you today, folks! A few more tidbits to make your St. John vacation easier to navigate. Have a great day!

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