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Island Update: The Latest & Greatest from St. John

Saltwell Bottom on St. John’s East End

Hello everyone, and happy Monday! I apologize for not posting a ton last week. I was having a bit of a staycation, and you know what? It was lovely! So I figured now that I am nice and refreshed that I would give you a little island update.

Let’s start with the island itself. It is definitely getting busier, but it is not too busy where it isn’t fun. We seem to have just the right amount of people on island in my opinion. It’s pretty easy to find parking at the beaches in the morning and a spot at most restaurants at night. In fact, I was sitting at the Windmill Bar the other day around 2 p.m., and the couple next to me was able to make a dinner reservation for 6:15 p.m. that night at a pretty fancy restaurant here on island. (Just to compare: You would have had to make a reservation two weeks out at this same restaurant last year.) Parking is relatively easy to come by in town, as well. You will likely have to pay, but at least there are spots to find.

(Want to know where all of our parking is located in Cruz Bay? Click here to check out Island Tidbits’ Logistics map. It shows everything from parking to restrooms to grocery stores and more.)

I mentioned to you earlier this month how there are a ton of great airfare deals happening right now. They are more so for dates within the next couple of months, rather than summer dates, for example, but there are deals to be had. And because this is a much slower season (so far) compared to the last two years, lots of villas are on discount too. Most are for last-minute trips like Mystical Mermaid, for example. It’s one of my favorite villas on St. John and they are offering 25 percent off for all new bookings on stays through January 29th. It’s a beautiful, private two bedroom villa with a pool and a hot tub. Click this link to check it out.

I’m sure you’re thinking, but what about a last minute car rental… I have seen some availability for that as well, but admittedly, that could be a tad trickier. You do have a pretty amazing alternative though – Book an island tour with me! (Shameless plug, I know! haha) But seriously, please consider taking an Explore STJ island tour. I promise it will be the best day of your vacation. Click here to learn more.

A recent Explore STJ review

Oh my goodness, can we talk about the rainbows? I honestly have lost count of how many rainbows I have seen one the past week. It’s been amazing! We’ve been getting quick little bursts of rain here and there, and then it’s been rainbows galore! Check out a couple of pics I took:

Gorgeous, right?!

And I know I mentioned this last week, but it’s worth mentioning again. The humpback whales have made their annual debut! Whales have been spotted a handful of times in the waters around the islands this month, and more are likely to arrive in the upcoming weeks. So be sure to keep your eyes open when you’re near the water. And if you’re able to capture any pics or video, please share them with me. I absolutely love when the whales are here!

Ok, so let’s recap what we’ve covered in this post – quiet island, discounted airfare & villas, rainbows and whales. It doesn’t get much better than that now does it folks?!

I think I will end this post here. As always, if there is anything you would like to know about, please email me your thoughts and/or suggestions at jenn@explorestj.com. I would love to hear them.

Thank you so much, and have a wonderful day everyone.

Escape to St. John: Take a Ride to the East End

Hello everyone, and happy Friday! I apologize that I have been absent for a couple of days. I was out and about enjoying island life. But I’m back today, and I have something good to share!

The island really looks fantastic right now. Can’t be here to see it in person? No worries! I can bring the island to you!

I strapped the good ‘ole GoPro to the Jeep last week, and filmed the ride from Hurricane Hole along Route 10 to the end of the road on St. John’s East End. This GoPro is pretty amazing, and it even films in 4k as you will see in the video below. If you’d like to purchase one, here’s the link on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Chf9Wy

Crank the heat. Turn on some Kenny Chesney. And enjoy the ride.

Want to see more of our GoPro videos? We have several, plus beach videos and more. Click here to visit Island Tidbits’ Videos page. 

Prefer to see St. John live? Click here to view more than 20 live streaming webcams on Island Tidbits’ Webcams page.

The Whales are Here!

Steve Simonsen captured this amazing image a few years ago off of St. Thomas.

This is my absolute favorite time of year on St. John. It’s whale season, and they’ve made their annual debut!

I was perusing Facebook the other day when I saw a few conversations about possible whale sightings in the area. Naturally, I got very excited. I checked in with a couple of boat captain friends who confirmed that whales have been spotted in our waters recently. How exciting is that?! And even better? One even shared a few videos with me. They’re quick, but you can see that they are here. I had to pull the sound because they were pretty excited when they saw the whales, and this is a family friendly blog. 🙂 Check it out:

The whales seen in the video we’re spotted near Dog Island, which is located southwest of St. John and beside Little St. James. Here’s a little map:

The whales in the video were spotted near Dog Island.

A big thanks to the folks on Maverick for sharing those videos with me!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with this annual occurrence, humpback whales routinely visit our waters each year. They are typically here between January and March, although they have been spotted as late as April over the years. The humpback whales migrate through the Caribbean to our warm waters in the winter months to mate and give birth to their calves. We often see mothers and babies frolicking around St. John. It’s a pretty amazing sight to see!

Another great image taken a few years ago by Steve Simonsen Photography

The whales have been spotted all over, so there isn’t a specific spot to look for them. If you are on a beach or a boat, or even casually sitting at your villa, keep an eye out. I have seen them playing off of Honeymoon Beach. I saw one breach near Tektite on the island’s south side. I even saw a few playing off of the car barge several years back. They can literally be spotted anywhere.

We do not have whale watch cruises here like some spots up north, but if you happen to be on a boat trip over the next couple of months, you may get lucky and see some. And if you do, please email the pics to me! My email is jenn@explorestj.com. Thank you in advance!

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Island Tidbits would like to welcome our newest advertiser Seagate Villa.

Seagate Villa is a spacious, five bedroom villa that boats six bathrooms. It’s a modern, recently updated villa that is located in Chocolate Hole. Guests renting this luxury villa are treated to a delicious first breakfast made by a private chef. There is ocean access, so you can snorkel right outside of the property. It’s furnished beautifully, and it is located close to Cruz Bay. You will definitely want to check this one out!

Please click here to learn more about Seagate Villa and to see additional pictures.


Tag: whales St. John

Cruz Bay Business Lists For Sale

St. John Provisions

Hello everyone, and happy Monday! Who wants to own a business in paradise? Well a brand new one just listed for sale over the weekend, and I have all of the details!

St. John Provisions is a successful bakery in Cruz Bay. It’s located just beyond the roundabout and beside the Inn at Tamarind Court. St. John Provisions is open for breakfast and lunch from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday. It serves everything from freshly baked doughnuts, muffins and quiche to fresh-pressed juices, coffees and full lunch offerings. Check out a few pics:

It’s super cute, isn’t it?

St. John Provisions is listed for $615,000. The sale comes with a full professional kitchen, a transferrable long-term lease, a LLC, recipes and more. St. John Provisions is listed for sale with Holiday Homes. Click here to visit Holiday Homes’ website where you can see more about this listing. 

Want to know exactly where St. John Provisions is located? Click here to view Island Tidbits’ Restaurant Map. This map shows the location of more than 70 restaurants and bars on island.

Want to know what other businesses are listed for sale on St. John? Click this link to read a story I posted last month that gives details on several other businesses that are currently listed for sale on St. John.

Watch a Rainbow Form at Maho

Hello everyone, and happy Sunday! I was sitting at Maho Bay with friends yesterday, and we watched a rainbow form over the water! I did my best to get it on video for all of you, and here it is. Hopefully this quick videos makes you smile today. Enjoy!

Want to see more videos from St. John? Click here to visit Island Tidbits’ video page that has beach videos, driving videos & much more!

Prefer to see live videos instead? Click here to view more than 20 live streaming webcams on Island Tidbits’ webcam page.

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