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Support St. John Youth! Auction Features Villa Stays, Boat Trips & More!

A four-night stay is one of the great items up for auction!

St. John School of the Arts – a non-profit 501 C-3 community arts school – is holding an auction to support its in-school and afterschool programs, as well as its community arts programing. The proceeds will be used to fund the school’s programming, as well as scholarships and grants for St. John’s economically-challenged students. More than 100 children are currently enrolled at the school, which is roughly 20-25% of St. John’s youth. St. John School of the Arts has been operating for more than 45 years,

There are eight great packages and items available. The auction ends on October 31st. Here is the full list:

Land and Sea Luxe Experience

This package includes a four night stay at Gallows Point, a waterfront resort located in Cruz Bay. It also includes a day on the water with Palm Tree Charters. The winner may choose either their 36-foot Aquila or one of their 42-foot Freemans. This package is valued at $8,000.

Click here to bid. 

Seven-Night Stay at Sol Cottage 

Sol Cottage

Sol Cottage is a two-bedroom, two bathroom cottage located in the quiet neighborhood of Fish Bay. This cottage has its own private pool and is locate roughly 15 minutes from Cruz Bay. This prize is valued at $7,000.

Click here to bid. 

Seven-Night Stay at St. Somewhere Villa

Villa St. Somewhere

St. Somewhere Villa is a newly-renovated, three-bedroom, two bathroom luxury rental located in Great Cruz Bay. This villa has a pool and an amazing view. This prize is valued at $7,000.

Click here to bid.

Lovango Island Escape

Lovango

Spend the day at an exclusive poolside cabana at Lovango Resort + Beach Club. The cabana seats four inside, plus two additional guests on an adjacent daybed. The winner can enjoy the resort’s infinity pool, restaurant and hiking trails. There is also snorkeling off of the island. Snorkeling equipment is provided. Food and beverage is not included. This prize is valued at $1,650.

Click here to bid. 

Island Bites and Sips

Enjoy a delicious journey with dining experiences at Tap Room, High Tide, North Shore Deli, Shambles, Love City Tacos, and Surf Club Cantina. From fresh island flavors to oceanside views, this package is perfect for food lovers ready to savor the best of the island. This package is valued at $700.

Click here to bid. 

Dive Into Adventure 

This item includes one certified morning dive for two people. The boat and tanks are included. This is valued at $350.

Click here to bid. 

Private Taco Run Adventure 

Enjoy a private, two-hour taco run on Salt Deck to Lime Out, St. John’s popular floating taco bar, plus a $250 Lime Out gift certificate. The winner does have the option to upgrade to a half day charter at an additional cost.  Salty Daze leaves from Coral Bay. Transportation to Coral Bay is not included. This prize is valued at $600.

Click here to bid. 

Extended Island Escape 

This package gives the winner two free nights at Kapok Villas with the purchase of five nights. So essentially, you will get seven nights for the price of five. Kapok Villas is centrally-located on Gifft Hill Road. This prize is valued at $900.

Click here to bid. 

If you would simply like to make a small donation to help St. John School of the Arts, you can do so securely online. Please click here to make a donation.  Every dollar can make a difference in the lives of St. John’s children. 

 

 

 

New Spot to Eat, Drink & Has a View!

Looking for a new spot to eat or perhaps grab a nice, cold drink with a view? Well look no further than Drifters, a great new spot that opened near Coral Bay earlier this year.

Drifters is located in the former Colombo’s Smoothie location. It moved a bit up the hill, which maximizes the great breezes found in that area and the views. The views! Rather than talk about it, let me show you…

There is a seating area up top with views of Coral Bay and beyond.
Amazing views!
There are a few picnic tables with views over Maho Bay and the ocean.
Ocean views!

Drifters is currently serving breakfast and lunch daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. They plan to expand their hours when high season begins.

And for those of you who loved Colombo’s Smoothies, which was open for decades, Drifters also offers freshly-made smoothies. My island tour guests tried a couple the other day, and they were fantastic!

Here are the current menus in their entirety and a few more pics:

Drifters is located on Centerline Road, which is Route 10 on the map. It is located around mile 7 at the intersection that connects Centerline Road with the North Shore Beaches. It is located less than 10 minutes from Maho Bay, less than 10 minutes from Coral Bay and about 20 minutes from Cruz Bay.

So the next time you are lucky enough to be in St. John, be sure to check out this new business.


Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

See the island of St. John with a longtime resident. See the nooks and crannies that many visitors miss. Explore the beaches, historical sites, perhaps a tiki bar or two, and much more. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Click Here to Email Me with Questions.

Click Here for Real-Time Availability & to Instant Book. 

Upcoming St. John Events

Updated Oct. 20, 2026

Here is a list of upcoming St. John events. More details on each to come…

October 21st: Wine Dinner at the VI Wine Shop

October 24th: Save Second Base – St. John Cancer Fund’s annual fundraising event

October 25th: Karaoke Club STJ at The Beach Bar from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

October 30th: Trunk or Treat at the gravel lot in Cruz Bay

October 30th & 31st: Black Cat PAWTY at The Windmill Bar to support the Animal Care Center

October 31st: Skinny Leg’s annual Halloween party in Coral Bay

October 31st: Halloween Costume Party at Drink

October 31st: Halloween Dinner Party at Karma

November 8th: Vegan & Seafood Festival in Cruz Bay

November 14th: Fall Festival in Cruz Bay

November 15th: Chaotic Kayak – an event to support Team River Runner

December 12th: Coral Bay Bizarre Bazaar


Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

See the island of St. John with a longtime resident. See the nooks and crannies that many visitors miss. Explore the beaches, historical sites, perhaps a tiki bar or two, and much more. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Click Here to Email Me with Questions.

Click Here for Real-Time Availability & to Instant Book. 

 

New Restaurant Opens in Cruz Bay! Check Out Sol Food Cafe…

A couple of familiar faces just opened a new restaurant in Cruz Bay, and the reviews are incredible!

Laura Tawes and William Fernandez are the owners of the popular Irie Pops ice cream and popsicle shop that’s located right in the heart of Cruz Bay. Well, they recently expanded their brand to include a new cafe, and it’s conveniently located right next to Irie Pops in the former Margarita Phil’s location. Their new spot is called Sol Food Cafe, which is aptly named in my opinion, because Laura and William put their heart and soul into absolutely everything they do.

Laura and William opened Irie Pops in 2016. They launched Sol Food Cafe just a couple of weeks ago.

Sol Food Cafe had a soft opening just a couple of weeks ago. Their current menu features a variety of items from avocado toast and overnight oats to brioche French toast and a pork peril fried egg sandwich. Sol Food Cafe is currently open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

You can check out their soft opening menu below. They plan to roll out the full menu later this month.

Steve Simonsen stopped by Sol Food Cafe recently and took a few pics. The place looks absolutely amazing as you can see!

Sol Food Cafe has a full bar in addition to its coffee bar. So if you are looking for a new place to pop in and grab a quick cocktail or two, be sure to add this to your list. Here is the current bar menu:

Sol Food Cafe is located across the street from the National Park dock/baseball field area, and is just a few doors down from Morgan’s Mango. And as I mentioned above, they are currently offering a soft opening menu and hours. They plan to expand their menu and hours later this month.

Want to know what’s happening over at Sol Food Cafe? You can follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/solfoodcafestj and over on Instagram at www.instagram.com/solfoodcafe.


Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

See the island of St. John with a longtime resident. See the nooks and crannies that many visitors miss. Explore the beaches, historical sites, perhaps a tiki bar or two, and much more. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Click Here to Email Me with Questions.

Click Here for Real-Time Availability & to Instant Book. 

Is Driving Around St. John About to Get Easier?

New street signs at The Westin!

Driving around St. John is about to get just a bit easier for many. Why, you ask? Because we are finally getting much-needed street signs around the island.

I was off island for a wedding and just returned home Monday. I noticed a few new signs then, and then saw a crew installing even more on Tuesday afternoon. So far, it looks like they have added street signs from the roundabout area in Cruz Bay down to Rendezvous Bay on the island’s south shore.

You may be wondering why this is a big deal. It is because the home addresses don’t often match street names here; therefore giving directions is more like take a left at the giant tamarind tree than take a left onto Cruz Bay Lane. ( I totally made up that street name!)

So now, with these new signs, even the roads to Starfish Market and the Westin have names! Check out a few pics:

The road next to E-C gas station
Starfish gets a new sign!
The road to the Animal Care Center
The road beside Pine Peace Market
The intersection of Gifft Hill Road and the road to Fish Bay

I am heading out to Coral Bay later today. I’ll let you all know if they’re getting signs out there too. Fingers crossed they are!

Sometimes it’s the little things in life when you live on a tiny island in the Caribbean. 🏝️


Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

See the island of St. John with a longtime resident. See the nooks and crannies that many visitors miss. Explore the beaches, historical sites, perhaps a tiki bar or two, and much more. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Click Here to Email Me with Questions.

Click Here for Real-Time Availability & to Instant Book. 

Lots of Upcoming Events!

It’s hard to believe that it’s October already, and season is right around the corner. There are lots of great events coming out, so I thought it would be helpful to post a brand new events page. This page will be updated regularly, and additional details will be added to each event as they become available.

You can bookmark Explore STJ’s Upcoming St. John Events at www.explorestj.com/events

October 11th: Karaoke Club STJ at The Beach Bar from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

October 17th: Master Chef Showdown at Galavantin’ next to The Lumberyard

October 18th: Karaoke Club STJ at The Beach Bar from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

October 24th: Save Second Base – St. John Cancer Fund’s annual fundraising event

October 25th: Karaoke Club STJ at The Beach Bar from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

October 30th: Trunk or Treat at the gravel lot in Cruz Bay

October 30th & 31st: Black Cat PAWTY at The Windmill Bar to support the Animal Care Center

October 31st: Skinny Leg’s annual Halloween party in Coral Bay

November 8th: Vegan & Seafood Festival in Cruz Bay

November 14th: Fall Festival in Cruz Bay

November 15th: Chaotic Kayak – an event to support Team River Runner


Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

See the island of St. John with a longtime resident. See the nooks and crannies that many visitors miss. Explore the beaches, historical sites, perhaps a tiki bar or two, and much more. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Click Here to Email Me with Questions.

Click Here for Real-Time Availability & to Instant Book.