St. John’s festival celebration kicks off next weekend. The annual festival celebrates freedom here in the United States Virgin Islands. The enslaved people were finally freed on July 3, 1848.
Here is this year’s official schedule:
Sunday, June 14th: Pan-O-Rama kicks off the celebration at 4 p.m. in Franklin Powell Park, which is located across from the ferry dock in Cruz Bay.
Saturday, June 20th: Royalty Show begins at 6 p.m.
Sunday, June 21st: Food Fair starts at 1 p.m. at Franklin Powell Park and the road beside the ferry dock.
Sunday, June 21st: Boat races begin in Cruz Bay at 3 p.m.
Saturday, June 27th: Beach Jam starts at 3 p.m. on Cruz Bay beach.
Sunday, June 28th: Village opens at 6 p.m. The Village – Knight’s Ville – will be located in the Custom’s lot, which is across from the post office. Village will be open every night through July 4th.
Friday, July 3rd: J’ouvert will begin at sunrise.
Friday, July 3rd: Emancipation Day Program begins at 11 a.m. in Slim’s parking lot.
Friday, July 3rd: Torch Light Parade at 7 p.m. at the entrance to the Village
Saturday, July 4th: Parade starts at 11 a.m. … allegedly. I wouldn’t count in this starting anywhere close to on time based on history. 🙂
Saturday, July 4th: Fireworks at 9 p.m. over Cruz Bay
*I am not certain when Children’s Village opens this year. I will update when I get that date.
I’ve been getting a lot of questions regarding the 2026 seasonal closings list. Most restaurants have not decided on their closing dates at this point, as it is too soon. That being said, I have three for you, plus one that is permanently closed.
ZoZo’s: Closed until December
Lovango Resort + Beach Club: Closing July 17th; Reopening in December
High Tide: They will be closed September 21-27. Reopening September 28th.
Dave & Jerry’s: Closed permanently
Explore STJ’s 2026 Seasonal Closings list can be found at www.explorestj.com/closings. I will update this list as often as I can.
*** The 2025 Seasonal Closings List was last updated on September 4, 2025. The list below gives you an idea as to when they may close again for 2026.Â
1864 The Restaurant: Closing August 29th through October 3rd
Banana Deck: Last night is August 17th; Reopening date TBD (usually in late October or early November)
Beach Bar: Staying Open
Cafe Roma will be closed September 21st through October 5th.
Cap’s Place: Staying Open
Cinnamon Bay: Restaurant & campground closed in September & October; Food truck staying open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
Coco Jim’s Staying open
Colombo’s: Closing a bit in September
Cruz Bay Landing: Will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily during August, September & October. Will resume regular hours November 1st.
Dazey Drive In: Closing July 23rd: Reopening in November
De’ Coal Pot: Staying Open
Downtown Sips: Staying open
Drink: Closing August 7th with its annual Drink the Bar Dry party; Reopening date TBD
Extra Virgin Bistro: Closing August 3rd through mid-October
Giovanni Gelato and Coffee Shop: Currently closed; Reopening September 29thÂ
Greengo’s: Staying open
Heading East: Staying Open
Hercules Pate: Staying open
Hillside Terrace: Staying Open
Inn at Tamarind Court: Restaurant will be closed the month of September; Hotel will remain open
Johnny Lime: Closing August 10th; Reopening October 6th
Karma: Staying open
La Tapa: Last day is September 7th; Reopening October 24th
Lime Inn: Closing August 17th; Reopening October 6th
Lime Out: Closing August 15th; Reopening October 12th
Lovango Resort + Beach Club: Closing July 17th; Reopening mid-December
Lovango Rum Bar: Closing September 6th through the 21st
Love City BBQ: Staying open
Love City Tacos: Closing August 29th through September 23rd
Maho Crossroads: Staying Open
MidWay Bar & Grill: Staying open
Miss Lucy’s: Closed; Did not reopen for lunch or dinner this season
Morgan’s Mango: Last day is September 3rd; Reopening October 9th
North Shore Deli: Closing September 15th; Reopening October 1st
Ocean 362: Last night is August 31st; Reopening October 9th
P&P’s: Always call ahead
Parrot Club: Staying Open
Paulie’s Luncheonette: Closing September 6th through 14th
Pizzabar in Paradise: Closed permanently
Rhumb Lines: Permanently Closed
Ronnie’s Pizza: Closed fr season; Reopening date TBD
Sam & Jack’s: Closing for September
Shaibu’s: Closing August 23rd; Reopening early October
Shambles: Closing August 23rd; Reopening September 2nd
Sharky’s By the Water: Staying open (weather permitting)
Skinny Legs: Closing August 7th; Reopening on Halloween
Soggy Dollar Bar: Closing August 29th; Reopening October 4th
Sosa’s Food Truck: Staying Open
St. John Back Bar: Closing August 10th for about four weeks
St. John Provisions: Closing for the month of September
St. John Scoops: Staying Open
St. John Speakeasy: Last day is August 8th; Closed through October 1st
Surf Club Cantina: Closing September 15th through September 21st; Closing on Tuesdays only from August 19th through October 30th
Sun Dog Cafe: Staying Open
Tap & Still: Staying Open
The Tap Room: Staying Open
The Longboard: Staying Open
The Refinery: Staying open as of Aug. 12th
The Terrace: Last day is July 31st; Reopening September 10th
The Upstairs Bar: Staying Open
The Windmill Bar: Staying Open
Trunk Bay: Staying open
VI Wine Shop: Open Monday through Friday for the month of August (closed Saturday & Sunday); Regular hours resume in September
Caribbean Villas of St. John has a section specifically for rentals with backup power.
The power is out… again. This can be a common occurrence on the island from time to time, and it is awful when it happens. I am writing this post at 9 a.m. on Monday, June 1st. The power has been out for more than 26 hours over the 48 hours (at the time of this writing). Is this normal? No. Does it happen more than it should. Yes. Will a power outage ruin your vacation? Well that depends on where you are staying.
Many villas and condos have backup power in the form of a generator or solar with batteries. If you are staying in one of these properties, your vacation will pretty much continue as normal. If you are staying at a property that does not have backup power during one of these extended outage, your vacation will be absolutely miserable and there is a high probability that you will never want to visit us again. And I would not blame you one bit.
If you do not have backup power, you also will not have water. We collect our rainwater, and store that water in a cistern. We need a pump to get that water into the house, and pumps need electricity to work. So no power means no water.
Also, lots of areas on island are dead zones in terms of cell service. I live in Fish Bay, and I only have wifi at my house. If I did not have backup power, I would not have any cellular service when the power goes out. So depending on where you are staying, no power also means no cell service.
No power. No water. No cell service. Total misery.
Ok, on to the positive…
Most of our business do have backup power, as long as their generators are working. This means that you can dine at most of your favorite restaurants and shop at your favorite shops during these outages. And you can always go to the beach, of course.
Now how often does this happen? Here is every time my house, which is feeder 9E, lost power since January 1st. St. John has two feeders – 9E and 7E.
May 31st: Went out around 8 p.m. and still out at the time of this writing. 13+ hours and counting.
May 31st: Out 351pm-635pm
May 31st: Out 943am-1258pm
May 31st: Out 1253am-221am
May 30th: Out 616pm-1222am
May 6th: Out 925pm-425am
April 23rd: Out 140pm-147pm
April 2nd: Out 918am-1159am
March 31st: 918am-344pm
March 29th: 752pm-309pm – 19 hours!
March 28th: 814pm-1125pm
March 19th: 725pm-1114pm
March 19th: 1147am-454pm
March 16th: 748pm-1208am
March 16th: 740pm-745pm
March 16th: 730pm-735pm
March 15th: 232pm-728pm the following day – 17 hours!
March 14th: 956pm-1141am – 14 hours!
Feb. 21st: 11am-106pm
Feb. 20th: 801pm-1009pm
Feb. 18th: 1145am-130pm
Feb. 7th: 619pm-623pm
Feb. 6th: 519pm-615pm
Feb. 5th: 916am-1137am
Feb. 2nd: 957pm-1002pm
Feb. 1st: 419pm-434pm
Jan. 31st: 2pm-530pm
Jan. 29th: 641pm-704pm
Jan. 29th: 522pm-537pm
Jan. 28th: 432pm-520pm
Jan. 20th: 703pm-911pm
Now let’s be honest, not everyone is going to feel badly for you if you are here on vacation and do not have power. I see the comments chastising people on the social media pages all of the time. The sentiment I’m seeing is that it is your vacation while this is our life.
I literally had a conversation with my son Dalton this morning. He is seven years old. I told him that power outages are not normal or that they should not be considered to be normal.
“Yeah they are mom,” he responded.
Herein lies the problem.
We have children growing up on an island where they are used to not having power. They are used to having to stay home from school due to no power. They are used to businesses being closed due to no power. They are used to watching their friends and families struggle due to no power. None of this is right, and none of this is acceptable.
Will it ever change? I have zero faith that it will. I hope it does, but, sadly, I just do not see it happening.
So what can you do? You NEED to rent a place that has backup power. I can’t fix this for those of us who live here, but I can definitely share some advice for those of you who plan to vacation here.
YOU NEED BACKUP POWER.
There is a press conference happening today at 10:30 a.m. Hopefully they will have some promising news. Fingers crossed everyone.
The Refinery STJ is located in Cruz Bay next to Woody’s and across the street from Tap & Still.
Beginning June 7th, there will be a new monthly brunch option in Cruz Bay. The Island Refinery STJ announced this week that it plans to offer brunch the first Sunday of every month. Such great news!
The Island Refinery STJ held a special Mother’s Day brunch earlier this month, and the reviews were excellent! Not only was the food amazing at this self-proclaimed Caribbean kitchen and rum bar, but the space looked beautiful too. I am happy to hear that they plan to make this a monthly occurrence.
The Island Refinery STJ is located beside Woody’s and across the street from Tap & Still. It is in the former La Tapa location, which is underneath The Blind Donkey (formerly Quiet Mon Pub). There is a beautiful wooden bar inside with a handful of tables, plus popular sidewalk seating out front.
Brunch will be served from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. And again, this is planned to happen on the first Sunday of the month every month.
The Island Refinery STJ is open from 4 p.m. on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. It is open from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Its menu highlights bold island flavors and refined culinary techniques. Signature dishes include Creole Snapper, Surf & Turf featuring twin lobster tails, and Coconut Pineapple Grouper — each crafted to showcase the richness of Caribbean cuisine with a modern touch.
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.
Great news everyone! The National Park Service has officially put the Caneel Bay Resort property out to bid! This means that we are in the final step of redeveloping the property.
The National Park Service issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a lease to run the 150-acre Caneel Bay property. The RFP was issued earlier this month, and it has pretty tight deadlines.
June 4th and June 5th: All interested parties are invited to attend a site visit.
June 11th: All interested parties must submit questions no later than this date.
July 8th: All proposals must be submitted by 2 p.m.
Fall/Winter 2026/2027: An applicant will be chosen to redevelop the property.
So what does this mean? It means that we will FINALLY see some action happening over at the now-shuttered Caneel Bay Resort nearly nine years after Hurricane Irma destroyed it. If all goes as planned, we will know who will take over the resort and what their plans are at some point during next season.
Background
Caneel Bay Resort was a stunning 166-room property that was opened back in 1956. The property was created by Laurance Rockefeller, and it opened the same day the Virgin Islands National Park opened. The resort was located on a 150-acre property that includes seven beautiful Caribbean beaches. Sadly, the Caneel Bay Resort was destroyed by Hurricane Irma back in 2017 and has not reopened since.
The reason the property has not reopened is because Laurance Rockefeller wanted the property to become part of the National Park in 2023. This was a plan that was established back in 1983. The hurricane altered that plan a bit, but the property did ultimately become part of the National Park in 2024. A few frivolous lawsuits delayed the transfer, but hey, better late than never, right?
So here we are today. The National Park basically received a destroyed property, which will cost well over $100 million to rebuild. They are looking for someone to take that on, which leads us to the request for bid, which was announced a couple of weeks ago.
(I, personally, would have preferred if the property remained natural with expanded beach access and hiking trails, rather than a resort, but that’s not the case.)
What Caneel Bay Will Look Like in the Future & Other Fun FactsÂ
“Caneel Bay Resort” is trademarked by a private company. The new leaseholder will have to get permission to use this name, which means it’s possible that when all it said and done, this property will no longer be referred to as the Caneel Bay Resort.
The new resort should reflect the previous mid-20th century design.
The new lease may last for up to 60 years.
The developer will have to pay an annual base rent of $442,462.
Per the RFP, “at a minimum, the public may use navigable waters of the area, including the wet sand beach (foreshore) of Honeymoon Beach, Little Caneel Beach, Caneel Beach, Scott Beach, Paradise Beach, Turtle Bay Beach, and Hawksnest Beach (North). Offerors should identify in their proposals the degree to which public access beyond this requirement will be allowed.”
The developer will have to preserve the historical structures located on the property, mainly the Durloo sugar plantation buildings.
Per the RFP, “the NPS is interested in preserving the scenic values of the Leasehold Premises in a manner that is consistent with the original design intent of the resort. Landscape design, including the dispersed nature of the buildings throughout the property, minimized the impact The Resort had on the views and vistas in and around Caneel Bay.”
All responses will be publicly available, so we will be able to learn who is bidding on the property.
I know that many of you, like me, are very interested in the future of Caneel Bay. I will let you know any new information as soon as it comes out.
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!
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.
Today’s post is short and sweet, and to the point. Be careful if you plan to rent a vehicle at the airport on St. Thomas.
I have heard countless stories from my island tour guests recently who have rented a vehicle at the airport in St. Thomas. More than five groups arrived at the airport recently only to find out that the vehicle they rented was unavailable. Most were told they needed to wait until the vehicle they rented was returned. One group waited three hours for this to happen. That’s definitely not how I’d like to start my vacation.
I understand why people opt to rent at the St. Thomas airport. The most common reason people rent at the airport is because it’s where the national brands are located. Hertz, Alamo and Enterprise are just a few widely-recognized brands that operate out of the St. Thomas airport. Others simply want to start their vacation immediately. I understand that, however I caution you when booking one of these national brands.
Instead, you should opt for a local company. They do not oversell, and they also give you the vehicle type you rent. People rent Jeeps from the airport and end up getting a Corolla. And if you know St. John, you know what a possible nightmare that can be.
Amalie Car Rental is a great St. Thomas company if you plan to rent over there. Discount and Paradise Car Rental are two others that have good reviews.
That being said, I always recommend people to rent their vehicle on St. John to avoid the car barges. Here is a list of St. John car rental companies in no particular order:
Aqua Blu Car Rental (340) 776-2782
Mr. Pipers Jeeps (340) 693-7580
St. John Car Rental (340) 776-6103
Cool Breeze Car Rental (340) 776- 6588
Courtesy Car Rental (340) 776-6650
Conrad Sutton Car Rental (340) 776-6479
Varlack Ventures Car Rental (340) 776-6412
Slim Man’s Jeep Rental (508) 932-2737
C&C Car Rental (340) 693-8164
Lionel Jeep Rentals (340) 693-8764
Penn’s Jeep Rental, Inc. (340) 776-6530
O’Conner Car Rental (340) 776-6343
Delbert Hill Car Rental (340) 776-6637
Denzil Clyne Car Rental (340) 776-6715
L&L Jeep Rental (340) 776-1120
Bougainvillea Leasing (800) 253-7107
(Thanks snorkeler-6 for the list!)
Thats for today, folks. Some island news you can use. 🙂
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!
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.
