St. John is holding a block party this weekend, and I hope many of you can attend!
The annual Save Second Base block party is scheduled for this Saturday from 6 p.m. until midnight. This event supports the St. John Cancer Fund.
The party will feature games, prizes, a kid’s corner and more! Quelbe Resurrection Band and DJ LS1 will be performing too!
Save Second Base will be held on the street in front of Woody’s, Tap & Still, The Refinery and Blind Donkey. Not on island? No problem! You can watch the party on the Blind Donkey’s webcam!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 stationStarfish gets a new sign!The road to the Animal Care CenterThe road beside Pine Peace MarketThe 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!
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.
