Summer Over for You? Not For Us on St John!

Averaging 80 degrees year round, truly!  St John weather is ideal!

	Spring March - May	Summer June - Aug	Fall Sept - Nov	Winter Dec - Feb
St John average seasonal temperature (F)	78	82	81	77

Southeast Regional Climate Center (SRCR):

Come on down to where we have summer 12 months a year!

We all know that it never snows on St John and the only ice one ever sees is in your drinking glass, however, many do not know that during the summer months often it is actually cooler on St John than in mainland USA where it can easily reach 100 degrees (as it has recently even in southern California). 

Ah, welcome to the land of the endless summer...

Francis Bay, one of over 30 fabulous beaches around St John

Trip Advisor names St John as one of the World's 10 Best Islands!

Trunk Bay St John, one of the most photographed beaches in the world

With views like this how could St John not make the list! Take a look at Trip Advisor's 2013 list of the 10 Best Islands in the World. Trip Advisor says that "Ecotourism is alive and kicking on St. John. There's more than enough to do on land, from watching for wildlife in the national park to hiking miles of trails or strolling sandy white beaches. Hit the water for amazing snorkeling, swimming, even underwater photography—of course. This is the Caribbean, after all."

Hardly a month goes by when St John or one of our beaches or dive spots does not make some sort of 'best of' list, but this one is especially sweet. 

USVI (& St John) takes top honors as 'world's best destination' in travel survey

Caribbean360 reports: 

Travel survey ranks US Virgin Islands among the World's best

St. John had already been listed in Arthur Frommer's Top 10 favorite travel spots for 2012, a testament to the quality of the vacation experience in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

NEW YORK, United States, Monday July 9, 2012 - The readers of one of the world's leading travel magazines have picked the island of St. John in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) among the Top 5 destinations in the Caribbean, Bermuda and the Bahamas.

Following the results of the Travel + Leisure 2012 World's Best Awards readers' survey, St. John - with its tranquil beaches, stunning vistas and history preserved among the many sugar plantation ruins found throughout the island - was ranked number five in the vast region, sharing the spotlight with neighboring Vieques in Puerto Rico (1), Harbour Island in the Bahamas (2), Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands (3) and the Grenadines in the Southern Caribbean (4).

"St. John continues to be a top-of-mind destination in the Caribbean region and we appreciate the confidence travelers have placed in our Territory," noted USVI Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty, thanking the magazine and its readers for their appreciation of the island's assets.

St. John had already been listed in Arthur Frommer's Top 10 favorite travel spots for 2012, a testament to the quality of the vacation experience in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Reinforcing the case were the top mentions in this year's Travel + Leisure survey for The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas and St. John's Caneel Bay, A Rosewood Resort which were both listed among the Top 25 resorts in the Caribbean, Bermuda and the Bahamas. "We are very proud of these resorts and encourage all of our partners in St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John to continue striving for excellence in today's competitive environment," the Commissioner stressed.

Every year, Travel + Leisure asks its readers which industry suppliers represent the very best in travel. The results of the 17th annual Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards survey, revealing readers' favorite hotels, cities, islands, cruise lines, airlines, car-rental agencies, safari outfitters, and tour operators, are listed on www.TravelandLeisure.com now, will be featured in the August digital editions on iPad®, NOOK Color™, and Kindle Fire™, and they are the cover story for the August issue of the magazine, on newsstands July 20.

For more information

Did you make a Father's Day promise to vacation on St John this coming year?

Memories for a lifetime are made on St John beaches

St John is a wonderful place to spend Father's Day.  Why not make a promise to yourself (or your Dad) to vacation together on St John this coming year.  It is a wonderful island vacation spot for 'kids of all ages'.  

If you have small kids St John can be magical with its silky, sandy (rock free) beaches with pristine waters (and virtually no rip tides).  Gentle entries at the beaches make learning to swim a piece of cake.  Donkeys, goats, and chickens roaming freely make St John a different experience that going to the 'shore' near home!

If your 'kids' are the grown up types, St John is still magical.  Stars that can be seen clearly and more shooting stars than you will see any other place in the world make it memorable.  Enjoy local music at one of our many restaurants while watching the boats or enjoying the sunsetting into the Caribbean.

St John is a wonderful family vacation destination. What's not to like?

New protected beach on St John - Haulover will be forever green

THIS POST IS DATED 5 YEARS PRE-HURRICANE IRMA The St John Tradewinds reports:

Haulover will be transferred to the V.I. National Park later this year

The beautiful, historical land at Haulover on the East End is a favorite of snorkelers, swimmers, kayakers and just about everyone else. Last August the property was put up for sale to, most likely, off-island condominium developers. Before a sale could happen, the St. John Land Conservancy (SJLC) purchased the land to conserve it and protect the public access to it for all residents and visitors. However, the seller had a few conditions. One was that SJLC must transfer ownership of the land to the V.I. National Park. This transfer should take place later this year. Until then, SJLC will continue to steward the property.

“People are very glad Haulover has been saved and are supportive of our preservation efforts,” said George Mercadante, SJLC secretary. “Our first step was to restore the visual purity of Haulover. So we asked that all commercial signs be removed.”

“All but one business promptly removed their advertisement,” said Mercadante. “Next we cleared brush and debris from one side of the road to expand parking. Then we protected the beach from being further eroded by cars.”

Now Haulover beach on the pristine East End of St. John will be forever protected, explained Mercadante.  “SJLC has created an umbrella of protection over the entire property,” he said. “Haulover is safeguarded, forever.”

Since falling in love with St. John during family vacations as a teenager, Lauren Mercadante introduced her own husband and children to the island.  The sight of condos will never mar the landscape of Haulover Bay thanks to one woman’s desire to give back to the island which has been a part of her life for decades.  The family purchased a home in the Coral Bay area and spend a large portion of the year on Love City. While Mercadante has long volunteered for Friends of V.I. National Park doing trail maintenance and as a docent at Annaberg Sugar Mill, this winter she made an impact on the island which will be appreciated for generations.

St. John Land Conservancy and purchased more than three acres of property on the isthmus, saving it forever from development. “I wasn’t planning on this, but we had talked about doing something of this sort for St. John,” said Mercadante. “I assumed wrongly that this niche was taken and I didn’t want to tread on anyone’s toes. But we had talked about doing something to give back to St. John, which we love so much and is such a huge part of my life and my kids’ lives.”  Although she didn’t plan on creating a conservation trust during her winter months on St. John, after reading about the possible fate of pristine Haulover Bay on the island’s East End — which was on the market with a motivated seller — in St. John Tradewinds, Mercadante formed the “When I read the article, I was surprised that Haulover was for sale,” she said. “I read the story and that is what started this. I called Raf Muilenburg and we got the ball rolling.”

Attorney Rafael Muilenburg, of Morrisette and Muilenburg, represented the owner of the property, Family Properties Caribbean (FPC) LLC, and its principal David Prevo. FPC was looking into a variety of options for the 3.6 acres of land spread over four parcels, one of which was applying for a Group Dwelling permit to realize the “highest and best use of the land,” Muilenburg previously told St. John Tradewinds.

Possible development for the undisturbed land included up to 28 condominium units on both sides of the narrow Haulover isthmus, which abuts V.I. National Park property. South Haulover beach on Round Bay and North Haulover on Dreekets Bay were both potential sites for condo units.

Thanks to Mercadante, that is exactly what happened. She contacted Muilenburg in February and the two immediately set to work creating the non-profit conservation trust St. John Land Conservancy. The developer was, however, open to selling the land to a conservation trust at a reduced price, Muilenburg previously explained.“David [Prevo] is a longtime fan of the Park, and  is intrigued about the benefits for FPC’s nearby development at Dreekets Bay of dedicating this piece as conservation property,” Muilenburg previously said. “As such, FPC would be willing to sell it for conservation at the amount they paid for it about 10 years ago, plus property taxes and other costs incurred, approximately $800,000 total, which is half or less of the likely market price.”