St John tops 'best of' lists (once again)!

Enjoy our May newsletter:

Islands Magazine Best Beach 2013 Photography Contest Has
St John in Top Spot

Island Magazine contestant Matt Erikson's Maho Bay beach photo

Islands.com recently issued their top 10 photos - so far - for their 2013 Best Beaches Photo Contest and St John is Number #1 on that list. No wonder. The St John waters make for a pretty phenomenal canvas. Having a beautiful canvas is a necessary ingredient, but taking great pictures needs more than that. I know. I have hundreds of over or underexposed pictures of our beaches. A few months ago, my husband treated me to one of St John Photographer Steve Simonsen's Beyond the Basic's Photography incredible workshops. If you happen to be on St John when one of Steve's workshops is being offered, take it! He is a delight and in just 3 - 4 hours you will see and photograph St John as never before!

During this past month St John also made it onto the following lists of US News's 'Best of' Lists:

   Best Caribbean Vacation

   Best Caribbean Beaches, and 
   Best Caribbean Honeymoon

And just in case you are thinking of quitting your stateside jobs and moving to the Caribbean you should know that Islands.com declared St John 'One of the Best Islands to Live On'!

April/May St John news flashes & fun St John clips:

• La Tapa (a personal favorite of ours) and La Plancha del Mar get top honors by making it onto the 2013 Best Chefs in America list! What is especially sweet about this award is that the judges were America's top chefs themselves! Not food writers or surveys, but confidential interviews with actual chefs.

  

• Folksinger Kenny Chesney released his new album April 30th about his experiences and time on St John and in the Virgin Islands waters. It is aptly named, Life On a Rock. Chesney says he found peace on St John and the Virgin Islands became a 'safe harbor' for him from all the craziness. Many of us who know St John could not have said (or sung) it better! To help preserve our waters and lands for future generations to enjoy, Chesney has announced that he is donating part of the album's profits to the Friends of the National Park.
   

• The afternoon of April 21st an electrical fire swept through the long-time, popular Cruz Bay restaurant Cafe Roma. Luckily, quick action by the St John Fire Department, St John Rescue, and several folks from local restaurants helped contain the fire. No other neighboring buildings were damaged. OnCafe Roma's Facebook page the restaurant's owner, John Hiebert, thanked all that helped that day and promised to rebuild. That is the St John spirit for you!

• We have a new St John partner who has agreed to offer guests of Great Expectations discounts for their services. We are delighted to announce that Low Key Water Sports will extend our guests a 15% discount for snorkeling equipment rentals and diving! Low Key is known as the very best dive outfit on St John. 

• Great Expectations has a few openings this summer. What better way of ending the winter than enjoying the warmth of the Caribbean? Contact us today to take advantage of our last minute specials. 

Best,

Kristin & Chuck 

owners of Great Expectations

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for news about Great Expectations specials & St John activities
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Our monthly St John newsletter for May which we distribute to all those who love St John and want to be kept up-to-date about happenings on and around our wonderful island. If you would like to sign up for the monthly newsletter, there is a 'sign up' box at the bottom  of the blue column on the right of this page.