Green Flash appears to bid Maho Campgrounds Goodbye

May 15th was a feared date for many who love the Maho Bay Campgrounds.  The Maho Bay folks have been running a count-down clock on their blog and at the stroke of mid-night last night the clock - sadly - ran out:

But, not all was sad at Maho last night. The following post from the Maho Bay Campgrounds Blog reports that the elusive green flash that some who visit St John for decades and never see, greeted those at dinner last night. It was sort of a wonderful kiss 'goodbye'....

You might want to sign into the Maho Blog to thank them and wish them well as they find their next chapter.

While many of us are terribly sad by this passing, not all is lost since the Maho Bay beach will be available forever for all of us to enjoy.

These are just for you if you love the colors - and views - of St John

Hot off the press the January newsletter from Great Expectations:

Artist Sloop Jones captures the beauty of the St John sunrise
on his 'canvas'

Photographer Steve Simonsen uses a camera to as his 'canvas'
to capture the sunset's colors
 

Both Sloop Jones and Steve Simonsen are passionate about their respective crafts about the beauty and colors of St John. Sloop is an artist who captures the colors of St John on anything 'wearable and useable' whether T-Shirts, dresses, hats, rugs, wall hangings, or banners and signs. Rather than a paint brush, Steve Simonsen uses a camera to create his art. Steve often takes to the skies (in an airplane or helicopter), water (diving or boat), or the beach or hills of St John to capture his pictures. His fabulous photography can be seen on the covers of travel magazines, walls of cruise ships, or art galleries around the world.

Both Sloop and Steve offer workshops aimed at giving you a peek into their worlds and helping you capture the magic that is St John:

Sloop Jones Workshops: Every Tuesday morning from January - April, 2013. Classes are limited to 6 people to ensure that everyone gets a good deal of Sloop's attention.

Steve Simonsen Workshops: Scheduled sporadically (it is the islands 'mon) are workshops on Underwater Photography, Snorkel, Tropical Light, and Beyond the Basics. Steve looks for groups of 6 people for his workshops. This weekend I am attending the Beyond the Basics Workshop with the hopes of being able to capture in a lens the beauty I see through my eyes.

OK, assume that you have worked all morning at one of these workshops, what better way of relaxing than spending the afternoon in our new pool:

Watch the clouds float over St John from our new pool

January St John news flashes & fun St John clips:

• Once again St John makes several 'Best of' lists. Travel + Leisure launched its first annual 'Beach Beach on Earth' survey and after much debate identified the top 30 best and several Virgin Islands beaches made the list including St John's Trunk Bay in the 'Best for Wildlife Watching'. The Toronto 'The Star' newspaper/blog declared that St John is THE Caribbean island to explore.

• The latest issue of St John Magazine is now available and the reviews are terrific (maybe the best yet!). Each year, MaLinda Nelson outdoes herself to produce an issue that is fresher, bolder, more interesting, and more beautiful than the year before. The 2013 issue is just that! Steve Simonsen's fabulous photography captures St John's magical beauty and Amy Roberts captures, in words, the turmoil in our plantation years. Come to St John to buy one yourself or, if you must order on-line contact MaLinda directly. 

• News of St John (a wonderful blog) had a great posting about how to prolong the 'St John buzz'. We have great musicians on the island and always have lots of live music options available. Several of the groups have put out their own CD's so you can hear St John even when not here. Here are just a few: Inner Visions (for Reggae), Victor Provost has perfected steel drums & pans, and Marty Beech who you can hear at Caneel Bay's Turtle Bay where he sings songs of Frank Sinatra. Best to come to St John to hear these folks in person!
   
• Carnival season has begun in the Virgin Islands. St Croix ends the 'old year' and starts the 'new year' with its Festival. This year's activities were, as usual, spectacular. The next Festival will be on St Thomas during the month of April. St John rounds out the activities for the Virgin Islands with its Festival activities (our favorite) which are scheduled during the last couple of weeks of June and culminate with food fairs, parades, and music during the first week of July.
   
• Rumored for years but it finally happened: Maho Bay Campgrounds was sold! Just as the clock struck twelve on the old year, the deal was sealed so says the island's rumor mill. No one knows for sure who the buyer of the spectacular site is for a steal of a price ($13.9 million), but we can all hope that it is someone who appreciates the beauty of St John who believes in preservation. The Campgrounds is open until May 15 after which they plan the biggest 'garage sale' in the history of St John. If you are interested in a propane burner, tent, table, or other camping gear contact the Stanley Selegut, the owner of Maho Bay Campgrounds, directly.

• Beau Geste, the Guest House of Great Expectations, is currently available for 10% off from Saturday, February 16 - Sunday, February 24 (President's week). Beau Geste has 3 bedrooms, including a connecting bedroom, swimming pool and hot tub, and, of course, fabulous Caribbean views. Contact us today to get out of the cold!

  Enjoy the holidays and we hope we see you at Great Expectations or Beau Gestein the new year!

Best,

 

Chuck & Kristin

owners of Great Expectations

P.S. While Great Expectations is already booked most of this winter, we have a five night opening in March (check out our March Madness Special), 5 night opening in April, and then no  availability until May. We are already taking reservations for 2014, so contact us soon  for your choice dates.

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