Enjoy our September newsletter:
The views go on forever and ever
St John's remote East End
If you are a beach goer, St John can be your slice of heaven or, as many say, your happy place. Take your pick of nearly 40 beaches around the island and place your towel down for the day. But, even if you are not a beach goer, St John can be your happy place as well. In addition to (or instead of) lying on the beach, there are so many things to do on St John it might just make your head spin. Our fabulous property manager, Coby Cooper, having lived on and sailed the waters of St John for many years is a wealth of information and ideas of activities and can advise you based on what you and your group might enjoy. Here are just a few ideas for filling your day...
Take a road trip out to the East End of St John. As Steve Simonsen's photo (above) depicts, the vistas are magnificent and the roads are windy, but fun to drive as long as you watch out for the donkeys and goats that freely roam the roads. Plan on stopping by Vie's Snack Shop for some of her scrumptious fried chicken and Johnny Cakes or conch fritters, then keep on heading east to stop by Sloop Jones to browse his magnificent wearable art which reflect the wonderful colors of the Caribbean. If you want to try your hand at creating your own 'Sloop Jones' piece of wearable art, plan on attending one of his workshops. On the way back to Great Expectations, you might want to stop off in Coral Bay at the Skinny Legs complex to play a game of horse-shoes or just hang out in a Jimmy Buffett environment.
Take a boat trip. There are tons of options from renting a paddle board, dinghy, or kayak to being chauffeured around the waters of St John in one of the many charter sail or power boats. We have arranged with a number of the charter outfits to give our guests a discount so check out the outdoor activities and have a great day on the water.
Take a hike. If you are too antsy to sit on the beach, bring your hiking shoes to St John with you and head out to any one of over40 hiking trails. Some of the hikes are quite challenging and others are just downright breathtakingly beautiful! One of our recent guests e-mailed me this photo taken while they were hiking the Reef Bay trail proving that St John is even beautiful when it rains:
Rains last month from Tropical Storm Bertha created fabulous waterfalls
Or, just take the day off and do nothing at all! Hang out at the Villa - lounge in the infinity pool, arrange to have an afternoon massage (no need to leave the villa for that!), and take a nap. Vacation time should be time to relax and recharge and St John is the perfect venue for doing just that!
September St John news flashes & fun St John clips:
Islands Magazine included St John's Maho Beach in their '20 Beach Photos That Will Make you Were There Right Now' as well as their '7 Easy Three-Day Getaways Every Traveler Needs to Take' lists. Why is it easy? Islands reports that there are 10 airlines that fly daily non-stop to St Thomas where it is then breezy (literally and figuratively) ferry ride from Red Hook to St John. Why Is St John Exotic? Islands reports that this Virgin isle is small on development and big on nature: Its national parkland covers two-thirds of the island. Jungle trails wend past petroglyphs and hermit crabs unfazed by curious guests. The park even extends underwater for 5,600 acres — see 225 yards of it on Trunk Bay’s snorkeling trail, where damselfish slide through sea fans and parrotfish glow almost neon. Afterward, nearby Cruz Bay awaits with coconut shrimp and mango coladas (made with local Cruzan rum) at Morgan’s Mango.
Life Cheat Sheet named St John on their 'Forget the Passports - 7 Best US Islands to Visit' list.
Destination Weddings named St John's Trunk Bay one of the '12 Best Caribbean Beaches for Weddings' list.
New partner - new savings! This month we partnered with another wonderful charter boat to extend our guests a 10% discount. Sail into yesteryear on this magnificent 84' foot 'pirate' ship aptly named Goddess Athena. She is large enough to take your whole group out for a sunset sail or a full day on the waters. Check her and some of our other wonderful sailboat options for a wonderful day on the waters.
Special savings of $2,876!Great Expectations is already totally reserved this winter season with the exception of the last six nights of 'High Season': Sunday, April 12 - Saturday, April 18, 2015. To celebrate spring ('soon come') we have decided to offer this six night period for 'Low Season' rates saving you $2,876! Contact us today to take advantage of this savings!
As you can see from our availability calendar, Great Expectations is already reserved for almost all of this winter (with only 6 nights remaining available) and much of next spring and summer. We never want to disappoint previous guests -- or potential new ones -- so please contact us as soon as you can when you start your trip planning. We will be happy to work with you to, as best we can, accommodate your needs. Our goal, always, is to meet or ideally, exceed your expectations!
St John rental car fleet to double in size! The current limit for the entire St John rental fleet of 625 cars has not increased since 1994. Doubling the limit is great news especially for visitors who wait until the last minute to try to rent their vehicles! The VI Motor Vehicle Bureau has indicated that it will also allow new rental company operators to set up shop on St John.
St John waters are filled with beautiful fish, turtles, dolphins, and - even - deer! Yes, deer! On his way from Cruz Bay (to his home on Lovango Cay) our friend Dan Boyd captured this great photo of a deer swimming in Cruz Bay harbor!