US Virgin Islands News

Packing List: Swimsuits and Twizzlers

To judge from comments on some of the St. John travel forums, a lot of people have more then flip flops, t-shirts, and magazines in their luggage.

Many also have food. Which results in folks trading tips about what to bring, and how.

Tinkerbelldee says granola bars, coffee, Splenda, and Crystal Light are among her must-packs. Besides several cans of Pringles, "In our small backpack cooler, I have chicken, hamburger, bacon, and cheese. ( I am picky about certain things, meat being one of them)."

It's not the high cost of groceries on St. John that prompts people to bring their own food. Convenience is a big factor, as well as being sure you've got what you like. "Because I'm a little bit of a foodie and just want to have certain things. And this foodie likes to have her Twizzlers and Gummisavers poolside!," said Mari6625.

Bluewater43 has this strategy: "Vacuum pack & freeze anything ... at least a week ahead. Morning of the trip, throw everything in the cooler, packing lunchmeat & cheese in-between the frozen meat. Don't use ice packs at all (can't in carry-on) and everything is still frozen 8 hours later when we arrive." In that cooler - steaks, pork tenderloin, chicken breasts, burgers and Italian sausages.

The whole concept was news to Cfbbnell." I didn't know you could bring meat as a carry on! We are serious about our meat - 3 freezers in the garage. We buy whole cows, hogs and lambs. Being able to pack it into a cooler for the trip is awesome."

St. John not 'bizarre' enough for cable show

Andrew Zimmerman is the guy you see on the Travel Channel eating the most awful things. He’s tasted (enjoyed?) baked muskrat in Baltimore, deep fried piglet testicles on a hog farm in Iowa, and fermented fish eggs on an island in Alaska. 

And since he was a boy, he’s spent some time on St. John. Zimmerman told the St. John Source that he used to visit St. John, with his mother, a lot.  Every few years, they’d rent a villa for a vacation.

“There is a great park, a couple of fantastic hotels and restaurants. Cruz Bay is a great little town. But,” he said, “I wouldn't call it a hot bed of indigenous or local cultures, right?” 

That’s why he really likes St. Croix.  Its economy is not dependent on tourists or catering to their mainland tastes.  St. Croix’s culture stands and has not been deemphasized.

“I do not want to come to the islands for a half-baked version of French or Italian food,” he told the Source.  “You see it on every island.  There is no island that is immune to that disease.”

What does Zimmerman like about St. Croix? Reef fish, rotis, pates, produce, and bull foot soup.

• Read the St. John Source story about Andrew Zimmerman

Villa rentals help St. John children

Three years ago, Bruce Claflin had an idea.  

The result was Kids First!, a VI based non-profit that supports education on St. John.  

He calls it a creative marketing program to promote island villas to renters, particularly those who are repeat guests on the island and have formed a deep attachment to St. John.  Participating villa owners agree to donate two percent of gross rental income to Kids First!. 

It’s a win-win situation. Renters know that at no additional cost to themselves, their rental of a villa will directly help the children of St. John.  Villa owners differentiate their rental properties from those that don’t participate, and the children of St. John benefit through the grants that are provided.   

There are currently 10 homes in the program which have been an important source of funding for the $130,000 of grants delivered by Kids First!.

• www.kidsfirststj.org

Proper packing for Paradise

Snoopy7982 raises this interesting question at the Virgin-Islands-On-Line forum for St. John.

"What clothes do I need other than bathing suits, cover-ups and sundresses? Can my husband wear shorts in all restaurants or should he bring some slacks?"

Seems like a lot of people have the same answer.  "Each time we go, we vow to bring less and less," is the way FourStreams put it.  "From 3 golf shirts to 1 ... from 3 pairs of nice shorts to 1 ... 4 tee shirts to 2." And, since many villas have a washer and dryer (ask your management company), that helps reduce what you need to bring."

Park Friends announce winter seminars

An ambitious schedule of dozens of classes, tours, and workshops has been announced by the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park.  If you’re interested in learning more about the island’s natural and cultural heritage, from experts, these are the tickets.

The offerings include classes on making batik, creating flowers from recycled glass, painting with pastels, tropical photography, and making pepper sauce.  You can also sign up for a marine biology sailing trip, a building green house tour and a native plant hike.

Other examples:

• Local historian David Knight will host a tour of downtown Cruz Bay on January 6.  He will describe its founding in 1766 and his own recent efforts to have the area recognized as a Historic District.
• Another class, on Feb. 25, will feature Eddie Bruce, a master drummer, in a night of ethnic percussion and a celebration of the full moon.  He will demonstrate ritual techniques of both West African and Afro-Caribbean cultures.

The cost of the seminars run from $25 to $155. The Friends organize the educational seminars every year to increase awareness and enjoyment of the Park. 

• Details of the Friends 2013 seminar a series is here.

St. John on the iPhone

The Inquiring Iguana has found three more apps for the iPhone and iPad focused on the island.

Explore St. John was written by Harry Pariser and published by Sutro Media. He's a prolific travel writer with 20 travel books to his credit.  The app is undoubtedly based on his Explore the Virgin Islands, now in its fifth edition. 

Folks who have used the $3.99 app say it's OK, but not special. "There's nothing on it you couldn't find somewhere else, but it's nice to have it in one central location," said cmw5682 at Virgin islands On-Line. SOonthebeach added, "It is still fun to look through to get reminders of places we have forgotten."

Targeting the wedding market is MagazineCloner.com. It's offering an app of Virgin islands Wedding and Honeymoon magazine for $1.99.   The electronic version has articles about the USVI and BVI, including resources couples can use to plan their big day.

The St. John App was published a few months ago. The iTunes Store description says the island guide was made by a local and includes maps, driving tours, guides to hiking trails and restaurant information. One reviewer, JMoody83, said "This app made our time on island so easy ... can't imagine trying to get around without it." Now FREE!

Got any other St. John (or Travel) apps the Iguana should know about? Share them in a comment here.

• "Explore St. John" in the iTunes Store here
• "The St. John App" in the iTunes Store here
• "Virgin Islands Wedding and Honeymoon" magazine in the iTunes Store here

Best things to do on St. John

A person on the TripAdvisor forum inquired about the 10 best things to do on the island.  More than a dozen people responded with many more than 10 things. 

Predictably, there are a lot of recommendations for drinking and eating and beaching.  But when it came down to asking for suggestions, St. John veterans were  recommending specific drinks and menu items and activities,  Quite a few also for a trip to the BVIs, although at least one person said there's enough to do on St. John, period - a BVI visit might best be done on a second trip.

Food

•     Blue Burger at Skinny's
•     Dining at the  bar at Zozo's (make a reservation!)
•     Vie's for garlic chicken and conch fritters
•     Deli Grotto for sandwiches
•     Lobster Roll at the Tourist Trap
•     Have Ted's Suppler Club cater a meal to your villa
•     Fish and chips at Shipwreck Landing
•     Caesar Salad with Blackened Mahi at Banana Deck   

Beaches

•     Gibney Beach
•     Cinnamon Bay
•     Hawksnest
•     Maho

Drink

•     All the beers at St. John Brewers (Mongoose Junction)
•     Bushwhackers at the Beach Bar
•     Drink Right, Keep Left at the Tourist Trap (Coral Bay)

Entertainment

•     Live music at the Beach Bar
•     Open Mic night at Sun Dog Cafe

Hiking

•     Reef Bay Trail
•     Ram Head, snorkeling at Blue Cobblestone
•     Leinster Bay, and snorkel Watermelon Cay
•     Look for seaglass at Lameshur, then snorkel

• Take a look at the Trip Advisor post here.

Five maps of St. John

Though it’s a small island, St. John seems to have a plethora of maps.  The best-known is the St. John Guidebook's St. John Map, but in the past few years other maps have been offered as a “public service” to promote interest in the businesses which publish them.

The newest is from the Grande Bay Resort (an advertiser with NewsofStJohn.com).  Its basic graphic is a gorgeous satellite photo of Cruz Bay. When you zoom in, various businesses and points of interest are identified.  The four-color 18-by-30 inch map is free and available in Cruz Bay.

Even little Coral Bay has its own map, produced by Syzygy, the art studio and gallery in the Skinny Legs building. It identifies shops and restaurants and beaches on the east end of the island.

The St. John Treasure Map & Guide is in its third year.  It is designed to introduce you to the island's history, culture and business community through a variety of activities. .

One of the most useful maps has been developed by a guy named Sherb using Google Maps. STJ Eats and Drinks is about two years old and even though it lists places like Happy Fish which has gone out of business, it’s still a handy rundown to a lot of what’s available.

Simonsen sets Tropical Light workshops

Steve Simonsen, St. John’s world class Caribbean photographer, is offering a series of four Tropical Light Photography workshops this winter.

Working with and accommodating tropical light, snorkel photography, underwater photography, and getting beyond the basics of shooting on “auto” are fodder for his four-hour morning classes.  Each is priced at $55, except the underwater workshop which will cost $125 plus the cost of a dive with Low Key Watersports.

Classes are being offered from now through January.  Yoiu can find details on Simonsen’s Facebook page here. 

Guide to underwater cameras

St. John is known for having some of the best beaches in the world. But people will tell you there's as much to see and enjoy under the waves as there is laying on the sand. And for that, you need an underwater camera.

Flickr and YouTube have has lots of photos and video shot by people swimming with the fishes, as the Corleones might say.

If you want to do that too, CNET has just published a comparison of what it considers to be the best waterproof rugged cameras. Some are point-and-shoots, but several also do video.

Joshua Goldman says the price range is wide. On the low end, there's the Kodak Playsport for $84.95 at Amazon. On the high end, the Sony 338 will set you back $328. A cute Nikon Coolpix S30 is only $96, and it does video.

"The more money you spend, the tougher the camera, though, so make sure you get something that meets your needs," CNET said in the article.