Maho Bay

Stunning scenes on St John beach this week!

trunk bay flamingo water

trunk bay flamingo water

The flamingos have arrived on St John and they are breathtakingly beautiful.  Here are a few photos of flamingos visiting Trunk Bay, Denis Bay, and Maho Bay beaches this week.  Rumor has it that they are visiting from either nearby Anegada or Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands.  We are glad to see them visit.

trunk bay flamingo beach

trunk bay flamingo beach

St John photographer extraordinaire Yelena Rogers was able to capture some wonderful photos which she has titled 'Flamingo's Ballet'; it is worth a watch!

trunk bay flamingo yelena rogers

trunk bay flamingo yelena rogers

April 2015 News from St. John

Rx to Survive Winter

Enjoy the winter winds -- St John style

Congratulations - you survived the winter of all winters. Spring has finally sprung in most places in the country. Now is the time to reward yourself for having survived the 'winter that would not quit' by planning a trip to St John for this year or even better, next winter.  As a reward, we are offering a 20% off discount for our June openings; check our currently availability to secure your piece of mind.

We recently received this photo from a recent guest (who has already booked his return trip). He captured this picture at Great Expectationsthe morning of his 50th birthday. We sure think he found his pot of gold on St John. Hopefully, you will as well!

March St John news flashes & fun St John clips:

  • St John's Honeymoon beach made the Condé Nast's 'Top 10 Beaches for Chillin' by saying: Located within the Virgin Islands National Park, Honeymoon Beach is one of the seven beaches that make up the Caneel Bay Resort. It's arguably the loveliest and also hardest to get to; the only means of access is via boat or a mile-long hike. But it’s worth the trek: Besides the requisite ivory sand and crystalline waters, you’re rewarded with views of St. Thomas and the British Virgin Islands.

  • ABC News reported that St John's Maho Bay made Trip Advisor's 'Top 10 Traveler's Choice Caribbean Beaches' A TripAdvisor reviewer said, "The snorkeling is absolutely amazing. Huge sea turtles, schools of fish and stingrays are just some of the sea life found regularly here in Maho Bay. It's a postcard like setting with some of the coolest palm trees you'll find anywhere in the world. In my opinion this is the best place on the island to take pictures. Don't visit St. John without checking out Maho Bay".

  • One of St John's most important volunteer groups is asking for our help. St John Rescue is often the first on the scene to help a victim of a car or boating accident, a lost or injured hiker, or just about any other sort of emergency one can think of happening - day or night. A couple of weeks ago they were at the scene of a very bad accident and rescued a truck driver, by cutting open the bottom of the truck with their Jaws of Life, saving his life. Unfortunately, during the process the Jaws of Life was destroyed. The St John community is rallying together to help raise monies to fund a new critically needed Jaws of Life for St John Rescue. Please consider supporting this initiative by donating on-line through Go Fund Me.

  • St John Blues Blowout Festival is ON! March 28th will bring lots of music to Cruz Bay's Winston Wells Ballpark. All proceeds to benefit the St John School of the Arts and the Sprauve School

  • Check our availability calendar and contact us today to secure your reservation! 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!

Swim or Volunteer at St John Beach to Beach Power Swim

All can participate in this year's swim. Either swim yourself or volunteer to support

St John's Friends of Virgin Islands National Park

...

Swim to Cinnamon Bay, swim to Trunk Bay, or go all the way to Hawksnest Bay.

On Saturday, May 24, 2014 Friends of Virgin Islands National Park will host the 11th Annual Beach-to-Beach Power Swim on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The race consists of three courses:

Short Course from Maho Bay to Cinnamon Bay, about 1 mile Intermediate Course from Maho Bay to Trunk Bay, about 2¼ miles Long Course from Maho to Hawksnest, about 3½ miles. Swimmers can compete in the long course as an individual or as part of a 3-person team. Swimmers may also compete assisted by snorkel and/or fins in an "assisted swimmer" category

Course map:

Race for a Reason

Returning this year is

Race for a Reason

, which gives participating swimmers an opportunity to further support the mission of the Friends of Virgin Islands National Park. Donations made to the Friends of VINP during the Race for a Reason Fundraising Challenge will be used to support the “Learn to Swim” program in Virgin Islands National Park along with other projects and programs. All participants raising $250 or more for Friends receive a Limited Edition 2014 Beach-to-Beach Power Swim hat and the top 3 fundraisers receive special gifts following the race at the Beach Party/Awards Celebration at Oppenheimer Beach.

Race for a Reason is going online for 2014! Participants may create their own fundraising page online and race for prizes for the Top 3 Fundraisers.

Link to our fundraising homepage

here, and get started creating a personalized page! All donations made through these online pages are tax-deductible and benefit Friends of VI National Park.

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.

You can help keep St John forever green


What is not to like about this picture?
Maho Bay

With your help, and that of the federal government, we can ensure that Maho Bay stays 'forever green'.  A critical parcel surrounding Maho Bay is still unprotected and might be eligible to be developed.  For the last several years the National Park Service has been working with the Trust for Public Land and the Friends of Virgin Islands National Park to protect over 200 acres.  So far, they have been successful in carving out 131 acres to be protected; however they need additional resources to include the remaining land. 
Please take a moment to read about this important initiative and sign the petition to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and the National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis urging them to allocate the funds (from the Land and Water Conservation Fund) needed to complete this critical purchase: