Welcome to Vacation Rentals of St. John

Hurricane Irma Update:

9/15/17 – 3:30 pm – We had the opportunity to speak with Jane and Sonny, who a lot of our guests know from Cruz Views.  We had not heard from them until yesterday and they are safe and sound!  Their home sustained some damage but they have another place to stay so they are all right!  Our island staff continues to work hard and are very dedicated to our villa owners and Caribbean Villas of St John.  We all know the circumstances on St John are not easy right now and they are going above and beyond!  Thank you!

Having been with the company since 1993, I thought I would share some of my insights since I was here when Hurricane Marilyn ripped through the island in September 1995.  Back in the ‘old days’ we did not have internet, nor social media to be able to stay up to date on what was happening on the island.  My owner, Diane lived on island at the time.  She was able to get a few phones calls out just a few days after Marilyn passed.  The island had no foliage, they had no water, they did not have supplies.  They were surviving one day, one moment at a time.  After Irma passed and we started hearing these same reports from the island, it reminded me of what the island went through back then.   The island pulled together back in 1995, just as it is pulling together now.  When I look at the photo’s on line now, I see an island that looks brown, debris is all around, boats are washed up on shore.  There are telephone poles down, roofs off etc.  If  you want to see some positive signs , look a bit closer and you will see homes that still have roofs.  From the aerial views, look at some of the roads and you will see telephone poles and electricity lines still standing.  This does not lessen the damage that has occurred but for me, these signs represent hope and optimism, that not everything was destroyed, that not everything has to be rebuilt.  Just as before, our beautiful island will be back, our restaurants and shops will reopen, our beautiful beaches will still be there and we will be welcoming guests, just as we did in 1995.

9/13/17 – 3:00 pm –  We continue to hear more positive word from the island!  Supplies are arriving, there are ‘trucks of troops’,  plus Wapa (electricity) and Via (phone) trucks are out in force working to restore power and phone service.  The more remote roads are now being cleared and the island cleanup is showing improvement!  Our St John Staff has said they have never seen so many people on island to help!  We know last week the island was in dire straights and the social media posts were very distressing.  It took a week but they are there NOW!!   Our beautiful island is coming back to life!

9/12/17 – 12:30 pm – We wanted to post an update today as we are hearing a lot of conflicting information coming across on social media about St John.   We have been able to get in touch with our St John Office staff regarding these incidents.  Our staff are long time residents of the island and have a well established network of associates.  They are not hearing the same ‘alarming’ information about crime on the island which is being posted.  We are not saying there aren’t pockets of crime, which can happen anywhere but we are saying, please keep everything in perspective.  The residents of St John are strong and they work together to help each other.

We also just spoke to a long term guest of ours that just returned from St Thomas.  They were down there on the island during the hurricane.  On the day they departed St Thomas there was National Guard from Connecticut, Tennessee and California on the ground.  We spoke with one of our owners who is in the military, they in turn have been speaking with one of the military ships which are on location now.  The military is there to help reestablish and rebuild the infrastructure on the island.  This is all positive information!

For local businesses – Longboard Restaurant and Cruz Bay Landing have been serving meals.  Starfish Market and St John Ice have been open.  We have reports that cell towers are supposed to be up by Friday.

As more information comes in, we will post further updates.  Right now we are all “St. John Strong!”

9/8/17 -3: 00 pm – Good news – Kenny Chesney’s guys are here!!! Cleared for one helicopter trip right now in to St. John. They are at St Croix airport and leaving and are headed to the St.John Clinic. They are loaded with chainsaws and supplies.  They also have helicopters with 8-10 first respondors on the next flight.  Coral Bay is the priority mission today for broadband equipment and tower restoration.  We just heard AT&T has started working.  Though sporadic – some calls and texts are coming through.  From the Coral Bay region, Kristen Cox, Terry Witham and her husband, Olivier are fine.  From the south side of the island Curtis Penn and Delbert Parson’s are fine.  These are people we work with on a regular basis and we and our guests know and love them!

Now that curfew has been lifted the island is starting to clear roads and clean up debris.  This will be a process but they have gone through this before and know what needs to be done.  Currently the island looks like a ‘war zone’.  All the foliage is off the trees so they are bare, the palms fronds on the palms trees are gone, the beautiful flowers are gone.  This is not what you expect when you look at a tropical island.  You expect a lush, tropical and green environment.  The beauty of St John will come back and like a flower blooms, so will our beautiful island.  Our residents are strong, our villa owners are determined and all will be rebuilt.  The damage will vary per neighborhood, some areas will be fine and others will have received more extensive damage.  It all depends on what quadrant of the hurricane the neighborhood was located in.  We do not have concrete news about our homes yet but we are working on getting this information for our guests and owners.  We ask for your patience, we ask for your understanding.  We, Caribbean Villas of St John as well as the residents of St John value you as our guests, you are important to us!  Do not give up on our island and we will recover quicker than you expect.  We lived through Hurricane Marilyn and we were up and accepting guests in to our vacation rentals later that same year.  Will the island be changed, most definitely, one cannot go through this experience and not be changed but we will come back and be stronger for it!

We have more and more guests wanting to know how to help but there is some confusion on what sites can be trusted.  Here is a link to a central source to find out information and make contributions for St John recovery.   https://www.whattodo-vi.com/hurricane-irma-relief-in-the-virgin-islands-how-you-can-help/

St John Office – New Location!

Our St John Office is now located at Palm Plaza, Unit 1B, Rt 104 (South Shore Road)! Stop by and visit us! 340 776-6152

Driving on St. John is an adventure, it’s a great way to tour the whole island. This island is hard on vehicles which is why we recommend a Jeep. We have our own fleet of rental Jeeps because guests have told us they prefer to get their Jeep rentals from the same company as their villa rental. Another benefit is that if you have an issue with your Jeep, we are on-island to help you. No problem, mon!

Many guests want a private chef or other personalized service. We can suggest activities for your family or group. We can recommend local wedding / event planners. For those wanting to go sailing, power boating, snorkeling, or scuba diving we can suggest a company. We live here. We know the island well and are happy to assist you in any way we can!

We have been welcoming our guests at the dock with a smile since 1990.