You’re driving your rented Jeep out of Cruz Bay and jumping on North Shore Rd. This is not an easy drive. It’s nearly impossible to concentrate. You’re trying your best to stay on the left side of the road, but you also are being assaulted by scenic overlooks that take your breath away. Then you have goats and tourist to look out for. Like I said, it’s not an easy drive.

If you manage to stay on the road you’ll be treated to some of the best beaches in all the Caribbean. I’ve written about them many times and have done Island Lime Videos on a few of them. I thought it would be a fun attempt at sensory overload and put all the St. John beach videos in one post. If you’re heart can take, I dare you to watch them all in a row. If by the end you aren’t booking your next USVI vacation, then you’re a stronger person than I. Now let’s take a drive down the North Shore Road.

Trunk Bay

Cinnamon Bay

Maho Bay

Francis Bay

Hard not to be inspired by those salty pieces of land. And that’s only four St. John beaches. You still have the likes of Salomon Bay, Hawksnest Bay, Jumbie, Waterlemon, Caneel, Salt Pond and many more. The goal is to get back to dear St. John and film the rest of these beauties. I won’t stop until all the work is done, you have my word. That is, if I can keep the Jeep firmly placed on those dangerously distracting roads. A problem that I’d put up with any day.

Castaways, please subscribe to the RumShopRyan YouTube Channel. Trying to reach 1,000 subscribers by Summer time! Lot’s of great island lifestyle videos for your Caribbean dreamin’. Thanks!

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

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The Caribbean is full of life, love and spontaneity. Excitement is always in the air and you never know what’s going to happen or who’s going to walk through the door.

The crowd at Iggies Beach Bar, located at Bolongo Bay Resort on St. Thomas, got to feel that excitement first hand when Stevie Wonder came walking through the door a couple nights ago.

Mr. Wonder was dining at Iggies Monday night, and decided to treat the guests with an impromptu concert. He performed the first song with the band (local Becca Darling band) and the second with Dave Mason, a rock-and-roll hall of famer who was staying at the resort. Here are a couple clips from the exciting night.

Man, how cool would that have been. You’re just sitting there, enjoying your dinner and watching the waves roll ashore, when all the sudden a music legend walks through the door and grabs the mic. I guarantee you the people that were in the house that night went home with a grand story and memories that won’t soon fade.

Damn I love the islands.

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

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Rum and the Caribbean are inescapably connected, a match made in paradise. Sunken treasure, booty, gold and silver are also tied to the Caribbean thanks to the pirates and colonial history of the islands. Now what if I were to tell you that some of the sunken treasure comes in the form of bottles of rum, and that these bottles are easily reachable from the southern shore of St. Thomas, would you be interested?

I thought you might.

During the Castaway Winter Beach Bash at Bolongo Bay Resort on St. Thomas, a bunch of us were lucky enough to find some of this rum. We snorkeled out into the shallow blue water bay and there it was, just sitting there on the sea floor.

Okay, so these bottles of rum weren’t a couple hundred years old. In fact they are made just 40 miles south on St. Croix and the label on them reads Cruzan. That didn’t make the experience of scavenging for rum on the ocean bottle any less thrilling. It would of helped if I would have returned to the beach with a bottle, but that’s the way treasure hunts go, you win some and lose some.

Bolongo Bay Resort has been doing the snorkel rum hunt for quite some time and is a highlight with the guests. I haven’t heard of another resort in the entire Caribbean doing anything like it. It’s a genius idea. Strap on some fins, paste a mask to your face and go in search of rum. Pure heaven!

It’s not all fun and games though. As you can imagine everyone wants to find a bottle, competition can be intense. You first have to get into the water with your fins on without falling. Then you have to dodge the sea turtles that are constantly heading to the surface for air. Finally you have more people in the water than rum on the bottom, so you better have a sharp eye. I did spot a bottle in about 13 feet of water. I notice a girl saw it as well. I could have let my pirate instincts take over and beat her to the treasure, but I swam off to explore deeper waters. Like I said, in the end I returned to the beach without any treasure, but the gracious staff at Bolongo Bay had a smile and a bottle waiting for me. Thanks guys!

When we started to plan the Castaway Winter Beach Bash and I learned about the rum hunt I knew something like that would be perfect for our rowdy group. Bolongo Bay Resort puts on this popular activity once a week. So if your heading to St. Thomas and looking for a great place to stay with lots of activities, give them a try. It’s a little slice of Caribbean magic.

Cheers,

RumShopRyan

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Trunk Bay, she’s like the pretty girl in class, always getting all the attention. She’s the most photographed, the most photogenic, the most popular. Just because she’s the prettiest, doesn’t mean she’s the best, but you do have to give credit when credit is due, Trunk Bay is a beautiful girl.

Cruisers from St. Thomas line up for a chance to day trip it over to St. John and Trunk Bay. They ferry over, pile into cabs, enter the National Park and glide past the beautiful Hawksnest Bay. They stop for photos at the Trunk Bay scenic overlook and unload at their destination, the most famous beach in the USVI. It’s popular for many reasons; underwater snorkeling trail, concessions, life-guards, crystal clear water and soft white sand. I think that scenic overlook sells it though. That view is one of the best in all the Caribbean.

My morning at Trunk Bay was quiet. It was early and the normally crowded beach was still hiding in the shadows of the morning sun. The tourist have not yet arrived, so I set up my camera and filmed the pretty girl in action.

 Trunk Bay, St. John – Island Lime Videos

As with the other Island Lime Videos I shot on St. John, time was of the essence.  No time to roll out a beach towel and soak in the Caribbean sun. No time to snorkel the underwater trail. No time to lime. The noon ferry back to St. Thomas was staring me down like an unapproving girlfriend.

Have you been to Trunk Bay? What is your favorite thing about it?

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

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If it’s the weekend and you’re sitting around your St. Thomas hotel wondering what to do, just ask someone where Barefoot Davis is playing. You’re night just got filled up with a good time, sort of like that rum drink in your hand.

Barefoot Davis and his extremely talented band played one night at Iggies Beach Bar during the Castaway Winter Beach Bash. The Caribbean was just steps away, lights glittered off the waves, and the mood was set by the band’s originals songs and the flowing rum. Just another night in the islands.

Barefoot Davis led the way with songs like Party Nites and Palm Trees, Chicken Pickin Whiskey, Rum is the answer, and One Eyed Dan. They played a few covers as well, but the original stuff was the most entertaining. You could tell each member of the band was having a great time as they played off each other instrumentally. One thing I remember most was the older bald gentleman. Talent oozed from his body. He had the Iggies crowd on their feet with his guitar solos, then he would play the steel pans like a master. The guy was amazing.

Here are a couple videos of Barefoot Davis playing with Captain Bob aboard the catamaran Good Medicine at the St. Thomas Boat Show back in 2010.

Rum is the answer…what was the question?

Capt Bob and Barefoot Davis play Gypsy

Hanging out on the docks, listening to good music in the Caribbean, yeah I could get use to that. Let me know if you’ve had the chance to catch Barefoot Davis while on St. Thomas, would love to know what you thought.

Check out BarefootDavis.net to find the bands schedule, get the lates news and I think you can even download do some music.

Cheers to sweet sweet island music.
RumShopRyan

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What can I say about Maho Bay on St. John? Nothing that words can adequately describe. I’ll give it a shot though, then I’ll let the video take over.

Maho Bay is lush green hillsides towering behind you, free of homes that if there, would command million dollar views. It is gentle waves massaging your ankles as you’re feet sink into the soft white sand. It is sea, sky and land coming together complete perfection. It is heaven.

For a long time Maho Bay Beach has been my favorite beach of all the North shore beaches on St. John. During my last visit, I stepped on to the sands of Francis Bay for the first time. After pinching myself, I thought that I had just found the most beautiful spot on St. John. You honestly can’t go wrong with any beach on St. John, but Maho and Francis are tops on this pirate’s list.

Watch this video and you let me know if this is heaven. Don’t mind the jackass running in front of my shot at the 2:35 mark. Who wears black jeans on the beach in the Caribbean anyways?

Maho Bay, St. John USVI – Island Lime Videos

Here is some information about Maho Bay from StJohnBeachGuide.com.

About Maho
Maho Bay was named after the Hibiscus Tilaceus orBeach Maho, a tree commonly found on the St. John shoreline and throughout the tropics. The beach Maho has a distinctive heart-shaped leaf and produces attractive yellow flowers that later turn purple. The small green fruit of the maho is not edible, but a bush tea can be made from the leaf.

Interestingly, Maho Bay, now a relatively narrow beach, was once one of the widest beaches in St. John. The “horse kids” of St. John took advantage of this characteristic, as well as the great length of the beach, to have horse races on the sand. The narrowing of the beach came as a result of the removal of sand by the government to construct Cruz Bay roads and the Julius Sprauve School. This was done at a time when the dynamics of sand production and sand loss were not yet understood.

Getting There
Maho Bay is located about 1.25 miles past Cinnamon Bay or 5.2 miles past Mongoose Junction going east on Route 20. Park off the side of the road.

Facilities
There is a National Park pavilion on the extreme western portion of the beach. A permit must be obtained from the park in order to use this facility. This permit will also entitle you to use the bathrooms to the west of the pavilion, which are otherwise locked and not available to the general public. The park will explain the rules and conditions pertaining to the use of the pavilion. (Call the National Park at 776-6201.)

At the eastern part of the beach there is a trail, called the Goat Trail, which leads to the Maho Bay Campground at Little Maho Bay.

It’s a special place. If you find yourself on St. John, I highly recommend you spend some time at Maho Bay.

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

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Sitting on the beach at Bolongo Bay Resort is a relaxing, yet entertaining experience. Off in the distance you see St. Croix looming on the horizon. In the bay itself, you’ll see sea turtles constantly breaching the surface for air and snorkelers trailing behind them. You’ll see people cutting through the waves in kayaks and trying their hand at Stand Up Paddle Boarding. Keep an eye on the paddle boarders, it’s quite entertaining watching them fall over and over again. Don’t hate me, you’d laugh too.

The water is clear, the waves gentle and with two bars just steps away on the sand, the rum is always near. I shot this Island Lime Video of Bolongo Bay Resort to give the people who couldn’t attend the Castaway Winter Beach Bash a little taste of the surroundings. We’re going to try and do it again next year, so keep the month of January 2013 open just in case!

Bolongo Bay Resort – Island Lime Video

This true Caribbean beach resort is surrounded by the tastes, sights and sounds of St. Thomas. Bolongo Bay sits along a 1,000-foot golden sand beach with palm trees rustling in the breeze and iguanas slowly strolling by. Their staff was super friendly and by the end of my visit, they all knew who the rum guy was! Cheers to you guys!

Bolongo Bay Beach Resort
St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands 00802
Reservations: (800) 524-4746

Cheers!
RumShopRyan

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Seeing a lost love, if only for 30 minutes, is magnitudes better than not seeing that love at all. Parting may be bitter sweet, but the time spent will last you until the next encounter.

It may sound like I’m gushing about an old flame or quoting a sappy love novel but no. That’s they way I felt when walking the shore of Cinnamon Bay on St. John’s north shore. I only got to spend a precious few minutes at Cinnamon, just enough to breathe in the salt air, shoot some video and watch a couple string-rays glide through the shallows…and over my toes.

Cinnamon Bay is a long stretch of sand located on St. John’s famed north shore and just to the east of popular Trunk Bay. The bay is located in the Virgin Islands National Park and has good parking and plenty of facilities. While I was there it looked like they were doing a small archaeological dig near the beach just off the side walk from the parking lot. St. John has amazing history that dates way back to the Arawak and Carib Indians, then to the turbulent slavery and sugar era. I’m curious to know what they are digging for in the sands of Cinnamon Bay.

As promised, here is the Island Lime Video shot at Cinnamon Bay. Watch as the waves crash ashore, listen to the trade winds blow in from the sea and most importantly, imagine yourself there.

Cinnamon Bay, St. John USVI – Island Lime Video

Mind-boggling beautiful isn’t it? Have you been to Cinnamon Bay? Leave a comment below, the other Castaways and myself would love to hear your island story.

Cheers to a little island limin’,

RumShopRyan

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I always tell people, spend at least one day on the water when vacationing in the Caribbean. Nine times out ten, it will turn into their favorite part of the entire trip. Always a highlight for this Castaway.

One of the perks of attending the Castaway Winter Beach Bash at Bolongo Bay Resort was a sunset cruise board their catamaran, the Heavenly Days. Motion of the ocean, pushed through the waves by the power of the wind and a rum punch in hand; yes this was going to be a grand time.

Heavenly Days at rest in front of Bolongo Bay

Saturday night arrives on St. Thomas, the skies are clear, the sun is falling and a 50 foot catamaran sits waiting at the end of the dock. We board the Heavenly Days and the crew have a buffet of finger foods and rum punch waiting for us as we step on board. Heavenly day indeed.

All the Castaways and other island passengers quickly board and grab their boat drinks. We were a little worried about one person, Scott. He stayed up to the wee hours of the morning the night before drinking rum on the beach with a few of us and was still a little sluggish come cruise time. He finally boarded Heavenly Days and even had a Team Cocktail “Rum” t-shirt on. Now that’s how you roll.

Castaway Scott ready to go!

We were introduced to Capt. Dan, first mate Matt and 2nd mate Jolene. They were a fantastic crew and not a single drink went dry the entire sail.

Capt. Dan pointed us out to sea and set our course for Charlotte Amalie, downtown St. Thomas.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas USVI

There’s just something sexy about being under sail power. Even the raising of the sails is a powerful moment. You watch the canvas climb skyward and the boat begins to react, biting into the breeze and plowing through the waves. It’s a feeling I hope everyone reading this gets to enjoy at least once in their lives.

We enter Charlotte Amalie harbor just as a large cruise ship is leaving port. It’s amazing how big these things are. They are engineering marvels, but I wouldn’t have traded spots with anyone on that beast for a million dollars. Paradise was happening on Heavenly Days.

Capt. Dan takes us right up to the water front as Jolene gives us a little history of the downtown area. We listen, enjoy our boat drinks and then hear a faint buzz from behind us. As we turn around to pin point the growing sound, someone points the sky as a airplane was coming into the harbor and heading straight for us. Of course the seaplane was going to hit us but it did catch a bunch of us by surprise. Here’s a great video that BigKahunaBrew shot of the Seaborne Airlines plane coming in for a landing.

After the excitement of the plane landing, we sail past Water Island and back out into the Caribbean. The sun was setting and we had front row seats.

The sun dipped below the horizon and the Capt. turned the Heavenly Days east back towards Bolongo Bay. The seas had grown a bit and the sleek cat was slicing through through the swells with ease. I was sitting up front, taking a good bit of salty spray to the face. Didn’t bother me in the least. Jimmy Buffett was playing over the speakers, a cold drink was resting in my koozie, I was surrounded by great friends and the Virgin Islands were the backdrop; Heavenly Days indeed.

If you’re on St. Thomas and looking to get out on the water, contact Bolongo Bay Resort. They take the Heavenly Days out for day trips to St. John and of course sunset sails. It’s an experience not to be missed.

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

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The best time to hit popular Caribbean beaches is in the morning. I met up with Big Kahuna at 8pm at the pool bar of Bolongo Bay Resort, our destination, the popular Magens Bay beach on St. Thomas.

Magens Bay is St. Thomas’ most popular beach. It’s a slightly crescent, mile long stretch of white sand that is postcard perfect. On the morning we were exploring the blue water was calm with only gentle waves that massaged your ankles as they washed by. Magens gradually deepens making it perfect for small children to play and adults to simply float away. The bay is protected by lush green mountains on either side and has a centerpiece island sitting out in front of the bay’s opening.

Magens Bay is the only beach on St. Thomas that has an entry fee; funds are used to maintain the facilities and the beach. What sort of facilities you ask. You can find a restaurant/bar that serves pizza, burgers, snacks and cold beer. I wouldn’t call Magens Bay a snorkelers paradise. The bay has mostly a sandy bottom but you can find some rocks on the left (west) side that might give you some snorkeling structure to explore.

Magens Bay, St. Thomas USVI

The beach is a popular stop on island tour itineraries and can get crowded on days when there are several cruise ships in port. Most beach goers pick a spot close to the restaurant area, so typically if you walk down the shore where the snorkeling rocks I mentioned are, away form the concession are you’ll find fewer people. But really, there’s never a bad time to go, it’s the freakin’ best beach on island! Go and enjoy.

Does it get any better than this? Magens Bay

Magens Bay, St. Thomas USVI

It was a glorious morning spent at Magens. My only regret, I’m going to sound like a broken record, was that I didn’t have more time to relax and perhaps do some floating around. Maybe watch the day charters pull up and anchor, or perhaps kick back at the bar and enjoy a couple Summer Ales. Just a little island limin’.

Cheers Castaways!
RumShopRyan

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