Last Minute’s John McCann on House Hunters International (St. John, USVI)

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If you’ve ever watched HGTV’s hit TV show “House Hunters,” you know how entertaining it is to watch folks shop for a house and choose between the different options. Will they pick house #1, with the water view? Or is it more important to have the larger kitchen at house #2?

Tonight (November 26), John McCann, the co-founder of Last Minute Island Vacation, appears on “House Hunters International.” Not only is John an expert at St. John’s villas but he’s been a realtor on the island for 12 years. Tonight you’ll watch him help John and Stacy Alvarado find the house of their dreams as they move onto the island.

John standing on Great Cruz Bay beach during the House Hunters International shoot. Living on St. John means you can work barefoot!

As HGTV says about tonight’s episode,

John and Stacey Alvarado live the good life with their young son, Andrew, on the island of St. Thomas. It’s all a day at the beach until John gets a job on neighboring St. John, adding an extended commute via ferry across islands. Motivated to regain the lost family time and invest in their future, John and Stacey decide to relocate to St. John, but there’s an added perk that comes with the move. They can bring their beloved dogs after deciding to take the plunge and purchase a home, since most St. John rentals don’t allow four legged tenants. Investing in their family, both human and furry, fuels the search for John, but Stacey’s fear of hurricanes makes buying an island home a stormy experience.

Tune in tonight on HGTV (at 7:30pm PT/10:30pm ET or check your local listings) to see what happens and also to see some gorgeous views of your favorite Virgin Island, too! Then if you find yourself longing for a trip to St. John, don’t forget to use Last Minute Island Vacation for excellent discounts on some of the best properties our Caribbean paradise has to offer.

New villa: Sea Cay

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I’m very pleased to show you a super cute new villa we just added to our site, Sea Cay. Located just above Klein Bay, Sea Cay is notable for having three separate bedroom suites (with king bed and air conditioning), each with its own private full bath, private patio, and its own separate entrance.

And the views… well… see for yourself :-)

the view from Sea Cay, over Klein Bay to Ditleff Point

For more information, check out all the details (and a bunch more amazing photos) of Sea Cay.

Dozens of new villas now available!

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I’m happy to report that as of today, we have 67 villas for you to choose from!

This includes some of the best luxury villas on the island (like the stunning Heaven’s Gate and the 5-bedroom Cinnamon Breeze) as well as affordable hideaways like cute little Sea Cottage and Periwinkle, which are both available for under $200/night.

For many of these villas, we have significant discounts available, to save you hundreds of dollars. If you’re looking for a discount on St. John villas or a St. John VRBO, you are in the right place.

Please look through all our villas, or do a quick search and see what you like!

And we know there are a lot of villas, so please don’t hesitate to call if you’d like some help finding exactly what you’re after. John McCann, your Last Minute Island Vacation booking specialist, knows the island and these villas inside and out. Just give him a ring at (340) 998-0423 (or send him an email) and he’ll be happy to help you out. There is absolutely no obligation.

The sunrise from the deck of Rara Avis can be quite stunning.

New villa: Sea Cottage

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We’ve just added a very cute villa, Sea Cottage.

Sea Cottage

Sea Cottage is an adorable little bungalow.

This is a lovely little studio bungalow located up on Bordeaux Mountain… perfect for honeymooners who want to get away from it all!

It’s just 10 minutes to the North Shore beaches, and just 15 minutes from Coral Bay and Cruz Bay. And if you want to head down to Lameshur Bay (a great place to spot sea turtles!), it’s just a short and scenic hike.

Sea Cottage is a newly built studio with an open floor plan, including airy vaulted ceilings, a spacious wrap around covered deck, a queen bed, a garden shower, a fully equipped kitchen, DVD player and state of the art sound dock. Decorated with beautiful pieces made by local artists, this private getaway is accessed by means of a comfortable descent through a tropical garden. It is amply cooled by ceiling fans and tradewind breezes so there is never any need for air conditioning.

It's a charming, cozy little cottage, perfect to get away from it all.

Sea Cottage view

Is there anything more relaxing than the view from Sea Cottage?!

Check it out here!
http://lastminuteislandvacation.com/villa/40/st-john-villa-vrbo-sea-cottage

How Much is that Donkey in the Window?

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When you’re in St. John, watch out for the wild donkeys wandering the roads– maybe best to have a carrot or apple on hand… just in case! ;-)

(Seriously though, the donkeys are quite tame and mostly will just ignore you and shuffle out of the way as you drive by. If you stop and roll down your window, they will come over and poke their nose in… but they are wild animals, so best to not feed them.)

The Three Saints

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You’ve probably hear the island referred to as St. Johns, with an “s”… heck, you might even call it that. One thing I am sure of is that the island is definitely St. John, singular. And I don’t know much about the two St. Johns, so I thought I’d take a quick look.

The first is St. John’s, on the island of Newfoundland, on the Easternmost edge of Canada. Here’s how it looks:

view of the city of St. John's, Newfoundland

This is St. John's, Newfoundland (Canada)... not exactly a Caribbean island paradise.

Though St. John’s is right on the water, their beaches are “pretty rocky and cold” (according to one web site), and the average high temperature in March is a brisk 34°F (1°C)… so this is not the place you want to be in the winter. :-)

Then I found Saint John, New Brunswick (also in Canada). Here’s a look at Saint John:

city view of Saint John, New Brunswick

Saint John, New Brunswick - want to swim in that water?

Saint John is also on the water (in this case, not the Caribbean Sea, but on one Bay of Fundy), and in addition to being the first incorporated city in all of Canada, Saint John also said to be the most Irish city in the country, as well. Saint John also shares St. John’s very chilly winters… and I’m not sure that I’d recommend it as the place to go for great snorkeling. ;-)

Here’s a look at Saint John, St. John’s and St. John on a Google map.

And finally… just to finish with a “palate cleanser” and to get those other Saints out of your head… here’s a nice look at Turtle Bay on St. John, in the lovely U.S. Virgin Islands:

Turtle Bay, a Caribbean beach on St. John

the beach at Turtle Bay (photo: Fred Hsu)

And incidentally, the island is having fabulous weather… today, March 23, we had a high of 80°F (27°C). Now that’s more like it!

So the next time your friends ask you when you’re heading back to St. John’s, politely correct them and let them know there’s no “s” where you like to be. No “s,” and no snow, either.

Last Minute Island Vacation is live! Welcome!

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Have you noticed all that grunting and moaning coming from the Virgin Islands recently? Don’t be alarmed– it’s not an iguana attack– it’s just the labor pains of Last Minute Island Vacation getting ready to launch!

My partner John and I are super excited and happy to have you here to see the new site. We set out to create a site offering the best last-minute deals for villas on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Here’s how it all started: we have been St. John residents for years, and we love having friends and family come down to visit. Often they would find a chance to get away at the last minute and come see us and enjoy St. John’s gorgeous beaches, but they had a hard time tracking down the best deal for a rental villa. There are so many places to rent villas on the island, and some places have last-minute deals but others don’t, and even then it could be difficult to find the exact last-minute rates.

We thought there had to be a better way to help our friends and families (and all last-minute travelers) find deals, so that led us to create Last Minute Island Vacation. The site is designed to help you quickly find a great villa, and to give you a great price, too. If you haven’t already, try searching through our villas and check out all the great properties we have available for you.

Whether you’ve been to St. John a dozen times or you’re just thinking about visiting for the first time, we’re here to help. John has lived on-island for 12 years and knows it intimately… he’ll help you find just the right place for you, and answer any questions you have. After you’ve made your booking with us, we put you in the capable hands of the villa managers here on St. John, who will meet you at the ferry, escort you to your villa and help you with anything else you might need to make your stay great. (And if all of this is new to you– what ferry are you talking about?!– don’t worry, just see our About St. John page for everything you need to know.)

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be adding even more villas to the site, and this blog will also feature information perfect for first-time or long-time visits to St. John. (Please bookmark this page and come back often!) We love to share our island paradise and would love to help you have a terrific visit to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Everything is new right now, and John and I would love to hear your feedback on the site. Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below, or send us an email at Info@LastMinuteIslandVacation.com.

Thanks, and hope to see you here on island soon… now please explore the new site! :-)

Eric Mueller (& John McCann)
founders, LastMinuteIslandVacation.com