I'm not at all sure that this issue "has been tabled". I just heard that the VI Senate is considering a 6X increase, but I haven't been able to corroborate that yet. There is a hearing on St. John this evening; we are off island, but know people who will be attending. I'll post what I hear...

Bill: We buy his folded waterproof paper versions a few hundred at a time, as we give one to each group renting our villas, but we've also bought and framed some rolled up versions. It's been a while, but I looked back in my Inbox, and found the following email address for him (Bob Garrison): bob@tr...

Jim: FWIW, I think that we are both saying the same thing. If we used to pay $3,770, and we will pay $14,170, the difference (the amount by which our taxes would go up) is $10,400. This difference is 276% of what we used to pay. On the other hand, the total paid of $14,170 is 3.76X (376%) of what we...

54b: The recent VI Hotel Tax increase took it from 10% to 12.5%. Visitors see that directly. The new proposal is for an enormous increase in the property tax of villas that are in the short-term rental market. This is a tax that property owners pay to the VI. It is not directly visible to visitors, ...

Our favorite sunscreens are Sea Grapes and Mahos, with a rash guard when we are in the water, and some ZnO2 or TiO2 based sunscreen around the neck and nose. Augie makes a good point; local shops should be persuaded to drop the most harmful products (those with oxybenzone and octinoxate). All the be...

XOXO: "A friend suggested Turks and Caicos"... I visited there a couple of years before we bought our first St. John villa, and can comment. At the time, our children were still in school, and my company (after my partner and I sold it) had adopted a "use it or lose it" vacation ...

Linne: I joined the forum after you were posting, but we are on island now, and added a week to our stay in order to to be here for the Transfer Centennial. The formal celebration on St. John was on Monday, with speeches in Franklin Powell Park during the day, and a block party with some thumping mu...

Pia: Dang! You mean that this isn't a private charter by Bigcheeze, with gratis invites to forum members? Oh well, I'm still in, and will call with what I expect will be CC info in the AM.

All the best,

Kevin

Hey Bigcheeze, I'm up for that! Pia, do I need to register in advance?

All the best,

Kevin

Shucks... now I'm blushing!

Al the best,

Kevin

The simplest and most effective way to enjoy a barely populated beach is to either show up very early, or else late in the afternoon. If you plan to spend all day there, it's more hit or miss.

All the best,

Kevin

The only costs to use Honeymoon Beach are if you drive and park at Caneel ($20; refundable if you spend $20 on anything at the beach or resort), or if you rent or consume something at Honeymoon. I am reasonably sure that the $20 fee is waived when the resort is closed, since there would be no front ...

Hello, all. A few months ago, I went diving with Colette of 6-Paq Scuba (www.6paqscuba.com), and I can't say enough good things about her dive operation, which is very personalized, and differentiated from the large-group dive operations. I had originally hoped to dive Eagle Shoals (which is still o...

liamsaunt: "PS: I was wearing a sweater while walking in Cruz Bay this evening..brr!" It sure wasn't you! If you check the air temperature being measured now up at Plumeria (the plot records two full days, so you have time to catch it), the temperature is at the remarkable "I've never...

HD: "Although there maybe a issue not checking into customs..." Well, yeah! I once managed to promptly double our international sales, simply by recalling that Canada is in fact a different country. In a similar vein, you really do need to clear customs upon entering the BVI (a service the...