Coming Back Soon – Caneel Bay, St. John
I never stayed at Caneel Bay. Never even saw much more of it than this elevated view of its Hawksnest Beach section from high atop Peace Hill. Every time I ever visited St. John, though, I could always feel Caneel Bay. The resort’s opening on December 1, 1956 coincided with that of the Virgin Islands National Park. Right from the start the two symbolized the best of St. John. The ultimate Caribbean dream escape. An unspoiled natural paradise where you could be spoiled to the nines by the finest luxuries. The influence of the property, the reverence with which it was held for providing employment and bringing prestige to St. John, could be felt all over the island. In many ways, at least to me, Caneel Bay has always been St. John and vice versa. This, of course, made seeing it in disrepair, courtesy of hurricanes Irma and Maria, all the more difficult when we visited last May. Yes, much of St. John had already recovered nicely from the devastating storms. Still, the island didn’t quite feel whole without Caneel Bay. The good news is that the resort is on the comeback trail. Here’s hoping that by this time next year, St. John will have that old special “Caneel feeling” fully restored… and we’ll have a happier photo to share.