Maho pumpkin carving contest

Last week at Starfish Market here on St. John they were selling pumpkins for $5.99 each, which by St. John standards is quite a deal! You'd almost expect them to be $5.99 a pound down here!

We couldn't pass-up buying a bunch and doing our own pumpkin carving contest here at Maho for our guests and staff. Everyone at dinner last night was very impressed with the creativity on display. 1st prize was quite a "sweet treat:" dessert at the restaurant, followed by a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream from our store.

1st Prize:
Notice the bent plastic forks for arms and legs!


2nd Prize:
Wish we had a picture of the cute tail on this pig!

Snow Day Discount Today!

(Image from wunderground.com)

In light of the impending snow day, we have decided to share some happiness. Today only, Saturday October 29th, all online reservations with "Snow Day" in the comments will receive a 10% discount on their stay. This applies only to Maho Bay Tent Cottages and Concordia Eco&Premium Tents and is subject to availability. Again this is only for online reservations made through http://www.maho.org/ . Happy Snow Day!

cleaning cleaning cleaning

One of the greatest problems of living in the Caribbean is fighting mold & mildew. When your home (or in our case tent) is located in dense vegetation with frequent rain showers the battle is exaggerated. Most areas of Maho are within easy reach with a rag and cleaning solution, but one area in particular gives us quite a bit of trouble: The Big Top

Fortunately we've devised a rather unique yet time consuming solution: scaffolding - where we both stand and lay on our backs scrubbing the ceiling, getting it nice and clean for all those dining in our pavilion this winter. One interesting note during the cleaning each year?: the amount ofJack Spaniard nests located on the roofing material. Most often you'll find small nests under tree branches and leaves while on hiking trails, but at Maho we find them taking shelter under tents and boardwalks which probably gives them a little better protection from wind, rain, and the sun. I guess the best protection is under our restaurant pavilion roof, which offered enough space for 30-40 little nests.

Below is a section of roof that has been cleaned, compared to a section that has yet to be touched.

Cinnamon Bay gut

Expanding on our non-existent "field guide for trails close to Maho Bay Camps:"

America Hill & Cinnamon Bay via the gut.

For those staying at Maho looking to do a short yet very different trail with incredible views, the America Hill trail from the Cinnamon Bay ruins is a great choice. How to make it even better? Try hiking up the gut instead of the trail! You don't have to be a serious rock climber, but it is definitely recommended you do this only when it hasn't rained in a few days. Being a gut that is filled with running water after each rain, it understandably would not be possible to hike after a serious rain. The start point is directly off the North Shore road just before you reach Cinnamon Bay from Maho, just turn left and upwards once you reach the only section of road that looks like a dried-up river bed with huge boulders. It's probably easiest to walk from Maho, but driving to Cinnamon and parking is an option as well. The gut itself goes all the way up to Centerline road, but you'll be getting off after about 10-15 minutes of boulder climbing or once you reach the America Hill trail that passes directly over the gut. Something to keep in mind if doing this hike relatively soon: there are a TON of bees once you reach to top. The entire ruin at the top is very overgrown with vines & flowers, creating the perfect meeting ground for those looking for nectar.

Pictured above is one of the viewpoints from the gut, of Cinnamon & Peter Bay. Below is part of the gut (an easy part) just before reaching the America Hill trail.

Check out our post from June 7th if you're interested in a sneak preview of the views once you get to the top.

a hunter's moon

15 staff, volunteers and guests decided to celebrate the hunter's moon, or blood moon last night with a late night hike out to Ram Head. As has been the case for the past 4 months, this full moon night was truly spectacular - no rain, just a handful of clouds, and plenty of breeze to cool us during the hike.

If you find yourself at Maho during the full moon then take the opportunity to do something really different and hike Ram Head at night, the moonlight vs. the sun shining on your back makes the hike much more enjoyable!

find me if you can......continued

Keeping with our individualistic theme of the week: custom hermit crab shells!

Hermit crabs roam the grounds and even the boardwalks here at Maho, and save for the size of their shells most of them look very similar. A couple of staff members thought it would be fun and entertaining to paint a few shells (empty of hermit crabs) to see if the little guys had a preference when it comes to choosing a new "mobile home" if you will. Well they do! it didn't take long before a handful of painted shells were quickly occupied, their "plain" shells left lying where the painted shells once were. So don't be surprised if you see a painted shell crab among the thousands around camp.

The little guy pictured below was extremely happy with his new shell, so happy that he decided to show-off by climbing a tree.