This just in… literally!

This evening, in an address to the Territory, I [Governor John DeJongh] announced that I have entered into a landmark public-private partnership with Diageo, PLC for the construction of a $165 million rum distillery on St. Croix. This facility will make all the rum for Captain Morgan brand products sold in the United States. Captain Morgan is the second largest rum brand in the world.
When completed in about three years, this St. Croix rum production facility will generate about $100 million of new revenues to the Territory every year for the thirty year term of the agreement.

I believe this is the single greatest financial step forward we have taken in the Territory in fifty years.

Interesting news!! Cruzan Rum has been the signature rum of the island of St Croix for a couple of hundred years! (like 9 generations!) I’m very curious to see how the island reacts to this news. On the one hand, the increase in revenue is really exciting, but this is proud Cruzan Rum Territory! Hmmm…

For more information visit Gov DeJongh’s website

Posted on June 23rd, 2008 by Administrator
Filed under: Coconutvine, St Croix | No Comments »

This past weekend was the Starving Artist’s fair at the Whim Plantation.  Such a great day of beautiful weather, yummy West Indian food and artists and craft vendors galore.  I bought a few presents for my family and a couple of skirts and a necklace for myself from Asha Eclectic World Design.  Asha is run by Sarah Jane who travels the world collecting great warm weather/tropical fashions and jewelery.  She sets up tables at the Twin City Coffee house at Rainbow Beach and various fairs and festivals while she is here on St Croix (usually for the winters).  I get compliments every time I wear something I purchased from her, they are cool and comfortable.

It was truly a glorious weekend and got me thinking about color (the artist in me) and themes for events and weddings.  I think one of the most important tools in deciding upon your theme/color scheme for any event, and particularly a wedding, is your own imagination. Start by truly letting your imagination go wild and then slowly tame it.  Go beyond just choosing your “favorite” colors. Here are some steps to get you going on the right path.

1. Brainstorm - Think of your favorite colors, places, memories… use the surroundings of the location to inspire you or the season. Think of the location of your first date, a favorite date or vacation spot. Look at the natural surroundings - the flora (leaves, trees, flowers, etc) and the landscape. Think broad and don’t limit yourself.  True inspiration is found through an active imagination, so don’t let yourself be constricted in this part of the process to what’s in vogue or seems safe.
2. Find inspiration - Once you’ve brainstormed, delve deeper into those thoughts.  Look at natural objects (like shells, trees, flowers, the ocean); Choose an object that you really love - maybe its the lace from grandma’s wedding gown or an old teacup pattern.  It could be your favorite painting or an accent pillow on your couch.  Just find something that speaks to you.
3. Look at the color palette.  You should choose a main color, a neutral and then one or two accent colors.  For a monochromatic theme, choose a few shades of the same color.  For something with a little more punch, choose accent colors that contrast with your main color.  There’s a great color wheel that you can use to get ideas and see what colors work together at brides.com http://www.brides.com/weddingstyle/receptions/colorstudio/ 
4. Once you’ve decided on a color palette, tie those colors in with your flowers, linens, favors and other wedding items.  Use the color palette to create your save-the-dates and invitations to give guests a taste of what’s to come…

Have fun, be daring, choose what you love!

Posted on March 12th, 2008 by Administrator
Filed under: Misc, weddings | No Comments »

Well, I’m finally back on St Croix permanently and almost settled in.  I’ve had a good volume of work since I set foot back on the island (both graphic design work and wedding planning, as well as just getting out there and reconnecting), so I’m just getting back to blogging now. 

My return couldn’t have come at a better time as the temperature has plunged into a deep freeze in the North East (and I am sooo not a cold weather person)… and business is starting to boom again on St Croix.  A few cool things I’ve learned since being back:

• In the Nov 07 issue of Caribbean Travel & Life - St Croix was the cover feature - and the article was titled St Croix: The Next Great Place. The article is focused on the great things that are happening on our often overlooked island and why it is THE place to be!
• There is a new upscale bar and restaurant in downtown Christiansted that I’ve heard nothing but raves about - Zebo’s on Strand Street.  Haven’t gotten a chance to drop in yet - but its high on my list!  I’ve heard its comfy couches, pool table, great food… will report more when I have the chance to stop in!
• Had dinner at Bacchus Friday night - my first time since the new owner’s and I can say that they are doing a great job!  Same great and welcoming staff, same funky, upscale style menu with their own twists on classics.  I split the rack of lamb with a friend (which was delish and plenty!).  We had some AMAZING spicy lobster dip on large fried wonton squares… tender, melt-in-your-mouth bite sized tuna tar-tar on tortillas… and of course finished with my favorite - their bread pudding!  Nothing disappointed and I discovered my new favorite wine - Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir. 
• The Mermaid Restaurant at The Buccaneer is now open for dinner!  It’s always just been a lunch spot on the beach - but their new dinner menu is really intriguing with lots of seafood and vegetarian options.  I had a tropical chicken salad for lunch which was really fantastic and I’m looking forward to trying it out for dinner.  A great option to the high-end Terrace Restaurant at the Bucc - which is great for a meal or two, but a bit much for every night if you are staying at the resort.

There’s lots going on these days on St Croix and I’ll be sticking to a regular publishing schedule now that I’m here… at least posting twice weekly… so check back for more of the insider scoop and great event ideas!

Sun & Smiles,

Cindy

Posted on January 21st, 2008 by Administrator
Filed under: Nightlife, STX Restaurants, Things to do on St Croix | No Comments »

As I mentioned yesterday - things are always changing in the islands.  Just got some new info over the past 24 hours and thought I’d share.  Carambola Beach Resort is still in the midst of their $20 million upgrade in order to come under the Marriott Renaissance Flag - but the actual date is still unknown according to my inside source.  What does this mean?  Well, it seems that part of their construction was delayed which is causing the delay in acquiring full Renaissance status.  This is still good news.  Basically the hotel must meet a list of criteria that will put it in the same category of luxury and service as other Renaissance properties.  That won’t happen until every single item is checked off the list.  In the mean time, travellers will notice that the staff is working really hard to get up to that status, rooms are being renovated into luxury accommodations - yet the rates have not yet sky-rocketed.  As soon as the renovations are complete and they are branded a Renaissance property - you can expect those rates to go up, waaay up.  So, now is the time to book your vacation and lock in budget rates for a top-notch, luxury property!

In other news, The Palms at Pelican Cove has been bought out and I hear their plans are big, big, big! From my source:  They plan to undergo a $15 million renovation over the next 4 years, will have 120 rooms (currently about 45 rooms), 2 pools (currently 1 gorgeous pool) and a 250 person conference center.  (I’m REALLY excited about that one).  Additionally, right now they have 2 very talented and widely accoladed chefs heading up their restaurant and I CAN’T WAIT to get back on island and visit.  Frank Pugliese is the former owner and executive chef of Restaurant Bacchus in Christiansted (now under new ownership) which was one of my favorites for upscale, gourmet cuisine and an amazing wine list.  Chef Brian Wisbauer, has worked at the hotel when it was still The Cormorant and most recently headed up the kitchen at Salud Bistro.  Both he and Frank have many awards under their belt and I’m sure are turning out to be a mean team.  Make sure to put their kitchen on your list of “must do’s” when on St Croix - **YUM**! 

Recent news also has it that 2009 will mark the return of the cruise ship to St Croix, namely the Disney Cruise Line.  While there have been some smaller ships stopping and some larger ones staying for a few hours to fuel up, the past 5 years have seen very little cruise ship activity.  But, it was recently announced that Disney Cruise Lines has added St Croix as a port destination for its 2009 itineraries.  This is great news for the economy of St Croix and no fear - there still won’t be 5-10 ships daily like on St Thomas.  Just enough travellers to find out that St Croix truly is the gem of the Caribbean, then go back and tell all their friends!

Posted on December 11th, 2007 by Administrator
Filed under: Coconutvine, STX Restaurants, St Croix, Travel | No Comments »

Well, it’s been a great year up here in New England.  I’ve spent some real quality time with my family and have gotten a great education in graphic design (a continuing process!) but I am soooooo ready to be back on St Croix and in the swing of things!  After today’s glistening, sparkling coating of ICE all over EVERYTHING - I’m ready to be back in the warm sunshine under a swaying palm tree.  I’m also really excited to check out all of the new restaurants on the island and see what’s moved on.  It’s amazing how much changes in a matter of months.   Island life is definitely good - but it can also be sad.  Friends come along and sadly, friends move on.  Some of mine are heading on to new adventures and I’ll surely miss them.  Somehow even though I was away (with a few visits back to the sunny isle), it was comforting to know that my friends and familiar places were still there.  For the few that are leaving our island home, I’m sad for me… but happy for their new adventures.

The constant change that occurs on any island is just another reason that you should have a local wedding, event or travel planner.  They can make sure that you are aware of these changes - and guide you in the right direction to new things that are really worth checking out.  My first mission when I get back to St Croix (as of Jan 1) will be to check these new places out and let you know what I think… in other words, I really and truly will be actively blogging!  You should also see some great new changes to my website as of Jan 08 - so stay tuned!

And - to everyone… have a very Happy Holiday season!

Posted on December 11th, 2007 by Administrator
Filed under: Misc, St Croix | No Comments »

I’m so excited to be back to blogging with my new Wordpress blog!
I guess its the artistic side of me, but I just couldn’t keep up with the hideous looking blog I had before… so after much time, hair-pulling, patience and a really late night - I’m back on track and ready to offer you some really great info on St. Croix, weddings, events, travel and here and there some of my fun and offbeat adventures. So, let’s get down to it…

 I have to toot my own horn here, but since the inception of SunCelebrations we’ve been on-trend or ahead of the trends and the Signature Drink rage is one that we were ahead of and are glad to see is becoming pretty commonplace nowadays.  As an event planner at an established boutique resort I saw how chaotic it can be when your entire reception decends upon the bar at one time.  For this reason, several years back, I started recommending to our wedding guests that they plan to have one cocktail pre-prepared, poured and ready to serve as the guests entered the reception.  This little tidbit works REALLY well for several reasons

• It makes your reception look thoughtful and well-planned
• Have these passed throughout the crowd by servers for the first 15 minutes at least… everyone is warmly greeted and made to feel welcome. (Have at least 1 non-alcoholic option for kids and non-drinkers)
• It avoids bottle-necking (no pun intended) at the bar and the feeling of “Hey can a girl get a drink around here?!”

Your cocktail doesn’t have to be anything super fancy - and it really shouldn’t be - but should be something that either represents you as a couple, the location of the wedding (when in St Croix think award-winning Cruzan Rum cocktails), or the theme of your wedding.  A colorful mixed cocktail that can be prepared in volume and poured is best, add a fun garnish like a pineapple wedge, carambola (star fruit) wedge or a sugar cane stick - and you’ve added to the room’s decor as well!

Some ideas to get you started:

• What were you drinking on your first date or the day he proposed?
• Do you have a favorite cocktail you’d like to share?
• Beer isn’t out of the question… if one or both of you is known for a particular brew, or you have a favorite microbrew serve that for a fun twist 
• On St Croix, you can get a keg or two (or three…) from the only microbrewery in the US Virgin Islands - The Fort Christian Brew Pub - try a Blackbeard’s Ale or Hammerhead Pale Ale (my personal favorite)
• Do you have a favorite sport or hobby?  If you’re a Red Sox fan (like me) How about taking a midori cocktail garnished with cherry (green with red garnish) and calling it a Green Monster … let your imagination go wild
• Have a few placecards printed and displayed with the name of your signature drink and the story behind it if you’ve chosen something creative
• Have fun with it!  This is one of those personal touches that can really make your wedding or event unique and memorable!

Crucian vs. Cruzan - confused?  Click here

Posted on September 15th, 2007 by Administrator
Filed under: St Croix, events, weddings | No Comments »

Currently, I’m working on our inaugural edition of the SunCelebrations Newsletter - launching next week! Inspired by the 7/7/7 concert and issues surrounding Global Warming… I’m dedicating the first issue to Green Weddings.  As someone who has been concerned for our environment for many years (its a family thing! my lil sis just graduated with a degree in Environmental Ed/Wildlife Biology… so proud!!), I’m excited that Green is becoming so popular.  Having lived on St Croix for many years - I immediately thought of Southgate Farms (local grown and organic), so I emailed farm manager and artist Luca Gasperi http://www.bigswelldesign.com/lucagasperi/index.htm  thought I’d share the Q&A with you prior to the newsletter! … Can’t wait to be back on the island in the fall to enjoy their great produce. If you’re visiting the island - its worth a Wednesday trip to the farm stand! (they are located across from Cheeseburgers in Paradise) 

Q:  What got you started in organic farming? My dad had a small garden at home that he grew during the cooler months of the year. I would help with the weeding and cleaning of the salad greens.

Q: Can you describe the ups and downs of organic farming? the ups are these: lots of life all around you. it’s so satisfying to see so many insects of all types living on our farm and then the birds. Birds love our plants and so do the toads. /with organic farming you are actually building life in your soil and above it. The only down is that we have to stop in the summer but this is actually a blessing cause the soil gets to rest and so do the farmers!

Q: What produce have you found works well in the St Croix soil and what not so well?Southgate is it’s own little world. I can’t grow pineapples at southgate but on the southshore only 4 miles away I am growing great pineapples. even with in southgate there are different soils. it’s taken us years to figure it out. Peppers don’t like southgate and squash and pumpkin also don’t like it. Most greens love it and so do tomatoes and most other veggies tolerate us.

Q: What produce do you typically supply to local restaurants and caterers? We supply a lot of salad greens, herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, long beans, eggplant, and bananas.

Q: What seasonal produce do you grow and in which seasons are they available? Our main season is the cooler months. we grow most of our goodies from September till May. We try to grow a variety of quality produce. We’ll have  three types of basil, two types of parsley, chives, mint, two types of cilantro, dill, edible flowers, 6 types of cherry tomatoes, 6 types of slicing tomatoes including heirloom varieties, 4 types of cucumbers,  3 types of long beans, 4 types of eggplants, lots of cooking greens and lots of salad greens. We also grow micro greens and baby greens. We’ll start having tomatoes in january and they will go till  May. As soon as the tomatoes are done the mangoes  start. This summer we also had great melons.

I think it’s important for all of us to do our part. buying local and organic is a great step towards greening up our communities.

Q: Do you have any recommendations for keeping events/weddings more earth friendly?There are more and more biodegradable products coming out on the market these days. I think it would be great for weddings and parties to incorporate those products. Separating trash at these events is also a good idea. All the organic stuff could be composted (we compost allot of restaurant waste) and the aluminum could be recycled.

…check out our online store for greener products for home & entertaining! http://www.suncelebrations.com/Store.html

Posted on July 19th, 2007 by Administrator
Filed under: Go green!, STX Restaurants, St Croix | 1 Comment »

So…I’ve been terrible at keeping up with my postings - but for good reason.  I’m on hiatus up here in MA enjoying the beautiful weather (finally) and working on my website and new graphics skills (new Adobe software and upgrades YUMMY!)  It cracks me up when everyone up here complains about a “heat wave”… I was in heaven last week with the humid tropical weather - hello, you people pay big money to go to paradise and experience it!! whatever LOL

Anyways - lots of new stuff on the website.  Working on a GREAT newsletter chock full of info and tips - whether you are a bride or interested in travelling to St Croix and the rest of the Virgin Islands (BVIs included!) you’ll find something informative, fresh and fun.  It’s easy to sign up on my website www.suncelebrations.com just enter your email address… and rest assured that I DO NOT and WILL NEVER share emails with third parties.  I can’t stand the amount of spam that I get and so would not do that to you ;o)

As soon as I finish updating the major things I need to get through on my website, I’ll be working more on my ebook and also changing over the blog to WordPress!! (I’m so excited!!!)… same url will apply, so no need to change any favorites :0)

All for now - enjoy the sunshine!

Posted on July 12th, 2007 by Administrator
Filed under: Go green!, Misc, STX Restaurants, St Croix, Uncategorized | No Comments »

 Just when I thought the trip couldn’t get any better… we found paradise!  Peter Island is pricey, exclusive and worth it!  This is THE most romantic honeymoon spot!!  With a 5-star resort designed for pampering and the most incredible palm-tree lined, white sand beach, you can’t go wrong.  They also have a great harbor for yachters and the beaches and facilities are available to both.  We had an absolutely indulgent day sipping cocktails, lounging on the beach, swimming, snorkeling, wind surfing and motoring around the bay.  With a magnificent view of the rest of the BVIs it’s no wonder that this is the place that inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island (the real Deadman’s Cay is right off shore).

Though there is nothing else on Peter Island besides the resort, there are ferries daily to Tortola and other spots if you care to explore (but why would you want to leave?!).  Getting to Peter Island is a bit of an adventure - you’ll need to fly into one of the bigger islands and then ferry or take a helicopter.  But once you’re here, you’ll be oh-so-glad you did it! 

 And the bosses say its time to go.

Go to www.suncelebrations.com if you’d like help getting here!!

Posted on April 30th, 2007 by Administrator
Filed under: Adventures, BVI, Travel | No Comments »

This trip was not only a sailing trip, but also a culinary journey!  Each night, a different chef took over in the galley.  We dined on Em’s famous Chicken Curry (who says the English aren’t known for great food… ok well this is Indian but give her some slack!), Josh & Les grilled up some amazing filet, I mashed up my famous guacamole, but the prize definitely goes to Tom & Kate.  Ok - so they had the upper hand - they are the proprietors of my favorite restaurant on St Croix… Savant.  I was in heaven as I devoured mahi mahi done with macadami, cranberry and Cruzan Rum and jasmine rice.  On a boat, in the Caribbean, good company, amazing food… Bliss!

Just off the main strip in Christiansted is my favorite, and arguably the best, restaurant on St Croix.  This place is a not-so-well kept secret… they don’t do much advertising, they don’t have to!  Savant is a cozy little bistro with an eclectic menu of Asian meets Caribbean meets Mexican.  This is the place to go if you have only one night to splurge. 

Dine inside and enjoy the intricately detailed decor (Kate used to design movie sets! http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/Kate_Bartoldus/3110322) or outside in the Mediterranean/Moroccan-inspired courtyard dripping with romance (Kate did the amazing sculpture work).  Make sure to try the house specialty, char-grilled calamari, and sample something from their expertly created wine list. 

Be sure to make a reservation!  Call 340.713.8666 …tell them Cindy from SunCelebrations sent you!

Posted on April 30th, 2007 by Administrator
Filed under: Nightlife, STX Restaurants, St Croix, Things to do on St Croix, Uncategorized | No Comments »