Mar 28, 2022 | Island News
Two miles north of Frederiksted town lies a historic 17th century estate whose beautiful restoration created one of the most unique places to stay on St. Croix. Feather Leaf Inn is the island’s newest eco-retreat that has been fully transformed into a seaside botanical food-forest. Each of the inn’s charming sea view rooms is 100% solar powered featuring Danish architectural details and modern conveniences with its own private entrance and bathroom. Regardless of your location on the property, the shimmering shores of the secluded bay – perfect for snorkeling and swimming – is footsteps away.
Husband-and-wife owners Ryal Flegal and Corina Marks were up for the challenge to transform the 262- year-old sugar plantation at Butler Bay into an incredible immersive experience for travelers interested in a different kind of stay. The couple is known for saying, “If you’re looking for a hotel, book a hotel. If you’re looking for a Caribbean experience where you can explore and learn, come stay with us at the Feather Leaf Inn.” For example, there are no TVs in the rooms. Instead, guests can explore the sprawling estate grounds, unwind by the pool with a new book, stretch out in a hammock for a mid-day nap, or snorkel and dive in nearby Butler Bay. The possibilities here are endless!
The former private residence was previously listed on the National Register of Historic Places but fell into disrepair over the years. With this in mind, Ryan and Corina were committed to maintaining the building restoration at Feather Leaf Inn as an upcycle project. They made sure to salvage much of what was already there, like fallen mahogany trees and authentic Danish brick.
The nine guest rooms on the property are divided between three buildings. The Main House is a sprawling Caribbean paradise that houses 5 bedrooms, a dining room, private bathrooms, 52-ft gallery sunset porch, library, pool and a gorgeous backyard. The 1- bedroom Ocean House is a historic stone-arch carriage home that sleeps up to five people and has a full kitchen and large patio for lounging. The three-bedroom Dragonfly House features ocean-view balconies and double queen beds in each private room, making it an ideal location for groups traveling together.
Feather Leaf Inn’s impressive location makes the property the perfect venue for weddings and private parties, reunions, events and even retreats. The property can host up to 30 guests simultaneously, features several shared open spaces and has a large room that can be used for yoga and other classes. They also offer 100% plant-based catering, an ideal choice for yoga or wellness retreats. To book your stay at St. Croix’s newest eco-retreat, visit www.featherleafinn.com or give them a call at (340) 474-1358.
Article written by Anquanette Gaspard (agaspard@cruzanfoodie.com) for Coldwell Banker, St. Croix Realty
Photo from Feather Leaf Inn website
#stcroix #stcroixusvi #caribbean #resort #retreat #yoga #wellness #tourism #hotel #accommodation
Mar 22, 2022 | Island News
The Virgin Islands Architecture Center is a community development non-profit corporation, organized to develop the Old Barracks property on Hospital Street, Christiansted, St. Croix into an urban campus and education lab that will teach, train and certify our young people in the building arts of stone, wood, iron and other crafts used to build and restore Virgin Islands and other historic towns. The VIAC has been observing Virgin Islands History Month by celebrating the Built Heritage of St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John. The VIAC has put together a number of cultural exploration experiences for students and the public on the history and legacy of our towns and historic places and an event on March 11th to exhibit preliminary concepts for the restoration of the Old Barracks property, present speakers on the importance of Virgin Islands built heritage.
Click here to read more about the programs on their website and the full article on the St. Croix Source here.
#virginislands #caribbean #architecture #vihistorymonth #historicpreservation #stcroix
Mar 22, 2022 | Island News
Senator Milton Potter is challenging Virgin Islanders to have fun planting seeds and starting home gardens with their families with the Second Annual Plant a Seed Challenge. Each contestant who registers in one of the 4 age categories will receive a bag of seeds and enough soil to germinate the seeds to grow Cherry Tomatoes and/or Bok Choy. Contestants must use the seeds and initial soil provided by the program. The first Seed Challenge occurred last year and over 200 students in St. Thomas and St. John signed up to participate. This year the challenge has extended to the island of St. Croix so that students in the entire territory can participate. The Senator announced that “the challenge is literally and figuratively planting the seed of possibility in expanding agriculture in the Virgin Islands.”
The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Tourism are assisting with providing prizes and resources for participants. UVI’s Cooperative Extension Services provides the planning and technical support for the success of the challenge.
Read the full article on St. Croix Source here.
Photo credit Adisha Penn
Mar 22, 2022 | Island News
Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett voted to pass H.R. 2471, government funding legislation. She announced in an interview that “the bill’s transformative investment will help working families with the cost of living, create American jobs and support the vulnerable who work hard” as reported on the St. Croix Source (read full article here).
“The investments in this package address some of our nation’s biggest challenges while providing much-needed support to Virgin Islanders” the Congresswoman said, and explained that the provisions will be “investing in the Virgin Islands middle class”. The bill:
- Averts the Medicaid funding cliff in the Virgin Islands by extending the increased rate of federal funding (83%) for Medicaid in the Virgin Islands through Dec. 13, 2022, averting a sharp decline in the rate of federal Medicaid funding to the Virgin Islands.
- Contains the negotiated bipartisan agreement for federal government funding over the remainder of fiscal year 2022, which includes a $6.5 million increase in Department of the Interior assistance to territories.
- Contains funding for House-approved community projects requested for the Virgin Islands (read more details here)
#stcroix #usvi #virginislands #caribbean #community #funding #investment
Mar 21, 2022 | Island News
This is great story about giving back to the community! With students coming out of the pandemic and back school in person, local school libraries could use some new books. Altona Lagoon Book Club in St. Croix tried to “pay their love of books forward” to a local elementary school. Members selected Juanita Gardine K-8 school as the recipient of their donation. The school librarian came up with a list of books the students would like to read. With the help of the book club along with former Juanita Gardine student Keith O’Neale of O’Neale’s Transport, Inc., all the books on the list were purchased at Undercover Books & Gifts in Gallows Bay and given to the school.
Read the full article on St. Croix Source here.
Photo credit: Elisa McKay
#books #donation #stcroix #stcroixusvi #caribbean #community
Feb 27, 2022 | Island News
International Coastal Cleanup is combining cleanup efforts in the territory with data collection. They use data to support natural resource management and different policies and frameworks. More than 30 volunteers participated in the recent Hull Beach cleanup event (read the VI Daily News article here).
Volunteers including members of the Black in Marine Science group also participated in the Salt Water Bay cleanup in St. Croix. According to the organization’s mission statement, it “aims to celebrate Black marine scientists, spread environmental awareness and inspire the next generation of scientific thought leaders.” According to one of the BIMS volunteers’ tweet, the group “in 50 minutes we collected 55 POUNDS of trash.”
#stcroix #usvi #caribbean #SaltRiverBeach #saltwaterbay #beachcleanup #conservation #marine #preservation #environment
