Blog Archive

Celebrate the New Year in the Virgin Islands

If you’re lucky enough to be in the Virgin Islands for the holidays, you’re sure to be looking for a place to celebrate. We have several clients who rent villas year after year for the coveted week between Christmas and New Years, and we always love helping them make plans for holiday celebrations. There’s no better way to ring in 2020 than on the beach with friends and family in a tropical paradise. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite events to celebrate the turning of the calendar from 2019 to 2020.

St. John
There will be a myriad of events on St. John to ring in the New Year, from dance and costume parties to live music performances. In Cruz Bay, the Beach Bar will feature live music from 7:30-10:30 p.m. while Drink! will offer DJs, dancing, fire dancers and a screening of the Times Square Ball Drop that goes from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. For a big New Year’s Eve party, head to Morgan’s Mango for free champagne and a $500 prize for the fanciest hat. The festivities here will go from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Heading over to Coral Bay, check out the Indigo Grill which will be hosting a masquerade party with live reggae music from 5 p.m. until the last partiers go home. Skinny Legs will be featuring live music by “The Digs” for a funk/soul/dance party. Ready to get decked out? Skipper’s Brit Pub will be offering costume prizes, free champagne at midnight and the legendary music of the Beatles performed by Poet’s Lounge. For those who want to hit the sack a little early, Oasis is hosting Old Timers Night with prime rib and a DJ, and a ball drop at 8 p.m.

St. Thomas
Moving to St. Thomas, Busspipe Records presents Pressure Busspipe at 9 p.m. at Chicken N Bowling, including additional performances by Verse Simmonds, Jada Kingdom, Monea, Th3rd, Jahman & King Lion. Early bird tickets are available for $25 online at www.PressureBusspipeNYE.com.

Breathe St. Thomas is hosting a Conscious New Year’s Celebration at 4 Elements on Water Island. This uplifting event features yoga, breathwork, meditation, a DJ fire party and more!

British Virgin Islands

Foxy’s Old Year’s Night on Jost Van Dyke is a legendary party every year. The 2019/2020 party theme is “Arabian Nights” and party guests can expect whimsical décor, complete with a flying carpet photo booth, belly dancers, genies and other themed performers. Partygoers are encouraged to participate and dress in costume to reflect the theme. As always, out-there or barely-there attire is encouraged!

If you want to join the island celebrations on NYE, we can arrange private boat charters so you can cut down on travel time, avoid ferry crowds and be on your own schedule.  Or you can skip the crowds, charter a yacht and go island hopping to ring in 2020! Blue Sky Luxury Travels team wishes you a Happy New Year. Where will you celebrate this year?

A Day In the Life: What Does a Luxury Concierge Service Actually DO?

Blue Sky Luxury Travels is based in the Caribbean and creating vacation experiences for clients in stunning destinations all over the world. We make a point of visiting each property that we represent, and we love to share our discoveries so we post photos every day of beautiful destinations and luxury experiences. We know it may all look like fun and games, island-hopping in Fiji, Hawaii, the US Virgin Islands, and the British Virgin Islands, but we promise, we are actually hard at work! Since so many people have asked, we wanted to share what a day in the life is for Shanna Dickerson, the CEO of Blue Sky Luxury Travels. Shanna stays in different islands and towns all over the world, but wherever she is, she makes sure to keep to her schedule and make sure that all of her clients’ needs are cared for.

So here’s what a day in the life of Shanna really looks like:

6am    

Shanna rises early and meditates for twenty minutes to get her head straight for the day. Next, she heads straight for the coffee machine for a nice hot cup of coffee. She checks her phone for any urgent client messages and looks over her schedule for the day, always making a point of picking a beautiful spot with a view to start the day off right.

6:30am      

Workout time! It’s so important to keep energy high and muscles strong, so Shanna gets her exercise done, either with a hike in the hills, a trip to the local gym, or her 25-minute at-home workout routine.

8:00am

Client messages. Clients and vendors communicate with Shanna through many different means: text messages, Facebook and Instagram direct messages, emails and phone calls. When a new client comes in, Shanna sends them a Concierge document outlining the services that Blue Sky Luxury Travels has available, and clients usually email her with their specific needs. Shanna keeps track of client requests for upcoming trips on a gigantic spreadsheet, so she refers to that and fills in details as she gets new requests. She makes notes of what needs to be done for the day and answers questions for clients who are coming to the islands.

10:00am

Vendor phone calls. In the Virgin Islands, most car rental services, grocery delivery services, and BVI Yacht Charters operate primarily by phone. This is why it’s so essential to have a travel concierge service handle planning when you’re visiting St. John, St. Thomas, St. Lucia or the Bahamas- it’s hard to get in touch with someone who can set things up. It’s not like other trip planning where you can just go online and do it all yourself. Internet service can be spotty on the islands, so Shanna makes most of her arrangements with vendors over the phone. They’re all accustomed to hearing her cheerful voice and she makes sure they stay organized and keep to the arrangements she’s made for her clients coming to the islands. Shanna makes arrangements for Caribbean villa rentals, yacht rentals, catamarans, fishing trips, grocery delivery, snorkel gear rental, kayak and paddleboard tours, and dining reservations so her clients can relax and enjoy their Caribbean vacations.

12:00pm

Shanna takes a break for lunch, usually a big salad or veggie bowl, at a restaurant on the island. She makes sure to try all the different dining options on each Caribbean island where she stays, so she can offer the best recommendations.

1:00pm

Back to work on emails and phone calls, making arrangements with clients and vendors.

2:00pm

Client meetings. Shanna handles housing for hundreds of hurricane recovery workers through her Blue Sky Global Logistics division. She often meets with top-level officials to understand their needs and find the appropriate solutions. Some days, she’ll take a boat to another island to meet with visiting corporate clients to plan their upcoming corporate events on the islands. Other times, she’ll offer a quick island tour to visiting friends, to show off her favorite spots for paddleboarding and beach time. Face to face is always best, so Shanna makes the time to meet in person with her clients.

6:00pm

Dinner time. Sometimes it’s a dinner meeting with clients, or a meetup with friends staying in a Caribbean villa nearby, or even a quick sandwich at home when the work schedule is intense.

8:00pm

Shanna checks her messages one more time to make sure everything is handled, then the phone goes OFF for a little meditation and quiet time before bed.

9:00pm

Bedtime! Early to bed, and early to rise, keeps Shanna energized, cheerful and ready for anything!

We hope this window into Shanna’s world has helped you understand a little more of what Blue Sky Luxury Travels really does. We take care of every trip planning detail for you from start to finish. Our goal is to make your vacation relaxing, fun and incredibly memorable. If you’d like to put our concierge team to work for your next vacation, please email us at info@blueskyconcierge.com.

Three Romantic Caribbean Villas for Your Caribbean Getaway

When planning your romantic Caribbean getaway, you want to have best of all. As experts in Caribbean travel and accommodations, let us help you choose the most romantic place with an intimate atmosphere, where you can spend unforgettable moments with your loved one. Here are our top three Caribbean luxury villa picks:

The Suites at Paradise Ridge, St. Lucia

The Suites at Paradise Ridge is the place to go if you are planning a honeymoon or are celebrating any other romantic occasion. It is one of the most romantic places in the world, home to the ultimate getaway for honeymooners, couples celebrating an anniversary, or renewing their wedding vows. The location is spectacular – 1,100 feet above sea level overlooking the Pitons. Each villa is 1,400 square feet in size and has a private pool with drop-dead views of the dramatic Piton Mountains and the Caribbean Sea. The villa’s décor has a romantic appeal and features porch swings for two over the pools, tree branches fashioned into lamps, vivid mosaic tile work covering the shower walls, and elaborate carvings in the support columns. If you don’t feel like leaving your suite, you will have the option to be pampered with additional services, such as massage therapy, in-room dining, private butler and more.

The Peter Bay Gatehouse, St. John

The Gatehouse at Peter Bay in St. John is situated in one of the most romantic locations overlooking Peter Bay. The villa features two suites – the Honeymoon Suite and the Penthouse Suite, both ideal for romantic occasions. Each suite is 1,200 square feet in size and has a large balcony surrounded by the splendor of virgin Caribbean panoramas. They both have private entrances and come with upscale amenities and spacious living rooms, air-conditioned bedrooms with king size beds, spacious bathrooms and ceiling fans. The Penthouse Suite has a private spa area with a hot tub overlooking Peter Bay.

The Beach House, Turks & Caicos

This is a luxurious beachfront villa just steps from the award-winning Grace Bay Beach. What makes The Beach House ideal for romantic occasions is the magnificent views featured from its direct oceanfront location. The open floor layout of the living room boasts scenic views of the pool and the sea. The pool is just a few steps away from the sandy beach and has plenty of seating and lounging space, perfect for romantic gatherings and entertainment. When you book this home, you can do custom upgrades for an additional fee, such as villa pre-stocking, a private butler and chef, restaurant reservations, arrange tours and activities and more.

If you are interested in these properties or any other in the Caribbean, please let us know 🙂 info@blueskyconcierge.com

New Hot Additions to our St. John Island Villas Collection

The island of St. John is undergoing a complete restoration after the destruction caused by Hurricane Irma, the Category 5 storm that hit the island in 2017. More than a year later the island is coming back to life and is ready to welcome visitors in newly upgraded villas. Here is a sneak peak of three new villas we recently added to our St. John villas collection. We have personally checked them out and highly recommend these Caribbean villas to all of you looking for luxurious comfort and style in the Caribbean.

Mare Blu

Located on the hillside of one of the most prestigious locations on the island at Rendezvous Bay, this villa offers six luxurious bedrooms with majestic views of St. John’s south shore. The villa is suitable for 12 guests and provides seclusion for each party since it features four separate buildings linked together by tropically decorated outdoor paths. All bedroom suites boast unique Caribbean furnishings, air-conditioning, flat screen 24 inch televisions with cable and have bathrooms with double vanities, showers, and are tiled in grey granite from floor to ceiling and many other custom features. For your entertainment there is an outdoor sitting space with a huge 55 inch flat screen television with cable and DVD player. The covered outdoor area flows directly into the sundeck and the infinity edge pool. The lounge also has refrigerator drawers for drinks and snacks, a closet filled with floats and pool toys, and a powder room for convenience. In addition to this luxurious outdoor entertaining area you can also enjoy a fully equipped outdoor kitchen with with awesome ocean views from everywhere you turn.

Taylor House

This newly constructed villa sits proudly on a hillside overlooking the world-famous north shore of St. John. This spacious 4,000 square foot villa is ideal for groups of up to eight guests. All four bedrooms are air-conditioned with private balconies and private bathrooms. One special characteristic about Taylor House is that is is very bright inside. You will get full sun exposure from sunrise to sunset. Outdoors you and your party can enjoy a heated swimming pool with comfortable loungers overlooking views only mother nature can create. The outdoor area is very eco-friendly and features tropical gardens with banana, mango, lime, coconut and papaya trees.

Villa Sunspot

Villa Sunspot is your ultra luxury property located within exclusive Lower Peter Bay featuring modern architecture with island charm. This majestic villa has a two level Main House with the living room, dining room and kitchen on the first level and the master bedroom on the second level. The Sunspot master bedroom has a private deck with views of Cinnamon Bay Beach. In case you don’t feel like getting out of bed, you can enjoy this dramatic view right from your pillow. The guest bedrooms are located next to each other in a semi-exterior hallway with a tropical garden area and are luxuriously designed with an old world Spanish décor. Each bedroom has its own en-suite bath, air-conditioning and a balcony with ocean views. Despite all amazing indoor amenities you will be tempted to spend most of your time in the outdoor pool cabana, an elegant outdoor living area for Caribbean entertainment. A few steps below it is the infinity pool with a pool bar and tropical garden gazebo overlooking magnificent Caribbean panoramas.

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