When you take a St. John day trip on Bolongo Bay Beach Resort’s sailing catamaran Heavenly Days, you’re not only signing up for a great time – you’re also celebrating history.
The U.S. National Park Service celebrated its centennial last year, and guests have been sailing to Virgin Islands National Park on St. John – established in 1956 – for nearly half a century.
“Ever since Bolongo first opened its doors, we’ve been pioneers when it came to finding ways to let people discover the beauty of the Virgin islands national parks,” says resort managing director Richard Doumeng. “Every generation has a responsibility to help protect and preserve our nation’s national parks, and all it takes is one glimpse to understand why.”
Resort founder Dick Doumeng always wanted people to fall in love with the Virgin Islands, which inspired his vision to help guests see the entirety of the Virgin Islands, not just Bolongo Bay. In 1975, one year after opening, Bolongo Bay became the first hotel on St. Thomas to hire a sailboat to take guests to St. John.
From Ho-Tei to Heavenly Days
The Ho-Tei sailing in the 70s
The sailboat, called Ho-Tei, was named after the god of contentment and happiness, also known as the Laughing Buddha. It had to cross the Panama Canal just to make it to the Virgin Islands. When the family who owned Ho-Tei moved away a year later, we realized the only way to guarantee our weekly excursions was to purchase the boat. So that’s exactly what we did!
Ho-Tei was in operation for some 20 years before we built the original Heavenly Days catamaran, designed and built locally by Gold Coast Yachts and Rich Difede, one of the world’s most famous and well-renowned multi-hull designers. Spend just a few minutes sailing the Heavenly Days at top speed and you’ll realize how awesome a boat she really is.
As the longest consecutively running sailing tour operator in the Virgin Islands, Bolongo Bay has originated many of the islands’ most famous (and oft imitated) sailing excursions. These trips include our original full-day sail to St. John, exploring pristine and protected beaches; our award-winning half-day sail to Buck Island’s turtle cove and bird sanctuary; and our famous sunset harbor cocktail cruise, an all-time guest favorite.
Experience Heavenly Days at Half Price
The National Parks have been famously called “America’s Best Idea” by novelist Wallace Stegner. At Bolongo Bay, being the first Virgin Islands company to let guests experience the parks was ours. Come see for yourself and you can enjoy some 70s-style throwback prices on an all-day sail.
Acclaimed as the best excursion on St. Thomas, the six-hour Heavenly Days cruise to St. John includes a sail along the shoreline of St. Thomas and across Pillsbury Sound to St. John’s quiet Honeymoon Beach in Virgin Islands National Park. We’ll anchor so you can enjoy hours of snorkeling and swimming over the coral reef, soak up the sun on the beach, and indulge in a deli-style buffet lunch and full complementary bar service.
For a limited time, you can enjoy this unforgettable journey for just $55 per person — that’s half off the regular price, so book fast at https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/bolongobay, because the cruise will fill up quickly with this kind of deal.
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