After becoming U.S. citizens in 1927, U.S. Virgin Islanders have proudly served in the U.S. military and fought in all wars since World War II. Picara Pearl Villa & Suites Magens Bay is proud to be a veteran-owned property. Happy Veterans Day to all the active duty, reserve, and retired service men and women. Thank you for your service! Watch the documentary "Proudly We Served: Virgin Islands Veterans of World War II".

 ​We at Picara Pearl Villa & Suites Magens Bay believe in giving back to and serving the community. We are thrilled to be a member of Pack for a Purpose®, an initiative that allows travelers to make a lasting impact in the community at their travel destination. 

We would like to thank the Ober family of Rochester, Minnesota for their very generous donation of 65 pounds of clothing, games, grooming and school supplies to our Pack for a Purpose® charity, the Nana Baby Children's Home on St. Thomas! Learn more about our Community Impact Initiatives. Read the Ober family's story.

The Carnival celebration in the U.S. Virgin Islands is not over! A month-long festival in St. John has already begun. Festival goers in St. Thomas take a 15-minute ferry ride from Charlotte Amalie or Red Hook to St. John to enjoy the festivities.

Carnival is the most anticipated cultural event in the Virgin Islands. It brings together people from all walks of life-young and old. It's a time for people to celebrate life with creative costumes, festive calypso and steel pan music, exuberant dancing, flavorful food, and colorful fireworks displays. There are amusement park rides and treats for the kids.

The Festival will be at its climax June 27th - July 4th. J'ouvert, the festival parade, firewoks, and a beach concert all take place on July 4th. Take a peek at the schedule. Don't miss out! Book your stay. www.PicaraPearl.com

Virgin Islanders and visitors everywhere are getting ready to enjoy Carnival 2015. The month-long celebration starts April 4th with the "Calypso Elimination Tent" at Lionel Roberts Stadium. The theme this year is "Culture to the Extreme, VI Carnival 2015." 

Carnival is the BIGGEST cultural event in the Virgin Islands. It brings together people from all walks of life--young and old. It's a time for people to celebrate life with creative costumes, festive calypso and steel pan music, exuberant dancing, flavorful food, and colorful fireworks displays. There are amusement park rides and treats for the kids, and they even have their own parade!

Carnival festivities will be at their climax April 26th to May 2nd. The Children's Parade will be held on Friday, May 1st, and the Adults' Parade will be held on Saturday, May 2nd. Take a peek at the schedule. Don't miss out! Book your stay. www.PicaraPearl.com

We recently had the pleasure of hosting a lovely foreign ambassador to the United States and her daughter at Picara Pearl Villa & Suites Magens Bay. It was a getaway in celebration of the daughter's birthday. So, we provided to them a homemade chocolate cake and cupcakes in addition to our usual welcome basket. In their review they wrote the following:

"This was a beautiful location, the last house on the peninsula, with a perfect view out over the water and the sound of waves day and night. The flip side of this of course is that it's a little more isolated than some other accommodations might be, but it's a price we were very willing to pay for the lovely panorama. We really appreciated the advance information sent by our hosts as regards weather forecast, cruise ship traffic, etc, and the baked goods and bits and pieces already stocked in the fridge upon arrival."

They followed up by saying, "We had a really nice time and have been mentioning (it) to our friends! Thanks for helping us arrange the stay."

At Picara Pearl Villa & Suites, we treat ALL our guests like VIP'S!

Our mission is to provide a truly hospitable experience for all our guests by giving them a friendly, generous, and warm reception and treatment throughout their stay; exhibiting kindness at all times; and going the extra mile to meet their needs as we do for all visitors to our home. 

Book Your Stay! Specials available. www.PicaraPearl.com

The Picara Pearl Villa & Suites Magens Bay is directly above Magens Bay and only a 5-minute drive from Magens Bay Beach!

National Geographic, Conde Nast, Travel & Leisure, and Caribbean Travel & Life magazines have consistently rated Magens Bay Beach as one of the Top 10 Beaches in the World! Picara Pearl Villa & Suites is just a 5-minute drive from the one-mile stretch of sugary white sands, palm tree-lined shores, and amazing, turquoise waters of Magens Bay Beach. Magens Bay's northwest exposure means its waters are usually calm, although storms in the North Atlantic can occasionally generate large waves in the winter months. The beach property also includes a coconut grove, a mangrove, and an arboretum. Legend has it that Sir Francis Drake used Magens Bay as an anchorage while waiting for ships to plunder. Several commercials and movie scenes have been filmed at Magens Bay, including a scene in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.  At Magens Bay Beach, there are lifeguards, parking, showers, and bathrooms, restaurant, and store. Beach chairs, floats, lounge chairs, mask and snorkels, fins, towels, lockers, paddleboards, kayaks, and paddleboats can be rented. 

Have family fun at the beach with 10 no-gear-needed activities!

This year, don't think of your family beach vacation as just a time to swim. That sun-drenched stretch of sand is a giant playground where your children can learn about nature, play games, and do craft projects that will let them bring home mementos of your fun-filled days together. No expensive equipment is needed to embark on these ten activities. They're nice and simple. So put on your bathing suit, make sure you're all wearing plenty of sunscreen, and get set to have a fun day in the sun. Read more>>

"In sickness and in health."

On two occasions I have said those words with the full confidence that the couple repeating those words actually knew what they meant.

The first occurrence brought a smile to my face. She had endured and marriage was her reward on the other side of illness. Together they have journeyed through the struggles of a serious disease as boyfriend and girlfriend. Now they would be husband and wife. They knew what "in sickness and in health" meant.

The second occurrence brought a tear to my eye. She had weeks to live. The vow renewal was his gift to her. I almost cut the words fearing they might be too painful. But with a crowd gathered I included them as a testimony to all who would hear them say, "in sickness and in health." They meant it and everyone knew it.

Few people consider sickness and suffering when picking a mate. Read more>>

New Cancer Killing Peptides Discovered in Coconut Water

Researchers have just discovered that green coconut water contains natural peptides which potently kill human cancer cells in vitro. Incredibly, these peptides were observed to actually pierce the cell membrane of the cancer cells, get inside and attack key targets which crippled and killed over 50% of the cancer cells (glioma in this case). Peptides are nature’s version of nano-based medicine: they are tiny protein particles usually made up of just 10-100 amino acids, but have remarkably specialized properties ranging from killing bacteria, yeast and/or viruses, boosting our immune systems, acting as antioxidants, and even reducing inflammation. Many natural foods have bioactive peptides as part of their own defense systems, and these peptides often carry major health benefits to humans--coconut water just being one example. Importantly, high levels of bio-active peptides are found in fermented foods such as yogurt, cheese, and miso—which may explain their ability to reduce cancer risk (as shown in recent large studies). As for the coconut water—it’s nice to know that we have yet another reason to enjoy this delicious, low calorie and healthy drink which has double the alkalizing power of pure lemon juice but just half the calories. So, drink up!

Source: www.edenprescription.com
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25234689

This has to be the cutest "how to" video we've ever seen! Kiara Goold teaches how to stand up paddle.