Angels Rest, a 40 ft. pontoon boat and bar, was on our list of places to visit while in St. John recently. We’d seen Angels Rest a few years ago while driving past Coral Bay, but with the recent buzz about it, we were on a mission to find out more.
We emailed Capt. Peter (Peter Hoschl) to find out if he’d be at Hansen Bay in front of Vie’s Snack Shack the day we were in St. John and being newbies to Angels Rest and probably not the best group of swimmers around, we asked if there was a dinghy for pickup on the beach. We loved his answer.
See ya there, I got water wings for ya if you get toooo rumed up.”
This was gonna be fun!
We made our way out to Vie’s on the east side of St. John and east of Coral Bay, and got our first glimpse of Angels Rest.
(UPDATE – Vie’s Snack Shack has recently closed, but we heard that you can still access Hansen’s Bay by driving just a little past Vie’s and access it though the next property – check with Capt. Peter to confirm the best way to get there)
Thinking the swim out would be fine but we may need water wings to get back, we made our way into the clear, blue water.
Capt. Peter greeted us as we swam up, made it to the platform and pulled ourselves in.
Not knowing what to expect, we were pleasantly surprised at the interior – bright colors, a beachy feel and a great view of the bay made it a place we felt like we could hang out for quite some time – and we did!
Watch for fish (or people) under your feet as you sit back and relax with a beverage
Angels Rest sound system
We ordered a round of Capt. Peter’s special rum punch (mostly rum with a little punch) and chatted with him about Angels Rest. A great guy who loves to meet and talk to his guests, we loved hearing the about his travels and how he’d ended up in St. John building a pontoon that would someday become a floating bar which doubles as his personal home. He also offers day charters (with gourmet meals) – or longer charters including a honeymoon charter!
Quite the storyteller, we found ourselves very entertained with his enthusiastic tales of adventure.
Angels Rest has a deck on the top for patrons to enjoy as we with some seating. The upper level has a great view of the beach and bay.
After a few hours, we took one last look around,
thought about using the water wings…
Grabbed one of Capt. Peter’s business cards,
And said goodbye to some new friends.
When we asked Capt. Peter why he chose the name Angels Rest for his pontoon, he said,
“We are all angels, and we all need a place to rest!! So why not have a hangout where all us angels can rest together.”
Exactly.
To find out more about Angels Rest, where it will be when you are visiting St. John or chartering and day trips,
Join the Facebook page: Angels Rest
Email Capt. John: [email protected]
or call him: (340)514-6270
Find Angels Rest (when in front of Vie’s in Hansen Bay) on our St. John Map
To see more posts on St. John and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory
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