Villa Life - Our Blog

Annual Paradise Jam bring college hoops to VI

Paradise Jam is coming to town! 

Top men's and women's basketball teams will give their all for  2010 as they participate in the annual Paradise Jam tournaments, hosted on the island of St. Thomas by the Basketball Travelers, Inc. organization.  Each Thanksgiving week, the entire community and the world tuck into a bounty of court wizardry at the University of the Virgin Islands' Sports and Fitness Center.  While local residents polish off their holiday meals in happy anticipation of the yearly contests, we can count on viewing at least 4 games on Fox College Sports and Fox Sports Net.  The official web site of the Paradise Jam is www.ParadiseJam.com.

College basketball players who make it to the Paradise Jam enjoy the excitement of the competition alongside the natural beauty of the islands, local cuisine, and a cultural experience that is unique to the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Since its beginnings as a women's basketball showcase (held at the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School), the Paradise Jam has continued to grow by engaging residents and enticing team fans and families (and sports press!)  to the territory.

This year's men's teams will be on the court from Friday, November 19 to Monday November 22, 2010.  Scheduled to participate are Alabama, Clemson, Iowa, Long Beach State, Old Dominion, Seton Hall, Saint Peters, and Xavier.

In women's action, Iowa State, TCU, Virginia, and West Virginia will cover the "Island Division", while the "Reef Division" will feature Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Missouri, and Tennessee.  Women's basketball dates are Tuesday November 23 through Sunday November 28.

• Women's tournaments and brackets
• Men's tournament and brackets

St. John villa "Into the Mystic" to be featured on HGTV

Nothing like a few choices to spice things up a bit!  The owners of the "Into the Mystic" sat on the horns of their dilemma for just a while before they chose their St. John island getaway, now a popular rental villa.

St. John blogger and media specialist Frank Barnako provides lots of details on his blog, News of St. John, including a link to a feature in the St. John Sun Times.

It's on the HGTV series "House Hunters International" (featuring offshore and other properties around the world).  While St. John is part of the United States Virgin Islands, an American territory, its locale is certainly exotic and refreshingly Zen.  Don't believe us?  Visit the Into the Mystic page on our web site and see for yourself!

We have just heard from the owners, that the story is expected to air June 14, 2009 at 9:30pm EST, but check your local listings to be sure!

Banana Villa the scene of NBC's "Momma's Boys"

Tune in to NBC's "Momma's Boys" to see bachelors come to the U.S. Virgin Islands to make a go of things with solicitous moms in tow... and they will spend part of the time at Villa Banana on St. Thomas!  We are anxious to see how the eclectic, waterfront property will fare as a backdrop to the son-and-mama drama.

We hear that in many cases before prospects were seen, the dynamic between mother and son had to play out via telephone.  The "callback" really was just that, with producers looking for single, 20-30-ish men with nervy moms to round out the cast.  While actors were the first to hear of the project, non-actors were also welcomed into the fray.

This season's theme is moms playing matchmakers for their respective cuties. Produced by Ryan Seacrest ("American Idol") and Andrew Glassman ("Average Joe").

The show is set to debut on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 at 10p/9p central (following "The Biggest Loser" finale episode), but please watch your local listings to be sure!

Official Momma's Boys web site

McLaughlin Anderson Luxury Villas is not affiliated with, nor endorsed by, NBC or related companies.