jjstephens

Hello, 2 adults with no kids going to st john for first time for 1 week in may. looking for location info. we are looking to rent a villa or vacation home for first time as we have been all over carib but always stayed at all inclusive resorts. looking for change and a more relaxed and quiet island as st john seems to be. looks like cruz bay is where we would like to be near as we do not like to rent cars on vacation and we like to be able to walk to places like restarants/bars/grocery or at least be able to get a quick and cheap cab to places. looking at places all over island but wondering about east end. all homes look great but need info from past guest. looks like not much over there. scenery looks great but is anything to do? any feedback would be great. will need to book soon so tell me all about rentals. they all look great. we love wide open decks with great ocean views and like to stay very near beach. thanks!!! john in usa.

SillyGirl

John,<BR>If you want to be close to Cruz Bay then you don't want to be way out on the east end of the island. I love the Coral Bay side but it's extremely quiet and may be a bit too much of a change from what you're used to. There are a few restaurants and a couple of shops but that's about it. Also, if you stay out on the east end of St John, a car is an absolute necessity. <BR>In the immediate Cruz Bay area, I'd suggest someplace like Gallows Point, or Coconut Coast condos. There are very few villas within walking distance of town. You could look at http://www.caribbeanvilla.com/map/st...ions.html#-One to get an idea of what's available very close to town. IMO you are really going to limit yourself if you don't rent a jeep at least for a couple of days. This island begs to be explored and a vehicle will take you places that the taxis won't. You will also find that the taxi fares add up very quickly.

dcgc

We stayed at the Westin in St. John and loved it, they do have villas with all the amenities of the resort and you are close to alot of great restaurants like Asolare, Paradisio Stone Terrace, Le Chateau de Bordeaux, the transportation can all be arranged right from the resort. Caneel Bay is another one.

TD

Picking a villa can be hard by just looking at pictures. If you want to speak to someone who lives in the USVI and has been to almost every villa personally, villas.wheretostay.com has an office in the USVIs. The number is 800-869-8017.

Mariarosa

I just have one recommendation - do rent a car, even if its not for the entire stay. There aren't any nice beaches in the town of Cruz Bay and you will be relying on taxis to take you to the beaches. There isn't anywhere to eat at the beach, so unless you plan on packing lunch everyday (I don't recommend that), you will be paying for 4 rides per day. You can get a Suzuki Vitara for $45 a day.

Mariarosa

Well, what I said was inaccurate - you could cab to Caneel Bay and then you can have lunch there too - but other beaches are very isolated (in a good way) and you would need to cab somewhere for lunch.