smetz

I'm looking at a rental St. John handled by Viva Villas called Sea Dream, located in the Great Cruz Bay/ Chocolate Hole area. Is anyone familiar with this property, or the area? I was originally looking for something around Coral Bay, but this appears to be a pretty nice property, and the ad says it was built in 2004. The rate is good, at $1925/wk in June. Our main interests are visiting the beaches on the north side of St. John, like Trunk Bay or Francis Bay, but also hiking. Would this area be a much farther drive to the beaches than if we were located around Coral Bay? I guess it would be closer to Cruz Bay, which could be an advantage for going out in the evenings. Any advice would be appreciated.

crest332

In 2006 we stayed in the Chocolate hole area (Southern Cross villa). We loved the location. Beautiful view yet very convenient to get to. We were just past the entrance to the Westin on good roads.

So we were about 5 minutes from Cruz Bay and maybe 15-20 minutes to the north shore beaches (mostly because of the time it took to drive through town.)

When we return (when not if!) I doubt we could afford a villa on the north shore so we'd be very likely to try Chocolate hole again.

jkistheman

Sorry to bud in smetz.

Hi, crest332.
My head has been spinning on finding the right Villa for our first time summer vacation in the Caribbean (from CA). Never had such a large choice of villas to choose from. We finally stopped looking once we found Southern Cross (in our price range plus it looks perfect for our family). I saw your review of the villa. Can you give me more details of this villa and do you have any candid shots of the villa. Pool depth? Thanks in advance!

Pulley

We love La Papaya(4 bedrooms) hillside Chocolate Hole. It has a beautiful pool, it's completely air conditioned & it gets wonderful breezes. Rented through Destination St. John - great folks.

puznik11

Haven't been to any, but for the money, I don't know how you can top "A House Of Open Arms", in Coral Bay. After weeks of looking at everything online, as long as it's big enough, you have to check it out! We will be there in May for the first time, but the reviews are uniform (even check out the reviews on tripadvisor.com)! Go to www.ahouseofopenarms.com & prepare to be in awe.

Another option if you need your own house is (this was the place that finished 2nd) Villa Madeline at http://www.vi-villas.com/villa-madeline/index.htm
Ask about the "nearby construction" and try to haggle for a better rate!

rdb1204

Crest332, I also would like to hear more about Southern Cross. We will be staying there for the first time at the end of May into June. Please do tell us more about this Villa.

crest332

We loved Southern Cross; it had everything we were looking for. The pictures on the website are very accurate. The two main bedrooms are located on opposite ends with their own bath. Both very spacious. The main bathroom had lots of stone with an open shower area; it felt like you are showering outside.

The main area was very open with a fully equipped kitchen, comfortable living area and separate dining area. The whole back of the house is windows/sliding doors so the view is wonderful. Along the back is a large deck, covered. Off the 2nd bedroom is another deck area (open) and the steps down to the pool level.

The pool is not huge but nice size with a spacious,private lounge area nicely landscaped. The other bedrooms are on the pool level along with a small room with washer and dryer.

The overall feel was what we liked with all the stone, tile floors, beautiful view. We also liked how close it was to town.

There were lots of extras in the kitchen and pantry- condiments, spices, rum(!), paper products, sunscreen etc along with beach chairs and cooler. We always had breakfast at the villa and also cooked in for several dinners and used the grill one or two nights.

I would highly recommended. I had looked at TONS of villas online before settling on that one and we were very pleased with our choice.

Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know!