First time to St. John- Please help
 

Hi,

I'm trying to plan a June vacation for me and a friend to St. John. This will be our first time there and I'm hoping for some suggestions regarding accommodations.
Reviews on the Westin are so-so and Caneel Bay, while prime location, is too expensive for us. We're both in our late 20's and looking to spend no more than $300/night on lodging. Ideally, we'd love to be right on the beach or within short walking distance to 1 or 2 excellent snorkeling spots. Is this possible on our budget, or is $300 too low, even for off-season? Can you recommend any rentals that fit the bill? Fine dining, shopping, etc. isn't very important to us. We'd love to spend most of our time just relaxing on the beach and snorkeling.

I appreciate any suggestions you can offer.

Katie

On JUne---with your criteria...

Gallows Point Resort....villa-condos not tacky.

www.gallowspointresort.com

right on beach, quiet in June.
great snorkeling at beach, pool, new hot tub, great reasonably priced mini-mart on property, walkable to great restaurants bars, etc...

I'm there every month for a week.

Thanks but Gallow Resort to expensive we are looking for no more than 325 a night - tops 350.

Has anyone been to Temptress Villa?

Thanks for the reply. Any other suggestions?

Since you have not been to STJ before, you probably do not realize that there are very few accomodations that are right on the beaches.

The terrain of the island is somewhat mountainous, hence most villas are built into the hillsides, some accessed by pretty steep roads.

The only two resorts are the Westin and Caneel Bay. Alternate non-villa choices would be Gallows Point, Lavender Hill Condos, Estate Lindholm, Inn at Tamarind Court.

Generally you need to rent a 4WD vehicle to drive around. No worries, pretty much all the vehicles rented on STJ are 4WD. With a rental vehicle you can drive around and explore the many beautiful beaches and get the true flavor of STJ.

I've had good luck finding villas on www.vrbo.com as well as www.stjohnlinks.com

There are one and two bedroom villas for smaller groups, so you may have some success. Your budget does seem on the edge of what is possible there. You'll have to do some research to see what you can find at your price point for when you want to go.

Not in June it isn't that expensive---

call the resort directly---ask for Tom the GM...tell him your situation and that you want off season rate...JEESH!

if no luck then contact:

www.vivacations.com

These guys are the best villas in Cruz Bay st john.

queenkatez: In June, there are many villa rentals which would fit into your budget. In fact, I can think of one right off the top of my head: "Paper Moon" which is listed with www.carefreegetaways.com as well as other sites. This villa is in a small private development "Johnson Bay Estates" which is on the water. It is not a postcard white sand beach, but if snorkeling is your interest, this bay has several interesting snorkel spots. It is part of Coral Bay, which is the "quiet" end of the island. You would definitely need a jeep rental, but if you figure about $225/night (which is what it costs during June) you have enough left over in your $300/day budget to rent a jeep and really explore the entire island. I am admittedly, a big Coral Bay fan, but IMO, what you are looking for is definitely doable if you rent a jeep and do not confine yourself to pricier areas. Try www.destinationstjohn.com or www.caribbeandays.com as well. Do continue to ask questions. This board loves St. John questions! :)

Thank you all so much for the wonderful suggestions. I will research some of the websites recommended. I'm confident it will help me to narrow down my search.

queenkatz- have you thoucht about Cinnamon Bay Campground? They do have some little cabins, or rooms. Right on the beach, not a lot of money, esp in June. They have a nice website if you want to google it. They are also part of the National Park. I have found the color of the water at Cinnamon some of the most beautiful!!
If that does not interest you, I would go along with what Tux said, Coral Bay is great. WE rented a villa at Johnson Bay estates a couple of years ago and though it does not compare to the other beaches, you can walk along it for a while.

Hi Katie,

St John is not cheap evn in the off season but there are a few villas and there is also Maho Bay that will fit your price range. The villas I listed are rated very well from posts on this forum and several others. We are staying at the Perelandra in May. It is a little above your price range but received great reviews. More then likely ou will also need to rent a car/jeep at least for a few days. Good luck and have a great trip!

http://www.bookitvi.com/happy.htm $1600/week

http://www.bookitvi.com/rendezvous.htm $1400/week

http://www.bookitvi.com/pereland.htm $1995/week

http://www.maho.org/Estate.cfm $90-$150 per night

Molly

Also check out this site too:

http://www.usvi.net/usvi/

Also - "marbleheadguy" is right in that Gallows Point is inexpensive in June. After the 17th prices run from $225 to $375. That would be a good place in that it is convenient to restaurants and "public" transportation such as taxis (vs having to rent a car/jeep). The good news is that there are options. You just have to decide what fits your needs the best. :)

The other thing you should know about Gallows Point is that while some might refer to the oceanfront rocky water-entry area as a "beach", it is not really a beach. It is fine for accessing the water there, but it is not a white sand beach of the variety you will find elsewhere on the island. I've stayed at Gallows Point and it is fine, but the unit I stayed in (10C) needed some work to justify the $330 (June 18) price tag. It is nice being within "staggering" distance to town however.

-Bill

Please---there IS a SANDY beach at Gallows...sure its small--compared to what? Its still a sandy beach, intimate, not crowded and PRIVATE!..JEESH! Yes---the oceanfront rocky water-entry area near unit 10-14 has a snorkeling water access...you gotta walk up to the beach area by units 1 through 9

imaq
If you had issue with maintenance---which is somewhat unusual because GM Tom personally inspects the units.....you should have complained and it would have been taken care of...what was the problem specifically?

Now--the reality:

Beach is convenient to your room whatever unit...outside showers...hot tub...fresh water pool...the BEST sunset (next to Caneel Resort)
mini mart on premises for great prices on villa provisions both beer and wine, best fresh espresso brewed too, high speed internet in lobby, friendliest staff on islands and most honest housekeeping (lost a very valuable gold pin and they returned it to front desk)

Only drawback is restaurant on property ie ZOZOS---when it first opened with chef scotty---it ws the real deal and affordable---now--overpriced, loud (buildings 4,5,6 in season Feb-April look out), pretentious staff and full of itself simply because Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie ate there a few weeks ago (National Enquirer story planted by owner) Cast of Sopranos ate there too 4 years ago--whooppie...$12 for a glass of chamgage or wine? $24 for not fresh pasta??? Forgettaboutit!

Locals Go to Panini Beach Trattatoria a 3 minute walk to Wharfside Village where the chef Janet studies every year in northern Italy and brings back great recipes.
www.paninibeach.com

I love Stone Terrace Restaurant in same location...more exepnsive but has Wine Spectator award winning list reasonably priced.

Relax on the beach and snorkele at Gallows...i do every month.

marbleheadguy
We stayed in the same unit (10C) as Bill, iamq. When he wrote his trip report, he mentioned that some of the dining room chairs were broken. We checked during our stay (we did not use the table, never cooked) and they were not repaired. Since it was not an issue for us, I didn't report it until I filled out the evaluation form at the end and pointed it out to the receptionist. We are staying in that unit again in June, so I will be interested to see if it they are fixed or not.

Also, with all due respect, Gallow's Point does not have a sandy beach as most people think of one. tpattrico pointed out that there are not too many accomodations directly on the beach. Thay have made a very nice staggered deck area with some sand that the chairs are on. I personally don't think of it as a wading or swimming beach. Many do like the snorkeling there.

One of the things we love about Gallow's Point is the convenience to town. Not having to drive back from dinner in the dark is nice unless you plan on cooking a bit. The north shore beaches are a short drive or taxi ride. Have fun planning!

Katie,
For what it's worth, we stayed at the Westin last year for our 1st visit to St. John. We're in our late 30's with 2 young children now but we act like we're in our 20's regardless. Anyhow, the Westin was fine. St. John as an island is fantastic compared to so many others in the Caribbean with so much to explore without be commercial. The Westin has beautiful grounds and an OK beach but you can drive not very far to the most fantastic beaches! It's also close to Cruz Bay where you'll want to spend some quality time in the evening. The taxi's are fun and easy to use in the evening. The rooms at the Westin are fine as well with nice marble bathrooms, a flat screen TV, and a nice terrace. Try to get a pool view room on the 1st floor. You'll have a blast!

Check www.cateredto.com website for the villa called Terrahawk. It is on the north shore just above the beautiful Hawksnest Beach, across a bay from Caneel's Hawksnest beach. One of the rare villas on or very close to a north shore beach. It is a tree-shaded snorkeling beach. June rates are $2700 per week.

Wow, thank you so much everyone! Your suggestions are awesome!
At this point I am leaning towards staying at Estate Lindholm. The prices are very reasonable and the grounds look beautiful. If I were to rent a jeep, how long would it take for me to drive to Caneel Bay and Hawksnest?
Does anyone know approx. how much a cab ride would cost?

Thanks,
Katie

From Estate Lindholm to Hawksnest Beach or Caneel Bay? Both are just a few minutes up the North Shore Road.

Not sure about taxi cost as we never take taxis there. Someone else can probably advise.

marblehead, your advice has been better received here of late, but I notice your vuews are getting a little extreme again (publisher) and amusingly in a different direction.

I belive Gallows is a good property, but like any other on STJ it has some trade offs as well. I notice you "JEESH"-ing several times now. Everyone here is entitled to their opinion and to recount the experiences they had in their travels. Perhaps take a stroll over to the Beach Bar and have yourself a cold one and chill.

((L)) Trish

5 minutes to Caneel and Hawknest by rental car.
Taxi's are unreliable on st john to go up the steep hill to lindholm... except for a few locals who care...cost you $5-6 each way.

Estate Lindholm is high on a hill so you definately need rental. It is not a convenient polace to stay, trust me.

For a few dollars more other than lindholm, you get a great spot to stay--- you are within walking distance of cruz bay and the taxi stand downtown.

I use St John Car rental. Great people and rates.