epaine

My fiance and I are looking for a comfortable, affordable place to stay in St. John....hoping for some character and charm, while still be close enough to Cruz Bay for walking.

I have been reading up on Garden By the Sea B&B and it seems like our kind of place. Cute, garden shower, nice breakfasts, attentive owners, within walking distance to town....

Is this is a good option? We don't mind renting a jeep or taking day trips to beaches.....

What about the time of year...January?? and mosquitoes?? Any experiences??

Jimmie

Some friends of mine stayed last summer at Estate Lindholm and had a nice time. I personally have not stayed there, but it gets good reviews on Trip Advisor. It's walkable to Cruz Bay and a north shore beach (but steep hills are involved).

lauren27

I don't know anything about Garden by the Sea, but I second Estate Lindholm. We'll definitely stay there when we go back to St. John. We went last December and loved it. If you click my name, you should be able to find my review and pictures.

danandmelissa

Hi epaine,

My husband and I have stayed at both Garden by the Sea and Estate Lindholm, and we prefered Estate Lindholm. We felt EL had more privacy and having the pool to swim in during the afternoon was really nice. EL is bigger than Garden, but spread out more, making it more private, in our opinion.

Both places are within wallking distance of Cruz Bay, but EL has a large hill that leads down to Cruz Bay and it is pretty dark on the road at night. On the other hand, the path leading back from Cruz Bay to Garden by the Sea is also pretty dark at night, but not as strenous of a walk, if that concerns you.

Breakfasts are bigger at Garden by the Sea, and are only continental at EL. We have always gone in April, and I have gotten a few mosquito bites, but nothing too bad and usually some bug spray did the trick.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Melissa

tess53

yes, the return to estate lindholm from cruz bay can be exhausting and dark but just grab a cab home...not $$$ and well worth it. we've stayed at cruz views condos a few times and in the evening we'll walk into town and always cab home !! EL is a wonderfull inn, i would seriously consider it !!! if thinking jan, remember that is high season so things get booked fast !!

epaine

Thank you all so much! I have been reading up on St. John all weekend and am definitely leaning toward EL. It looks like our style for sure. I did get sucked into the villa idea for awhile....some of them look so amazing....but I think for our first trip, we would be better off being around some people who can help us set up trips or at least provide advice.

Wow...what did people do before the internet huh??