Marion: I was not referring to Jamaican villas with a staff, merely villas in the USVI/BVI and other parts of the Caribbean. It is standard procedure to charge more for more guests using the property. I understand your situation was different, however.

MarionCK, I understand your dislike for phoning, but it really is the better way to get your questions answered in this case. For instance, let's say you call Island Realty and describe who you are and what you want. They then will probably give you several villas to choose from - if you're good on the keyboard, you can even be looking at the photos as you speak. And you can have a back-and-forth - so if one villa looks appealing, you can immediately ask about proximity to beach and shops, they can check availability, and perhaps move on to the next. One phone call (or maybe two if you want to copy down villa names and look at internet pics) can really replace quite a few emails!

Go for it girl!

P.S. Be sure to mention upfront you'd rather not share

Thanks Joan for your words of wisdom. If only I could multi-task like the young folks !

Between searching for the right pair of glasses and a phone that is connceted to something, juggling legal pads for notes, I'm just not able to type at the computer too ;-) !

However, I did just connect with Island Realty, by phone ;-), and after profusely apologizing for my Yankee impatience, I think something is going to work out !

No sharing necessary !

Marion

Marion, I have a question about your non-postage here at Fodor's. Did the site let you type out a reply to a post but then not update on the next page to include your reply? Or could you not even click on the link that provides the screen for typing your reply? If the former, it happens to me all the time when I'm at home, but not when I'm at work--could be the dial-up connection I have at home. When it happens, I sometimes have to reply to the same message 4-5 times just to get my response to post. Thank goodness for cut & paste! But sometimes I just give up and think that no answer I have is worth that kind of effort since everybody else will jump in with info, too.

If it's the latter scenario, then all I have to say is Grrrrrrrrr.

Hi EJ,

Here's what was happening last night.

I could read, and the box for a reply was available on screen. It was when I hit the "post a reply" that I was then redirected to a screen for login.

Time after time, my screen name and password were rejected.

I tried to re-register and was told that "my" information was taken.

Finally, I got an email indicating that my posts would not go through...duh !

I responded to the email and asked for a review of years of posts.

And then TA DA I could post again.

I don't want to push my luck here. Did I answer your question at all ;-) ?

Nervous fingers still typing here...but who knows for how long !

Marion