Need help with villas please!!
 

My husband and I and our 12 year old daughter are going to St John in late June 06 and after looking at the many, many villas I finally have it narrowed down to 6 that I've listed below. We're looking for nice views, a/c in the bedrooms (if necessary), fairly private, a nice pool for our daughter (not a plunge pool), within reasonable driving distance to the beaches, markets, etc although being close to the nightlife isn't important.

Tesseract (Upper Chocolate Hole / Private Homes)

Daffodil Villa (Upper Fish Bay / Seaview Homes)

Cliffside Terrace (Chocolate Hole Bay / Caribbean villas)

Peace O Heaven & Sapphire Breeze (Cruz Bay / VIVA)

La Sirena (Kiddle Bay / Windspree)

Any villa or rental agency advice you St John experts can offer would be greatly appreciated!! I also included the locations of the villas in case anyone has any pros or cons about the locations.

Hi - Give a look at the Island Hideaways site at www.islandhideaways.com
They have great villas & are very knowledgeable & not pushy. Contact Paul and let him know Lois Swanson suggested you contact him & I know he will give you personalized service. We are extremely happy with the villas we've rented through them and also their knowledge about which villas are good and which ones should be avoided (and why).

Lois

I stayed near Cruz bay and regretted it. You don't get the Breeze and the view is usually cluttered. You will definately need AC if you stay over Cruz Bay.

Chocolate Hole area is suppose to be very nice and am currently looking for a place for next month.

I also stayed on Ajax Mountain. It's very private area and close to the beaches. Great views and cool breezes. By the way, I think the best Swimming pool is Francis Bay. The water is calm and clear w/ the frequent turtle and infrequent tourist.

Most everywhere you stay is close to the beaches. The East End and Ram's Head areas are a good ways away from the north shore beaches.

Jeanne,
While I am not sure about the villas that you are looking into..I would suggest that you rent one that is fully air-conditioned.

My family and I went in June 05 with 3 kids ages 10,7 and 2..and they got a little groggy because of the heat and humidity.We rented Bamboo villa from VIVA and it only had AC in the bedrooms..which makes for the rest of the villa being really hot..especially when you try to cook!

Good luck and enjoy St John..it is one beautiful island.:)

Check out this website..click on "Honeymoon Cottage" to view it.I have heard that it is fully air-conditioned and is only a 5 minute walk to Francis Bay.This would be a great location to the North Shore beaches that are the best beaches on the island.

http://www.stjohnusvi.org/new_page_2.htm

La Sirena has always been high on my list of 'next villa to rent list'. It appears to have a high rental percentage with some weeks available at the time that you plan to travel in '06. I wouldn't take long to decide on this one.

I know they're some reviews in the USVI On-line archives.

i've stayed in Cliffside Villa and i love it!!very well kept/great view/easy drive to cruz bay.this is a one level house, so if your daughter is concerned about a room too far from you its not, but you'll still have privacy.this has always been one of my favorites..also i've rented from caribbean villas for years and have always been happy with the service and friendly staff.hope this helps!!

Thanks for all the great information everyone!! It's so hard to make a choice - there are so many great looking villas!! And I just found a couple more on islandhideways.

Christie - I had looked at Honeymoon Cottage after reading another post about it but a pool is a necessity with our daughter (even though Francis Bay is just a short walk away). Whenever we're lounging at the villa she's going to want to be in a pool. But thanks for the suggestion!!

Tess - Cliffside is definitely on my top 3 list but it doesn't look like it has a/c and based on the comment Christie made and comments I've read on other posts it seems like a/c is a real necessity in June, especially at a lower elevation. What time of year did you stay at Cliffside? I'm cold blooded myself (not quite sure why I live in New England!!) but my husband and daughter will be miserable without a/c if the villa is real hot.

Roberto - I noticed how heavily La Sirena is already booked through next July and it's another one that's on the top of my list but it doesn't look like that one has a/c either.

I'm probably leaning most heavily towards Tesseract and Daffodil villa because they at least have a/c in the bedrooms - Daffodil is brand new and I haven't been able to find any reviews about it and looking at the map Fish Bay almost seems the most out of the way with the exception of the Ram's Head and East End area that Navita mentioned so I guess I'm having a hard time deciding between the best location and whether or not we'll need a/c.

Thanks everyone - you're SO helpful!!

Jeanne,
Maybe check out Gallows Point..they are air conditioned and a great location to Cruz Bay.Trust me on the ac thing..we live in NC with the heat and humidity and were miserable with ac only in the bedrooms.St John seemed to be as humid as NC.
Also make sure to ask if the AC works well.The villa we stayed at..the window units in the bedrooms were in need of freon.We stayed on Gifft Hill and had a constant breeze but it was still hot.Good luck!!BTW..Gallows Point has a pool.

Here is a link to Gallow Point : www.gallowspoint.com

Thanks Christie. I've looked at Gallows Point, Caneel and the Westin in the last few weeks also...I think I've checked out just about every resort and villa on St John!! I remember reading your posts about your trip but I don't recall what time of year it was - was it this past spring? Two of the villas I'm most interested in don't have any a/c and as much as I like them I'm real hesitant to book a villa for the last week of June with no a/c. My boss has a vacation home in the BVI's and he said they've been fine in June with just their ceiling fans but I don't think I want to chance it so I'm sure I'll take your advice and choose a villa with a/c. Of course, if I had left this up to my husband he probably would have had something picked out weeks ago...I'm probably obsessing over getting the "perfect" villa. :)

Thanks again for your input!!

Jeanne,
Your welcome!:)

We went to St John this past June 1-7th and we are going back Sept.15-20th and this time staying at the St John Inn..it will be just my husband and I..this vacation.:)

Daffodil is actually only 3.2 miles from town and not as far as you may think. Also the view, which cannot really be appreciated from the pictures, is a full 180 degrees, so from sun rise to sun set you have everything you could wish for. When it is clear, you can see St. Croix to the south in the distance and at night you can see the light. Plus the cruise boats take that route at night. There are deer in the flats below the house and since the house sits 400 feet up on the hillside, the breeze is cool and regular. The pool is approximately 14 x 22 and the deepest part is in the middle. It was designed for a short person to be able to stand. You may be wondering how I know so much about it. Daffodil is a dream my husband and I had about five years ago, which has now been realized. We are constantly making improvements too. If you should decide to go with Daffodil (I am quite sure you will not be disappointed!) please note that the new management company is island-getaways.net. Kathy McLaughlin will be happy to help you. Her number is 888-693-7676. Also, should you be interested, the house will be featured in an article coming out next month in Travel & Leisure Family.

But good luck in whatever is your choice.

afah - I contacted Kathy earlier today but unfortunately due to the fact that we're looking for a villa for less than 7 nights we'll have to pass on Daffodil. It looks like a beautiful villa and location and I'll definitely suggest it to others.

I've narrowed my choices down now to Peace O' Heaven (Pastory area of Cruz Bay) and Eaglesnest (Contant Point overlooking Great Cruz Bay). They're both through VIVA but I think we may go with Eaglesnest since I'm assuming it would be more private and probably more quiet. Any additional input about either of these areas and/or villas would be appreciated!!

Contant Point is a great area. The closest beach is at the Westin down the hill which is only a so-so beach, but your 12 year old will go wild over the kids-oriented floats and toys at the Westin beach. Pastory is not any noisier but Contant Point is on the shoreline and Pastory is more in the hills. Hope that helps.

Jeanne

I am so sorry that Daffodil can't accommodate you. Both the other villas that you have looked at look fine. Eaglesnest might be better since the trade winds blow from the southeast so would cool the house naturally. The view over Great Cruz Bay is very pretty since that's the Westin's beach and lots of boats moor up in the bay. Both are convenient for town and the markets. I definitely agree with Christie on Francis Beach though, since the tour buses don't make it that far and it is in the heart of the National Park! I hope you have a wonderful time.

I too was searching for a villa a few months ago for a visit next May. A nice pool, privacy, a/c (at least in the bedrooms) were all a must. After looking at tons of villas and changing my 'short list' numerous times, we finally settled on Southern Cross in the Chocolate Hole area through seaview homes. You might want to take a look. We think it will be perfect! Good luck with your decision.

Thanks all for your great advice!! There were some great villa suggestions given but I'm pretty limited in rental agencies because we're staying less than 7 nights. Anyway, I think I've FINALLY settled on Eaglesnest in Contant Point overlooking Great Cruz Bay. It's more expensive than Peace O Heaven but it seems like it may be a little more private...of course, I'll probably change my mind again tomorrow because I've been going back and forth between the two all week. :)

Thanks again - these boards are terrific!!

When you get back, review the villa for us. Thanks