I just discovered this rental house on the web today and was wondering if anyone has ever heard anything about it or stayed there? Or in the alternative does anyone have any recommendation for a house (more on that side of the island rather than Cruz Bay) where you can walk to the water? This house advertises a 3 minute walk to Haulover Bay. Unfortunately I can't afford the mega prices of the Peter Bay, etc. homes. Thanks in advance for any advice!

We stayed in Coral Bay on our first visit to St. John. My wife loves Haulover Bay and prefers that area. I've seen good reviews on this villa:

http://www.cloud9villas.com/Pebble_Beach/

Hi TW, we stayed at John's Folly Cottages out in Concordia. We too like the Coral Bay side of STJ. We had good luck finding our villa at www.stjohnlinks.com

Hi TPatricco: I saw one of the Johnsons Folly Cottages on the internet. Since you have stayed there can you tell me more about them? Is there construction going on in that area? Are the cottages very close together? Do you have a sense of privacy at your cottage? How is the water access there? And more importantly how is the snorkeling there at the cottages? Thank you so much!

Any other referrals for a villa with walkable water access?

TW. John's Folly & Johnson Estates are two different places not far from each other. We stayed at John's Folly Cottages. The previous visit we'd stayed at Concordia Eco-tents, so we were looking for something in that area. There isn't much construction going on out in Concordia, at least not since May when we were there. Not many properties on STJ have direct water access. Because of the mountainous nature of the island, most of the villas are built on the cliffsides, with roads of varying degrees of quality (some dirt, some paved). Most are a short drive to nearby beaches. At Concordia, the closest good beaches are Salt Pond Bay & Lamesur Bay areas. Since these two cottages are side by side, they are only a few feet apart. When we were there, there was an occupant in the other cottage, but we were friendly with them and didn't mind the nearness. Most other villas don't have such close neighbors. Best snorkling in STJ, IMO are at Salt Pond Bay & Leinster Bay, Waterlemon. Trunk Bay, Cinnamon etc. on the North shore are also good, but more crowded typically. If you are choosing a villa on the Coral Bay side of STJ, you should be prepared to drive everywhere you want to go.

Oh, My vacation photos from two trips to STJ are posted on www.pbase.com/tpatricco the 2004 set include some pics of the cottage. Trish