shelly

Hello friends, I am planning our 11/01 honeymoon, and I've become fascinated with the idea of renting a villa on St. John. Can anyone offer some advice?
It seems as if finding a villa on a N shore beach is almost impossible (since most of the area is the National Park).
Can you recommend an area? Is Great Cruz Bay too "busy"? If we decide on Hart Bay or Rendevous Bay, is it difficult to get up to the N Shore? I've heard the roads can be quite a challenge!!
Can anyone recommend an on-island villa rental agency?
Is no A/C OK?
Can bugs/rodents be a problem??
Please share!! I've been to most isles of BVI, Dom Rep, T&C, Maui...and I'd be glad to help with any of your questions about these
paradises. Thanks in advance. Happy trails!

Mike

You'll have a great time, I'm envious! We've been to St. John twice in the last year and loved it. We rented villas from Caribbean Villas(www.caribbeanvillas.com) both times and were very happy. We rented at Reef Bay and Cinammon Bay. Both were awesome, but Cinammon Bay was the most beautiful view we've ever had. We prefer to be "off the beaten track", so didn't mind the 20 minute twisting and turning drive to Cruz Bay. Favorite Restaurants - Asolare, Skinny Legs, Vies, and Paradiso. Woody's for Happy Hour is a must. When we went in November there were alot of "no seeums" and Deep Woods Off seemed to work best. Before we went in June we took vitamin B1 everyday for 30 days b/4 and had no problems, I don't know if it was the time of year or the B1, but we'll keep using B1 until proven wrong.

Felix Little

I suggest checking out CaribbeanWay.com (www.caribbeanway.com) - look at their villas on their site and give them a call. We normally deal with one of their agents (Ben) - and he is of great help. I think his # is 877-953-7400. Check it out.

waggie

Also check out www.cateredto.com for villas. We stayed in "Sea Wind" a few years ago and really liked it. A villa located about 10 or 15 minutes from Cruz Bay might be a good idea, but really anywhere on SJ is great! A villa with your own pool is the way to go!

Tricia

Shelly - I have read your request about villas on St. John. However, I was interested in the 2nd half of your questions - about suggestions on other islands.
I'm getting married next August and we were thinking about the BVI. Can you offer any suggestions on private well kept villas, great beaches, hiking and great restaurants. I know August is the beginning of hurricane season, but we really would like to go to some island on our honeymoon. Thanks.

Erin

We just returned from our honeymoon at St. John. I also recommend caribbean villas. We stayed at Cruz Views which is right above the town with nice views of St. Thomas. We had AC in the bedroom. Make sure you rent a jeep to explore the beaches on the north coast, but not try any of the unpaved roads . . . they are nasty. The roads are a little hairy; just make sure you go slow, watch the hairpin turns (honking help warn others on the other end), and watch for fallen rocks. Cruz Bay is not at all busy. It is small and very friendly.
The bugs are bad. We are still finding new bug bites on us. Come prepared with bug repellant and ant traps for the kitchen. That also means keeping the villa free of crumbs.
Dining there is overrated and overpriced. We only found a couple of places we liked: Cap's Place, Hercules, and Vie's Snack Shack. None of these places are fine dining and if I recall, they only serve lunch. You are best off preparing most of your meals at your villa. The average dinner in St. John runs about $30/person and none leaving a good lasting impression.
St. John is perfect for a honeymoon. It is amazing that such a paradise is unscathed by development and greed.

Patrick

Shelly: there are a number of excellent rental agencies besides the ones mentioned so far- Vacation Vistas, Vacation Homes, Private Vacations- try the website for the St. John newspaper the tradewinds which now has a rental section, you might save some money this way. There are a few villas on the North Shore- I think Vacation Vistas and Catered To have a few. We have rented in choolate Hole and found it an easy ride to Cruz Bay and not bad to the North shore Beaches-the reverse curve after Trunk is the worst- you will probably visit different beaches so some driving on the winding roads is inevitable. If you go to Hart or rendevous ask the agent how far off the main road the house is, if the road is paved and how steep the approach is- a half mile up a ninety degree incline on a rutted dirt road can be a long drive at night.You don't need A/C in November- you might have bugs then- in fact likely. Try the rental section on the St. John website- We rented on year on Great Crux Bay- the chocolate hole side and it was great- not noisy- overlooked the Westin from the hill- friends rented on the opposite shore one year and loved it. This was a run on post but I hope it helps- By the way we went for about 15 years until 1996- haven't been since but friends have- it does get busier every year- we are returning for a long weekend this April and plan to stay at Estate Lindholm- a renovated Sugar Mill just above Cruz Bay. If the villa doesn't work out this could be a nice choice- Gallows Point and Caneel Bay are other possibilities for more $$$. Good luck Patrick