St John Villa--what should I ask when renting?
 

I am considering renting a villa on St. John for next summer. It is just my husband & I. We want a private villa with ocean view. What questions should we ask about any potential villa to help weed out the not-so-great ones? What are your must-haves for a villa on St. John? Is any area better than others to rent a villa. We will want to explore & find quiet sandy-calm water beaches although we will probably make a stop at Trunk Bay for the snorkel trail.

I was considering Honeymoon Cottage, but it looks like it is booked the week I need to go (last week of June 2006). Any other suggestions?

I have rented a few villas, not in St. John, but here's some things you'd like to ask:

Is there A/C in the bedrooms?

How close are the neighboring homes? Are those homes rental properties or private homes?

Walking distance to any grocery or convenience stores?

How far to the beach? Walk or drive?

Is there a phone in the villa for making local calls (very handy for reservations and advance planning)?

Are there any supplies included (like salt and pepper, paper goods, etc) - so you know what you'll need to buy or bring.

Also, we usually rent directly from the owner when possible. If so, be sure to call on the phone and speak with the owner, not just email. You can tell alot about a property by speaking with the owner (and follow your gut instinct - are they proud or cagey?).

Good luck - you will be hooked once you try a villa!

I always tell people to make sure they come up with a list of absolutely must-haves of their own. Do you absolutely want AC (in June, I'd say it is a must at least in the bedroom). Do you want a swimming pool? Great convenience for that quick, cooling dip. St. John is a very small island so if you have a car (which I'd recommend), you will be able to explore the entire island and not be limited to just what's around your villa. For quiet, sandy, calm, I'd recommend Maho, Francis Bay. Hansen Bay out in the east end is also a stunner. Also, the most important consideration in deciding on location is whether you want to be close to town for nightlife and other conveniences versus something more secluded and private. Many of St. John's villas have water views. If you are more specific about your requirements, it is easier to make suggestions.

I personally have never done the villa deal on St. John, (some day we will) but I have read that you should definitely ask if there is nearby construction going on near the villa you are interested in. Good luck! -Susan

Tuxedocat--Good point on the villa requirements. Here's what we would like:

Private & quiet--does not need to be near nightlife. Would prefer not to have other villas looking right at our deck area.
Walk to beach--we will rent a car but would like to be able to not always need to drive.
AC at least in the bedroom
Hot tub or plunge pool would be nice but not an absolute requirement.
Great view of water & islands--not looking through lots of trees or around other buildings.
Decent cooking facilities--we will cook most meals. Doesn't need to be gourmet though.
Around $200 per night.
Able to rent from mid-week to midweek rather than just Sun-Sat. We have to travel mid week because we have to drop off & pick up kids at summer camp.

Any ideas greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Nightwatchman/security service, esp. for the more isolated villas is now
a must as well as a/c, screens, and a good beach/water access.

Security is needed for the villas????? I thought crime wasn't that bad on St. John. I normally don't bring anything of value except my wedding rings which would be on me the whole time.

tivertonhouse,

Are you saying that on St. John the theft/breakin issue is bad enough now that we will need to hire a security guard to watch our rental villa while away? I'm a little surprised and dismayed to hear this.

-Bill

i think Joan gave you a great list to have handy when talking to villa owners/management.it all really comes down to what your needs are. for that reason i have always chosen to rent with one of the management co's on st. john..this way i can tell them my needs and wants and the can check their inventory to find the right villa !! from your list of requests i don't see a problem getting a villa...although walk to a beach is limited on this island but there are villas that you can rent with such... usually the beaches are not sandy but offer some good snorkeling.there are so many beautiful beaches on st. john that you can drive to easily..each day is an adventure !! if you rent a villa IMO it is a must to have a vehicle.asking about nearby construction is a great idea..nothing worse than getting up your 1st morning w/all the noise and possibly the eyes of those on the building site staring at you..and you assumed you'd have privacy! most of the rental co's i know of will be honest w/you. one yr. we rented a villa and 3 mos. prior, the company contacted us..seems there was a villa being built above ours..view into pool area..they were so helpfull..we could stay w/ a major discount or they'd find us a replacement..we chose the latter..wasn't the company's fault..st. john is growing..hope not too much !!thats why i like dealing w/rental co's and not direct to owners..the co's have many villas to work with and are on island if there are problems.. here are some options for rentals: www.caribbeanvilla.com(this is the co we use)http://www.cateredto.com,www.destina...uitestjohn.com, these rental co's have a large assortment of villas and condos that are in various size and price range..they'll all be very helpfull..good luck..you're gonna love St John !!

Regarding crime on St. John, I googled while reading the other thread on St. Thomas, and found this recent article from the Virgin Island Daily News:

http://www.virginislandsdailynews.co...me?id=10530675

Thanks joan.

-Bill

Okay folks, I just got back from St. John and we have a house in the Coral Bay area, and while there has been a rash of crimes lately, including a murder (complicated scenario, and definitely not random), it is still not a dangerous place. Crime happens everywhere. Absolutely everywhere and far more often in other places. Believe me, the last thing I want to do is encourage a stampede of tourists to St. John, but I feel I need to defend it a bit. Villas, hotel rooms are broken into occasionally everywhere on this planet. Using common sense and precautions like locking up the house and car will usually do the trick. I think Tivertonhouse's suggestion is over the top. You should simply ask the agent if there is adequate security i.e. locks on doors and maybe a safe for your valuables.
By the way, eks6426, I saw a listing for "Caneel Trailside Cottage" which seems perfect for your requirements. Check it out, and enjoy intrepidly.

tuxedocat,

I was hoping you were going to weigh in on the security guard thing. Thanks for your perspective as a frequent visitor and island resident. It makes me feel a little less nervous.

-Bill

I almost wonder if Tivertonhouse was speaking in general terms, thinking of his beloved Jamaica?

Tiverton?

Bill,
We felt safe while in St John in Sept.Most of the crimes are among the residents..not tourists.Which is still sad and I hope that something changes.I think that alot of the tensions are from the locals not getting respect for their culture from the people moving there from the US mainland.This is sad as it is their home and their ways of life should be respected.

Christie

Given the incidences of break-ins, particuarly in the Coral Bay area, from villa owners I know, I'd not disregard
my advice as 'over the top'. St. John is hardly crime-ridden. Forewarned, however, is forearmed

Since I live/lived in both places, compared to Jamaica, there's also FAR less racial tension black/white than on St.Croiz, St.Thomas and St.John.

St.Croix

Put it another way: for all the hype about Jamaica, in 15 years for 25 villas, we've experienced only one (1)
theft/break-in at 1 property where 2 bottles of wine were taken.

Seeing as Jamaica is a sovereign state and the population is more homogenous than the Virgin Islands, there would certainly be a difference in the level of racial tensions. You could write several books on the subject of St. Croix's racial tensions and still not explore its varied dimensions. The bottomline is: some of the racial tensions of late have caused some of the criminal activities on St. John, and there has been a rash of petty and not so petty crimes in the Coral Bay area, but it's really about the fact that foreign (other than St. John)construction crews have been working on the roads and new buildings in Coral Bay which temporarily increases the presence of dubious characters in the area, also, this quiet area has been vulnerable to theft due to its out of the way nature. The new police substation is meant to address the growth of development in the area and everything that means. More villas, more people, more people, higher rate of the criminal element. While I was there, I was constantly running into police presence...at the convenience store, at the restaurants and shops, driving along the shore... I felt safe alright, if a little overwatched. There are villas with security systems like we have at home, but a night watchman would be too costly, and I still contend is not necessary given the statistics. The big multi-million dollar villas might be able to afford it, but your typical $2-4,000/week villa can't afford such a system. St. John is very far from crime-ridden even in light of its recent troubles. As little as I may know about Jamaica, this is the first time I've heard St. John suffer by comparison especially in the crime department. Beg pardon, but there is no part of St. John that I would tell folks they shouldn't venture to, nor could I point out as a pit of poverty. I'm sure there are plenty of villa owners on St. John who can say they've never been broken into.

Just to clarify on the allegedly racially motivated crimes on St. John, they have been pretty specifically targeting certain individuals and it seems to be retaliatory in nature. People are not being randomly victimized just because of race and I think that is very important to make clear to the potential visitor.

In echoing what some others have said,
I would ask if there is a safe on the property.
One said that she only had her rings, but what about passports, credit cards and a few hundred in cash or your ATM card.
When we go off for the day, we like to take only what is necessary and leave the rest behind.
The last villa that we rented did not have a safe and we really missed it.
We usually "hid" valuables in "places".
Another point to ask may be if it is safe to sleep with the bedroom doors open to the outside.
I know that when we build ours, you will be able to go to bed with some doors open to let the breeze in and listen to the surf!
We have stayed at several villas over the years although never on St John, but as has been said before, common sense where ever you are.
We have been broken into on vacation before and that incident has made us much more savy..............

........and if you ask around you may hear that some villas may have more of a history of being broken into than others.
Some properties just lend themselves to breaking & entering than others.
Seems to me that a reputable rental agency would give you that info as opposed to an owner. Just a thought.
After we were robbed, we found out that the area that we had been in was "noted" for robberies!
The owner hadn't mentioned that!
Perhaps that is why it was for sale???

In response to the original question, absolutely, positively, ask if there is active construction going on nearby, and how close. Our recent vacation was very much impacted by construction noise right next door, starting every morning (saturday and sunday included) at 7:00am.

Also, to address one criterion you listed in a later message ("Walk to beach--we will rent a car but would like to be able to not always need to drive"), generally, this may be difficult, as relatively few villas are within walking distance to a beach, at least the bigger and nicer beaches.

We rented in Chocolate Hole, which, in my opinion, is not the best if you want to reduce your driving. From there, we basically had to drive everywhere, and that usually meant a drive through Cruz Bay. True, Cruz Bay is small, but driving to or through it several times per day made us a little weary after our 10 days.

An additional question to inquire about is the access road to the rental unit. Some homes on St. John are on very steep unpaved roads. Great for views, not so great for driving. This can limit how often you feel like returning during the day. It may not be a dealbreaker but it's worth knowing before you arrive.

There are a couple of major construction projects which might seriously effect the enjoyment of your villa and one is in downtown Cruz Bay, the continuing work at Enighed Pond/Marina, and housing on Gifft Hill. I'd stay away from these areas. If someone is just remodeling a villa nearby, it shouldn't pose too much of a problem, but it certainly doesn't hurt to ask.