Chrissy

I am planning a late June 2000 honeymoon to St. John. We are looking for a villa, $1500 for the week or less. Does anyone have anything (good or bad) to say about any of these management companies: <BR>Cloud 9 Villas, Viva Vacations, Vacation Vistas, Catered To, or Caribbean Villa <BR>What are the chances of bad weather the last week of June? <BR>Is it worth it to look for a place on or near a beach, or is hillside just as good? (We will be renting a jeep I think.) <BR>We are living in San Francisco and getting married in Detroit. Any thoughts on the best (least expensive) way to do air travel? <BR>Lots of questions, I know.. Thanks! <BR>

waggie

Chrissy -- We used Vacation Vistas and were very pleased with both the service provided and with our villa. And, we only booked our trip 3 weeks in advance. In the summer of 1998, our villa cost us a total of $1,701, which included all the taxes you pay. Be sure to spring for a villa with your own private pool. It's the only way to go. I've heard that cateredto is a good villa rental company. Since we booked so last minute, all the villas they had that we liked were already booked. Not too many villas are going to be right on the beach, although a few are. We were hillside, with a great view, and about a 12-minute jeep ride to Cruz Bay. I would suggest keeping within 15 minutes of Cruz Bay, since most of your restaurants, shopping, etc. are in that area. Personally, I wouldn't want to be in the thick of it in Cruz Bay, however. Simply "close." Chances are that June will be OK re: hurricanes, but then there are no guarantees. The closer you get to the fall, the more potential for bad weather, generally speaking. <BR> <BR>There are so many great villas from which to choose, and I'm sure you'll find one that suits your needs. I can tell you that we viewed several rooms of our villa on the web prior to our trip, and everything looked just the same, if not better, when we saw it in person! Only good surprises. DO go the villa route instead of a resort. I think you'll be quite pleased that you did. We will definitely rent one again on SJ when we return. Best of luck, and if you have any other questions, feel free to email me direct. <BR> <BR>

nancy

Just came back. Windcrest through McLaughlinanderson.com is great and in your price range. Great views, hillside, minutes out of Cruz Bay. Go for it

Ramona

We used cateredto and were so pleased that we're already planning a return trip. We stayed at L'Autre Monde, but there are others that are less expensive and smaller. We went at the end of May and had great weather. Plus being the off season our house was 1/2 price.

Mike

Rented from Caribbeanvillas in November during Hurricane Lenny. IT was fabulous until we were evacuated. Caribbeanvillas was great, they gave us credit for the nights we lost, so we're going back in June....can't wait. Our 1st trip we were walking distance to a beach, but decided that the pool and view are more important....there are so many great beaches you won't want to focus on only one!

larry

Just got back last night. You will love St. John. We stayed at Cruz Views condo run by Caribbean Villa. It was one of the few places we could get for less than a week stay at a reasonable price. Everything was fine. At some point in the next day or so I will post a trip report.