We are seriously considering St John with our toddler again. We thought the island was so beautiful and for the most part felt safe traveling around the island. We have stayed at the Westin and were disappointed with the villa quality-they need to be updated. (right now they are booked anyway). We liked the area though so we would like to stay in the vicinity of the Westin.
Any villa suggestions? We are considering Splash villa.

Also, I have been reading some articles regarding safety and recent violence on St John. I know wherever you go things can happen but I am little concerned for my families saftey. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

I have a 3 year old and I have no qualms about St. John. We try to take every precaution regarding safety, and don't take any unnecessary risks. The issues on St. John are serious but not the level or type that would make the visit by a typical tourist any riskier. Of course, don't believe there aren't bad types around. They're everywhere in this world. Splash is a nice villa, but it's on the water and I am leary about being that close to the water because it's a favorite place for mosquitos and sandfleas after dusk. Little kids are so vulnerable. They're not big enough to effectively swat or even complain. There are many villas in and around the Westin area. When are you hoping to go? I'm sure this board will have many suggestions for you.

Hi Tuxedocat.
We are planning a January visit.
When we went last year in January we had no problem with bugs at the beaches or the Westin etc. but I will keep that in mind when we make our evening plans.
My son eats dinner early and goes to bed early so we are not usually outside our villa playing at that time anyway.

As far as precautions; is there anything you would like to share as far as what you consider risky or areas we should stay away from.
Maybe we should try for a different destination?

I really don't have any particular areas I would warn you off of. The most recent tourist related incident involved a tourist who was assaulted by some teenagers as he tried to make his way from Cruz Bay back to the Westin on foot. No robbery, they just wanted to rough up a white tourist at 2 a.m. Horrible but it wouldn't be the first time dumb kids took a social issue and did something misguided and a**anine. Anyway, I wouldn't suggest walking anywhere at 2 a.m. As for precautions. Turn on exterior house lights at night so that it is clear that there's a presence, just as you might in your own home. Make sure all doors and ground assessable windows are closed and/or locked. (Some villas this is nearly impossible to do, so your selection should be based on a clear and complete understanding of the villa's layout, design, etc.) And I am careful not to leave the car unlocked anywhere for any amount of time. Prior to the kid, we rented a villa on Great Cruz Bay once. It had an "open" layout meaning no screens in most of the common areas of the house. There were screens and doors on the bedrooms. Only one bedroom had an airconditioner. The villa had a lovely pool. Security was an wrought iron gate at the entrance to the house. While this is a relatively upscale and safe neighborhood, this house really was not well protected. We also experienced a lot of mosquito action at night and couldn't hang out anywhere without bug spray. The weather was very hot (July) so no amount of tradewinds helped much. We crowded into that one bedroom most of the time. Lovely villa but I couldn't recommend it to you. In January, the weather is much more comfortable, but you should still try to get a villa with lots of enclosed/screened, secure space, and at least air conditioning in the bedrooms.

i was on St John in July with my three young grandchildren, and never felt unsafe, anywhere or at any time.
We stayed one week in a large house (Villa Serenity) deliberately choosing one without a pool so we wouldnt worry about the 4 yr old's (who's not yet much of a swimmer, but is quite an acxtive explorer) whereabouts.
The second week we stayed at the Westin in a two story villa --one of the more recently re-opened and updated ones. There we had the town house pool nearby but not literally on our back porch. Sooo... if you want a more updated villa at Westin, there is a webiste of condos--including the most recently updated ones--that are rented by villa owners. Let me know here if you're intersted and i'll try to find the website--it was posted on this board awhile ago.

As for villas outside the Westin but nearby, try this site:

http://www.caribbeanvilla.com/map/stjohn_locations.html

then see the areas numbered 2,3,4,5 for places nr Westin and Great Cruz Bay (specific villas in those locations are listed at end of the descriptive paragraphs).

Good luck and happy planning, RK!

Can't help you with St. John but I can give you two bits of advice about mosquitos and toddlers -- first, make sure that the villa that you rent has screens on the bedroom windows (it's amazing how few homes in the Caribbean do) and, second, we slather our kids from head to toe with Avon Skin So Soft several times a day and just before they go to bed. It seems to work and it's not toxic like commercial bug sprays.

Hi everyone,
Thank you for your advice.
Calinurse-I would love to get that website from you regarding the Westin villas.

RK, here ya go:

http://www.stjohncondos.com/

When you talk with them, do tell them about your disappointment last time with your villa, so they can make sure to get one for you that fitsl more what you would like in terms of being updated.

I hope it works out for you. I culdn't tell for sure from your post if you went with your child on your last trip. With a toddler (or any young kid, for that matter) I can't imagine a more child-friendly place on St John that the Westin resort: free stuff like paddle boats at the beach, the omnipresent iguanas and their daily feed, the big pool with kids area and lots of other little kids, the little but lovely hillside pools and bbq grills next to the villas across the road, on-site playground, daily family-oriented activities, the poolside outdoor movies, the beach (we all know it's not particualrly good as a beach, but it's convenient for bucket and shovel action if you're staying there!) and the Westin's proximity via quick drive to the stunning north shore beaches.
In case you didn't try this last time-- may I recommend renting a dinghy form the water sports place at the Westin? Son and his family (including the 4 yr old) LOVED it and took it over to Hawksnest, Trunk, & Gibney.