Summer Vacation Rental Recommendations
 

My wife and I are looking for a vacation rental in July for a week. We will also be joined by my parents, so at least 2 bedrooms and 2 baths are a must. Extra bathroom(s) are always welcome! Being able to walk to a beach would be optimal as well. We were interested in St. John, but I am learning that finding a villa/rental with beach access is very difficult. Air conditioning, at least in the bedrooms, is a must, and I would like to stay under $3500-4000/week for the rental. Does anyone have any suggestions? St. John or otherwise.

thanks,

Steve

www.magenspoint.com used to own a condo here nice beach
good price more hopping restaurnts etc on St Thomas.
www.maho.org St John
www.vrbo.com lots of ther stuff.
www.spg.com Westin Villas St John nice too.

Happy Hunting!

There are very few beachfront villas or condos in St. John. I'd recommend Aruba, particularly for that time of the year (though is more likely in Aruba). I think you can find a villa at that price range virtually anywhere in the Caribbean in the Summer (except perhaps Anguilla).

So if Aruba doesn't appeal, look at Grand Cayman (condo only if you want to be beachfront), Providenciales, or even Barbados. All of these are pretty easy to reach, safe, and have nice beaches.

Sorry .. my reply was garbled. I meant to write that a condo was more likely in Aruba. If you're willing to go the condo route, I am pretty sure you can find something in your price range, but there are some nice, small villas in that range as well on almost every island.

Steve, have you checked all the villa management agencies on St John? There are a ton of 2 bedroom, air-conditioned villas on St John - many with easy drives to the beaches.

I have checked out vrbo and private management sites concerning St. John. I now realize that a vacation rental with a short walk to a sandy beach doesn't really exist on the island. This will be my parents first trip to the Caribbean and we wanted to be able to walk to a nice sandy beach from our accommodation. There are many beautiful villas on St. John with breathtaking views, but driving to a beach is not something we were looking to do on this vacation.
I may look into Grand Cayman, but worry that it may be very touristy as we were there on a cruise about 5 years back and at least the port was very busy.
My wife and I were in Aruba last year, so that is out for us too. We like to try new places as much as possible.

If you want something less crowded and touristy, look to the British Virgin Islands. Although it's a hassle to get to, Virgin Gorda has some wonderful beachfront places that would suit you. There are fewer options on Tortola, but Scrub Island might work if it's in your price range during the off-season (and it may be); the latter is now a Marriott property and is on a private island with easy access to Tortola for restaurants.

on grand cayman you might enjoy renting near rum point. where the ships come in - georgetown is very crowded. rum point is just the opposite.
we stayed in a house called 'thatch hill'. it is 2 br en suite. on the beach with a pool. we liked it very much & thought the management company was excellent.
on st. thomas i highly recommend secret harbour beach resort. on excellent beach. condo style resort. you could easily day trip to st.john from shbr if you choose. ride to ferry is 5-10 mins. ferry is 20 mins.

Check http://www.luxeinacity.com/city-guid...ds/Saint_John/ for a few more villas In St-John's. Other great villa rental islands include Barbados (http://www.luxeinacity.com/city-guid...os/Bridgetown/) and Sint Maarten (http://www.luxeinacity.com/city-guid..._Sint_Maarten/).


Contact LuxeInACity directly (http://www.luxeinacity.com/contact-us.php) and they can help you find a villas specific to your needs. They have over 200 villas in the Caribbean. One of them should fit your needs. Good luck and have a great trip ;)

Steve: There are plenty of condo/hotel units on beaches on St Thomas. Sapphire Beach, Crystal Cove and Secret Harbour are some ideas. All are close to Red Hook and the ferry to St John, as well as day trips to the BVI.

Have you thought about St Kitts? here's a 3 bed 3 bath villa which we stayed in which is about 50m to a lovely, very quiet beach
http://turtlebeachhousestkitts.shutterfly.com/

As suggested earlier, Virgin Gorda in the british virgin islands may suit your needs. Very similar feel to St John (a bit more quaint, less commecialized and difficult to get to). Specifically, the villas on Mahoe bay are the ones you may want to look into. Other options include Eleuthera (one of my fav islands) in the Bahama out islands. Many many villas on the beach to choose from. The beaches on eleuthera are out of this world.

We've been to all of the above mentioned and enjoyed our trips. Why not also look at Grace Bay, TCI our new favorite.

I think we are going to stay on St. John. We are considering either Villa Meritage or The Retreat. One is on the eastern side (coral bay) and the other is closer to Cruz Bay, above Hart Bay Beach. Just need to decide on which location is better for us.