Interested in hearing suggestions for a villa with many personal hopes. Wondering if there's a villa out there that would be our dream villa.

Here's a cheat sheet of things we'd like to have with the villa..not in any order. I also won't eliminate suggestions based on price. I'd like to hear anything, but I have been to St John, Nevis, and Virgin Gorda and we're looking for something new.

here goes.

Caribbean...at least 2 bedrooms...pool / spa...near beautiful beach...upscale!!...no bugs (bugs have twice ruined a villa vacation)air conditioning (not just in the rooms)

Has anyone been to such a spot?

i've stayed in villas on provo, turks & caicos and near tulum in mex. we were bothered slightly by bugs at dawn & dusk, but not during the day. also when it rained. the villas were all beachfront and there was normally a breeze to help keep them at bay. bug spray seemed to do it's job. or are you referring to ants and crawly things? which islands did you have problems on?

so one person's upscale is not nice enough for another. besides pool and ac what is your criteria. if you could give some idea of your budget (a 2-3 br could run from 300 to 2000/per night) and what you might like to do while on vacation, people can hopefully offer you some specific suggestions.

i would say that the drier the island the less chance of insects. so places like grand cayman, t & c, aruba & the bahamas would generally have fewer.

"your" villa is definitly out there.

Our budget would be in the $500-1200 per night range.

I like the Caymans...TC..Aruba. ideas, but am not familiar with best locations on those islands. Can you offer some specific suggestions, and or agency that can help me.

I love St John, but I really got bit up a little too much last time. I know it comes with the territory but I now have an infant to consider./ 10 months old.

We love to rent a villa, compared to resort life. We don't need the nightlife, and hate touristy spots. We just want a beautiful (clean) home with a pool / ac / great view / no bugs (okay, far less bugs) etc. We also need a safe environment...good shopping AND GOOD EATS!!

Is it out there?

I know it exists, but I need help

Sorry...I should have said no to the Caymans. I prefer more peace and quiet.

Last time I was there (2001) I sat in traffic for an hour.

We much prefer things to be very quiet...

Take a look at www.SpiceIsleVillas.com which features Grenada villas. I've stayed in two listed there, Turtleback Pavilion and Tradewind Pavilion. They're both very nice with a certain level of luxury but they're not over the top upscale by any means. While we only used the a/c in the bedrooms, there was a unit available for the open kitchen/living room. The bathrooms did not have a/c, however. The main Tradewind villa has a nice sized pool, a roof top deck with wet bar, fantastic views out to Mt Hartmann Bay and the Caribbean, and one of the bathrooms has a tub with water jets in it. We had the occasional mosquito (it's the tropics after all!) but they weren't a nuisance. The villa was high enough up to always have a nice breeze, which is probably what kept them at bay.

Tradewind/Turtleback are located in a safe residential neighborhood called L'Anse Aux Epines on the southern part of the island. There are a handful of beautiful beaches just a short drive away and the main neighborhood beach is but a short walk away, albeit down a very steep hill. There are neighborhood restaurants you can walk to (again, with the hill to navigate on the way up after dinner) and it's an easy drive away to most of the main touristy/upscale restaurants on the island as well as easy shopping centers.

i can suggest a few villas on provo.
http://www.tcvillas.com/limbo_cottage/
or: http://www.northshorevillas.com/gumbo_cottage/
both of above are in turtle cove marina neighborhood. very nice, quiet neighborhood. these are not beachfront. you walk down a lane about 100yds then onto short beach path & onto grace bay beach. these houses are new and very well maintained.

this house is not on grace bay beach, but is on sopadilla bay beach, which is very prety and has good swimming. it is on the south side of the island & approx. 15 mins to turtle cove area and 25 to the main resort area with all the restaurants, etc. and the grocery. http://www.marketplacevillas.com/Vil...llaOceana.html
also on sopadilla is:http://www.tcsafari.com/crystalsands.htm

back on grace bay across the lane from gumbo & limbo ON the beach is: http://www.tcsafari.com/bellasurmer.htm
this villa imho has a wonderful location. quiet and 10 min walk to best off beach snorkeling on island.
another turtle cove villa which was finished since i was last on island is this house. a bit closer to smith's reef snorkeling than bella sur mer: http://www.conchpearl.tc/

i've never actually been to this house but i think it would work for you: http://www.tcsafari.com/windrosevillaguesthouse.htm
it is near coral gardens which is the other excellent snorkel spot.

you can look at tons more villas by going to the home page of the above links.
two more are: http://www.turksandcaicosvacationren...m/sitemap.html
and http://prestigiousproperties.com/mai...tionvillas.php

this is a very good island map: http://www.aquamarinebeachhouses.com/map.htm

have you checked out Jade Mountain in St Lucia?

Though fabulous, Jade Mountain has no a/c at all, so that's a poor recommendation.

To get the kind of villa you describe, you'll have to pay top dollar, so your $1200 per night budget will be stretched to the limit.

Look at St. Barths. Off-season, you may be able to get something in your range. Also Anguilla.

I'd strongly recommend that you first begin by checking with a reputable upscale villa rental company such as Wimco.

Brutus, St. Barts has been one of our favorites to date. They have tons of rentals. Here are a few that might suit:
http://www.vrbo.com/82994
http://www.stbarth.com/Villas/cryst.shtm

maggi - i have a couple questions about st. barts.
- is there snorkeling?
- what are the restaurants and grocery stores like?
- if i were looking for a slightly less luxury villa, beachfront w/or w/out pool which areas would be best to search? thanks
sorry for the hijack brutus.

maggie... I have always had St Barts on my radar, but always seemed to end up either in the USVI or BVI.

What time of year do you travel to St. Barts, and could some posters compare St Barts to the BVI/USVI?

I checked out Luxury Retreats and they seem to have dozens of villa choices.

What is the most favored part of the island, taking in to account my hopes for the perfect vacation home?

How do the beaches compare...restaurants...shopping etc?

I wouldn't think of St. Barts as a particular snorkeling destination, though I did see people doing it there. I think Flamands and St. Jean beaches are the place to be (others may disagree). Flamands is more secluded, whereas on St. Jean you can walk to the shops and restaurants. The water is idyllic - warm and calm and you can see small planes take off and land. Eden Rock Hotel is on this beach and has a nice restaurant right on the sand. We have been there once - in May. Perfect weather and perfect all around. We rented a car and explored the island.

The grocery stores are better stocked here as are the bakeries - it is French after all! The bakery near our villa made take out quiche and lots of wonderful food to take back to the house.

A comparison between St. Barts and St. John or Virgin Gorda would be that St. Barts has that continental feeling - not really Caribbean. (Our maid was a French expat - fulfilling my husband's lifelong goal of having a French maid

I second the thought on St. Barts. We went for our first time this past summer. Although we did not stay in a villa, St. Jean beach was nice. As far as walking to shops and restaurants, that is taking your life into your own hands, IMO. A rental car is a necessity. The island is easy to get around. Snorkeling was good. We took a catamaran tour...can't remember the company. The stores are well stocked. There is a good one by the airport. A site that you might find helpful is www.stbartstalk.com.
As far as the mention of Aruba....definitely not! It is Amercanized and I don't think you would be happy there. Maybe Curacao or Bonaire which should be less built-up. I, too, love Nevis and St. Barts has a nice and small feel to it.

Have you considered the east end of Grand Cayman? The Reef Resort in particular meets your needs - very quiet, nice pools, and gorgeous beach with great views from every room. If you go there, you need a car.

We switched from staying on 7MB to the Reef Resort on the east end and just love it.