villa or hotel
 

Would like to go to ST John next Spring, would you recommend a villa or hotel. Family of 4, 2 parents and 2 college kids. My wife and I were there on a cruise 6 years ago and just loved Trunk Bay. It looked like paradise to me.

Jack, I'd strongly recommend a villa. <BR> <BR>On St. John, you can stay at Caneel Bay (the nicest resort), or the Westin (a step down, but still nice), or one of the smaller hotels. Caneel is very nice, but also expensive. In all cases, what you get is pretty much a standard hotel room -- yes, they can have a nice view, but it is merely a room. <BR> <BR>Compare that to a villa. You can have your selection of many on the island, and most of the time, it will be less expensive than Caneel. You will have much more room, usually a private pool and hot tub, and separate bedrooms. Costs for these villas in the low season run about $1,000 - $3,500/week, with some as high as $6,000/week. Now, most of these villas are not directly on the beach (I personally know of 2 on the North Shore, and 1 on the South Shore, but I'm sure there are more). We stay at one that is on the North Shore, in Peter Bay (overlooks Cinnamon Bay), and it is tremendous. They just raised their rates to $6K in the offseason. Pricey, but worth it. 4 bedrooms, 5 baths, pool, hot tub, magnificent views. About a $2M house. While this house rents at a flat rate regardless of number of people, most villas are pro-rated based on the number of people. <BR> <BR>As far as location, I'd stay on the North Shore. It is less crowded, and that is where most of the best beaches are. <BR> <BR>There are several places you can find on the web that rent villas (just search on "St. John rental villa"). The lady we rent from is not web-based, so email me if you want her info. <BR> <BR>Good luck. <BR> <BR>- Jim

A villa or condo. should come out to be much cheaper. <BR> <BR>See "My List of URL's"

What list of URL's????

A post of mine called, "My List of Url's"