Where is Carolina Ridge on STJ?
 

My family and I are considering the villa Casa Luna on Carolina Ridge for our May 2007 vacation. Can anyone provide a description of where Carolina Ridge is in relation to Coral Bay and the North shore beaches, and where I should look for it on a map? What does the Carolina Ridge area look like? Is the driving difficult?

Also, if anyone has styaed at this villa, I would appreciate feedback. Thank you!

I'm not sure of the exact location of that particular villa, but Carolina Ridge overlooks Coral Bay. Looking on a map, it is on the eastern half of the islands and kind of hugs the valley around Coral Bay. The area offers some stunning views over Coral Bay, the BVI's and beyond. Most of it faces East and Southeast. The location is reached by the Centerline road (only road that runs the length of STJ) and there is a road off of the Centerline close to the Carolina Ridge area which takes you out towards the north shore beaches. The area is approximately 8-10 minutes drive to the north shore, about 8-10 minutes drive down to the Coral Bay area, and about 20-25 minutes drive to Cruz Bay. All dependent upon where on the ridge it is. It's not walking distance to water, unless you like a bit of hiking. Dependent upon where/how the villa is situated, it may require 4-wheel drive for certain portions of the road. But I wouldn't recommend anything but a 4-Not that driving is "difficult" per se, but you need to drive slowly and carefully because the roads are windy and some places are pretty steep. wheel drive for STJ. The advantages it does boast are great views, peace, quiet and some seclusion, and it is fairly centrally located to be a short drive to any place on island. Heck, everything's pretty close on STJ. It's a small island. Don't be shy about getting exact and detailed information from the agent.

Thank you - I couldn't seem to find it on a map. I'll get the exact location of the villa from the agency as you suggested.

If it is 10 mins to the north shore, there must be roads to take you from Coral Bay to the North Shore without having to go all the way back to Cruz Bay? I couldn't tell from the map if there are cut thrus from Centerline Rd to North Shore Rd.

Yes, there is a road that takes you to the North Shore Beaches from Coral Bay. You will not have to go back to Cruz Bay.
The view overlooking the sailboats in Coral Bay harbor is my favorite view on the island! Especially in the evening when the lights of the boats start to come on!

I have been to SJ for the past 10 years. Got married there. I think Carolina Ridge is pretty close to Coral Bay. Not too far from the N. Shore beaches. You can't go over 20-25 MPH so once you get used to driving on the left, it's not bad. I prefer the Chocolate Hole area for rentals - closer to Cruz Bay and the restaurants.

Publisher - I saw that Viva Vacations manages Casa Luna but had planned on booking through Carefree Getaways because we will have a 3 year old with us and they will not charge us for her. Is Viva Vacations worth the extra cost? I'm glad you are familiar with Casa Luna - I haven't been able to find many reviews.

I took a look at the post on Carefreegetaways. I know that house! It is actually farther east on the ridge than I had thought. It is high up on the hillside so it will take you a few minutes drive to get up there from Centerline. It is quite large. I didn't see that it has a/c in all of the bedrooms. If this matters to you, you should clarify with the agent. It is much breezier up on the hillside, but May is definitely a warm month.

Thanks tuxedocat - I'm glad you recognized it. I'll double check with carefreegetaways about the A/C. I saw on some website that the 2 lower bedrooms have A/C but I read in posts on usvi-on-line.com that it is not necessary in this area of STJ. I hope this is true!