Where have you stayed?

[PA Girl]

Caneel – Our first couple of trips were summer trips to Caneel. The first couple were back in the day before the rooms had A/C. We loved sleeping with just the screens and the ceiling fans. Hubby still complains that the resort was “ruined” with the installation of A/C a number of years ago. Those trips spoiled me for life, staying on the beach is my favorite way to visit STJ. We are returning in July, just booked our plane tickets this morning.

Kallaloo, above Gibney on the North Shore – This was our first STJ villa rental (had rented on other islands) and we stayed there twice. If it wasn’t for the age restriction, we would have returned every trip but they don’t allow kids under 8yo. We loved the classic Caribbean style of the house, the North Shore location and the walk to Gibney Beach. The first trip (in January) the pool was frigid. The second trip was in February and we used the pool every day.

Splendore – Maria Bluff. Great house for two couples. We liked the neighborhood because we could walk around in the morning. Very warm pool and great views.

Rivendell – Peter Bay. Loved the North Shore location. The Peter Bay beach access was disappointing. Lots of neighborhood noise – non-stop leaf blowers, delivery trucks, etc. The house had some owner-related quirks and there was a lot of differed maintenance. The pictures of the recent renovations tempt me to return.

Bay Rum Breeze – Mamey Peak. The owners of this house know what they are doing when it came to designing the house and managing it as a rental. It was about as perfect as we have ever rented, spotlessly clean, good quality finishes, great furniture, attention to detail everywhere. Great house for three couples. Shady in the afternoon. Loved the location because it was convenient to the North Shore beaches and Coral Bay.

Casa De Sonadores – Virgin Grande Estates. Worked very well for our party of 8 adults and one child. Equal bedrooms and baths (important to our group as no one wants to “settle” for the crappy room) but would never dream of considering the windowless basement a sleeping area like they advertise it. Nice views from the front of the house, convenient location for going out at night. It had some issues relating to kitchen goods but I am sure that has been worked out.

Caneel Trailside Cottage – Pastory area, I think? Nowhere near Caneel . Nearly new two bedroom house (equal) with a nice outdoor area. We didn’t like the location but the house was very nice. We spent a lot of time on the patio, playing games and such. Small, “wally” pool in a walled courtyard, very pretty landscaping. Our son enjoyed trying to catch the neighborhood chickens.

Kalorama – Virgin Grande Estates. I think we sort of lost our minds when we booked this house or maybe we were drunk on STJ dreaming and wine. Visually, it was stunning, it was like living in an Architectural Digest magazine. However, it did not suit our group’s needs for a number of reasons but it is a very nice house.

[PointPeeps]

What a fun thread! Thanks for sharing. Keep em coming!

[JenG]

Great thread! Here goes....

Trip 1: La Bella Villa - Two bedroom stone villa in Coral Bay. Outdoor shower, small pool, nice views, comfortable and high quality throughout. Easy to get to. Highly recommend!

Trip 2: Ixora - girls' trip. Ajax Peak. Amazing lap pool, hot tub, overall needs a little TLC, no AC, great location near smoothie stand, but lots of road noise from Centerline.

Trip 3: Skyflower. This will be the yardstick I measure other villas by. Jaw-dropping views, hot tub, high quality throughout, comfortable, private, easy to get to. Loved it! Will definitely return.

Trip 4: Skyfall Cottage - Freemans Ground. Great views, nice shower, budget-friendly rental. A diamond in the rough, could use some finishing and higher quality furniture. Really rough road to get there.

Trip 5: Villa Tiffany - right below Skyfall in Freemans Ground. Will be there in early May. Can't wait!

[StJohnbum]

Great Thread. We've been coming down regularly since the mid-80s, translate, I'm old and my memory is fading into the sea so I'm sure I'll leave some out.

Gallows: 3 or 4 times, prefer the upper units away from town
Opar: 3 times, LOVE the location and breezes
Villa St. John, has since changed name, indoor pool, not our favorite
Caneel Bay: Love the beaches but rooms need updating, back again in April
Sea Stone: 2 times Maria Bluff, great location, nice view
Latitude: Loved the house, great view, living room hot due to lack of breezes
Casa Tua: 4 times, Coral Bay, on the water, favorite villa but now off the market
Wings Over Water: 2 times, back in April, close 2nd as favorite, GREAT location
Another Villa, I can't recall name, Coral Bay side, Grape Hill, not good

If Wings Over Water was on the Coral Bay side it would be the perfect Villa for us. However it is a wonderful Villa, located out on a point near Chocolate Hole directly on the water. Highly recommended and am looking forward to being back in 3 weeks.

[CHM]

2006- Inn Love (now Solare): very large, nice villa close to town
2007- Bongo Bongo: fabulous villa, our favorite villa for 2 bedrooms
2008- Argonauta: amazing view, close to town, bedrooms are not equal
2010- Sailing trip, one night at Westin. Pleasantly surprised at how much we liked the Westin.
2011- La Bella Vita: fabulous villa, amazing view, Virgin Grand
2013- Blue Papaya: fabulous villa, near La Bella Vita, amazing view
2013- Aqua Gem: less expensive villa but nice. Very close to town. Bedrooms share a wall, inside staircase is spiral, limited view
2014: Infinity Villa: our favorite villa thus far. I would not change anything about this villa, amazing view, Virgin Grand

[Bigcheeze]

Wow...cool thread 2002 was the first time and Lil Cheese was just 2( Now 15 going on 16) That 1st trip( this will be a topic for a different thread) I still can't believe how much stuff we brought...OMG Anyways on to the List;

Villa Catalina
Le Lapin
Le Lapin
Le Virage
Villa del Sol
Vida de mar
Coconuts
Coconuts
Chococruz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5TTOcN3CYI
Hummingbird Hill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPkMlEEHGJg
HBH Part II
HBH Part III

This year we are doing the BVI thing and staying at Lemon Grass in Cane Garden Bay to see what we can do about their local economy.

One of these days, might have to do the Rick G thing and buy a floating Villa.

Enjoy the Ride

Dave/Bigcheeze

[liamsaunt]

I might forget some of the places we have stayed, but here is the list to the best of my memory:

Caneel Bay: 14 times. Every room category except garden/courtside including Cottage 7 twice (free upgrade from the old management, not offered anymore so don't get your hopes up fellow Caneel fans! ).

Gallows Point: 8 times. 7 times in an Ocean Upper and once in a Harbor Upper.

And then the villas...

Odessa, Hart Bay
Coqui, Maria Bluff (twice)
Belvedere, Maria Bluff
Golden Dragon, Fish Bay (it is called something else now...Viaggi or something like that)
Orchid Hill, Chocolate Hole
Cinnamon Tarn, Catherineberg (twice)
Argonauta, Contant Point (twice)
Altagracia, Contant Point
Francis Bay Estate, above Francis Bay
Rapture, Virgin Grand Estates (pretty sure this is off the market)
Kalorama, Virgin Grand Estates
On a Clear Day, above Francis Bay
La Mer, high up on a hill in Coral Bay (not to be confused with the La Mer in Cruz Bay!)
La Jolla Caribe, Catherineberg
Colibri, Maria Bluff

I think that's all of them.

edit: Nope! We also stayed at Vida de Mar on Devers Bay. Don't know how I forgot that one, it is a nice house.

[cindygad]

1 Sail View now rented out as whole villa instead of 1 bedroom
2 Sail View 3 days, Angels Roost 1 bed room suite, Coral Bay
3 Angels Roost 2 weeks, Fun and Contentment 1 week, Coral Bay, Equal 2 bedrooms,
great view
4 Angels Roost 2 weeks, Villa Capiz Gift Hill 1 week, 2 equal bedrooms, 1 smaller be
bedroom, great pool, and view
5 Villa Bijou Cruz bay 1 week, 3 equal bedrooms, favorite view from kitchen
6 Angels Roost 2 weeks
7. Angels Roost 2 weeks
8. Angels Roost 2 weeks
9. Angels Roost next Jan 1 week and Lunazel 1 week

[Coconuts]

Hey, we're quite a bit out of date, but here's what I can remember of our villa list:
Hart Bay Beach House, circa 1999
Moonsong
St. John Inn (while looking at lots to buy)
Periwinkle (or similar nearby villa)
Caribbean Odyssey
Cruz Views (multiple occasions)
Luna Vista (two lots below our Mamie Peak lot)
Casa Ya Ya (seriously considered buying this years afterwards, went with Plumeria instead)
Stone House (Great Cruz Bay; perfect seats for an unexpected and wonderful fireworks display set off by the Westin for a private party)
Coconuts (2010, with intention to buy)

Despite having the two villas, they are booked often enough that we do find ourselves "homeless" from time to time, usually on the front or tail ends of a stay at Coconuts or Plumeria. We're less motivated to explore large villas then, and usually stay at Cruz Views near town. Those stays feel like the vacations of old, with no villa projects to attend to. Prior to one such stay, I notified Diane at Caribbean Villas by email that "I'm not sure I'll know what to do with my time, so let the owner know that I'll keep myself busy with various plumbing and electrical projects". That attempt at humor was dry enough to sail right over their heads, and led to questions regarding exactly which projects, puzzlement by the owner, and my hourly rate!

All the best,

Kevin

[Splasher54]

First visit was from a cruise ship! Vowed to come back and stay!

Ciellidonna- Nice house (thought we wanted beach front, but now know we want views and breezes!)

LaJolla Caribe- Love the location and views!! Great size house too! Had all of the kids and a friend with us.

St John Livin- Coral Bay. Just the two of us, great size, breezes and views!

On the Rock- an apt on Ajax Peak. Was a nice apt, but need more of a view! We spent the first 4 days of our vacation on Tortola (Long Bay??resort) Couldn't wait to get to St John.

concordia- 3 nights- Did like it, was in a boot with a broken foot, so the stairs were a challenge, but the food, views, people were great! We stayed in a 2 bedroom and it was pretty good for roughing it!!
Spent the next 6 nights at Heaven's Gate! Beautiful home overlooking Hurricane Hole! Loved this house!! Right up there with La Jolla Caribe!

[Bluestreak12]

One Particular Harbor
What we liked: Outstanding views, well maintained, great space to sit and enjoy meals, washer and dryer onsite, pocket glass doors slide into wall gives awesome view and more open feeling in living area.

What could be improved: Pool was freezing - even for July, beach cooler and beach chairs need replacing.

Astral Ridge
What we liked: The views and landscaping make it seem more in touch with the setting, no railings to obstruct views, pool and hot tub, outdoor shower. This will be hard to beat for us and we are returning this July and found it perfect for just the two of us.

What could be improved: No AC in bedroom (wasn't too bad but I would have preferred to have it), more places to hang swimwear/towels to dry, no washer or dryer on site, driveway/parking is challenging.

Bay Rum Breeze
What we liked: Great views, nice layout with three equal suites, pool/hot tub, great outdoor furniture & space/high end kitchen, central location.

What could be improved: various small issues that are insignificant but detracted from our stay.

Cinnamon Bay Campground

Why we are staying here: Able to get two more days on St. John relatively cheap. We fell in love with Cinnamon Bay last year and can't wait to dedicate two days to it exclusively. No swells in July and snorkeling was great for us.

What we might not like so much: Mosquitos, lack of dining options, Mosquitos,

Deja View - Staying this July also for an extended family vacation.

Why we booked this villa: Perfect size for our four family group, bunk room fits all kids that will be going giving them their own space, outstanding pool/hot tub/views, great entertaining space and multitude of seating options, equal suites for adults.

What could be improved: Nothing jumps out at me, but I imagine we may lose some ping pong balls off the edge of the covered porch.

[Wanda Creech]

Started going on our 10th anniversary:
Caneel -3 times
Belvedere- took our family when they were children
Coral Rays- nice but we like being closer to Cruz.
Casa Del Sol- beautiful house with great detail and design, beautiful view
Bongo Bongo- I think we were the first or second to stay there. Very nice and
close to town.
Sago Palm - 7 years in a row - favorite- It has been torn down for the monster
villa so he has a better view above Denis.
Leeward- Beautiful house with a great view. Inside bedrooms.
Areca- Took my family here for a week.Great location and views and wonderful
large villa.
Dream Come True-
Kia Ora- It has been up dated. Views are ok, close to town and Private Homes are
wonderful to work with. Pool is a salt water pool.
June 2015- Bordo Mare- IT will be our 36th anniversary. Looks wonderful and
Mike the owner is great to work with.

[Ali]

We started August 2002 -

Sunset Beach - Devers Bay
Contant Point - Contant
Belvedere 2x - Maria Bluff
Saphire Breeze - Great Cruz Bay
Eaglesnest - Great Cruz Bay
Stone Harbor - Coral Bay
Spy Glass - Coral Bay
Sea Biscuit -Cpral Bay
Colibri - Great Cruz Bay
East End Sea Scape - East End
Bombalassy - Great Cruz Bay
Wings over Water - Bovocap Point 2x

Also - Gallows Point (10+)
Caneel Bay(6+)
Lavendar Hill (2x)
Grande Bay (1x)

Some of the Gallows and Caneel trips wrapped around villa stays. There are so many ways to vacation on St. John. Every trip is different.

Also stayed on Water Island, Secret Harbor and Marriott on St. Thomas.

[ncsusan]

1st Trip. Caneel Bay
2nd Trip. Estate Fortsberg/Caneel Bay
3rd Trip. Ocean Palm Villa
4th Trip. Ocean Palm Villa
5th Trip. Coqui Inn/Ocean Palm Villa

[maryellenS]

Our family of 5 started visiting in 2004 for our 20th anniversary.

04 Glenmar

07 Orchid Knoll

10 One Particular Harbour - with a boy friend

15 - in six weeks - return to One Particular Harbour, now with a son in law!!!