Favorite place to stay where you can walk to town

Heidi76 · Post by **Heidi76** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 9:42 am

So I've only been home from our St. John spring break trip for 2 weeks and we're already thinking about next year! We've been to St. John 4 times...one stay at Caneel, twice we rented a villa at Chocolate Hole and this year we were on Rendevouz Bay. To change things up next time I thought it would be fun to rent a place where we could walk into Cruz Bay. We're a family of 4 traveling with 2 kids (ages 9 and 12) so we'll need 2 bedrooms. A pool would be great but not a requirement. We're all reasonably fit so a hill that a normal person could walk up would be ok! I'd like to keep the budget for the villa/condo to $4,000 for 7 nights. We're traveling during Spring Break so always high season. I'd appreciate any recommendations you have!

Sunflower · Post by **Sunflower** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 11:20 am

Hands down - Gallows Point Resort!! The only problem for you would be that they do not have two bedroom units. They have a loft bedroom and a pullout couch in the downstairs living room. Also have a half bath in the upstairs loft and a full bathroom downstairs. They have a gorgeous pool and beautiful grounds. They have a policy of no children under 5, but that is not a worry for you.

Other option would be Grande Bay Resort - very, very close to town for a walk. Best and good luck,
Sunflower

Barney&barbara · Post by **Barney&barbara** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 1:48 pm

Palm Terrace villas are another option

ScottATL · Post by **ScottATL** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 2:40 pm

We're staying at Lavendar Hills in June. We got a two bedroom for the 4 of us at a great price. I'll post feedback after our trip but the location is excellent and it looks great online. Take a look.

RickG · Post by **RickG** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 3:31 pm

We stayed at Grande Bay in October 2014 for the first time. We are looking to book there in October 2016. We were very pleased with the unit we rented from a forumite - VRBO 328461. The owner is in her units our week, so we're working on Plan B in Grande Bay.

We've also stayed in Star Villas units and they were okay for us. They are up the same street as Palm Terrace.

Cheers, RickG

kklay · Post by **kklay** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 4:37 pm

I have stayed at the Palm Terrace complex several times - very nice area. Grande Bay would be great for you too. Cruz Views might be an option - the walk to town would ok - it's the walk back up the steep hill that might be an issue!

michigan girls · Post by **michigan girls** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 7:55 pm

Battery Hill condos is not a bad walk - easier to town than back, but still doable. We rented a 2 bedroom there a few years ago that was nice.

Heidi76 · Post by **Heidi76** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 8:38 pm

Thanks for the suggestions... I'm looking at them all right now! Grande Bay looks great and I know the location is perfect...although I just checked their website and was quoted $910 per night for a 2 bedroom. That's higher than I expected. Also looked at Battery Hill and Lavender Hill. They both look like they would work for us. I noticed the price for a 2 bedroom at BH is nearly half of LH. I know LH is an easier walk to town, but does anyone else know if there's anything else that makes LH worth the extra cost? It's sometimes hard to tell in the pictures!

michigan girls · Post by **michigan girls** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 9:29 pm

The only issue I had at BH was with the laundry set up. There are resident machines and guest machines, and the morning I tried to do our laundry a resident had all the machines presoaking her pillows and wouldn't move

Also, you need quarters. The pool was nice and I was almost always the only one in it. Plenty of parking in the lot. I'm not sure where LH is, might be slightly less of an uphill walk? But, I am an out of shape 40-something and I could handle the walk to BH.

papabou · Post by **papabou** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 10:05 pm

heidi,

try vrbo for better grande bay rates. rick mentioned tracy's which is $500 nite in april see https://www.vrbo.com/328461# there's a company (st john villas?) that has several units at grande bay. we enjoyed our family stay at gb last fall off season (about $500 nite for a nice 3 bdrm) but the best value has been 2 stays in sand dollar at battery hill when only me and snorkel buddy. units are small and only one bath which works for 2 folks and maybe for family of 4. easy walk down to town but walk back was killer for 2 70 yolds but we did. most units have good views and we stayed in sand dollar both trips https://www.vrbo.com/277245 unit was clean and well equipped and owner easy to deal with. on island manager is cimarron and they handle several other bh units. one bdrm has 2 twins for kids as do a couple other units i believe.

last trip in july 14 the laundry did not require money though machines where set up for coins. happy hunting.

papabou

papabou · Post by **papabou** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 10:09 pm

here's link on company that handles several grande bay condos http://www.crandallonstjohn.com/us-virg ... -crandall/

looks like their april rate for 2 bdrm also $500 night.

papabou

michigan girls · Post by **michigan girls** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 12:28 am

Papabou - thanks for the clarification on the coins for the laundry - since I never got to use it, thanks to that terrible woman, I just saw the coin slots and assumed they were needed.

We stayed in Palm Breezes, which had a main floor private bedroom and an upper good sized loft where my 2 adult sons slept. Palm Breezes is VRBO#127117

Pulley · Post by **Pulley** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 6:15 am

We've stayed with another couple in a Gallows Point loft and it was okay, a little tight but doable. We also stayed with this same couple in a 2BR Cruz View villa and that was much better.

papabou · Post by **papabou** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 8:51 am

michigan, i believe they stopped requiring coins after your incident and between our trips 12/13 and 7/14.

papabou

PatrickMcc · Post by **PatrickMcc** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 10:11 am

We stayed at both Battery Hill (once) and Lavender Hill- 3 times- about 15 years ago.The two bedrooms at Lavender Hill are the top two floors of each building and they are much larger than Battery Hill. The upstairs bedroom was about as big as the entire downstairs and had a living room set in it. The pool area is very nice-our recollection is nicer than Battery hill's pool. The downstairs bedroom is good size and the three living areas are also. The deck space is enormous and the views are fabulous. The deck for the upstairs bedroom is built into the roof and isn't great. There is construction of an enormous house right next door to Battery Hill. We stayed right across the street in Feb. and it did not bother us but we were out early and back late. The walk to Battery Hill is harder, if that matters. Not sure Lavender Hill is worth all that extra $$$.
You could also check out Star Villa- they own a villa right across from Battery Hill and condos scattered along Frangipani Street. They will be more modest than the other condos but probably cheaper. We stayed in their studio in Feb. and that was small for us but we would pick a one bedroom next time. Their villa, Star Villa has a pool. The other condos do not as far as I know.

usvi-on-line