Coral Bay person considering the "other" side, ple

[Armchair Traveler]

On all of our trips we have stayed in Coral Bay and loved the slower pace and less crowded villa areas. In an effort to widen our villa search to find something suitable to take our twin 2 1/2 year old boys, we are considering other areas. We would still like an area that is a little less crowded, so probably not Choc Hole, but Fish Bay may be a little too remote, but not out of the question. How do you get to the beaches from that side of the island? I have thought about Bordeaux Mtn but we have stayed on Ajax Peak and I felt the views, while beautiful, were too far from the water, if that makes any sense. We are looking for in season, interior bedroom access 2 bedroom for under $4000/wk if possible. Also, just interested in impressions of what it is like staying on that side. Thank you!

[msgcolleen]

I use this cool map of villa locations when looking to see what part of the island I want to stay at next:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 2&t=h&z=14

There are 2 pages of villa locations so make sure you click on the second page.

Happy hunting!

[Coden]

Cool map....I've saved it.

[augie]

We stayed in Fish Bay last fall. It was slow season, and we didn't have kids with us, so we didn't really mind the drive, but it did take longer to get to our favorite beaches than anywhere else we've stayed.

There was a tropical storm that passed by a good bit south of us that kept the "local" beaches unsuitable for snorkeling or swimming for most of our stay.

If we were headed to north shore beaches as far east as Maho we'd take South Shore Road to the roundabout, then cut down by Dolphin/Lumberyard to get to North Shore Rd. Any further east than that we'd take Gifft Hill Rd. to Centerline, then head east, turning at the Smoothie Stand for Francis, Leinster, etc., or continuing on if we were going to East End or Salt Pond, Lameshure, etc.

The place we stayed in didn't have interior access to the bedrooms, so you probably don't need the villa (Fish Beach) details.

Have you thought about the Maria Bluff or Gifft Hill areas?

[Armchair Traveler]

Thanks, Augie, Maria Bluff and Gift Hill were two areas we were condsidering, I just know absolutely nothing about them.

[PA Girl]

We are doing the opposite, leaving Gifft Hill(and surrounding area) for Coral Bay next trip.

We have stayed in Gifft Hill and Maria Bluff. For whatever reason, we always went through town to get to the beaches.

Our first 6+ trips to STJ were North Shore stays, which I will admit really spoiled us. Now, the drive through town several times a day (beach and back, dinner and back) really wears on my nerves. So we are off to Coral Bay. Not saying you are making a mistake, just explaining why I am decamping.

Between Maria Bluff and GH, I liked Maria Bluff better. The access was easier. The neighborhood, at least where we stayed, is developed and reminded me of subdivisions at home. The views for GH were better.

[toni]

We have stayed Cruz bay, coral bay, rendezvous bay, reef bay and other areas. Next trip is fish bay. I actually choose by what time of year it is; I like a place with a lot of sunshine. I too like a place with closer water views. Our favorite beaches tend to be from maho on over to the right, so we take gifft hill rd to centerline. Otherwise it's through town to get to salomon. Time spent driving isn't that big of a deal to me so it's not a bother. I do like when we have stayed at places either in Cruz or coral bay that were within walking distance to restaurants, that was a plus just for drinking and last minute decision making.

[bevm]

The long drive to the our favorite beaches is a huge deterrent from staying on that side of the island.

[traveler22]

We have stayed in the Rendezvous area twice and love the view. You do a little more driving but it's also convient to be able to stop at Starfish or Peace pine markets on the the way back to your villa. This area was also ALOT quieter IMHO than Coral Bay whic has alot more roosters in the morning

[rpplano]

We are going back to Cinnamon Tarn in the Catherineburg area. Beautiful views, in the middle between towns, and a road straight down to Cinnamon Bay. (4 wheel experience is a must.) Pricing is very decent.

[Armchair Traveler]

Thanks for all the feedback! I have been looking at Cinnamon Tarn, how long does it take to get into Coral Bay from there?

[Gromit]

@Armchair--

I am struggling with the same thing... after many years of staying in the Choc hole area, we decided to switch to the coral bay side to get away from the hustle and bustle of town. Over the past 6 years this worked well as Coral bay began to add more amenities, grocery stores, restaurants etc. It just fit our style better.

Then this little guy showed up:

<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/i ... site"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-QHhj ... G_4151.JPG" height="400" width="300"></a>

And it seems that many places/villas we have checked in Coral Bay are not suitable for kids under 5. Mini Gromit will be 18 months on our next visit and I feel like I am running out of options on my fave side of the island.

Add to that the potential challenges of traveling with a toddler and wondering if we shouldn't be staying on the Cruz bay side anyway, to minimize the stress on the day of arrival and departure.

We've gotten so used to the Coral Bay side and the fact that things are a bit slower. Of course we are also having to rethink some of your fave beaches and opt instead for ones that require less hiking to get to.

LOts of adjustments and things to consider with the little ones in tow.

BTW-- (Let me preface by stating that this is my opinion) but a bit of caution on the Catherineburg locations. This road is VERY bumpy and the connection to the north shore road is (in my opinion) challenging at best. I would imagine that the young ones might get a little car sick if you aren't careful. I love off-roading and even this road was too much for me to take when we stayed off of it for 10 days.

Also, I found that staying in the middle of the island meant that it took twice as long to get to either side for anything (I know that sounds weird but it's true). Unless of course you plan on doing a lot of cooking at the villa in which case not as much of an issue.

The views from Catherineberg are gorgeous tho!

So if there's any comfort in knowing that someone else out there feels your pain, then I am here for you!

Like you I think that we will have to stay on the Cruz Bay side, but I am hoping to find a happy medium that will give us the peace and quiet we enjoy while providing access to the amenities we may need with Mini Gromit.

[Nancy_B]

Gromit, he is so beautiful!

[Gromit]

Thanks Nancy! He's such a sweet little boy. Can't wait to show him his Mama's "happy place" STJ!

[Armchair Traveler]

Gromit, I could have written that post, thanks so much for the feedback. I have started a list of mostly CB places and am now just branching out to the other side. Take a look below and see what you think. Your little one is adorbable!

Casa Bueno
Fun and Contentment
Palladios View
Easy Breezes
Casa Nita
Sunrise Villa
Cinnamon Tarn
Jasmine Villa-East End
Dolphin Run
Le Lapin

If I could figure out how to post pics I would of my little guys who I will probably spend most of my time trying to keep them from taking down the entire island on their trip.