Opinions on these villas...La Collina or Pink Conch?

[Heidi76]

First I want to say how helpful this forum is for anyone planning a trip to St. John! I had posted a thread a few days ago and got so many great suggestions! At first we were planning on booking a condo right in Cruz Bay to be in walking distance to restaurants and shops...but after reading some of your posts we started looking around a little more and have decided to go a little further out of town. I think we'll enjoy more privacy, better views, and a more quiet location. I've been looking a lot and these two, La Collina and Pink Conch look to be just what we're looking for...2 BR, pretty views, nice outdoor space, a pool for my 2 kids, short, easy drive to town, plus they're in our budget ($3k or under) and available! We spoke with someone who manages these properties and she said La Collina was her favorite because it offered the best sunset views, but I've also seen some reviews that say it may smell a bit musty and might be a bit dated looking (but these reviews were probably from years ago, so things could be different now. )
So I'd love any opinions on these villas from anyone who has stayed there or seen them. Or if you know of any other villas I should check out before making a final decision, please share!

[Teresa_Rae]

I've stayed at La Collina and have described it as being musty...namely the kitchen cabinets, and they're still the same ones that were there in 2003. The pool at La Collina is pretty small. From looking at pictures, PInk Conch looks a lot nicer.

[arenee]

I too have stayed at La Collina but it has been many years (maybe 10?). We arrived the day the owners left so the villa had been opened for some time before we got there. I didn't notice any musty smells upstairs but I definitely noticed it downstairs in the bedrooms that had not been used. The pool is REALLY small. I'm not sure how old your kids are but if they are older than 6 or 7 this might put a damper on pool time. I would call it more a "plunge" pool. We did like the covered deck and sunsets. My kids were little at the time (3 and 6). We brought nets along for them to try and catch lizards. There was enough space for them to walk around the villa looking for lizards so that was nice. We have stayed in other villas with absolutely no yard space. The drive to Cruz Bay was short and not difficult. If I didn't need a large pool and the price was right I might consider it.

[dreamshark]

I like the look of Collina, esp. the shaded dining porch and island stonework on the interior walls. To me, Pink Conch looks blazingly, insufferably hot. Note that the afternoon sun pours straight in those west facing windows. There is no AC in the great room, and from the pictures it doesn't look like there is a lot of cross-ventilation. If those people frying in the sun in the lead picture look to you like they are having a good time, maybe you'd like it. Me, I'm always looking for ways to get out of the tropical sun.

[Travelling Wilbury]

We stayed at Pink Conch in April 2011. Awesome villa. There is plenty of cross ventillation throughout the villa and we never had an issue with the villa being hot once the sliders and windows were opened. A/C in the two bedrooms on the 2nd floor. The two bedrooms consist of a king (master) and a queen. The size of the bedrooms are not equal and I'm not sure if the queen bedroom can be broken down into twin beds for kids as some other villas provide to their guests. Both bedrooms have outdoor showers with views looking out over Great Cruz Bay. The pool is small but we enjoyed dipping in after a day out at the beaches. One of the highlights was hanging out on the deck at night. The breeze kept the bugs away. All and all it is our favorite St. John villa after 3 visits at 3 different villas.

[Barb Y]

Hi! It has been quite a few years since my family and I stayed at La Collina and they may have done some updates since then. We did find the Kitchen cabinets and drawers to be musty smelling. The two upstairs bedrooms were nice but we did not really like the two downstairs as they had separate entrances and were very dark. The porch was amazing for sunsets and star gazing. As someone else had mentioned the pool is small. I cannot compare to Pink Conch as I have not stayed there. Good luck and have a wonderful trip nomatter where ya choose.

[MadCityMom]

I vote Pink Conch. The views are incredible. Everything is nice and new and the outdoor showers off each ensuite bathroom are really awesome. Granite counters and stainless appliances if I recall. It's really lovely. We've vowed not to stay in the same place twice and have gone with more people and needed more bedrooms otherwise I'd go back! If you want some more pics PM me and I'll send some!