We are in serious need of villa help...............

Jan&MikeVa · Post by **Jan&MikeVa** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 11:02 pm

Hubby & I finally decided last night, STJ's a GO for Nov/Dec for a week!!!! We were just there last December, but it feels like it's been years.................you all know what I mean!

Okay, so I have been looking at villas since January. Tell me the name of a villa, and I can picture it in my mind! I'm burned out and totally confused now that I need to make a decision, and I need to do it quick......don't want to lose the airfare. Hubby's not much help on this, so I'm on my own...........sort of

First, I love you guys this forum is awesome and second please, please, please all you experts and well seasoned travellers would you mind offering up some ideas.

We're enjoy a good view, it's important. Have stayed on Gift Hill & North Shore View, liked both.
We spend a lot of time at the villa, I especially enjoy shade.
Pool a definate, hot tub BIG PLUS
A/C a definate

Anyway, here are some villas that are on the short list.

Palm Hill Villa: http://destinationstjohn.com/palm_hill.html

Allesandra Villa: http://www.caribbeanvilla.com/allesandra/index.htm

One Particular Harbor: http://www.caribbeanvilla.com/particular/default.html

Viridian Garden: http://destinationstjohn.com/viridiangarden.htm

Oh, our budget range is 2200 - 2400 (One couple)

Any thoughts on these villas, or your personal favorites, oh and yes I've searched and read any and all reviews for the above (they're aren't many)

Thank you, thank you, thank you...

Jan (aka Charlie)

lavender · Post by **lavender** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 8:43 am

Okay I am bored this morning so I looked at your list and your parameters and here are my thoughts.....
Palm Hill Villa - looks like lots of steps!, nice view, never been in that area so I don't know what it's like, outdoor deck area by pool isn't shown much is that because it is very limited in size?, it says in a quiet residential neighborhood which to me means you have plenty of neighbors closeby (a drawback for me!), a new villa so that is a plus...

Allessandra looks nice - nice big deck with sun and shade, pool, hottub, says it is on a quiet dead end road which probably means some neighbors but hopefully not tooo many, I think the interior looks pretty average nothing too spectacular, overall looks nice though and has everything you want...

One Part Harbour - no question gorgeous villa, very private, great decks, pool, views, furnishings everything top notch - we stayed there and loved it. Farther from Cruz Bay than others, no hottub - however we would never have used one if it were there - the pool was so warm it was perfect! Really great villa....

Viridian Garden.....although it looks cute I personally would not want to be right in Cruz Bay - too much construction noise going on - not as much privacy - and I want to be at a higher elevation for views, breezes etc. Just my opinion....

Hope this helps - good luck in your search!

mia · Post by **mia** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 10:05 am

We stayed at OPH last December and I agree with Lavender....it is a lovely villa with gorgeous views. The breezes were incredible, which kept the mosquitoes away. The decks off of the house are wonderful, the pool deck is quite small. In Dec. the sun doesn't hit the pool..so my daughter used the driveway to sunbathe, however as Lavender said the water temp is great because it is a heated pool. I don't think you would regret renting this villa. We will be on STJ this coming Friday but will be staying at a villa on the north side of the island.
We were able to save over $4200.00 off of the lowest
rates for two weeks. We took a chance by waiting until "Catered To" listed their special discounts for our dates. Hope this helps a little bit.

tarheelgirl · Post by **tarheelgirl** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 12:01 pm

Hi- My sisters and I stayed at Rendezvous Terrace in the Rendezvous Bay area. It's a house that was converted 3 units, The terrace, the villa and the cottage.
Boatman rd was directly behind the property which was great for early morning walks. No hottub but a nice pool and a killer view. www.rendezvousvilla.com We rented direct from the owner. The pictures don't do it justice, it was much nicer! We were on the South shore rd and in town in less than 10 mins. Fully a/c (we were there in early August).

Robin in NC · Post by **Robin in NC** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 1:21 pm

Glad you decided to go, and since I'm jealous I chose this color for my reply. I usually don't respond to villa questions, since I've only been to STJ once and don't have a lot to compare to. So these are just my thoughts, since you were smart enough to add links so I could do a quick comparison. I think One Particular Harbor may have the best view on the island, based on the Web pix. It's a little inconvenient if you dine out in Cruz Bay often, and it's a bit of a haul to get to. For me, based on what I saw, I'd go with Palm Hill. Great view, all the goodies you want, close to town and the beaches. Just one more opinion to add to your confusion

Robin

laura · Post by **laura** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 4:15 pm

Just to add my two cents, we just booked Palm Hill for next June. I'm a first timer so I can't say much about the neighborhood or location. However, I can pass on some of the info I got on the particulars of the house. 3 equal bedrooms with their own bathrooms, one bedroom has a small balcony and one opens up onto the pool deck. The pool seems to be a good size, 10 x 20 and 5 ft or so deep, outdoor dining tables and a grill, which I guess is pretty standard for most houses. New property, so condition should be great.

Good luck in your search, I probably looked at hundreds of villas before deciding....

CindyM · Post by **CindyM** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 4:25 pm

I snooped around Palm Hill last summer while it was under construction. The view from this house is beautiful! It sits VERY VERY close to Villa Maria on the bluff so if privacy is a concern, you may want to ask the agent about that. There is also a house on the other side but I don't remember seeing it from the deck. Palm Hill is in a congested neighborhood, but it is a very nice neighborhood. I've stayed in that neighborhood twice and really enjoyed the location and the views. The house seemed nice, a two pod layout I think, but it's really all about the view at Palm Hill. The price is good, and I would stay there. Hope this helps.

Cindy

Jan&MikeVa · Post by **Jan&MikeVa** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 8:26 pm

Thank you all for your input, it's most appreciated!!

We've made a decision, based on a fluke! I was reading through the archives on the old forum and found where Calif Girl (THANK YOU) had posted the full moon dates through January (I believe or February). So there will be a full moon while we're there, and we've always wanted to go to Ms. Lucy's for the party, so we're going to stay in Coral Bay @ One Particular Harbor..............if we can still get it (my request just went in). We really wanted to try this villa and I'm guessing we'll see some beautiful moon rises the whole week! And we've done the West view, twice, so this East view should be cool.

Hey ROBIN IN NC.......don't be TOO jealous, I was green too while reading your Trip Report back in June.

Thanks again for the help......you guys are wonderful!

Jan (aka Charlie)

FlaGeorge · Post by **FlaGeorge** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 8:41 am

We stayed at Sea Wind ( http://www.caribbeanvilla.com/sea-wind/index.html ) last year. Seems like it fit your needs. I did a villa review on it - so check it out.

waterguy · Post by **waterguy** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 9:56 am

I've stayed a Allasandra twice since the first of the year it is unbeleveable. Here is a short cut from some one elses trip report that was posted last week [url]http://virgin-islands-on-line.com/forum ... ecfebb3219
We are going back in January and would of thougt about renting it again but the group has gotten to big so it's Cygnus for us.

Love St. John · Post by **Love St. John** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 2:44 pm

We stayed at the Summer Wind Villa. We ususually stay closer to the water but wanted something more private and tropical. This Villa was very secluded but only 10-15 minutes to the beaches. What we liked the most was it is on top of Bordeau Mountain. Best views in the Caribean and center to the island. Thus, Cruz Bay and Coral Bay are equally easy to get by car. The house also has a great shaded porch and wonderful breezes and few bugs. We were there in the summer and it was always great to get back to the house to get away from the humidity. It is like being in a jungle tree house but you can do take out from a very civil Chateau Bordeau down the street

Bluwater · Post by **Bluwater** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 9:54 pm

Jan,

I was reading your post and the replies and thinking that OPH was the best choice based on your outlined criteria. The heated pool will be great in case the water is chilly, which it might be without direct sun....but you wanted shade anyway, so you've got the best of both worlds for yourself.

Now that you know that you want to get to Miss Lucy's, you have the cherry on top. I hope it works out and you get it. This IS the one for you!!

Let us know!

(December is sooo close!!)

usvi-on-line