Villa advice - Tennis villa, Oceana, Ristaba - Pro's? Con's?

[SaraPosh]

Hi there!

I haven't been here in quite a long time (even had to re-register!) but I am very glad to have a need to be back.

Looking forward to a November trip to St. John, with all of my in-laws. There will be 10 adults and my 2 kids.

My mother-in-law and I have done a lot of looking and we have pretty much narrowed it down to:

*Tennis Villa
*Oceana
*Ristaba

All are in the same approximate off season price range and all will accomodate our group. My kids will be 4 and 8 at the time of our trip. I am looking for opinions on any of these villas, keeping the kids in mind.

I am persoanlly most drawn to Oceana, but wondering if there is anything I am overlooking. I would much appreciate any and all thoughts on this villas. Most reviews that I have found are several years old.

Thanks!

Sara

[djmom]

We stayed at Ristaba this past November. We were there with another family. Each had 2 kids.

We really liked the villa. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions. The place was in great shape, everything was "as advertised". We were very satisfied and would rent it again if we had a large party.

[Barb Y]

Hi! I stayed at Ristaba with my family in the spring of 2008. We all loved it! The villa and it's views are great! I just contacted Lisa from Vacation Vistas (she is awesome and will do everything in her power to ensure that your concerns or questions are quickly addressed). We are also trying to decide between Ristaba or Oceana. She informed me that Ristaba has had some updates since our last visit (kitchen items, sheets and a video survalance (sp?) in addition to the house alarm which was present already to ensure comfort and safety). As I said we loved Ristaba the only comment not even a complaint is that the bedrooms in the main house are all on the lower level which might slightly hinder privacy. The house is well equipped and leaves little to be desired.

Oceana also looks gorgeous! It is a gated home. The only question I have with it is about the top three rooms being accessible from the outside only. There does not appear to be access from within the main living area. This is a perk for some as I would imagine it gives increased privacy but with my Mom who is getting a bit older on us I would want to be sure that if she needs me I will hear her.

I can only imagine that either property is a great choice. And again Lisa the property Manager is great to work with.

Good luck with your choice and have a wonderful trip.

[b-as-u-r]

The SOTB II gang stayed at Oceans this past November. We really liked this villa. There's one individual pod (bedroom & bath) that I stayed in and really liked. It was separated from the main house by a covered open area and was located across from the kitchen of the main house. The individual pod had a/c and was right next to the pool. The pool would be considered small for a large group. There were 8 of us and it was fine to just stand around in. The kitchen/dining/livingroom are all open and spacious. Door open to the outside on both sides, so we had a nice breeze in the living area. We re-arranged the couches in the livingroom a bit and then it was perfect! We loved the outside deck table and chairs and lounge chairs. The bedrooms on the main floor were accessed by a door in the livingroom that led outside by a covered walkway and everyone was fine with that. Everything has it's own lock-up. The downstairs was very spacious and those that stayed down there had no complaints either. Laundry facility was good. Hot tub, well, not the best location but they had one. We loved the place! I really liked being able to watch the boats in the Westin marina area. Any specific questions...just throw them out there and I'm sure one of the gals will chime in with a response. Ali~

[nothintolose]

We stayed at Ristaba a few years ago and liked it alot for our VERY large crowd. We had to use the cottage as well. I stayed in the smaller room in the cottage and barely went in the bedrooms in the main house but they were all large enough for the people that stayed in them.

The veranda of Ristaba is where I spent most of my time. The pool is large and deep. The villa was relatively close to town. We LOVE Lisa and Vacation Vistas. The villa is well stocked so look in all of the cabinets in the kitchen before heading to the store.