Cinnamon Tarn or La Jolla Caribe

[ddridge]

Going to St. John May, 2010, two couples. Trying to decide between Cinnamon Tarn or La Jolla Caribe. Not familiar with either one. Anyone familiar with these two villas? All comments would be appreciated.[/b]

[sherban]

I've stayed at CT it is great...on top of the mountain with an awesome view...loved it. Cons are no pool and no AC.
Pics (mixed in with other pics from 6/08 trip):
http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/ff71 ... ?start=all
Never been in LJC, it is lower than CT but close...has a BR with AC....

I'd love either...have fun!

[Maryanne]

i've heard good things about Cinnamon Tarn...

not sure about La Jolla, but we drove by it the whole time we were staying at Cinnamon Stones, and it didn't look too appealing from the outside, to the point where we all commented about it. but it could have been that it was just closed-up (hurricane shutters, etc)...

in any event, the view from anywhere in Catherineberg is so wonderful...it's hard to go wrong...

[laurie]

Cinnamon Tarn is perfect for two couples, bedrooms are on opposite ends of villa, plenty of privacy., Views amazing. Hot tub wonderful, (cover in need of repair). If you want the North Shore views and there are only 4 of you CT is perfect. For more people would vote for Island Sun or Great Escape. Laurie

[steve]

Great choices! there have been very detailed reviews on these properties and Blogs on VIOL with photos in the past. (KYGirl wrote several pieces with photos about La Jolla caribe) If you find some of my comments, you will note that I have stayed in multiple villas mostly Upper Carolina and Catherinberg. I have been hooked on the North shore views and breezes of Catherinberg for years now. The Villas vary from expensive palaces like Jungle Stone (the newest) to comfortable older ones like Anole. I haved stayed in some and visited almost all of them. they all have pros and cons but each seem to have faithful followers depending on your likes and dislikes. I would never pan any of them... especially not with a drive by.
La Jolla Caribe is an older island home that I have stayed at and loved. It was remodeled just a few years ago and is very nice. It is a perfect example of how good architecture can take advantage of the N Shore breezes so you really do not need AC. It is a large 3 story house with huge decks and many bedrooms, each uniquely decorated and fresh.
The sunrise to sunset views are unparralleled.
Some people do not like the drive down John Head rd, it was graded last winter and I recently drove it, the only rough parts (as far as dirt rds go) is the lower 100 yds or so.

you definitely have my vote for the Catherinberg area and both homes are great.

[Gromit]

The views from Catherineberg are really spectacular, but as a seasoned STJ traveler and I will tell you that choosing to stay off of John Head Road has to be a carefully made decision.

Granted we didn't drive it when we were there a few weeks ago so I'm not familiar with the new "grading" but this road was a bitch when we stayed there two years ago.

We stayed at Anole two Decembers ago (never again - since we had major issues with cockroaches due to lack of spraying and the large rat traps in the bedroom were unsettling to say the least). I was done when I woke up with cockroaches all over us and in the bed - add to the fact that the house was not well maintained (exposed rusty nails on the railing and railings that were so weak you could no dare lean against them).

About the only thing this house had going for it was the view which was admittedly spectacular.

One of the reasons we decided to stay in Catherineberg on that trip was the proximity to the Northshore beaches and to get out of Cruz Bay (which has gotten too busy for our tastes). We thought it would be nice to stay in between Cruz Bay and Coral Bay.

Problem is that you are now nowhere close to either, because of the state of John Head Road it becomes tiresome to drive it to the Northshore road and you end up using Centreline which isn't as nice of a drive in terms of views, etc.

It seems to me if you are the kind of person that only leaves the house once a day to go and return to the beach, and then cooks in for dinners and wants a lot of privacy and excellent views then homes in this area will suit you fine. There are indeed ome lovely homes here.

But if you prefer to eat out at night in Cruz Bay or Coral Bay and are coming and going from your house all the time then this area may not be the best choice IMHO.

Lately we've been staying in Upper Carolina/Coral Bay and really love this area. Great access to the beaches we love, gorgeous views that equal the Northshore views from Catherineberg, Coral Bay is quieter and has great dining options and the road access to the homes is excellent.

That's my .02.

[Pickle]

We've never stayed at La Jolla Caribe but we loved our stay at Cinnamon Tarn. We prefer one-level houses to multi-level, so the layout of CT is more appealing to us than that of La Jolla Caribe. From either place, you will have fantastic views.

If you are hot-tub people, you may want to take a close look at the tubs at both places. The one at CT is probably larger, a very nice tub, indeed, but, once you are in it, the railing will obstruct your view. Unlike more conventional tubs like the one at La Jolla Caribe, the tub at CT is essentially "in" the deck instead of "on".

As for the inconvenience factor of the location that Gromit pointed out, it is true if you don't want to drive John's Head Rd. The road is not the worst we've driven on the island, but the comfort level of driving that road depends on the person. Getting to North Shore Road via John's Head is shorter (10-12 min from CT) but it's a slow and bumpy ride, especially, on the North Shore side of the road. Via Centerline costs you more time and gas but it is a smooth ride.

We ate out in Cruz Bay during half of our stay at CT and had no problem driving at night. Actually, the only problem we had was driving up the driveway after dark. It is narrow and fairly steep and in a couple of spots we couldn't see the edges of the driveway well.

CT is only a two-minute drive on John's Head from Centerline. As we drove on John's Head to North Shore, we saw some villas along the way and thought "Hmm, I wonder if we want to stay this far down the road..." It just all depends on one's comfort level and needs/wants. Catherineberg is probably not for everyone - if you are looking for more convenience, you may want to stay somewhere else. Personally, we did enjoy our stay at Cinnamon Tarn and hope to return there someday.

[sherban]

I drove down John's Head road every day in our Jeep and loved it...no kidding.

No biggie for me,,,maybe my wife was white knucling a bit but to each their own ...it ain't THAT bad...

My opinion- not a decision making factor...a plus if anything because you can drive or walk down right to Cinnamon bay beach...I liked it.

[mfaughey]

Here is a little video we took (Oct 2007) that shows some of the way from CT to North SHore Road (I loved driving that road)

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[Diana2]

We've enjoyed our stays (3) at Cinnamon Tarn. It's a great house. We've never felt that AC was needed and I think we've always slept with a blanket when we stayed at CT. The views from Catherineberg are really spectacular and we have rented many houses there over the years but John Head Road is a negative for us. The last few times we stayed in Catherineberg we thought there was way too much noise from other villas in the area.

Since we discovered the Bordeaux Mtn. location we feel that's the best location on the island (excluding Peter Bay) for access to the northshore beaches. It also offers the most privacy, quiet and no kidney jarring roads to navigate. We aren't into the bar scene so going into Cruz Bay is not high on our daily 'must do' list. We do enjoy eating out most evenings and we don't mind the drive into Cruz Bay or Coral Bay. Bordeaux Mtn. is the ideal location for us.

[msgcolleen]

Nice video Yehguafm! That doesn't look too scary