Decided on St John- Lavender Hill or Villa

Travel discussion for St. John
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allie
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Joined: Tue Feb 13, 2007 7:29 am

Decided on St John- Lavender Hill or Villa

Post by allie »

Thanks to everyone's replies my family and I have decided to go to St John not St Thomas.

I thought I was set on renting a villa, I have a few , well more than a few on my list. On my previous post Bill also recommended Lavender Hill condos which I am considering as well. Any thoughts on Lavender Hill vs villa- there will be 4 of us, kids 8 & 12.
For anyone that has stayed at Lavender Hill- would you recommend a 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom with the kids? In low season a 2bedroom is 399/n- is this worth it or for the $, or is your own private villa a better choice?

Thanks!
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promoguy
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Post by promoguy »

I can highly recommend a stay at Lavender and would definitly go for the two bedroom. I believe the two bedroom is really one bedroom with a loft. It is convenient to CB since it's just a short walk.

We have stayed in the one bedrooms for many years. Now staying across the street at Gallows.
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ATG
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Post by ATG »

We stayed in Unit 2W Lavendar Hill (1BR) in November 2006 and loved it. We previously stayed at Gallows, which we also love, but it got really expensive. We also rented a villa once, but hated it (we chose poorly). LH is verrrry convenient and verrrry well kept. I would probably recommend a 2BR for you, although the 1BR did have a sofa bed in the living room.
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chrisn
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Post by chrisn »

While I don't know a whole lot about LH. I do know that you can get a nice villa for $2800 which is $400 per night.

I would do some homework before deciding and check out some of the great villas in your price range.

Our kids 19 and 9 LOVE the villa vacations. They like the home environment and really adore having their own private pool.
bill
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lavender hill or villa

Post by bill »

About 3 years ago we stayed at Lavender Hill. Rented the two bedroom unit and we went with 2 teenagers. we loved it. the view is to die for. the unit had plenty of space and the kitchen had everything you could need.

the location is wonderful. so close to town, we can walk everwhere. we like not having to drive into town. the pool was a nice plus too.

we would definitely stay there again. that being said, for the price you can definitely find a villa. a villa has a whole different feel to it. Cloud Nine villas has some very nice and reasonably priced villas. you should check it out. we have not yet rented from them, but i have spoken to them considering renting a villa from them in the future and they are extremely nice.

i don't think you would be disappointed if you rented Lavender hill. hope this helps !!!
allie
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Joined: Tue Feb 13, 2007 7:29 am

Post by allie »

Thanks for all your responses!

Good thing this trip is not until next summer- so I have time.

Based on the responses and web site- Lavender Hill is still on my list for condos.

Here are a few villa's on my list- any feedback on these would be greatly appreciated. Do not have a set location we want to stay at- but do want pool, a/c at least in bedrooms, and a layout suitable for our 2 kids- budget $2500-2800- off season

Allesandra
Cloud 9
Eaglesnest
Perelandra
Miles Away
St John Passion
Plumeria
Orion Hill
Sea Bloosom

Thanks!!!!
bill
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Location: new york

lavender hill or villa

Post by bill »

hello again

we almost rented st john passion this summer, but the couple we were going with backed out. i have never seen the villa inside but have passed it several times. the view from the villa is to die for. rendezvous bay is my favorite all time view,although i do like the view of cruz bay, come to think of it i like the view anywhere in St. John!!!

We rented Villa Opar in rendezvous bay a few years ago and it was our favorite by far. It is no longer for rent as far as i know. we rented from Vacation vistas, who were wonderful.

One of the agents said that St. John's Passion was their favorite, because it was very much a typical island style home. has a great feel to it. One day we will rent it, it is on my list. I believe there is a review of it in the villa reviews forum. Let me know what you decide

Bill
Knolmom
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Lavender Hill or Villa

Post by Knolmom »

I did not see your initial post so I do not know whether this is your first trip to STT/STJ. I definately recommend a villa for a family vacation but I do not know how comfortable you will be with the driving. You might want to consider Allessandra or Perelandra because of the easy drive to the beaches and grocery shopping from these villas. I have toured both of these villas and they should meet your needs nicely. Sea Blossom and Orions Hill are a little furthur away from places that you will probably be visiting each day with kids. I am also familiar with St John Passion and it is really a neat house with a beautiful view. Plumeria and Cloud Nine are up on Gift Hill, but not as high up as St John Passion. I think Cloud Nine's drawback is it either has a small or shallow pool.
There is a new house that you might want to look at. It is Hale Lanai through www.destinationstjohn.com. It has a nice looking pool and a/c bedrooms and is well within your price range. A lot of house for the price if you look at the photos. It is also a very easy drive to Cruz Bay and the beaches, and very near to the Westin. We have looked into renting it this summer.
Two other great houses for families with kids are Idyllic, through www.vacationvistas and Villa Villekula through Seaviewhomes.com. They are both very easy to get to also. I have stayed at Idyllic and it has a really great pool area. Dont know if they are available for your dates.
Enjoy you vacation!!
allie
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Post by allie »

Bill- Thanks for the input on St John Passion- I really liked the "island/beachy" feel look from the pictures as well!

Knolmom
Thanks for all your feedback on the villas! This will be our 1st trip to St John- we got married on St Thomas almost 14 years ago & took a day trip to St John and loved it- for some reason or another we have not make it back so we decided to go to St John for our 15th yr anniversary with the kids.
We have traveled with the kids to the caribbean & Mexico but have always stayed in an a/i resort or hotel. This will be our first " villa" vacation.

Good point on the driving- something I should think about!
I will check on the other villas you recommended as well! We are not going until next July so thankfully I will have time to make up my mind.

Thanks again
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waterguy
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Post by waterguy »

Hi
We stayed at Allesandra in Jan it was out standing I think it would fit your family great if you have any ? Feel free to ask.
MrB
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Location: Philapa

Post by MrB »

waterguy wrote:Hi
We stayed at Allesandra in Jan it was out standing I think it would fit your family great if you have any ? Feel free to ask.
]

Sorry to bump this one and go OT, but is that Bose system working at Allesandra yet? We took 4 DVD's worth of music down with us last year, and it was not even there. Good thing I brought my Sirius too!!!

I would recommend Allesandra as well. Not that we ever would, but you can spend your whole vacation just there and still have a great time. I love the privacy of the pool deck, the amazing view of STT-Plus, and the stars at night!
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toni
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Post by toni »

Husband and I stayed at St. John Passion in December and would recommend it, posted a review in the villa section. For the price I'd pick a villa over a condo, unless you prefer not to drive around as much. Thought STJP was $2k for the week in low season so by comparison it seems a better deal.

Great view, very quiet, lots of sun which we liked, ac in two bedrooms and not in the 3rd, but very breezy. Please feel free to email/pm me if you have questions.
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St. John Lover
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Post by St. John Lover »

Have stayed at Lavendar Hill, Sea Blossoms and Perelandra and have seen a couple of the Gifft Hill villas. Would choose Perelandra hands down.

I think the villas are a better value for your money than Lavendar Hill. Plus, neither of us are light sleepers, but both of us had trouble sleeping at L.H. due to the noise. Even with the a/c on full-blast & all the doors/windows closed, we heard the loud music and noise from the town enough to wake us up out of a deep sleep and not allow us to return to it. Plus of course you're sharing the pool & laundry facilities with others. The nice thing is that your kids could walk back & forth to town by themselves.

Sea Blossom has a lot of living space for the price but the view was pretty mediocre (it's pretty low down). Therefore it also didn't get a lot of breeze so mosquitos were a bit of a problem when we went. Inside was pretty 'plain-jane' also, kind of tired & worn but I believe ownership has changed since we went so perhaps they've spiffed it up & have also increased the quality of the linens/towels/beach & kitchen equipment etc.

Gifft Hill villas we've seen have great views, some are a bit close to the road, others nice & secluded. It is about the same time to most of the great beaches but further to restaurants & grocery stores (& we're ALWAYS running out of things that we need to run & get at the last minute).

Perelandra, for us, worked really well. We've rented it 3x now--1st time with friends, 2nd with our adult kids who had 1 child at the time, last time just the 2 of us :-). It's close to grocery stores, restaurants, shops, beaches but still all tucked up away by itself. Pool area is very private. Landscaping actually is outstanding--lots of neat flowering fragrant tropical plants that provide a lot of privacy. Views are outstanding. It's high enough up so when we've been there, there's always been a breeze & bugs have absolutely not been a problem. Very pretty inside & very well equipped with just about anything you could want or need. Bedrooms are the same size, each with their own bath, and both have a/c.

Good luck on your trip planning. I always think the next best thing to being on St. John is planning for a trip to St. John. It kind of stretches the vacation time as I'm smiling thinking of the memories of the past & good memories we'll make for the future as I'm planning.
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