Splendore, Southern Cross, or Argonauta ? ? ?

[C&S Island Time]

Ok, we've narrowed our choices down to Splendore, Southern Cross, or Argonauta ?


I have heard several good things about Splendore and Argonauta, but not much on Southern Cross.

What are everyones opinions of these villas and does anyone know if there any additional pics out there of them besides what the villa mgt websites have ?

[liamsaunt]

I've stayed at Argonauta twice, it is very nice. I have a public photo set of pictures of Argonauta on flickr, which you can view here:


http://www.flickr.com/gp/28539958@N00/u5Tp09

If you have any specific questions about the house, I am happy to answer.

[Agent99]

Love Argonauta so much we just booked it for next year. Splendore has also been on our short list. Looks beautiful and I like Maria's Bluff.

Becky, thanks for those photos. I'm trying to convince friends of ours to join us because we have an extra bedroom and I don't have my old photos organized. I'm going to send them the link. The kitchen looks great. We were there before they renovated that.

We haven't ventured from Gallows for the past few years. I'm so excited!!

[PA Girl]

The Spledore pictures on VV site present a true picture of the villa. I have lots of pics but none are any better than what is shown.

Southern Cross looks very nice. I am also interested in learning about it. I see it is kid-ok, something we are always looking for in a villa.

[C&S Island Time]

Thanks for the info !

Liamsaunt: those pictures are great

PAGirl: Cindy at Carfree told us that Southern Cross has two bedrooms upstairs on each side of the living room and two bedrooms downstairs on the pool level

[Shellseeker]

Southern Cross is a well-maintained villa with four master suites with great space and beautiful views over Chocolate Hole. It is only minutes from Cruz Bay so that's an attractive feature.
The stalled Pond Bay construction project is visible out to the left but do not consider it a deterrent to the view. All four bedrooms have A/C; the rest of the house depends on the nice breeze and there is a standalone pivotal fan. The pix on the web site are a little older but surprisingly accurate. It is spotlessly clean with the beds being firm, yet comfortable, with quality linens in all of the bedrooms. It's great for an adult only group or a large family if you're not depending on using the lower two bedrooms for toddlers.
PA girl: the master suite is upstairs with a second master suite located across the great room/kitchen/dining areas. To access the lower two master bedrooms, you'll need to walk down one of the two outside staircases. There are showers in the bathrooms - no bathtubs in the event you have a little one. [Hope this helps.]

[PA Girl]

The outside access of the other two bedrooms is fine with us as the adult-no kids couple(s) actually like that sort of seperation.

Are the bedrooms equal or close to equal?

[Jimm]

Here's a few pics of Splendore from our 2008 trip.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_m/sets ... 202471904/

[Shellseeker]

All four bedrooms @ Southern Cross are not of equal size but each one is roomy enough for 2 people to share. The true master suite upstairs overlooks Chocolate Hole while the second upstairs suite overlooks the Caribbean and pool. The master is the roomiest with the second upstairs suite being a close second. One of the lower two bedrooms is a little bit bigger than the fourth one. All are nicely furnished. The laundry area is in between the lower two bedrooms and the frontloading washer/dryer combo look new.
The bathrooms are fine for two people and each one has a double sink. The master bathroom has stonework similar to the outside of the villa as well as the kitchen area.

[C&S Island Time]

Jimm: thanks for the pics of Splendore !

[Sunny]

We just returned from a week at Argonauta and we absolutley loved it!!! Will be booking it again next year if possible

[Agent99]

Sunny, would you post pics?

[Agent99]

I'm so excited to be going back I haven't gotten any work done all day. Found a decent flight, too.

[Marcia (Mrs. Pete)]

We have stayed in several different villas in STJ and Splendore is by far our favorite. The pool and deck area get sun all day and are very private. The pool is the perfect temperature, which means a lot, as we've stayed in some villas where the pool was too cold to really enjoy. The hot tub is wonderful, too. Oooooh, and the waterfall...

The two bedrooms on the main level are essentially identical. And, they are on opposite sides of the house, for privacy. They each have fabulous "garden" showers in the bathroom and A/C.

The outdoor dining area offers fantastic views and is covered, so unless the wind is blowing, you can retreat there in a rain shower. As well, there is plenty of space to lounge if you wish to get out of the sun and read a book.

The kitchen is modern and fully equipped.

We found it nearly impossible to leave this villa during the day.

Hope this helps.

[Shellseeker]

Our group stayed at Southern Cross last week. For anyone interested in staying there in the future and wondering whether you can get a taxi to/from the villa to Cruz Bay, the beaches, etc., the answer is YES! Even though we rented a large jeep to accomodate our party, it was nice to taxi in/out of town when we went out to dinner a few nights, wanted to meet up with others in our group or needed extra room on our departure date. I would highly recommend the taxi service we used:
Chris Taxi & Tours Service of St. John USVI
Cell: VI (340) 642-7101 * US (757) 581-2211
email: islandboyvi@hotmail.com
Many of you have posted that Mic at the Soggy Dollar has the best smile in all the Caribbean. He does have a great smile but he just might be tied with Chris who has a million $ smile, too. More importantly, Chris is personnable, professional, and was on-time in meeting us at different venues each and every time. Can't ask for more than that!