Winsome House or Serenity! Anyone stayed recently? Help!!!

sparis · Post by **sparis** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 3:08 pm

Okay folks, I've posted a lot and gotten great advice, great responses. So thanks to all Circling in on a decision and thinking seriously about Winsome House. Our only reservation is there is so little input about this villa from anyone, so wondering if it rents much and if not, why? Has anyone stayed in it recently, know someone that rented it recently or have any information at all?

Any and all help is appreciated.

Also - not much on Serenity either (our other choice). Sounds like the bathrooms are old - but otherwise very nice. Any recent occupants there?

Thanks!

cypressgirl · Post by **cypressgirl** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 6:14 pm

You have two great choices and your trip will be just as great with either. Some questions you might ask yourself are 1. Do you want to be right over the water with views of STT and sunsets, or sweeping island views with islands in the backdrop and sunrises? 2. Is the pool going to be warm enough to enjoy in a higher location with less afternoon sun? 3. How important is a nicer bathroom? 4. How close do you want to be to town?

I'd call the villa reps and ask your specific questions. Again, I bet you can get at least a free night with DSJ, since your stay is 10 days. Lisa Durgin at Vac. Vistas is great and maintains her villas very well. You can't go wrong with either, but I'd ask about the pool temp at Winesome if your planning on enjoying the pool and ask Lisa what the bathroooms are like at Serenity.

iowaguy · Post by **iowaguy** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 11:44 am

Cypressgirl gave you good advice---both look like nice houses. I'm sure you will have a great time at either house. Having said that, if it were me, I would pick Serenity. I just love that Maria Bluff location with a western view of St. Thomas. Just my personal preference for location---nothing else.

sparis · Post by **sparis** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 12:29 pm

All such great advice and definitely know we'll be happy at either, so it comes down to location or price. Serenity wins on location, beautiful views and close to evertyhing. Winsome House - price - Folks, be honest - if you knew you could save the cost of a 10-day jeep rental by choosing Winsome House - would you do it, even if you liked Serenity better?

We're torn - Love Serenity's location and overall villa so much,thinking its worth it, but the savings of Winsome House (and its nothing shabby either in terms of views and ammenities) seem so worth it too.

Ahhh, decisions.....

cypressgirl · Post by **cypressgirl** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 3:06 pm

If it were me, I'd tighten my belt for the next few months and sock away a few exta bucks a day to make up for the difference. If you're like most of us, there are plenty of things we waste $$ on every week that we could do without. I know I throw away a ton of cash every week when I clean out the frig....produce that goes bad, leftovers that don't get eaten, not to mention movies, eating out, that pair of shoes I have to have, pedicures, hair highlights every 6 weeks....all that stuff add up fast.

I'd go for Serenity too, but I'm one of those travelers who really wants to be happy with my villa choice.

Armchair Traveler · Post by **Armchair Traveler** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 4:22 pm

We stayed at Winsome house in May 2009. We loved the house and the price was awesome. Great views and location. The views are more island, and then water if that makes sense. It was still beautiful, but not right up close to the ocean. The location was fantastic. We are Coral Bay people but it was easy to get to Cruz Bay when we needed to pick something up. It is fairly equidistance to both the North Shore beaches and the South like Salt Pond. The only thing that wasnt great was the pool was chilly and you couldnt spend all day there but the deck did get good sun but the pool wasnt in the sun all day. Overall we really liked the house and would return if we didnt like to stay at a different place each time. Feel free to ask any other questions if needed.

sparis · Post by **sparis** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 5:25 pm

Thanks all for your great input. And Armchair Traveler- thanks for the input on Winsome House. You should post a review of it, as there are so few and its good to know when a place was a good stay. Ultimately we decided to go with Serenity. We were able to get a slightly better deal than what we had originally and the difference in price between the two shrunk. And while I know we would love the views from Winsome House and being all the way up the hill, we really did want views of the water. We live inland (though off a great lake) and so its nice to be able to be off of water on our vacation.

We're happy and I of course will post a full review and trip detail on here when we return in June. Now that the villa is done, time for all the other planning.

But this was the most difficult and so glad its done. Villa Gravity here we come

BuffaloGal · Post by **BuffaloGal** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 11:07 pm

You will love the location of Serenity! We stayed two villas down from there in November and two years ago, and you just can't beat the views out over the water. Enjoy! And please post a review. Lisa Durgin is terrific to work with, and I'd love to hear more about that villa.

sparis · Post by **sparis** » Tue Mar 01, 2011 8:49 am

Thanks Buffalo Girl - Good to know about the location. It seems like it would be real nice. If you don't mind my asking - what villa did you stay in? I looked at so many, but didn't find that many on Maria's Bluff.

Cheers!

BuffaloGal · Post by **BuffaloGal** » Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:37 pm

We stayed at Villa Belvedere. It's two houses before Serenity. As I said, fantastic location, though Belvedere is a little tired. The views were worth it, and the area is pretty quiet. It's nice to walk the road in the mornings and see where some of the other villas are located on Maria Bluff.

sparis · Post by **sparis** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 8:00 am

Nice! We'll definitely walk the road. I looked at Villa Belvedere too, can't remember why I didn't choose it. Think we'll be very happy in Serenity. And yeah, Lisa has been great. We also got a good rate on our jeep rental working with her. Lots more to post after our trip.

mahojim · Post by **mahojim** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 3:32 am

I loved Serenity.
Just a really neat place to live for the week.
Great kitchen, "Great Room", outdoor grilling & dining, terrific view,great location,lots of iguanas by the pool,and an overall wonderful experience with this homes' dynamic cliffside layout.
Cheers to you,- you're family will love it!!!
Smiles-
MJ

sparis · Post by **sparis** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 9:56 am

Thanks Mahojim. Great to hear from someone who stayed there and really liked the villa. Just the two of us, but sure we'll still love it!

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