Sunset Ridge

[ccinhbg]

Anyone stayed at Sunset Riidge recently? Was fortunate to find a TS exchange to STJ but have never stayed at Sunset Ridge. Anyone's thoughts on the place would be greatly appreciated

[stjchica]

Don't have any info for you, but if you go to the main St. John Travel Forum page and put Sunset Ridge in the search box, there were like 103 results of entries. You should get a lot of info from there. Enjoy your trip!!

[augie]

BillVT goes there every year and is, I believe, there (or at least based there) this very minute...

[GotToGetAway]

I have not stayed there, but have toured the property.
They were making improvements to it last year when I visited. It has a nice view and salt water pool. But no AC, and master bedroom in a separate pod.
Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

[BillVT]

I'm up here now and can answer any questions you have. I am on the homeowners board of directors so I have a stake in what I say. The homeowners assoc. took control of the facility in 2007 and we have been working on upgrading and restoring the place to its' original condition. Perhaps a little better. Rather than go on and on here is our rental and sales website so you can get a good idea about what the place looks like, our views and our layout.

http://sunsetridgevillas.com/

One of the previous posters is correct in that we currently do not offer A/C. We are at the top of a hill with fairly constant breezes and we make sure that each unit is equipped with plenty of fans. These are not luxury units but they are very comfortable and have lots of room to spread out with great views. We also have one of the largest pools on the island. At least that's what our management company says. Only a very small percentage of our owners trade out. Most of us who own here do so because we love STJ.

If you do follow through, I would urge you to take advantage of our management company's meet and greet service offer. It may sound like a bit but the concierge service for your car rental alone is worth it. Also getting up here the first time is not easy. You kind of pay for the view. We require it of all our first time visitors including guests of owners who are not being accompanied by them. RCI has demanded that we make the service optional for traders. Some resorts shield their guests from their surroundings. Sunset Ridge exposes you to them. Most STJ vacations are do-it-yourself and if you are a first time visitor to the island part of the service is giving you the tools to put a great vacation together for yourself.

If you have any questions don't hesitate. I'm up here for another week so my responses may not be instantaneous. Also here's our web cam page:

http://sunsetridgevillas.com/SRVrightNow.shtml

[Tracy in WI]

I am also an owner at Sunset Ridge and we own a week at the end of June. We have seen improvements every year and do enjoy our stays as the units are spacious and offer privacy along with a large pool and beautiful views.

To be honest, at the end of June it can get warm without AC but there are plenty of floor fans and ceiling fans and my family and I look forward to visiting every year!!

[lazylane]

I have looked at Sunset Ridge, but I guess I didn't realize there was no a/c. That would be a deal breaker for me at least in the bedrooms, can't sleep without it. Can't imagine that on St. John.

[ccinhbg]

Thanks to all for your responses. Thanks Bill for your insiders view. It is not the first trip to STJ just the first stay at Sunset but the service from the manangement company sounds like it would be very useful. I was surprised when I saw it come up as an exchange through RCI and jumped at the chance to use some points to be on STJ again. The pictures of the place look great especially the view. I'm looking forward to the visit.

[BillVT]

Just an aside about A/C at SRV. This is a constant and ongoing debate in the homeowners association. Since most of the high season weeks were purchased years ago without the addition of A/C, the investment of adding A/C to our units is of little interest to some. But as with most interval ownership facilities in the Caribbean, we have several summer and shoulder weeks available for sale or rent. A/C would certainly help to rent or sell those weeks and either help lower our maintenance fees or pay for other improvements at the facility.

So as funds become available we have decided to install A/C into one or two bedrooms on a trial basis. We will charge a fee for its' use to cover our energy costs ( STJ energy costs are 5 times that of the mainland) and see how popular it is and what our real costs will be. Our intent is to continue to improve the place without breaking its' current owners or dare we hope to lower their costs.

[MelanieCO]

We are purchasing a timeshare/fractional week at sunset ridge. Are most of the available units being sold by the current owners or through the owners association? We just want to make sure this is a legitimate sale.

[BillVT]

For any forum members who may be following this thread, I followed up on it by PM. MelanieCO had been pursing her sale through several reputable firms in case anyone was interested. I am doing a happy dance since anytime we have a sale we are able to do that much more up at SRV and yes, maybe install A/C someday soon. Especially for our low season owners. What ever money we make goes right back into the place.