And then there were 3

pipanale · Post by **pipanale** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 9:34 am

I need to get hopping and book our villa for August.

I've narrowed it down to 3 and appreciate any input.

We want a nice pool, A/C in the bedrooms and to be relatively close to town.

Here's the list:
Perlandra
http://www.carefreegetaways.com/perelandra.html

Dream Catcher
http://caribbeanvilla.com/dream/dream.html

Blue Skies
http://caribbeanvilla.com/blueskies/blueskies.html

Thoughts? Opinions? I'd love to add "Suggestions?" but my head may burst. This is like planning our first trip all over again.

Ksea · Post by **Ksea** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 9:38 am

Blue Skies is on my list of favorites to try!

mbw1024 · Post by **mbw1024** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 9:45 am

Naturegirl was staying at Perelandra when we were down there in November and she said there was a LOT of construction noise. I don't know if she comes around here much these days but maybe you want to PM her with questions. Not sure if she left a villa review.

Chet · Post by **Chet** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 9:50 am

We have not stayed on the Cruz Bay side of the island. Dream Catcher and Blue Skies both look tasty - but it might be a bit noisy with the Westin as your neighbor...don't know for sure. I personally like the cottage feel and the shade trees at Perlandra. None have wireless access or cable for posting trip reports!!!

Wolfhound · Post by **Wolfhound** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:19 am

We stayed at Dream Cather in 06. Absolutely do not recommend unless major work has been done. Upside features are location, view and price. But, I would not stay there again.

pipanale · Post by **pipanale** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:53 am

Wolfhound wrote:We stayed at Dream Cather in 06. Absolutely do not recommend unless major work has been done. Upside features are location, view and price. But, I would not stay there again.

When I contacted Caribbean Villa in late Nov, they said that a lot of work had finally been done and that it was "a much older home but well kept". Is that the house with the splinters?

I'm partial to Perelandra from the reviews here, but the noise could be a factor. We had that in '06 at another house and would prefer to avoid it.

But, I may be leaning towards Blue Skies. I did wonder about proximity to the Westin but it can't be any worse than being awaken at 6:30 to the BAM BAM BAM of one of those hole maker/earth smasher/sleep disrupter machines.

alw1977 · Post by **alw1977** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 12:09 pm

I've rented caribbean villas with friends three times now, and if there's anything I've learned, it's that separate buildings are better. For that reason, I like the layout of Blue Skies best. How many people are going? The pool area at Blue Skies looks to be the largest. Perelandra looks nice, but the pool area seems smalls for more than a few people.

Also, not to confuse matters more (b/c I've never stayed at ANY of these places), but someone mentioned this villa a few days ago: http://www.calicaribe.net/rates.html. It looks really nice and is in the same general price category/area. You've probably seen it before, but I thought it bore mention. It's a really cool layout b/c the bedrooms are housed in separate buildings. There are multiple advantages to this

We stayed in a similarly built villa on St. Martin back in 2003 and loved it. Then, we did a villa with four bedrooms in one main house in 2005 and it was a little too much togetherness.

sailorgirl · Post by **sailorgirl** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 12:36 pm

If you're going in August you might consider a place with more shade outside. A place like Blue Skies might be great for winter, but that deck is going to be brutal in all day August sun. I've been 3x in August and July and can tell you from experience you just can't stay out in full sun that long. It might make the decks unusable in the daytime especially the afternoon.

Wolfhound · Post by **Wolfhound** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 12:55 pm

If the work's been done, that is great. CV tried to steer me from it when I rented it because the agent thought we'd be disappointed based on prior rentals. They were right. The rooms are small, but that is okay because it is usually just me and my DH. Ask if the water pressure in the showers is improved. I remember running around just trying to get wet.

captainjay · Post by **captainjay** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:06 pm

We were at Pererlandra when Nature Girl was there. We went up and had cocktails with them the day we shared a boat charter. It is a beautiful house but it is right next door to the monster they are building up there. It does have great views and the constructio doesn't effect that. Naturegirl did have some issues with the noise and traffic. You might want to send her a PM and get her opinion on it. Or search for her trip report.
Jay

pipanale · Post by **pipanale** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:24 pm

Hmmm...I never thought about the shade. 3 of the 4 of us are sun worshipers and one prefers some shade. We've only been in august so we know all about the heat. But, it;s something to consider.

Ugh...this was so much easier when we just went back to the same house again.

Now, I feel Perelandra's out and Dream Catcher is back in.

This is fun, right?

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And then there were 3

And then there were 3