Maho Campground ?

Hey Jude · Post by **Hey Jude** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:05 pm

Hi Everyone

It's been some time since I've been online with this forum. I check the posts often to keep up to date with everyone.....so still a lurker.

Planning trip #2 to St John in late Nov 2008 with friend PatR (forum participant).

My hubby wants to camp

for 2 nights before villa rental starts on Sat. He will do very well in the camping mode......Me....hmmmmmmmmmmmm
Harmony suites may be more my style...........

Anyone have any info on camping or the suites? I have checked out the website.

Any input would be appreciated.

Lex · Post by **Lex** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:23 pm

We've stayed in the eco-tents and have toured the studios. We're happy in the tents, but they're not for everybody. You've seen the site, so have some idea of them. I don't think of it as camping, more like staying on a screened-in porch. It's very basic. There are fans. They share communal baths and showers which may be a bit of a walk from the tent. There are lots of stairs.

The Harmony studios are basic condo units, nothing fancy. Great views. They're a ways up the hill above the eco-tents, so more of a walk.

Not knowing you, I couldn't even guess how good a fit it might be.

Amy · Post by **Amy** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:56 pm

We have camped at both Maho (tents) and Concordia (also tents). Maho is in a great location, close to some of the nicest North Shore beaches, and the dining pavilion has killer views and the food is pretty good--breakfast is better than dinner. Lots of activities and excursions to sign up for, and we met many interesting people who were staying there. As Lex said, the steps can be challenging, and you don't want to be too far away from the bathroom! We were there in August and it was SO hot and buggy that we decided to move out to Concordia for the last 2 nights of our stay. Plusses for Concordia: the tents are a lot fancier (bi-level, even), there is a private toilet and solar shower in each tent, there is a chest fridge, 2 burners, sink, and kitchen supplies in the tent, fantastic breezes (kept the bugs away!), and the views are fabulous. Minus: the drive to get anywhere was long except for Salt Pond and Lameshur. They were just building the dining pavilion at Concordia while we were there, and that would have been nice to have since you are pretty isolated out there. But it sure is beautiful, and I loved the tents there.

I didn't see the studios at either camp, but be warned that Harmony Studios are all the way at the top of the hill, so there are lots of steps to climb to get to the beach (Little Maho) or the dining pavilion. Plus is that the views must be fabulous up there!

Nannerz · Post by **Nannerz** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:21 am

I would stay at Maho. Camping there isnt really camping. They do have a couple of tents that have a private shower at Maho. Not widely advertised, it's like a honeymoon tent. Harmony is nice, but the stairs can be hard if your not used to it. I always took the road as a shortcut. I stayed in one of these camp "suites" while I had family visit and it was nice. I dont think they advertise these couple of rooms on the website, so call and inquire. It might already be a popular reserve, so I'd get on it. The suite had only one bed, but had a larger living area and private shower, and it was centrally located & shady, not high high in the hills.

Again, the stairs can be the issue for some people with Harmony, but if you understand this, you'll know to consolidate your trips back n forth.

patr · Post by **patr** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:53 pm

Hey Jude! Great to see you posting, doesn't it feel good to come out of the darkness of lurkdom?

Is Hey Jim serious about camping?

Those stairs sound menacing.

Does anyone know - are there more stairs there than up to the oceanview rooms at Secret Harbour? (to put it into perspective)

p.s. How come our ticker countdowns are different? Which do you suppose is accurate?

Nannerz · Post by **Nannerz** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:31 pm

here are the stairs at maho. Just imagine climing these over and over and over to get to Harmony. Or take the road halfway which is inclined too. You can request rooms near the pavillion or beach to save you some stair climbing. Dont let the stairs scare you away. Maho is a beautiful place!

deejayjay · Post by **deejayjay** » Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:44 pm

We stayed in one of the top units at harmony suites last year. I am not terribly fit, and survived the stairs fine. 49 steps up to the unit we were in from the car. Never went to little Maho beach.(But, my husband made the run top to bottom every day) Drove to Frances or Maho. ( well, everywhere else too). Food is good, view is great. Activities, as well as general ambience is great. There are 2 sizes of studios. We stayed in one of the larger ones, on the upper level. Not plush, but very clean and carribean. Enough kitchen for simple meals. A view to die for. Only complaint, and reason we didn't return there this year is that I was too hot. There are ceiling fans and large floor fans and windows on all 4 sides, but it was in the 90's the week we were there and this middle aged woman was HOT. It was fine to sleep and night and until about noon. But had to be somewhere else in the heat of the day. Nov should be cooler though.

Nannerz · Post by **Nannerz** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 4:13 pm

here is a good video, capturing the walk down to the beach. Just FYI. It starts out by the dining pavillion, passes the store, housekeeping etc, then to the beach. Just keep your eye on the beauty around, you'll forget about the stairs. It is a good way to burn off those painkillers and bushwackers!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DXxnSXLX43Q

RickG · Post by **RickG** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 4:40 pm

Nannerz, thanks for the video link.

I really do like Maho Bay Camground. My girls whined about stairs and bathroom proximity, but they had a ball. Of our 14 trips to St. John that week was in my top 5.

We have a trip report from our 2004 trip at http://www.garvin.us/STJ/Trip_Reports/2 ... round.html

Cheers, RickG

pjayer · Post by **pjayer** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:13 pm

Nannerz, I loved that video. We snorkeled over and had lunch at the snack bar last year. I may have been really hungry, but the veggie cream cheese sandwich was delish. And, it was only $5.00 for a huge sandwich and ice cold drink. Plus we got our cat fix for the week. Thanks for posting.

lovethebeach · Post by **lovethebeach** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:46 pm

We just returned from a trip from Maho & the BVIs yesterday. This was our fifth stay at Maho. This time we took a large group of friends with us - 9 of us in all. Three of them stayed in Harmony so I did finally get to see inside Harmony. They are really nice, but there are a lot of steps to the beach. We were there in July and the tent cottages were very hot during the day. We only had a box fan in ours, but our friends right next door had a box fan and two ceiling fans and it really made a difference. I think their tent cottage was at least 10 - 15 degrees cooler during the day. At night (around 2 am) it cooled off enough that I always had to pull on a cover. If you never camp, I would recommend Harmony, but if you are used to roughing it a bit, Maho would be fine.

Hey Jude · Post by **Hey Jude** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:12 am

Thanks to Everyone for your comments and info. It sure helps to have everyone's input.
RickG thanks for posting your trip report....you have such insight. I enjoy reading your posts!
Nannerz the video was great.

This weekend I am going to get my hubby to sit down and read all about Maho....so we can make a decision.
He is looking so forward to our trip in Nov/Dec. It will be our second visit to St John so he has lots of ideas for our adventure with lots of island time. I think he gets it.......

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Maho Campground ?

Maho Campground ?