Rookie is desperate for guidance!

Djjdnelson · Post by **Djjdnelson** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 7:06 pm

I'm a rookie to the forum & am in need of your expert assistance! We are making our maiden voyage to St John the first week of December with another couple & we are both celebrating our 20th anniversaries so our trip is extra special! To say I am overwhelmed (or OCD) regarding picking the right villa is an understatement! We are looking @ several villas through PHPV - Tree House, Tesseract & Meridian; Spyglass thru Destination St. John & Island Time & Rara Avis thru Caribbean Villas. We are looking to keep our weekly rental under $2500 & desire a nice view with a pool &/or spa. We'd like to be able to enjoy sitting on the deck in the am & pm. Any opinions/suggests/ponderings would be much
appreciated!
Thanks!
JD

mbw1024 · Post by **mbw1024** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 7:15 pm

welcome! sounds like a great trip you are planning. I'm sure you will get a ton of suggestions on a villa. Are you leaning toward Cruz or Carol Bay? Off the top of my head I don't know where the ones you are listing are located.

cass · Post by **cass** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 7:16 pm

I can't help you with the villa, as I am going through the same villa madness myself right now, but...Welcome to the forum! You have come to the right place. There are a lot of experienced STJ travelers on here.

I'm still a rookie, but when I was planning my first trip, I finally just said "that one - whatever!" I don't think you can go too terribly wrong. I am however to the point this time that I wish someone would just say - "It's against the law for you to look any further, you are staying in this one, and that's final!"

Good Luck!

mbw1024 · Post by **mbw1024** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 7:19 pm

I think it's close to your budget, I might look at Miles Away with Destination STJ

villafish · Post by **villafish** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 9:22 am

Sounds like you have a great trip planned! You may also want to consider equal (or close to) bedrooms suites. Always a nice feature when traveling with another couple. Everyone still has their privacy and you don't have to draw straws at the beginning of the vacation.

We'll do a quick search on your requirements and see what we come up with.

KathyMN · Post by **KathyMN** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 9:49 am

We stayed in Tree House a few years back, and we loved it. The location is amazing.. on the top of Ajax Peak with fabulous views. It's not fancy... no pool... but we didn't care. The driveway is intimidating at first, but we got used to it. We fought over the hammock on the porch. Check the villa reviews on this site.. I posted one (in 2005 I think)... just scroll down until you see the villa name.

Good luck on your search, and happy anniversary. We'll be celebrating our 35th on St. John in December as well!

patr · Post by **patr** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 1:33 pm

Mary Beth, Miles Away is NOT available that week - or I would have booked it.

(I have to book earlier for next year)

JD, your requirements are quite similar to ours, here's a short list of my final contenders:

Bambalooza(sp?),
Unicorn,
Pink Horses

toni · Post by **toni** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 4:59 pm

Welcome to the forum! We stayed at St. John Passion through VIVA http://www.vivacations.com/viewproperty ... rtyID=2558
in December of 2006 and for that time of year loved the location for getting a lot of sun. Which can make the rooms hot, but two of the bedrooms have a/c. The price is right for you too and it has the pool/hot tub. I think I did a review of it. December you're still possibly low season. Feel free to ask me if you need more details. Not sure if you're looking for a certain location. Good luck in your planning!

Bob & Anita · Post by **Bob & Anita** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:20 pm

The Bayview fits those specs, offered through CV&R. We sent you a PM with more information.

Djjdnelson · Post by **Djjdnelson** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:00 pm

Thanks to all that have replied so far! I feel so welcomed into the forum . . . I am really feeling the love!

I'm hoping to be able to make a decision soon so please keep the posts of suggestions coming.

cass · Post by **cass** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:28 pm

I was re-reading these posts (yeh, I'm obsessed right now) and noticed that nobody had suggested that you not limit yourself to looking at only 2 bedroom villas. I made this mistake when I was just starting my search last time, then found a three bedroom in my price range. It met all my requirements, but almost missed it thinking a 3 bedroom would be out of my price range. I didn't need the extra room, but it sure opened up a lot more choices (not that a lot more is always better!)

Good Luck!

Gromit · Post by **Gromit** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:32 am

Very good advice from Cass. Often you can get a larger villa (with more BR than you need) for about the same price. So it pays to stay open to possibilities.

Not sure where each of these villas is located but if you can provide us with the locations listed then we can better help you out.

Since this is your first time on STJ I might suggest that you stay closer to Cruz Bay. Not sure what your life style is like but Cruz Bay will offer more access to amenities. Of course that also means that there are more people to deal with and more density overall.

Coral Bay on the other hand is like being out in the country (all relative of course) -- much more casual, laid back and and bit more rough around the edges (I mean this affectionately of course).

After years of staying on the Cruz Bay side we're over the crowds and found ourselves spending more time in Coral Bay -- so this December and next June we're staying in homes in Upper Carolina on the Coral Bay side of the island.

Last December we stayed somewhere in the middle above Cinnamon Bay (off John's Head Road) and didn't care for it because either way we had to drive to get anywhere vs being on one end or the other. Beautiful views from this area though and some really nice houses.

Anyway let us know where these villas are located according to the web site and we can help you out. Be sure to ask the rental co directly if there's any construction going on near the property. It just pays to know in advance.

jcm · Post by **jcm** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 1:34 pm

Welcome as well!!
We decided to be close to Cruz Bay our first year.
This is close to town and bigger selection of restaurants.
We liked this location and have stayed in the
Great Cruz Bay area each year.
Coral Bay is about a 15-20 minute drive on the other
side. Very pretty as well. We tended to go to Coral
Bay during the daytime.
We explored the island in our rental car and got
familiar with different beaches.
We had college age teens with us so the proximity
to town was fun for them.
It is totally what works for you. Do explore the
island. We still go to a different beach each day.
The planning is fun Miles Away is beautiful. We loved Chez Shell,
but it doesn't have a pool. Lovely decorating though.
We liked VIVA vacation rentals-Look at Sea Stone with
them-it has two bedrooms-we always thought that would
be a great one to go to with another couple. Good luck.Call the agencies-they are all helpful and the
other suggestion of looking into villas with more
bedrooms is a great idea.

toes in the sand · Post by **toes in the sand** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:07 am

Wish I had this dilemma

We went the first week of December last year. We had looked at Rara Avis. It was my pick actually. I was outvoted because it is not air conditioned. We ended up at Second Wind through Carribbean Villas. It worked out wonderfully. Turned out we did not need the AC anyway though.

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Rookie is desperate for guidance!

Rookie is desperate for guidance!

Tree House