More 3 bedroom villa opinions

Travel discussion for St. John
shellee
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Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2010 7:55 pm
Location: Kansas

Post by shellee »

Pete,
Yep, I checked out both these villas but like the others better. Love the views from Colibri and Belvedere but all the other villas have such nice bedrooms. Really want a place that will be comfortable in case it is rainy and we all have to be inside at any particular time. Location is important too as we want to be as close to the North Shore beaches as we can plus maintain closeness to town.
Xislandgirl
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Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 4:03 pm
Location: Slightly left of center

Post by Xislandgirl »

No matter what, you will find something about every house that you don't like. I would find it hard to say that there is a perfect villa on STJ. It may be right for me, but not for you. You have to make a decision and go with it. You will not be spending an entire day in the bedroom, well you may, but if you do, I am guessing you won't be looking at the artwork :wink:

Find a nice place in a location that suits you and that is that. I know that for many people this is a once in a lifetime trip, but the island is where you are going, not the house. When I am sitting on the beach at Gibney with no one else around and the only sound is from the waves gently hitting the sand, I can guarantee you that if you asked me how many chairs were at the dining room table of my villa, I would not be able to answer.
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shellee
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Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2010 7:55 pm
Location: Kansas

Post by shellee »

Such solid, sound advice. Thank you.
PJV356
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Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2009 2:01 pm
Location: Michigan

3 bedroom villa

Post by PJV356 »

We stayed at Great Turtle Villa overlooking Coral Bay, I know no sunsets. The sunrises were pretty nice. I thought it was reasonably priced and has three equal bedrooms.
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kristen1206
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Location: MD

Post by kristen1206 »

Shellee..I drive everyone nuts (I am sure folks on this board too) especially my husband with how indecisive I am. Then after I make the decision, I second guess myself! I just can't help it :)

Let us know what you decide..they all seem like nice villas so i don't thionk you can wrong. Maybe figure out what your top 3 priorites are (e,g.bedrooms with views, sunsets, large pool) and then pick the one that best meest those needs.
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iowaguy
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Location: Des Moines, Iowa

Post by iowaguy »

Shellee--You have a lot of nice houses to choose from so I wouldn't worry quite so much. Having said that, I wouldn't rent a house where the third couple has to sleep on sofabed or in a loft that doesn't offer privacy.

We stayed at Leeward and its a nice house. Let me know if you would like more photos. I recall that you rejected Villa Bijou because it wasn't an open water view. Bijou is a very nice house, recently redone throughout, with 3 good bedrooms, a good-sized pool, and a very pretty bay view. Although I liked Leeward, I would choose Bijou over Leeward if I had the choice. I haven't been in Argonauta but it always gets good reviews. Colibri looks fabulous with the recent renovation. I would check on whether the twins can be combined into a king. Good luck.
---Jim
jdw
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Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 1:32 pm
Location: Atlanta

Post by jdw »

Shellee - Which villa did you decide on???
shellee
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Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2010 7:55 pm
Location: Kansas

Post by shellee »

I gave myself a deadline of tonight, so the decision is coming soon. The other couples are supposed to be coming over later to help me pick. You are all soooooo great and it looks like I may have a kindred spirit in Kristen!!! THE REVEAL TONIGHT!!!!!
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petepie
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Post by petepie »

After looking at the pictures, I'd go with Colibri over Belvedere. It looks like Colibri has more spacious public areas -- the decks, the pool area etc. Even though you really want nice bedrooms, you may find that you're hardly in them. When we're in St. John, we're always out on the deck areas and around the pool when we're at the villa, never hanging around in the bedrooms. One thing to check - does Colibri have window and door screens? It looked like the great room had open stone arches to the outside. St John does get mosquitoes, especially during happy hour and early evening, so you may want a public area that can be screened off, otherwise you will be retreating to the bedrooms!!
shellee
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Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2010 7:55 pm
Location: Kansas

Post by shellee »

I'm checking on the screen situation but do know it is fully air conditioned. The views are spectacular!!! NOt sure about the twin beds being pushed together in the 3rd bedroom. Lots of villas have this set-up and so far I haven't seen any complaints from others so maybe it is an OK way to sleep. I love the indoor pics of Colibri and the kitchen has been totally renovated and is beautiful. It also has a wonderful new upper covered deck that extends out over the pool deck area. Gorgeous!!! The bugs are the biggest reason right now that I am thinking about Vistaero. Since it is so much higher, thought maybe the bugs wouldn't be as bad. What do you think???
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spindrift
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Post by spindrift »

Have you asked about the construction noise below Colibri? When we took a peek at it there were cement mixers, noise etc going on. But hopefully you will not be spending much time there during the day, but remember workers start really early in the morning.
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BuffaloGal
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Location: Buffalo, NY

Post by BuffaloGal »

We stayed at Palm Villa next door to Colibri last year in Nov. In addition to the noise from the Colibri renovations, :-( the construction below began with a loud whistle at 7:30 am and continued until after we got back from the beaches after 4:00 each day. I'd get Catered To to give you a very honest answer about what's going on below before you book Colibri. The villa that's being built is massive, and the noise was very disruptive to the peace and quiet we generally look for on St. John. Shellee, we're all dying to know which you pick! It is nice to know others labor over their selections the same way I do. I'm already picking out my drive-bys for our 2011 villa pick!
shellee
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Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2010 7:55 pm
Location: Kansas

Post by shellee »

Well, I just spit out an email about the construction at Colibri. Thought Colibri was a go but one couple rated it #4 out of 6 villas so it looks like we are down to either Belvedere or Vista Cielo which I believe is a new villa in Virgin Grande Estates. Both are air conditioned but Vista Cielo has twin beds in one room and they look to be 4-poster so unsure whether they make into a King. That could be a deal breaker. Sorry to say you will have to wait until tomorrow night for the big REVEAL. I know, none of you believed me anyway when I said tonight was the night!!!!
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spindrift
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Post by spindrift »

Here is a review of Belvedere from Shandra on VIOL. It sounds great!

Villa Belvedere 02/04/2009
Reviewers Rating: Great
Villa Belevedere was our second experience renting a villa on St. John, and it was fantastic. First of all, the view is unbeatable. This villa is surrounded by many other more expensive villas, and I can't imagine that any have a more beautiful view of the sunset or St. Thomas twinkling at night.

We spent every evening by the pool, looking over the edge of the bluff to Pillsbury Sound, St. Thomas and the sunset beyond. One evening we even looked down to see dolphins playing in the water below.

Note: there are a couple territorial iguanas that hang at the pool area, but after a couple days, they didn't show up any more.

There are two buildings that make up the villa, connected by a covered walkway with the stairs to the pool area in the center. While there are three bedrooms, it was just my husband and me, so we opted for the king bedroom attached to the main building. No view, but much more convenient for us. The only negative to this villa (and it's not a deal breaker at all) was the shower access. The shower in the upstairs bedroom had windows that faced the roadway. While one panel was frosted, the upper panel, was not, and ladies would want to shower in one of the other bedroom showers (as I did). Both of the others were outdoor showers, which were fine, but could have used some updating. Again, not a big deal.

The furnishings at the villa had been upgraded from the online photos that I saw, which was a nice plus. The kitchen isn't extremely well stocked with cookware (not a large selection of pots and pans), but we only cooked breakfast, so we had more than enough to work with.

Destination St. John has new photos that show the new furnishings. There are nice new flat screen TVs in the living area and the attached bedroom, but we didn't watch them much. Again, the view will captivate you, and the veranda has comfy rockers for star gazing and reading. There is even an iPod dock with nice speakers in the main part of the house.

We really loved this villa. It's a little older, but there have been updates, and it's well kept and clean. Another bonus, I didn't see any of the critters (including scorpions) that I saw at the other villa we rented.

We'll definitely be back to Villa Belvedere!
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iowaguy
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Post by iowaguy »

Hmmm.. there is Cielo Vista on Gift Hill (rented by Carefree Getaways) and Vista Cielo, a new house in nearby Virgin Grand Estates....that shouldn't be at all confusing:) Vista Cielo looks beautiful.
---Jim
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