USVI-On-Line

yeah but Rick .. are you responsible for the changes to the Food Network site? I'm not happy with them

I voted. Very important! Although we did use bookitvi (no availability calendar) for our trip in May, and we were very happy with them and their service.

I votes somewhat only because I don't trust the calendars. We have experienced both sides, thinking a certain villa was available when it wasn't AND nearly excluding one when the calendar showed it as booked when it really wasn't.

Online availability is critical to me. A very flexible search feature on a website is also very useful.

I, frankly, don't like calling or emailing the agencies for information for a couple of reasons. (1) It often takes several days or more to hear back from them, (2) When I'm in the planning stages I don't want to hear a hard-sell and (3) I don't want my personal information out there before I'm ready to do business with a particular place.

That said, sometimes I REALLY do appreciate being able to call an agency, tell them what I want and when I need it and have them return a list of possibilities.

I agree that Caribbean Villas has the best site but I am also becoming aware that many of their villa pictures are YEARS old and don't really reflect the condition of the villa or the density of homes (or on-going construction) in surrounding areas.

snorkelqueen wrote:I agree that Caribbean Villas has the best site but I am also becoming aware that many of their villa pictures are YEARS old and don't really reflect the condition of the villa or the density of homes (or on-going construction) in surrounding areas.

Yep, mostly YEARS old. However, I checked their listing for Sunset Beach - while most of the pictures are pre-2001, there is an updated picture that shows the house that was built next door in 2003-2004. This was a pet peeve on this property that has been remedied!

Another pet peeve is that a lot of realtor sites do not show enough pictures of the house. Destination St. John is one these sites, which is a shame since most of their houses are VERY nice.

Cheers, RickG

Ditto to anything RickG says! with caribbeanvilla.com
you put in your dates and every villa that's available is instantly shown.
Scott

Very important to me. Usually I'm the trip planner for my group and it helps to know right up front when I'm looking at villas whether it's a "go" or not.

I really like being able to check online, even though I know it might not be completely accurate. It's just easier than emailing back and forth, and I hate talking on the phone so...

Just voted. VERY important to me to be able to see it right away online. As someone else said, usually the calendar indicates the last date it was updated (at least sites like vrbo and homeaway, not sure about the agency sites).

Again, similar to what others have said, once I'm in vacation planning mode, I want to ACT on what I decide. It's sometimes difficult, especially when traveling with other people, to coordinate flights & appropriate rentals etc. So the online calendars help me with quick initial planning.

Once I'm ready to book, I'm ready to BOOK! I don't want to wait a few days for someone to get back to me. I've noticed a lot of the St. John rental agencies don't have ANYONE working on the weekends, which is exactly when I have the time to book, not usually during the week when I'm busy with work, family, etc.

My 2 cents...

Very important!! I look at the calendar first to see if my dates are available. If not, then I move on.