So my Newbie friends have a question...

[Pia]

Again I'm going to say it to you Jimmy - enough

Let them now work with an agency as heaven forbid they arrive to a villa on your recommendation (and some you have not seen in person) and the hot tub is broken, there is a hole in the screen, the TV is broken, the a/c barely works, there is a rooster that "goes off" at 3am nightly, the beach chairs are rusted, the cooler for the house is dirty........and the list goes on and all things that frequently happen on island

And all of this said in the nicest possible way

Pia

[toes in the sand]

Have they considered sending someone down on a scouting expedition? For $1500 I'll fly down, take pictures or give them a real-time tour via Skype of a few places. I'll stay for a few weeks and make any villa return trips to answer any follow-up questions. Heck, I'll even send back real-time beach conditions for them!

Seriously, have them follow some of the previous advice and find a place that looks nice, has what they want in a location they like and pull the trigger then RELAX!

Remind them that the magic of the island is the relaxation it gives. It won't find them if they are obessesing over the villa or such.

[traveler22]

MJ-
One last thought from me. If they talk about all-inclusive vacations, RUN!, they wont "GET" St. John or a villa vacation, or driving on the wrong side, or driving to the beach or carrying a chair & cooler& snorkeling gear not to mention a towel. RUN MJ RUN!

[burgec]

Agencies would post uppdated pics from time to time. If a villa is new you can make some assumptions but with the older villas it gets a little tougher to figure things out.