USVI-On-Line

We finally got our tickets for an unexpected trip in June (FF miles rock)...are pretty much decided on Grande Bay but checked out Peter Bay Gatehouse after someone mentioned the discount on Dest STJ....

What does any one know about this villa?
How far and how hard is the walk to and from Peter Bay?

Thanks!

We stayed in the lower unit several years ago. I personally wouldn't walk to the beach from there as the walk back up would be a really tough on IMHO.
The location is terrific and the view from the Gatehouse is really beautiful. It's been renovated since we were there so I can't tell you what it's like now. The only down side of the villa to my way of thinking is that there is a unit above you. Maybe they have done some improvements to the noise problem but when we were there we had people in the unit above us for part of our stay and the whole time they were there we could here every move then made and I swear they moved furniture around everyday. It was very noisy while they were there. When the unit above was vacant it was great.
I'd stay there over Grande Bay given the choice.

We stayed at the Gatehouse lower level too and the views are incredible! We were lucky to have the place to ourselves with no renters above. I would go for the Gatehouse if that is your situation. Plus being right on the north shore makes it so easy to get to all the gorgeous white sandy beaches.
We couldn't find the entrance to Peter Bay beach so we just drove over to Cinnamon. You could snorkel over to Little Cinnamon and then on to Peter Bay beach if you like!
Good luck!

Not sure what you mean by how far is the walk to and from Peter Bay? To and from the beach below or to and from Town? Way too far from Town and the walk down to the beach with any personal belongings is more than I would want on vacation. We stayed in the upper unit of the Gatehouse and absolutely loved it. The views were to die for and the unit was awesome. The kitchen was very small but worked and there's a grill on the deck. Also there's a hot tub on the deck. The key to renting the Gatehouse is having it all to yourself. During our stay we had a couple stay in the lower unit for part of the time. I definitely was glad that we were in the upper unit. I would imagine the views are that much better from the upper unit too. There really is an invasion of privacy when someone else is in the other unit, but I would totally do it again. So, do you prefer to be downtown in the mix of everything or do you prefer to be in a more remote location with the best views in the world? Ali~

Not sure what you mean by how far is the walk to and from Peter Bay? To and from the beach below or to and from Town? Way too far from Town and the walk down to the beach with any personal belongings is more than I would want on vacation. We stayed in the upper unit of the Gatehouse and absolutely loved it. The views were to die for and the unit was awesome. The kitchen was very small but worked and there's a grill on the deck. Also there's a hot tub on the deck. The key to renting the Gatehouse is having it all to yourself. During our stay we had a couple stay in the lower unit for part of the time. I definitely was glad that we were in the upper unit. I would imagine the views are that much better from the upper unit too. There really is an invasion of privacy when someone else is in the other unit, but I would totally do it again. So, do you prefer to be downtown in the mix of everything or do you prefer to be in a more remote location with the best views in the world? Ali~

Honestly, the walk down to and back from Peter Bay Beach would be a b-i-t-c-h. The road down to the lower part of the development and the beach is incredibly steep. The beach access itself isn't much better. It is a very rustic trail cut through the brush and the walking path down is dirt/mud with large, unstable rocks.

We stayed at Rivendale, which is much closer to the beach than the Gatehouse and walking back and forth to the beach was not pleasant.

While staying in Peter Bay, one thing that was very noticable was the noise. Like a subdivision at home, we could hear leaf blowers and construction during the day and road noise (from North Shore Rd) at night.

All that being said, I love that North Shore location and would stay there again.

Thanks for all the responses! What a great group!

Now I wait to hear from Dest. STJ to see if they can come anywhere near the great rate I can get at Grande Bay! This is our first of 2 trips this year, so am trying to stick to a budget!