USVI-On-Line

We're planning our next trip to STJ and can't decide on which villa to rent. We stayed in Bongo Bongo in April. We're considering L'Esprit de la Vie; Southern Cross; Splendore. does anyone have any suggestions on past experiences ? Thanks.

Depends on what is most important to you.

Do you want to be secluded, close to town, have a great view?

Do you want/need a pool and/or hot tub?

Are there any particular beaches that you'd prefer to be close to?

Will the villa be just a place to sleep and shower, or do you plan to spend time cooking meals, relaxing, and entertaining yourselves there a good bit?

There are so many options, and I'm constantly amazed at the collective villa knowledge from the forum posters, so help them help you by providing as much detail about your planned trip as you can.

We stayed at Splendore and there was a lot we liked/loved about the house - king beds, great pool deck area, very warm pool, best stocked house we ever rented, very clean, etc.

I would be happy to answer any specific questions.

we need a pool, a/c in the bedrooms, nice kitchen b/c we like to cook some nice meals, closer to Cruz Bay area rather than Coral Bay.

C&S Island Time wrote:we need a pool, a/c in the bedrooms, nice kitchen b/c we like to cook some nice meals, closer to Cruz Bay area rather than Coral Bay.

Splendore does have all of the above. The kitchen is large. Tons of counter space with a large (6 burner I think) stovetop on the island. There are at least 4 barstools at the island counter. I seem to remember a regular as well as a convection oven.

It has been 3 years since we stayed there but one thing that stands out in my memory is how well-outfited the kitchen was. The pots and pans were good quality, there was plenty of mixing bowls, utensils and such. It was like cooking at home in that everything we needed was there. I often (well, almost always) find rentals to have less than desirable kitchen stuff - like melted spatulas, peeling non-sitck pans, no serving pieces, etc. or all junked up and cluttered because the management company/owner can't bring themselves to throw out that crusty/warped cookie sheet. Can you tell I have issue with most kitchens?

The grill at the time was a medium sized Weber that looked brand new.

How many people will be going? do you need equal bedrooms? do you have a budjet that you would like to stay in?

right now there are 2 couples going that would need fairly equal bedrooms there may be a third couple but if so the third bedroom will not need to be equal

In my opinion, the third bedroom at Splendore is not suitable for an adult couple. It is a room in a small tower, reached by a spiral stairway. There was a pull out couch and a desk. Ok for a teen maybe but I wouldn't expect an adult couple to stay in that room.

The two masters are equal.

I like Allesandra

PA Girl wrote:In my opinion, the third bedroom at Splendore is not suitable for an adult couple. It is a room in a small tower, reached by a spiral stairway. There was a pull out couch and a desk. Ok for a teen maybe but I wouldn't expect an adult couple to stay in that room.

The two masters are equal.

PA Girl, did you stay at Splendore in the summer? If so, was the living/kitchen area cool enough to comfortably relax and cook in?

We stayed there in late February.

I don't known the name of the doors but the house has those doors that slide all the way back into the walls so they disappear so it would be open to the breezes.

The porch roof overhang is very wide so it likely shades 80% of the windows from the summer sun.

Splendore is a very nice villa, but the third bedroom is a loft with a pull out sofa bed that is not air conditioned. I agree with the previous poster that it was the best stocked villa I’ve stayed in. The air conditioning in the two main bedrooms didn’t cool to my satisfaction. This is mainly because the wall that separates the bathroom and bedroom did not go all the way up to the ceiling and with an open air shower much of the A/C escapes. Also, the bedroom away from the pool didn’t have shades on the sliding glass door, so the sun would heat up the room in the afternoon.

We stayed at L'Esprit de la Vie in 2008, and I can only halfway recommend it. Good: nice veranda with furniture, nice pool, bedrooms were good size and a/c worked well, good view of Rendezvous Bay and Ditleff Point, except for...BAD: There are power lines in your line of vision. You tend to stop seeing them after a while, but still. The hot tub didn't work, and apparently that's a chronic problem. I wish I could tell you more about the kitchen, but we don't cook much on vacation. It was attractive, it had the basics just fine, but I can't attest to its usefulness for full service. It's also the first house up in Point Rendezvous from the south shore road, so there's a bit more traffic noise than normal, but it's not overwhelming. I have a review posted that may have more details.

thanks for the advice, does anyone else have villa suggestions ?

How about Villa Anansi, or Palm Hill, or Leeward? Villa Bijou is another good choice.