usvi-on-line
Grande Bay villa vs. Casa Bueno
Grande Bay villa vs. Casa Bueno
Hello. I did searches and read much about each property but our family of four (2 adults, 2 girls..13 & eight) is looking to stay in the Bordeaux Mountain area of STJ and both houses are within a couple of dollars of each other for 5 nights. I realize BB is 2BR's and CB is 4BR's but has anyone seen/stayed in both and can compare? If BB is truly a nicer home I wouldn't mind that it is smaller as our family is small! CB doesn't have a hottub which we really wanted but at least both have heated pools.
We also saw The Mountain House online and that looked fantastic but was a bit out of our price range!
Thanks.
We also saw The Mountain House online and that looked fantastic but was a bit out of our price range!
Thanks.
Last edited by gores95 on Tue Oct 26, 2010 8:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
Marc
Hard to say. We love this location and have stayed in this area on 5 different occasion (never in November, however). We only had windy conditions during one of our stays and that was only for 3 or 4 days. Both houses have heated pools so that's not an issue. While neither house is really large, CB has a bit more of an open feeling and is probably a more comfortable house if you needed to spend your time indoors (because of wind or rain or skeeters). Casa Bueno is definitely the better choice.
Thanks all. The decisions keep coming. So if we stay in Bordeaux Mountain, Casa Bueno it is. For a little less though we can stay in a 3BR villa/condo in Grande Bay (Cruz Bay). I know the comparison is tough....your own home vs. a condo unit but it is our first time staying on St. John and the location sounds like it can't be beat for access to town and its restaurants/shopping. Also the North Shore beaches not a bad drive away (we will have 4WD Jeep). We were originally going to stay at the Westin in a 2BR villa so this would be a favoarable comparison. Grande Bay also has TV's in each BR which would be nice at night...Casa Bueno only TV in Master BR.
OK so botton line Grande Bay, Cruz Bay vs. Casa Bueno, Bordeaux Mountain. Am I crazy to be leaning towards the former? Thanks.
OK so botton line Grande Bay, Cruz Bay vs. Casa Bueno, Bordeaux Mountain. Am I crazy to be leaning towards the former? Thanks.
Marc
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toes in the sand
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We stayed in a Bourdeaux mtn. villa at the end of November last year. We experienced torrential rains the first day on island. We were happy to be at the top of the mtn. rather than the bottom that day. The wind was never an issue except that the pool was cool. The wind/breeze picked up in the evening and there was one evening where we had to bring dinner inside. Other than that we had no problems with the winds. The villa we stayed in had both east/west facing exposures and we really loved the breezes as there was no A/C. The Bordeaux location was excellent for getting to and from both Coral Bay and North Shore beaches. We were right at the intersection of Centerline and North Shore rds.
"got a drink in my hand and my toes in the sand"
gores,
the bride and i do 3 types of beach vacations, villas on stj; condos at grand cayman, fl atlantic and gulf; club med cancun, t&c & punta cana. they are all very different and we have continued to do each type for many yrs. BUT i can't imagine staying in a villa at cancun or in a condo on stj. nor would i want to stay in a fancy home with my own pool 3 blocks off beach rather than in a beach front condo at the new fl gulf villages of rosemary, seacrest, alys, watercolor, blue mt etc. does that make sense?
to us stj is panoramic views, a variety of wonderful beaches that you have the scenic drives to. though mt bordeaux may look remote, think secluded, casa b is actually much closer to all major stj beaches except those west of cinnamon bay than grande bay. cb also further from cruz bay but is that a negative or positive? we loved cb (though missed sunsets) and IMHO she's far better choice than condo in cruz bay, coral bay, or other stj bay that happens to get one in future.
that said, i can relate to the convenience of gbay for dining that you walk to. you are a 8 to 10 min drive to restaurants of coral bay from casab and farther to cruz bay. there were 7 or 8 restaurants within walking distance of the condos we stayed in early this year at pensaola beach and at seacrest beach fl. not stj but you walked out the condo to the beach but shared your pool with others which our grandaughters loved. do you want company or seclusion?
enough, go with the place that is located closer to things you think you want to be near.
papabou
the bride and i do 3 types of beach vacations, villas on stj; condos at grand cayman, fl atlantic and gulf; club med cancun, t&c & punta cana. they are all very different and we have continued to do each type for many yrs. BUT i can't imagine staying in a villa at cancun or in a condo on stj. nor would i want to stay in a fancy home with my own pool 3 blocks off beach rather than in a beach front condo at the new fl gulf villages of rosemary, seacrest, alys, watercolor, blue mt etc. does that make sense?
to us stj is panoramic views, a variety of wonderful beaches that you have the scenic drives to. though mt bordeaux may look remote, think secluded, casa b is actually much closer to all major stj beaches except those west of cinnamon bay than grande bay. cb also further from cruz bay but is that a negative or positive? we loved cb (though missed sunsets) and IMHO she's far better choice than condo in cruz bay, coral bay, or other stj bay that happens to get one in future.
that said, i can relate to the convenience of gbay for dining that you walk to. you are a 8 to 10 min drive to restaurants of coral bay from casab and farther to cruz bay. there were 7 or 8 restaurants within walking distance of the condos we stayed in early this year at pensaola beach and at seacrest beach fl. not stj but you walked out the condo to the beach but shared your pool with others which our grandaughters loved. do you want company or seclusion?
enough, go with the place that is located closer to things you think you want to be near.
papabou
We had no issue with the wind on Bordeaux Mt. but have never stayed there in November.
Staying in Cruz Bay would feel quite different from staying on Bordeaux Mt. You are trading privacy, quiet, views from high above - for the convenience of walking around town. For us, it's a no brainer... love the Bordeaux Mt. location. But it really depends on what you are looking for in your accommodation.
Staying in Cruz Bay would feel quite different from staying on Bordeaux Mt. You are trading privacy, quiet, views from high above - for the convenience of walking around town. For us, it's a no brainer... love the Bordeaux Mt. location. But it really depends on what you are looking for in your accommodation.
We also have 2 girls, age 13 and 10.
Here are my two cents. We always stay in a villa but have ended our vacations at the Westin before.
We spend all of our day on the beach. In the evenings at a villa our girls swim constantly, wander a bit around the property and look for animals or whatever. They can take a shower when they want and go inside and watch a movie or read a book for downtime. My husband and I hang our on the deck and help ourselves to adult beverages.
The girls can run free without us worrying and fight with each other without embarrassing us
I don't know the pool setup at Grande Bay, but you may likely get in a situation where you have to leave your unit and be stuck out at the pool supervising all night when you might prefer to be in. You might have to go ALL the way back to your room for a drink! One girl might want to swim and the other might want to go inside.
Yes, it is a luxury, but I would choose a villa anyday for the reason that my husband and I are able to vacation with our children without feeling "on call" constantly or having to scold them for being loud or whatever.
Here are my two cents. We always stay in a villa but have ended our vacations at the Westin before.
We spend all of our day on the beach. In the evenings at a villa our girls swim constantly, wander a bit around the property and look for animals or whatever. They can take a shower when they want and go inside and watch a movie or read a book for downtime. My husband and I hang our on the deck and help ourselves to adult beverages.
The girls can run free without us worrying and fight with each other without embarrassing us
I don't know the pool setup at Grande Bay, but you may likely get in a situation where you have to leave your unit and be stuck out at the pool supervising all night when you might prefer to be in. You might have to go ALL the way back to your room for a drink!
One girl might want to swim and the other might want to go inside.Yes, it is a luxury, but I would choose a villa anyday for the reason that my husband and I are able to vacation with our children without feeling "on call" constantly or having to scold them for being loud or whatever.
"Sponges grow in the ocean...I wonder how much deeper it would be if that didn't happen."
Just to bring some resolution to this thread...we ended up renting the Grande Bay 3BR condo. I leaned towards the Casa Bueno villa but my wife wanted the condo closer to the action in Cruz Bay. She felt the ability to walk into town for shopping and restaurants/bars was a big plus. Also with two younger girls we felt nervous about leaving them alone in our own home if we wanted to go out for dinner ourselves.
Maybe next time for the house!
Maybe next time for the house!
Marc
I think with this being your 1st stay on STJ and 2 girls in tow...you made a good choice. See you on the Rock Wed.gores95 wrote:Just to bring some resolution to this thread...we ended up renting the Grande Bay 3BR condo. I leaned towards the Casa Bueno villa but my wife wanted the condo closer to the action in Cruz Bay. She felt the ability to walk into town for shopping and restaurants/bars was a big plus. Also with two younger girls we felt nervous about leaving them alone in our own home if we wanted to go out for dinner ourselves.
Maybe next time for the house!
Gores: we will be staying there after you so please let us know if you have any tips--especially if you find any beaches that you can walk to. Also, we want to do a little grilling. I know that we would have a grill at the condo but I was hoping to have a picnic somewhere close. Have a great trip!! I think you made a good choice.
xoxo
xoxo
I will be bringing my laptop so I will try to post while there. As for grilling I understand there are no grills in the entire complex....oh well.XOXO wrote:Gores: we will be staying there after you so please let us know if you have any tips--especially if you find any beaches that you can walk to. Also, we want to do a little grilling. I know that we would have a grill at the condo but I was hoping to have a picnic somewhere close. Have a great trip!! I think you made a good choice.
xoxo
Marc