USVI-On-Line

Am I crazy? We are thinking of staying in one villa for just a couple days when it's unbooked then switching to old reliable villa for a week. Is this too much hassle? Should we just stay in our usual haunt for 8 or 9 days instead?

Like the idea of trying something new but then retiring to our comfortable spot but worry it will be too much activity.

I think it could work if you were there 2 weeks. Otherwise it might be too much of a hassle for just 4 days in each place.

I personally would not want to spend even 5 minutes of my time on St. John moving.

Total pain--
you lose a day-
in most cases you ahve to be OUT of the old villa by 10 or so, then the new one won't open up until , say 1 at theaearliest? 3 is more likely--you likely will haev food /stuff that needs refrigeration, all your gear, etc--done this twice-- and it really isn't worth it if you can avoid it.

Did that just last month when we were down for 2 weeks. To me it was tough. We brought down a cooler with us to move the food stuff from one villa to the next. Then there is the timing - check out is 10 a.m. check in is 3 p.m. We were able to work with our villa reps on the timing - but it was still tight as we needed to get down to the dock to meet our arriving kids. We had gotten lost twice in getting to villa #2 Ended up behind a funeral. Once we got past the funeral - the road that the map says goes all the way around Frank Bay - doesn't. Turned around but they had closed the road for the funeral. Thank god we were in paradise!

I am going to provide an opposite opinion. John and I almost always change villas halfway through our visit. We don't find it to be a hassle. We have been able to work with the villa agency so that we are not hanging between houses. We have always been able to either stay late in the first house or get in to the second house early. Sometimes we do villa to Caneel, and then our room is usually not ready but no big deal--they take your bags and we just head to the beach until it is.

The biggest advantage to us is the change up in view. We've done Maria Bluff/Catherineberg splits a couple of times, and once did a Chocolate Hole/Coral Bay split. One trip we even did a four way split: Caneel Bay-Contant Point-Catherineberg-Secret Harbor STT. That was a three week visit though.

Only caveat is that it has always been just the two of us, and the times we have changed we have spent a full week (or just under a week) in each house. I can see that it would be a hassle to move a group. In fact, we are not changing houses this summer since we are bringing guests. That is the only reason we are not changing though.

I'm with Liamsaunt. I enjoy the variety---really, its a matter of your personal preference---there's no right or wrong answer here.

we have done twice when time ran out on 1st villa. once not ready to go home when just me and bride and c9 had a opening that allowed us to move in am before going to beach, fairly simple.

second time planned move to have 10 days and had same easy move because could do early checkin in second villa. 2 couples, other newbies so they were able to have 6 nights at casa bueno on mt bordeaux and then 4 nites on maria bluff. they too enjoyed the totally different experiences of radically different locations on one great island!

that said, key to our moves was early am checkins at second villa before day really started. don't like packing and moving but the variety was worth it.

papabou

We always change it up when we're on island for more than a week. Don't find it to be a hassle at all. Similar to Liamsaunt it's just 2 of us.

Last trip we changed twice - first night in Cruz Bay due to a late flight, a week in a villa in Coral Bay, ending with a couple of nights in Grande Bay.