USVI-On-Line

I don't know what else to call them, but it seems these "neighborhoods" come up frequently when I'm looking at villa rentals. Can you comment on these areas:

Reef bay
Gifft Hill
Virgin Grande Estates
Fish Bay

Particularily interested in privacy, access (i.e. how's the road?), views, and any other thoughts you have.

THANKS!!!

Just returned from a stay at Gifft Hill. We like the location for getting into town by going down Gifft Hill Road. Coral Bay and Francis/Maho...up Gifft Hill Road and right onto Centerline. The views from
our villa (Cielo Vista) were fabulous and at night the twinkling lights from St Thomas are beautiful. No crazy driveway, road traffic from residents. Wouldn't call Gifft Hill a shortcut road.
Have stayed there three times and would again

We have stayed in Reef Bay and Fish Bay of the 4 mentioned areas. Although a lot depends on the villa and so much more, I would pick Reef Bay over Fish Bay. Both Reef and Fish Bays were quiet. Little to no traffic. Lower density of buildings as you get further from town which translates into privacy and green spaces. Reef Bay gave great ocean views. Fish Bay gave lucious green views. Reef Bay is not much further from Cruz Bay than Fish Bay.

I have not rented on Gifft Hill. I have not looked at any villas there so I cannot qualify as an informed source but I have driven Gifft Hill many times and seen the neighborhoods. I imagine that the views are spectacular. I have read great reviews on some Gifft Hill villas. I also imagine that anywhere near the road is noisy. I have read of villas that have had security issues. Again this is second hand information at best.

Gifft Hill - nice area, great views, but the road can be a little challenging especially in the dark or if it's been raining you may run into traffic jams. We stayed at a villa on a side road that was very rutted and washed out and hard to find in the dark. We finally found some plastic yellow "crime scene" tape to tie to a bush where we needed to turn. Helped alot!

Fish Bay - Depends on where you're staying. Views are good, not spectacular. Again, some of the roads can be a little challenging (unpaved, bumpy). The particular place where we stayed had alot of vegetation and more mosquitoes ane noseeums as a result.

Virgin Grande Estates - very nice area, gated community, gorgeous landscaping. Above the Westin with gorgeous views of Great Cruz Bay. I believe there may have been some street lights or maybe just lights from the villas that made it a little easier to find your way in the dark. Not as islated as some of the areas ibn Fish Bay or Gifft Hill.

Haven't stayed in the other location....yet.

I suggest you look at the Jeep Cam videos for the roads the villas are on. I always study the Google villa map and the Jeep Cam videos and try to match them up.

We stayed in Fish Bay on our last trip, we were on Caribe Rd. Some unpaved parts to the road and some steep switchbacks. We felt like it was a little too far away from the beaches for our taste, and probably wouldn't stay there again. But then again we have toddlers in the car with us, and they sometimes make any drive seem a lot longer (think "Are we there yet?").

However, I will say, we visited friends on Skytop, and the view to Reef Bay was beautiful. You could see the White Cliffs and all the way to Ram Head. If view is a high priority, Reef Bay area is a good choice, but if convenience to town is a priority, then probably not.

I highly recommend the Gifft Hill area. We just returned last Thursday from staying at Hummingbird Hill villa on Gifft Hill. The location was great for access to Cruz Bay and the east end. Also, the driveway was off the main road and very easy to navigate. Gifft Hill does have some slightly challenging steep grades and curves, but no issues for our Jeep Commander. The views of St. Thomas and the boat “traffic” were great. Every night we enjoyed fabulous sunsets!