USVI-On-Line

Hi All,
I love the Coral Bay area and as you can see from my last post, we are considering One Particular Harbor for the incredible views - HOWEVER, after reading a review on Tripadvisor, I'm really considering staying near Cruz Bay here are the reasons and I'd appreciate thoughts on the matter.

Our trip will be in early December - as was the woman who reviewed One Particular Harbor on TripAdvisor. I'm taking three newbies with me - my husband, my daughter (25) and her new husband. My biggest concern because I know the kids would like a pool at the house is very limited sunshine.

Last January, the girls and I stayed at Villa Jumbie (north side of Coral Bay).... I remember sitting in the sunshine there and feeling a bit sorry for the people on the Western Hillsides of Coral Bay who were in the shade very early in the day - their pools must be chilly in December with no sunshine for the bulk of the day. However, the views from up there right over the East End to Tortola and VG are amazing.

Two years ago we stayed on Gifft Hill near Cruz Bay. The views were very good and although we didn't have early morning sunshine, the sun was basking the patio by 10 and we'd come home from the beach and it was always sunny for us until the spectacular sunsets unfolded in front of us.

Thoughts on this matter would be very appreciated as I'm really struggling with this decision. I've been going to St. John with girlfriends for years now and I finally get to have my family experience St John -- something I talk about incessantly. They will finally understand my obsession and I want it to be as perfect as possible.

Lisa,

I am so excited for you to finally to be sharing St John with your family! They will get it I am sure. It was good to meet you and the girls. Are you doing the girl trip next year too?

Well last year we spent 2 weeks Coral Bay and the last week in Cruz bay at Villa Capiz. It was Jan but always had sun on the pool when we got home from the beach. This is the third time we had a pool and hardly used it. We always had cocktails and appetizers when we returned from the beach and watched the sunset and then would leave for supper.I do think if you plan on using the pool much you would want to make sure it had sun in afternoon to be warm enough to use.

We are back to Coral Bay next Jan but only for 2 weeks due to other vacation plans. We did enjoy being closer to Cruz Bay in the evenings when we were with a group of people. We still did not stay out late like I thought the others in our group might want to. I think we wore them out!

I will look forward to reading how your family falls in love with ST JOHN!

I have gone to St. John in December, January and February, and I have never once even dipped my foot in a pool. We spend the majority of the time at the beach, so a pool is not important to us. I do think, however, that a hot tub is a necessity during the winter months. It's nice and relaxing after a day at the beach, and sometimes it does get cool at night. (And by cool, I mean 70 degrees. I sure wish it was "cool" here in CT right now!)

I prefer to be closer to Cruz Bay because we really enjoy wandering around, having dinner and drinks and shopping. Since your daughter is 25, she may want to be closer to town so she and her husband can go out at night. I stayed over in Ajax Peak once and the ride home from Cruz Bay seemed forever.

We stayed in Gifft Hill this past December and it was great, but as you said, there was not any morning sun. We're trying Grande Bay next month because I really like the idea of being able to walk to the bars/restaurants whenever I want. Have you considered staying right in Cruz Bay? Or do you prefer more privacy? Villa gravity is not my thing so I really only need somewhere to sleep.

Hi there!
Cindy, it was great to meet you in January, too! Coconuts is booked when we're going down but am considering Gifft Hill again. We stayed at Cloud Nine a couple years ago (near Coconuts) and I'm actually not ruling that out.

It's funny... I know the kids think they will use the pool, but I know better, too. We've had a pool the past two years and the only reason I jumped in at Villa Jumbie is because I had never used a pool while down there so I can completely relate to CTBeach. We used the hottub at Cloud Nine almost nightly but didn't use the pool that year at all.

Last year we very much enjoyed walking around Cruz Bay stopping for a drink whenever we felt like it. It's a great atmosphere and if we go back with the girls, we want to stay in town at one of the condos for part of the trip.

Cindy- we're considering Grand Cayman for the girls trip this next year --- which even kills me to type. Our problem is that two years ago we had a party of 8 women at St. John and because we need rental cars to get around, it was difficult getting the group to move around as a unit. This coming year will be another larger group and Cayman will allow for those who want to go to the beach can do so, those who want to grab a taxi to town can do so, etc. We'll see, I may not be able to do the second trip simply because my daughter gets married in August --- the December trip we are taking is their honeymoon (yes, they asked us to go with them). They will prefer the solitude of a villa versus staying in Cruz Bay.

The planning is so much fun. I love figuring out where we're going to stay! I loved Minde's post about Villas near Coral Bay that was posted a few weeks ago. People really joined in and helped her. It was fun to see!

Thanks for your thoughts/comments!

CTBeachGirl wrote:Since your daughter is 25, she may want to be closer to town so she and her husband can go out at night.

This was my thought as well. I was speaking with my boys this morning about this very thing. Looks like we've revised our trip to August, as there is a chance my 20 year old, who is in the Army, may be deployed next spring break

My boys will be 20 and 21 in August. Although I am a Coral Bay girl through and through, I think we've decided to stay in Cruz bay for this trip as I think that would appeal more to them.

The main thing I learned with this most recent trip, is that I want them to be able to go and do there own thing when I go and do my own thing. I just think that will be easier to do staying in Cruz Bay.

mnfun2bme wrote: finally get to have my family experience St John -- something I talk about incessantly. They will finally understand my obsession and I want it to be as perfect as possible.

Yes, you are creating a monster - albeit a lovely one. My daughter has never shown any interest in St. John - until we went in January. Hubby and I got home Thursday night, and she drove an hour today, to have lunch and hear all about the trip and review pics. I think your kids might like the location of Lavender Hills an awful lot, the views are beautiful - it's like looking at a wide angle St. John Spice-cam all day. Easy walk into and back from town.

We are definitely "pool people". We've stayed in Bayview on the Coral Bay side in April and the pool was really cold. We enjoy using the pool in the late afternoon, so for us it was a bummer for the pool to be that cold. It rained a lot on that trip, so perhaps the pool would have been warmer if it was hot and sunny the whole time. We loved the view from Bayview. We liked the location, in terms of driving to the north shore beaches, east end, and the Lameshur beaches. We also enjoyed eating at Shipwreck and Sweet Plantains, without the long drive back to Cruz Bay.

Our current favorite place to stay, especially when we are with other people, is on Gifft Hill. We love the sunset views, and the short easy drive into Cruz Bay. We like being able to pop down to town and pick up carry out from Sogo's to eat on the deck, or go to the grocery store for some necessary last minute item. On our last trip, one of our friends got sick with a sinus/cold thing. It was easy to go to Chelsea Drug and get everything she needed. The pool at Coconuts was a comfortable temperature each of the 3 trips in April/May, and there was plenty of sun on the deck. I imagine it could get quite warm in the summer on the deck with the afternoon sun. We enjoy the covered gazebo for our meals and just hanging out in the late afternoon after a day at the beach.

Happy trip planning!