USVI-On-Line

Hoping to head back to St. John next June. We've stayed in many villas over the years, but this time we want to stay right in Cruz Bay and be able to walk into town, with a stroller. We need a 3 equal bedroom, 3 bath, for hubby and I and our 2 adult children and their spouses....and our soon-to-be-born 1st grandchild due in December!! A few of us stayed in Lavender Hill in the past, loved the location, but it's too small for all of us this time. We like Grand Bay but are looking for other ideas. Gallows Point doesn't allow children under 5. Not sure how far of a walk Palm Terrace is from the Beach Bar area. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
CiCi

I think Grande bay is going to be your best bet unless you want two units at lavender Hill or battery Hill.

Grande Bay should surely work for you. I know Tracy from WI from this forum has some good inside info If she does not have availability you can check http://www.vrbo.com/282027# (haven't stayed there yet but they have been awesome to work with..soon come) We stayed in a 2 bedroom in April and absolutely loved being right in town. Best of luck!

I believe Palm Terrace is up Seagrape Lane off Frank's Bay. It's maybe a 7-10 minute walk. The hill down to Frank Bay is short, but steep (and tricky in flip-flops if wet ).

We stayed in that neighborhood last November and really liked it. The walk was good exercise. (we stayed at Aqua Bay villas - just before Palm Terrace)

While there are several condos that might work bedroom-wise . . . for safety reasons, I wouldn't suggest you take a child in a stroller on the hills you'd need to negotiate to reach most of them. We walk this area all the time. I agree that Grande Bay is your safest bet.

TM

100% Grande Bay. I certainly would not want to walk to town from Palm Terrace with a stroller

Pia

Wow, a 7 month old on STJ

We took our then-17 month old daughter a couple years ago and my best advice is to stay somewhere with a nice pool. We got more use out of the pool at our villa that year than we ever had before because we'd use it while she was napping. Fortunately she transitioned from 2 to only 1 nap daily right before that trip, so that made our lives much easier. One thing to keep in mind is that baby monitors don't always work through the thick concrete walls. When we used the pool at that particular villa, there was a window between the baby and the pool area so the monitor worked when we were outside.

We also picked a villa that was near beaches (Ajax Peak) because I figured that it was more important to be close to beaches (which are the reason we go to STJ) than to be close to restaurants. At first we took our daughter out to dinner with us, but then we started eating in shifts...my parents would eat first while we stayed at the villa with our daughter, then we'd eat when they got back.

Also, one other thought is that a stroller is not that easy to use in Cruz Bay. Many of the sidewalks are narrow and not in great shape, and there are places that don't even have sidewalks where you have to walk in the road. We used our stroller to get our daughter around in the airports and never used it while on STJ. Beaches would be doable, but I'm not sure about in town.

I think I've posted this before but this is a *great* way to get around the islands with a little one! He had a much better view other than everyone's behinds


charlotte amalie

I'm with Beesmom, I loved all of our carriers.

We started travelling with our son at 3.5 months and his first trip to STJ was at 4.5 months. We didn't actually buy a stroller until he was 7mo and even then, we never travelled with it. We found it easier to have a great backpack carrier (that had storage so no need for a diaper bag) for travelling. There are lots of great options for an infant who might not be big enough for a backpack.

I don't think Cruz Bay is stroller friendly because of the random lack of sidewalks and the fact that most establishments don't have the room to bring it into the restaurant.

But, to answer the original question because some people don't want to wear/carry their kids, Grande Bay would be the best option in town if you walk to walk with a stroller.

Thanks to all for your info. A backpack carrier seems to be the way to go!!

Yep, both my daughters did time in the backpack carrier. I brought a stroller for the first trip with my oldest and we basically got no use out of it. The backpack was great the walk to Leinster Bay and Salt Pond with a 5-month old. The other key item we brought was a small beach tent for late morning naps.

Cheers, RickG