Calabash Boom vs Bordeaux Mountain vs Gifft Hill

TraumaQueen · Post by **TraumaQueen** » Wed Feb 05, 2014 11:11 am

I'm starting my search for our villa next June/July. Yeah, I know it's over a year out, but what can I say?

We stayed at Astral Villa last time and LOVED the views, serenity and privacy of that place. The drive didn't bother us in the least since we are used to "off-roading" minus the inclines. Since we are bringing our teen sons this trip we need space, a pool and air conditioning. The things that don't matter either way to us are paved roads and extreme privacy since the kiddos will be present this time.

Here are the villas we've come across and I would love opinions on them as compared to Astral Villa. I know Coconuts is extremely popular, but I still want it on the list to be compared with the others.

Alta Vista on Bordeaux Mt
Coconuts Gifft Hill
Wind Chime on Gifft Hill

I'm also looking at the Reef Bay area. We hiked the Reef Bay Trail last time we were there, but never made it to the beach. We turned around about 1/2 mile from the end b/c we knew we had to hike back up the trail. Yes, I know about the guided tour.....now. HA!!!

Edited to add I'd like to be able to stay in the same house for 12 nights so that may be a factor in availability.

I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions!

News of St. John · Post by **News of St. John** » Wed Feb 05, 2014 12:25 pm

I can't speak to Astral Ridge, but I know Coconuts and Windchime well. Coconuts is a great property. It has a good amount of outdoor space and unbelievable sunset views. Kevin, the owner, really thought of just about everything a traveler would need or want. The outdoor kitchen is a great area to congregate and the pool table is great. The villa is separated into three buildings. One has two bedrooms and two attached baths; one has a living room/dining room area and a loft area (with very steep stairs); and the third is the kitchen. You can't go wrong with Coconuts.

Windchime is located off of a dirt road across from Coconuts. Windchime has great views also but in the complete opposite direction. You can see all the way out to Ram Head from the back decks. Windchime has quote a bit of outdoor living space. The decks are very expansive. It also has a full size and very deep pool. I imagine they get great sunrises there too. The main building has two bedrooms, bathrooms and a very large kitchen/living/dining area. There is a separate building that has another bedroom and bathroom. Windchime also has a hot tub. It's in the front of the house, but it does not seem like it is in a front yard.

If you have any other specific questions, I will do my best to answer them.

-Jenn

Myheart'sinSTJ · Post by **Myheart'sinSTJ** » Wed Feb 05, 2014 8:06 pm

Kevin was kind enough to give me a tour of Coconuts in January and I agree with Jenn, the views IMHO are some of the best on the island, it is a lovely property and is spacious. I have stayed at Plumeria (next door to Coconuts) before Kevin purchased it and it also has the great sunset views, it is also a great property even before he made improvements so if you are looking in the Gifft Hill area, Plumeria may even fit the bill. Have fun searching!

RickG · Post by **RickG** » Wed Feb 05, 2014 9:47 pm

Gifft Hill, Gifft Hill, Gifft Hill - the 'hood is good.

Cheers, RickG

Bigcheeze · Post by **Bigcheeze** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 10:26 pm

RickG wrote:Gifft Hill, Gifft Hill, Gifft Hill - the 'hood is good.

Cheers, RickG

Coconuts 2x until Kevin said no more Villa Booty calls...LOL
Hummingbird Hill 2x + 1x this year
Villa del sol 1x.

That makes it 6x out of 12 for Gift Hill.

The rest have been Chcocruz, Vida de mar, Catalina, Le LaPan 2x, Le Virage

AquaGirl · Post by **AquaGirl** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 10:14 am

Like Rick said - love the Gifft Hill neighborhood. We enjoyed our 3 stays at Coconuts. Love the views out to the water and over to STT. It looks like Windchime may get sunrise, but not sunset views from the way its situated, but I'm not sure. Sunset views are more important to us than sunrise.

We like to be close to Cruz Bay too. Its just a short drive to the grocery store or pharmacy for those "oops I forgot to get this while in town" items. We also like to pick up carry out orders from Sogos, or get hot food from Starfish and eat on the deck, while enjoying the view. We will be in the Gifft Hill neighborhood again for this year's upcoming trip. Coconuts and Plumeria were booked, so we are staying at Hummingbird Hill thanks to BigCheeze's recommendation.

Happy trip planning!

TraumaQueen · Post by **TraumaQueen** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 12:50 pm

Thank y'all so much! Coconuts is our front runner at the moment. I'm still considering Alta Vista on Bordeaux Mt. Any comments/concerns about that area?

papabou · Post by **papabou** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 2:45 pm

tq,

we've stayed 4 times at c9 on gift hill, just below coconuts and similar floor plan. we love the views from and floor plans of the gh villas. fairly easy drive to cruz bay but its a little farther to any of the north shore beaches, especially those toward the east end.

we have also stayed twice on mt bord in casa bueno and summerwind and once on mamey peak in viewtiful which is close by; but not sure exactly where av is on Bordeaux. if av is accessed from centerline rd and not too far in on bd mt rd, the av location will be much faster for beaches like cinnamon, maho, francis, waterlemon and of course any thing "coral bay". there is less visual clutter from mt bord. as compared to gifft h, you give up sunsets and convenience to cruz bay. I wouldn't want to do many evening drives into cruz bay from bord.
good luck.
papabou

dreamshark · Post by **dreamshark** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 2:59 pm

I'd choose Altavista, but all that tells you is that I like mountaintops. These are all stunning villas - the best choice for you depends on your preferences.

How much time do you like to spend in town (esp at night)? Bordeaux is a central location, but still a longer/darker drive at night than Gifft Hill.

With kids, the configuration of the pool might be the most important thing. If they are younger, you probably want a pool with a shallow end, and you want the pool to be someplace close to where you will be spending your time. If they are toddler age you want a pool that is not too accessible so they don't toddle into it and drown. If you want to do a lot of hiking and exploring, you might want to be closer to the southeast corner of the island.

And then there's the eternal question: sunrise or sunset?

ShelleyZ · Post by **ShelleyZ** » Sun Feb 09, 2014 8:31 am

We love Bordeaux Mountain. The views are stunning. On our first arrival there (to Seabreeze), our daughter, who was 11 at the time, walked onto the deck, gazed at the vista and said, "This is opening a whole new world to me." She also discovered the Milky Way that summer. We would often find her on a lounge chair, wrapped in a blanket in the evening, mesmerized by the night sky.

We also like the quick and easy slide down the hill to Francis and Maho. The central island location is ideal for us, with easy access to Coral Bay, in particular. Of course, we don't mind driving either. It's part of the adventure -- always something new to encounter.

Happy hunting!
Shelley

Myheart'sinSTJ · Post by **Myheart'sinSTJ** » Sun Feb 09, 2014 9:07 am

I would like to mention that we had dinner with a friend in Coral Bay and we left at dusk as I have never driven from Coral Bay back to Cruz Bay in the dark. I was pleasantly surprised to find street lights every 200ft? or so on Centerline Rd. all the way back to Cruz Bay. It was better lit than our country roads here at home! So no worries driving in the dark over Bordeaux Mtn.

TraumaQueen · Post by **TraumaQueen** » Sun Feb 09, 2014 10:31 am

It seems from your replies that we can't really go wrong whichever villa we choose!

I'd love to see a sunset from our deck, but I'm also liking the easy drive to Francis and Maho. Francis is my go-to happy place. We also have dark country roads around here so the night drive doesn't bother me that much. After driving Calabash Boom at night I feel like we can navigate pretty much anything on island!

Maybe I'll win the lottery before next summer and I can stay a week at each place! It'll probably come down to placing the villas in a hat and choosing that way. Keep the thoughts/suggestions coming!

jpm · Post by **jpm** » Sun Feb 09, 2014 1:44 pm

If you like the Gifft Hill villas Cloud 9, Coconuts and Plumeria, also consider Palm Villa with a great view, www.caribbeanvilla.com/property/palm-villa/. The layout is similar to Cloud 9 with the addition of a master bedroom suite. Palm Villa is to the left of Cloud 9 and shares a driveway with Cloud 9.

chicagoans · Post by **chicagoans** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 12:11 pm

Since I can't afford Peter Bay, I like the Bordeaux Mountain / Ajax Peak area for quick access to North Shore beaches; I also like the proximity to the south shore beaches. (I'm a Salt Pond Bay and Little Lameshur fan.)

Calabash Boom is near many of my favorite spots, but a bit farther for going to town (if you care about that.)

Last year we stayed at Ixora - not sure if that's considered Bordeaux or Ajax area - and loved the location. Great views and walkable to the smoothie stand! However we got sunrise rather than sunset views.

One thing I noticed about Alta Vista (from a review here) is that the great room is upstairs from the kitchen. When I'm making dinner, I like to be around the other folks at the villa, and they're usually hanging out in the great room if they're not outside. Other than that, it looks like a gorgeous villa at a very good price.

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