USVI-On-Line

Just received a message about an "intruder" at a villa on Gifft and then read that the murder suspect was from Gifft Hill. We've never worried about locking doors in Great Cruz Bay but did just in case. Is Gifft Hill a "safe" location to rent?

We just came back from staying 8 nights on Gifft Hill at Seawatch the last week of June, and we NEVER felt unsafe. We did always lock all of the doors to the rooms when we left because the villa rental people asked us to.

nothintolose

snorkelqueen wrote:Just received a message about an "intruder" at a villa on Gifft and then read that the murder suspect was from Gifft Hill. We've never worried about locking doors in Great Cruz Bay but did just in case. Is Gifft Hill a "safe" location to rent?

I think that is a difficult question to answer simply because the term "Gifft Hill" encompasses quite a bit of territory. There is part of Gifft Hill that borders on Centerline Road. There is a part of Gifft Hill that overlooks Fish Bay and the gut. And, there is a part of Gifft Hill above Rendezvous Bay. The later, two areas tend to be occupied by fairly high-priced rental villas. The area along Centerline Road (which is at the very top of Gifft Hill) seems to be home to more locals. There are businesses up there, a school and a fairly new apartment complex...that is pretty darn nice.

I guess the point is that no generalization can be made about the "Gifft Hill" area. We have stayed in villa on Gifft Hill and felt safe. We have stayed in villas even further out on the South Shore and felt equally as safe.

A fair amount of locals live up on Gifft Hill......I did. We had the pitbull issue up there a while back and yes, the guy who is being held for the murder of Jamie lives up there but that all means nada.
To be smart lock your doors. I would hope you would lock your jeep as well when you go to the beaches.
STJ is not an island of crime and violence more so then anywhere else. It is just that this board is all about STJ so we hear about it.
But in Tortola, Nassau in the Bahamas, the Turks, heck even St. Vincent and Barbabos have crime.
But I love the views from Gifft hill, about the only thing that I did not like were the switch backs coming from South Shore but you get used to them to.