USVI-On-Line

Hey gang, any first hand knowledge of Caneel Trailside Cottage? I saw a short response from BeachDr to an earlier request. This looks like an interesting property in a different and cool location.

Cheers, RickG

I've looked at this villa, was wondering - how do you get there?

Rick,You probably already checked these out but these are reviews from WheretoStay.com



This was a wonderful getaway. Visited: July 2007
Posted by jillmont
We had an incredible stay at the Caneel Trailside Cottage. The view from the deck was incredible. We definitely felt like we were "away from it all", while still being close to great restaurants and beaches.
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It was beautiful! Visited: April 2007
Posted by dawnsmith
The house was perfect. It was very comfortable, and just two minutes from town, and a five-minute hike to the National Park observation platform on top of Caneel Hill.

We really loved having the National Park as a neighbor. The resident birds visited us daily; and, at night, the sounds of the forest lulled us to sleep.

Also, the views were as nice as we found anywhere on the island - we could literally see out to St. Croix on clear days - 40 miles away. It felt ten degrees cooler at the cottage than at the beach or in town - yet still very warm if you are accustomed to Boston weather.

We were on a budget, so we cooked at the house for most meals: the kitchen was better than what I have at home.

We hope to stay here again one day. We did not notice any nearby construction - but we did see a beautiful new house on the road up to the villa.
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We enjoyed our island return. Visited: February 2007
Posted by cindy
We have visited St. John a number of times over the last 25 years. We were suprised at the many changes since 2001.

We were not bothered by the construction next door as much as the general construction vehicle traffic on the Cruz Bay side of the island.

That said, it was still a wonderful place to visit, and the villa was a great place to stay. The veranda overlooking the ocean was our favorite spot. It made cooking my own dinner a pleasure, as there is no restaurant with that kind of view.
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I loved the view, the villa, and the breezes. Visited: November 2006
Posted by charlestonian
Everything was perfect. The house had everything we wanted, and we enjoyed just sitting around by the pool and looking out over the sea. It was exactly what we wanted.

The Caneel Hill trail was steep, and the forest behind the house was teeming with birds and other life. The villa's location had cooling breezes every day... what a relief it was to come back to the villa on hot days.

We were a little worried because we were told to expect construction noise, but to our surprise we heard none at all during our two-week stay.

The owner was easy to work with, and seemed to really care that we had a nice time. We will stay here again.

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I'm really groovin' on this house. We may try for it next summer. I like the potential access to the trail. I'm a little concerned about the noise, but it can't be any worse than the incessant banging we heard last summer from Sirenusa.

It looks interesting

Pia, thanks for the info. Is this property off of Centerline? I do like a view from the pool.... but that's not as big a deal if its just the two of us.

debbiest23, thanks for the reference. I had seen a few low detail reviews.

We need a forumite to stay there and give us the true scoop!

Cheers, RickG

I read the house's site and then got out my St John map. I plotted the lines of the 2 hills to find the part between them. then , I cross referenced google maps.

Here's where I think it is:
Latitude: 18°20'6.05"N
Longitude: 64°46'58.52"W

It's got to be in this cluster of homes. If not, it's got to be between there and Patstory Road. The homes on Pastory Road look to be too close to town and on the wrong hill.

This is what you can do when you work fro home and have 2-hour conference calls to attend!

[quote="pipanale"
This is what you can do when you work fro home and have 2-hour conference calls to attend![/quote]

do you mean the ones where you are hardly paying attention and reading the forum instead? I know nothing about those but it sounds like fun!

I am with RickG, someone needs to get down there and check it out.

We had it at the top of the list for Feb 2007 and insane-hiker-grandma wanted to stay there solely for the trail access. The pool being off to the side was actually a plus for us because of our son.

I just couldn't get any information on location, neighborhood, etc. from the rental agent at the time so it doesn't surprise me the owner is doing his own bookings now.

mbw1024 wrote:do you mean the ones where you are hardly paying attention and reading the forum instead? I know nothing about those but it sounds like fun!

I know what state you're from and where I work when I'm not at home. I wonder...are we on the same calls?

pipanale wrote:

mbw1024 wrote:do you mean the ones where you are hardly paying attention and reading the forum instead? I know nothing about those but it sounds like fun!

I know what state you're from and where I work when I'm not at home. I wonder...are we on the same calls?

Let's hope not! LOL

Hello RickG,

We were looking at this house for next year. I e-mailed the owner and he got right back to me. Sounds like a good guy and I'm sure he can answer your questions. The house that was under construction last year, is finished. Landscaping was being completed in March.

The owners name is Joe Moore.

On-St. John had a brief article, "Welcome our newest advertiser: Caneel Trailside Cottage" about it on 7/30 and it looks like they're planning to do a follow-up report on it at some point. Ali~

At Supreme Corner (the 180 degree turn just after Pastory Gardens), instead of taking that turn, you go straight back into a neighborhood by the dumpster. Follow that road back, continue bearing to the left, and finally make a right up an EXTREMELY steep (but paved) driveway, and the villa is up there.
The house next door is still under construction.