Mayan Sky vs. Great Turtle Villa vs. White Cottage - Help!

[craigk724]

So, unless we win lotto, Sol Inclination is out of the question this go around. It's between these three *Mayan Sky*, *Great Turtle Villa* and *White Cottage*. I love Mayan Sky for the house and the views. The views of Great Turtle look a bit more dramatic, but perhaps at a cost of furnishings. White Cottage is different in views and location, and the house seems very cool. I'd love some help in deciding between these three. Thanks so much!

Craig

[Xislandgirl]

I don't know the houses but I do know that when we were looking last year, I fell in love with Mayan Sky. It was booked for our dates but if it was available we would have booked it in a heartbeat.

[craigk724]

Thanks so much for the help. We're so torn between Great Turtle and Mayan. Mayan looks amazing inside, but the views from Turtle look incredible. So unsure.

[PA Girl]

Someone, can't remember who, recently posted about their stay at Mayan Sky. Hopefully they will chime in.

I remember favorable reviews and I marked it for future consideration.

[Maryanne]

Mayan Sky is pretty nice-looking inside, though the bedrooms were just okay.

I wished the view from Mayan Sky was a bit more dramatic. I would say that view is more important to me than anything, but it's also important to us to have a nice, 'new'-feeling interior, nice kitchen, etc.
And Mayan Sky has that...

Don't know the others.

[craigk724]

I know exactly what you mean. Orion's Hill, where we stayed our first time, had unbelievable views, 360 degrees in some spots, and just stunning looks at the hills, east end and Coral Bay. Having read your review of Mayan Sky, Maryann, I feel like the views might be a bit of a let down from last summer. Great Turtle seems to be really nice. This is the owner's website for it: http://www.kgrahamdesign.com/home.html

The house looks like its nicely decorated inside; not with as much of the luxe feel of Mayan Sky that I like, but still really nice. And the views seem a bit more impressive. So torn. I wish we had two weeks. Thanks so much for your input.

[Maryanne]

I think that Great Turtle looks wonderful, better than Mayan Sky, maybe. Too bad they don't have more interior pix on their website. Mayan Sky is perfectly nice, but it's not jaw-dropping by any means.

The view from Great Turtle looks like Mayan Sky's, as far as I can see..

[iowaguy]

I've been intrigued by White Cottage so I hope someone has a report on that villa.

[tropigal]

I'd recommend speaking to Karen Shlesinger at Viva about Mayan Sky and Great Turtle(1-888-856-4601 or www.vivacations.com) She'll give you an honest assessment of their pros and cons. Great Turtle seems to be at a higher elevation but both villas are similarly situated in Carolina in Coral Bay. White Cottage, as you know, is overlooking Fish Bay in Point Rendevous--a whole other location--closer to Cruz Bay but still quite private and pristine. Depends on what part of the island you like more.

[nancyr84]

Hi ,
We stayed in Mayan Sky 2 years ago. The villa was nice but I do not think I would stay there again. It was too stark inside not real cozy. The screens did not fit real well and little bugs came in the bathrooms . It went up in price after we stayed there I recall. The next year we stayed at One Particular Harbour and loved it. The view was higher up and the living room had huge sliding screened doors that opened. One Particular Harbour is much cheaper I believe too.
nancy

[susan & herb]

If I remember, Budman stayed at Mayan Sky in August and he did a review. He loved the villa. I agree the inside of Mayan Sky did look kind of cold and not very "commfortable".
Mia has stayed at Great Turtle Villa several times and loved it. One of the only negatives she could think of was that the bedrooms were smallish.
We were looking at both for next May as well as Reef Madness. Reef Madness got booked for our dates so we went with Villa Carolina.
As for White cottage, is it low to the water?, might be a problem with heat as apposed to high up.
We booked Villa Carolina thru Denise at "On-line-vacations" at Budmans recommendation. She lives on SJ, Coral Bay to be exact and she was very knowledgeable about the villas I was interested in. She is like a "travel agent" for the different villa companies. I had called Cateredto to check this out first. She gets commission from the companies or villa owners, not sure. All I know is that she was extremely responsive and spent a lot of time on the phone with me answering my questions and making suggestions.
Hope this helps.

[Maryanne]

I agree that Mayan Sky was on the stark side, not cozy.

Don't care for wicker furniture except for outside; not very comfortable.

[craigk724]

I think we're leaning toward Great Turtle Villa right now. I wish we had more photos to go on, as well as a better idea of exactly where in Carolina it's located, but it seems like a great place and we love the views of Coral Bay. Any other places under $3500 for the week that you could recommend for six people, closer to Coral Bay and with outstanding views? Thanks!

[Connie]

Craig, I had to laugh when I read your last post. I really feel for you.

When we rented last time in St. Thomas, believe me, I did my homework. I think I printed out ever single Villa on St. Thomas that had 5+ bedrooms. I was starting to make myself crazy about the decision.

What we eventually did is narrow it down to 3 villas (like you have) and trust your instincts and other peoples recommendations.

No matter what, you're going to have a good time. You're also out of the Villa alot. The most important thing to me is the cleanliness and that it is kept up to standards.

[budman]

Hey everyone, long time no speak! I've been away a while, NO not incarcerated, just very busy. Hey Craig Mayan Sky was nice, but I don't know exactly what you are looking for in a villa. The rooms are all seperated, so if you have small kiddies it may be a concern. Maryanne said it's a bit stark, I guess it's not as bright as some of the other villas, but it has it's own distinctive look. It's not real "beachy" it more Tuscanyiiish! The yellow walls, dark hardwood doors and trim, and the beautiful tile floors,inside and out, were a nice change from the bright white villas with tropical print everywhere. The main upper deck is small and intimate, but we had a great dinner with 6 people up there, the teak table expands and I'm sure we could have squeezed a couple more in. I can't speak for the comfort level of the livingroom furniture because I probably sat there 2 times briefly, but the kids always looked comfortable. The large bedrooms were all basically equal and very comfortable, I remember one of the upper bathrooms was a tad smaller than the other two. Again I'm not sure what you want in a villa, but I would stay there again. NOW, funny you should mention Great Turtle Villa. I actually had a friend check out that villa this week for an upcoming trip and she said it's very nice, nice furnishings and CLEAN. She didn't go into much detail, but I'll ask her more about it if you like? What dates are you looking at? if it's the same time as us I'll have to write that my friend actually hated it By the way I think both villas views are similar except from GTV you can probably see a little more towards the BVI's. They are very close to each other.

Hey Susan, sorry again for leaving you hangin. I will try to get my Carolina Villa report going soon. I know you already booked it with Denise and that's great. You will love it!!!

Take care, Budman