Trip Report - Day One - Villa Vistaero
Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 8:08 am
Trip Report - Day One - Villa Vistaero
We called this year's trip the "No Cousin Left Behind" Tour. Traveling this year were me, my daughter Lauren, my best friend Tom, my Cousin Pam and her husband Mike from Tennessee, my cousin Lisa from California and two newbies - my cousin Kate from North Carolina and my cousin Laurie from Massachusetts. This was a FANTASTIC group and we had our best trip EVER!
Lauren, Tom, Lisa and I landed first and headed over to the Emerald Beach Resort for a few cocktails to await the arrival of the rest of the cousins. We got caught in a massive rain shower and just laughed and laughed - the trip had begun!
We rented two of the new 4 door Jeep Wranglers from Budget and had absolutely no problems and no wait! The woman at the counter was a little standoffish until Tom starting telling her he couldn't wait to get to the beach in his thong! She was cracking up by the time she gave us our keys
We round up the rest of our cousins and head for the car barge. Since it's Adult Parade day, we have to go over the mountain. With a little help from my brother on the phone (who lives on STJ) we make only 1 wrong turn and pull right onto a car barge when we arrive. Perfect timing!
My brother and his girlfriend again this year had very graciously stocked our villa with supplies and were at the villa preparing appetizers and dinner when we arrived. The order from Mixology had been delivered. I am proud to say that I found Vistaero all by myself! Obsessively pouring over Google maps and watching the On-St. John video of Gift Hill Road paid off.
About Vistaero. WOW. I mean, really, WOW. All of us stood with jaws dropped when we got out of the jeeps and saw this view.
Vistaero absolutely exceeded all of our expectations. The pool is huge and beautiful. The hot tub is real must for a few in our group, and this one was great. The deck space was just incredible, with views of the sunset at one end and Ditliff point at the other, with Rendezvous Bay shimmering front and center all day long. Several days it was clear enough to see St. Croix, and most nights the stars were absolutely dazzling. We saw shooting stars!! There was sun on the pool pretty much all day long and plenty of covered outdoor space for those that needed a break from it. We ate dinner in a lot this year, and the 10 of us dined very comfortably on the outside table. There are incredible breezes day and night, so it was always so comfortable to sit and be mesmerized by the views.
I was always the first one up and had my coffee with this beautiful view. Then I would hear him - the cluck cluck of BRUCE, THE EVIL CHICKEN!! He showed up every morning, relieved himself in plain view, then walked away.
The inside space also exceeded our expectations. There is new furniture in the dining and living spaces (although honestly, these rooms were hardly ever used since we LIVED outside). The kitchen was very well equipped and nicely laid out for group cooking. There is a half bath and a laundry room off the kitchen to complete the great room.
The bedrooms all had great split AC units and the bedding all looked new. The bathrooms all had granite countertops and big showers. Because this villa is so HUGE, there was tons of privacy and everyone loved the fact that the bedrooms were all reached from the outside.
We all swam, hot tubbed, drank, ate, sang and laughed. It was a fabulous first night!
We called this year's trip the "No Cousin Left Behind" Tour. Traveling this year were me, my daughter Lauren, my best friend Tom, my Cousin Pam and her husband Mike from Tennessee, my cousin Lisa from California and two newbies - my cousin Kate from North Carolina and my cousin Laurie from Massachusetts. This was a FANTASTIC group and we had our best trip EVER!
Lauren, Tom, Lisa and I landed first and headed over to the Emerald Beach Resort for a few cocktails to await the arrival of the rest of the cousins. We got caught in a massive rain shower and just laughed and laughed - the trip had begun!
We rented two of the new 4 door Jeep Wranglers from Budget and had absolutely no problems and no wait! The woman at the counter was a little standoffish until Tom starting telling her he couldn't wait to get to the beach in his thong! She was cracking up by the time she gave us our keys
We round up the rest of our cousins and head for the car barge. Since it's Adult Parade day, we have to go over the mountain. With a little help from my brother on the phone (who lives on STJ) we make only 1 wrong turn and pull right onto a car barge when we arrive. Perfect timing!
My brother and his girlfriend again this year had very graciously stocked our villa with supplies and were at the villa preparing appetizers and dinner when we arrived. The order from Mixology had been delivered. I am proud to say that I found Vistaero all by myself! Obsessively pouring over Google maps and watching the On-St. John video of Gift Hill Road paid off.
About Vistaero. WOW. I mean, really, WOW. All of us stood with jaws dropped when we got out of the jeeps and saw this view.
Vistaero absolutely exceeded all of our expectations. The pool is huge and beautiful. The hot tub is real must for a few in our group, and this one was great. The deck space was just incredible, with views of the sunset at one end and Ditliff point at the other, with Rendezvous Bay shimmering front and center all day long. Several days it was clear enough to see St. Croix, and most nights the stars were absolutely dazzling. We saw shooting stars!! There was sun on the pool pretty much all day long and plenty of covered outdoor space for those that needed a break from it. We ate dinner in a lot this year, and the 10 of us dined very comfortably on the outside table. There are incredible breezes day and night, so it was always so comfortable to sit and be mesmerized by the views.
I was always the first one up and had my coffee with this beautiful view. Then I would hear him - the cluck cluck of BRUCE, THE EVIL CHICKEN!! He showed up every morning, relieved himself in plain view, then walked away.
The inside space also exceeded our expectations. There is new furniture in the dining and living spaces (although honestly, these rooms were hardly ever used since we LIVED outside). The kitchen was very well equipped and nicely laid out for group cooking. There is a half bath and a laundry room off the kitchen to complete the great room.
The bedrooms all had great split AC units and the bedding all looked new. The bathrooms all had granite countertops and big showers. Because this villa is so HUGE, there was tons of privacy and everyone loved the fact that the bedrooms were all reached from the outside.
We all swam, hot tubbed, drank, ate, sang and laughed. It was a fabulous first night!
No worries, it is fantastic.