USVI-On-Line

Hello All,

Hubby and I returned from St. John on Monday (first trip for both of us) and we're still trying to come up with words that can do it justice. "Transcendent" comes up a lot. I'm thinking of posting a trip report just as an excuse to re-live each day.

We really liked our villa. As far as I can tell, it hasn't been reviewed online yet, so I'd like to submit one on the appropriate page. But I have a couple of questions first, because there are pros and cons that I want to be fair about.

1. In the villa's "user manual," the owners warn guests about excess water usage. It's my understanding anyone who lives on St. John has to be hypervigilant about that, and we were happy to comply with their requests, but I want to make sure this is within the norm:

• NO paper products should be flushed (including toilet paper);
  
  Toilets only flushed when "necessary";
  
  Taking short showers by wetting down, turning off the water to lather up, and then turning it back on to rinse;
  
  Using tap water sparingly (turn off when brushing teeth, lathering hands);
  
  All taps in the villa are "low flow," as in the water only comes out in a small, controlled stream.
  
  Flushing tampons are a BIG no-no. In the user manual, there was a mini-rant about a fifty-cent tampon killing their onsite Multi-Flow Water Treatment Plant, requiring $1,400 in repairs.

All the points in the list above (except the tampon issue) were presented as guidelines, as in "please comply with our requests." They don't come off as militant, but to anyone not familiar with St. John's water shortage they might seem extreme.

2. The villa was directly above a small cove, and because of the proximity to the bay, sitting outside required multiple applications of industrial-strength bug repellent any time of day, not just during the "biting hours". We knew about that going in, so we were prepared, so I'm not sure if it's fair to put this in the Cons category. Maybe just as an FYI comment?

3. The driveway is hella steep; you have to back into it directly off of Rte. 107 (Salt Pond Road). My husband had this down after a day or so (he did a lot of mountain driving in Oregon), but this could be seen as a problem. Again, something that seems inherent to a lot of villas on St. John, so not sure if it's fair to put it with the Cons.

Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

1. is pretty much on par with what we've seen in villas we have rented. (personal note: I refuse to wet down, turn off the water, lather up, and then turn water back on. I don't waste water but I take an actual shower. I just do. So sue me.)

2. & 3. I would surely want to know those things about a potential villa.

I'm certainly no expert, but I tried to include things in my villa review that I thought other people would want to know about, and I specified if they weren't a con to me but might be to others. (For example, our villa had no A/C, but we never missed it.)

If I were looking at villas, I would definitely want to know about the bugs, and alot of people would want to know about the driving access. I think you're right in approaching things as an FYI, because as you'll say they will be cons to some people but not others.

The water guidelines seem reasonable, except for the no flushing used TP thing. That seems pretty icky to me.

I liked how our villa owners handled the water issue: they had simple little signs by each sink that said something like "Water is the gold of the Caribbean. Please conserve." I thought that was a nice reminder.

I personally think a review should be written based on what you thought the pros and cons were. Obviously, no one wants to sound like a Negative Nelly, but some things bother certain people or groups that wouldn't bother others. That's fine and I think it should be noted.

It sounds like these particular villa owners are a little militant about water usage and their sewage system. It's their villa, so that's their choice. But the tampon description would be off-putting to some people.

I just returned from Costa Rica, and hotels asked people to throw away the TP instead of flushing it. It was weird the first few times, but then I got so used to doing it I realized I was doing it once I got home. I've never had a place in the Caribbean ask for me to do that, but if my villa instructed me not to, I'd comply. After all, you certainly don't want to be the one who breaks the loo, do you?

I can kind of see why the owners give examples of ways to conserve water. It would never even occur to me to shut off the water when lathering/showering. But I do shut-off when brushing teeth. and I Do NOT flush everytime (if it's yellow, let it mellow. Asking not to flush tampons is reasonable(common knowledge, really for women), but we don't need the gory details and asking not to flush toilet paper is gross.

Details regarding bugs and driveway scariness are wicked helpful so you SHOULD post.

You should write everything you think will be helpful to future renters, both good and bad. Detailed reviews are very helpful!

One of the houses we rented this past trip had a quirky list of tips from the owner in the front. The only thing they asked us to do that I did not follow was their request to turn off ALL lights when leaving the villa for dinner. How would I be able to see the path to the house when I got home if I turned off all the lights?

I have rented more than one house that has a note in the manual or a sign in the bath asking us not to toss paper (or anything else) in the toilet unless flushing. It never bothered me to comply.

As far as showers, I don't turn off the water while lathering up either. But, John and I shower (quickly!) together so I figure we're still only using half the water.

When we are in the BVIs the toilets there are NO PAPER ALLOWED as a rule. When we get back to St. John is usually takes a day or two to get used to flushing TP.

Cheers, RickG

I would just write about your impressions and people can take from the review whatever they choose. I don't think it is possible for a review to be too detailed, but that is just me.

Even though I realize weather can impact buggy-ness, I think a rental’s proximity to the water and how that possibly relates to bugs is very useful information to someone considering a villa.

At our Feb ’08 rental, there was a Please Conserve Water sign posted above a two person bathtub.

Why have a huge bathtub in a rental house if you are concerned about water?

To top it off, the spray wand was broken which made water conservation even more challenging. (there was no shower in the bathroom)

Very few of the rental villas on St John would even have been built before the Desal plant started operating, when we all depended on rainwater alone for all our water. Building unsustainable multibath, xtra showers outside, swimming pool, hot tub, waterfountain, huge houses was unthinkable before you could pick up the phone and have a truck bring water to your house - when it just became a matter of money - the unsustainable houses were built.
The soil and lot grade, proximity to the sea, and coastal zoning has made the septic systems in these houses only workable with a pump out truck coming to the house to empty the septic tank. Very few have any leach fields at all but are self contained.
All of these factors weigh in on the conservation practices being discussed in this post. Some owners may be trying to save on water costs, some may be ecology minded, some may just want the house to work without expensive repairs.
Using the least amount of water to take a shower, flushing as small amount of paper down the toilet as possible, just using general conservative habits does save water and septic costs.
I have never bought water in 28 years in our 4 bdrm,2Ba. house here - raised children
here, have landscaping, but no pool, have a washing machine, and our family has just practiced normal conservative habits unless we go on the reserve cistern,[twice in 28 years, both toilet leak caused].
I have met many people who rent villas who don't even know that all the water is under the house in a cistern, that there are no water pipes in the street bringing water to the house, that there is an electric water pump involved, and literally do not believe me when I explain it when they look around at all the ocean water and the multi-million dollar house they are renting and say @#$% it I will use all the water I want for this price.
It isn't a case of 'so sue me' -- but more like Pia explained - it might be 2 days before a truck can deliver water and it may be your housemates who sue you as they can't wash,flush,cook or clean til the water comes.
Certainly include in your villa review the things you mentioned here - that owner wants to keep his prices in line with expenses--- and waste and repairs will only drive them higher.

Exit Zero brought up a number of points that I had wanted to make as a "local". Also: The water that is trucked in is made by burning Venezuelan bunker crude oil, and you can add the huge emissions and dangerous driving of the water trucks to the equation. Unsubstainable is the word. No, this isn't a guilt-trip, just a reminder that all of our actions have consequences.

I'm a firm believer that there are no bad villas just bad matches. Renters need honest and candid reviews of the properties to make their decisions. What you feel are cons might not bother someone else, but they should be aware of them. Be sure to note the pros too. Everyone is *usually* happy when all is disclosed.