Rebecca

Hi there,<BR>We are in the process of planning our hm in June, 2003, and have definitely decided on St. John. We are looking into the villa route right now - so many to choose from. This is our first trip to St. John - a couple things we are looking for from a villa:<BR>Close to Cruz Bay<BR>Beachfront<BR>Pool would be nice.<BR>Splash and Beach Estate are two villas that have really intrigued us so far - has anyone stayed at either of these properties? Also, any suggestions for villas that fit the above criteria? Thanks in advance for your assistance.

lawren

Hi Rebecca.<BR>First you will love the convenience of the Great Cruz Bay area (Not Cruz Bay as that is the town and ferry dock). We always book a villa there as it is 15 minutes from the beaches, 10 minutes from town and 5 minutes from the Starfish market.<BR><BR>Finding beachfront is not easy. In addition to Splash and Beach Estate you could look at Villa Villekula, Gull Cottage, Beach Villa and Tennis Villa. A friend of ours just stayed at Tennis and raved about it.<BR><BR>We have stayed at Stone House and are booked into Dream Catcher. Neither of those are beachfront and has no pool.<BR><BR>Geat Cruz Bay is not where I want o be swimming anyway. It is where all the boats are tied. Manmade. And although not ugly to look at there are 30 much nicer beaches in St John. So in a word save the bucks on the beachfront location. <BR><BR>Have a great time planning your trip. I'm sure you'll go back again and again.<BR><BR>L

anon

I agree with the post above. You don't need to stay at a beach villa.<BR><BR>We got married and honeymooned on beautiful St. John. Yes, the great cruz area we found was more to our liking.<BR><BR>www.vacationvistas.com <BR><BR>The property manager is extremely helpful with all your questions.<BR><BR>The above site has some great villas.<BR>We have stayed at Argonauta and Splendore. The most fantastic views especially from Argonauta. Great locations for both villas. Privacy, plunge pool all the amenities and more that you could want.<BR><BR>Klein Bay area is a little further out and they also have some awesome villas to choose from. You will most definitely want to rent a car and travel around the island and explore the amazing beaches.<BR><BR>Congratulations, you have picked a beautiful island to honeymoon on.

Rebecca

Hi there,<BR>Lawren and Anon - thanks for the clarification, re: Great Cruz Bay. You've confirmed what I've researched so far - I think our best bet for this first (and hopefully not last) trip is to stay in this area.<BR>I think we'll expand our search regarding villas. Our first thought was to stay at Caneel, but there just seems to be so many beautiful villas out there - we're looking for beachfront, since we really liked that about Caneel.<BR>Anon, I'm assuming that you went through vacationvistas for your villa? I was on their website last night, and yes - there are so many beautiful properties. <BR>Please excuse my ignorance, but if we do not choose a beachfront villa, are the many, many beaches easily accesible (i.e., can you walk/drive up to them - are they public?) We would definitely rent a jeep or car.<BR>Thanks again,<BR>Rebecca

anon

Yes, you can drive to many along the northshore and also you can drive on Caneel property and go to their beaches. We had no problem. <BR><BR>You can drive right up and park at Hawksnest which is the first beach we encountered while picking out the beach we wanted to get married on. Then after that is exquisite Trunk Bay,(we got married on that beach) then there is Cinnamon, Mayo and so on and so on Most you can find parking. <BR><BR>That's the whole fun of the island is exploring. There are many more people that know the island more than we do who have been several times and can tell you more.<BR><BR>We loved the villa cause after a long day at the beach, shopping and exploring we loved hanging out at the villa in the evening. Playing in the pool and having dinner on the deck.<BR><BR>You can also have a chef come over to cook for you. That was one of the best evenings ever.<BR><BR>The USVI online forum is where we got all our info. Most are repeat vactioners and people who live on St. John and have a wealth of info. Also,<BR>many people who got married there also gave us all the info we needed including about having a chef cook for us at the villa. It's also how we chose our villa. <BR><BR>Check out that website!. They also have villa reviews on there.

Rebecca

Thanks, Anon. Yes, I just recently discovered the USVI forum, and have posted there as well. I am hoping to hear some thoughts from the folks there.<BR>Thanks again for your most helpful advice and suggestions! Take care, Rebecca

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