VI-bound,

I would presume that I am several months to late to be of service for your trip to St. John. I am responding for the sake of others who might be St. John bound.

I am currently at the Florian Villa and I don't think this forum will allow me enough space to fully explain how much I have enjoyed the Florian Villa. The last 4 days have been absolutely incredible and here are the reasons why.

1. The Florian Villa, from a facilities standpoint, is in impeccable shape.
2. The owner/operators are full of enerfy, knowledgeable, friendly and attentive.
3. The villa has a great pool if you choose to stay around the house for the day.
4. I loved the outdoor shower attached to my room.
5. Daily itineraries were planned for me based on what my interests were and all of the excursions were incredible. The operators know the best places in town for everything.
6. You can have access to a washer and dryer.
7. The meals were incredible and based on your family's need, the catering company can prepare special vegetarian meals.
8. The proprietors give back to the community by providing support, in the form of all inclusive stays at the villa, to injured veterans and the families of fallen firefighters.

I could go on forever. If anyone is interested in the Florian Villa, drop me a note and I can provide more information about the activities planned during my stay and even provide pictures that I took.

My husband and I are always looking for different places to go to "chase the sun". Your pictures make me want to pack my bags and leave today. But, I am a little nervous about going on a vacation that far and not knowing much about it. Did you have an all inclusive package? Are they available? I like to book with someone that takes care of everything for me. I just want to go to the airport, jump on the plane and not worry about anything until I get home again? Can they do that for me?
Thanks for the bit of sun on such a cool dreary day in northeast Ohio.

Two cents worth.....we stayed at "Balance" Villa on Fish Bay. We rolled the dice and booked it just from seeing it on the web. It was fabulous to say the least. It has two master suites, both with outdoor showers. A small pool with waterfall, outdoor grill, outdoor eating area, washer/dryer, wi-fi....basically everything you need. The Florian sounds great as well. Balance does not have an all-inclusive rate. We took the Red Hook Ferry over to Cruz Bay, rented a Jeep from Cool Breeze, stocked up on groceries at the Starfish Market (fairly expensive), and we were set. A 4wd is needed to get around to the different beaches. We hit Honeymoon, Trunk, Cinnamon, Maho, and maybe one or two more and they were all great. Avoid Trunk if a cruise ship is in St. Thomas. Zozo's is the best restaurant.

Looking for sun,

First, I will agree with kevinwcheryl that it is a really good idea to avoid Trunk Bay while the cruise ships are in. When I first arrived to Trunk Bay last week, there were about 100 people in the water. About 15 minutes later, a guy summoned everyone in and then there were three of us left.

Yes, Florian Villa has all inclusive packages which can even include a driver during your stay. I don't think I would be able to handle the steep hills and turns even if I rented a 4WD and was glad that Scott was there to take me places. When you get the premium package which is still quite affordable especially during the off-season, they will pick you up from the airport and bring you directly to the villa's door.

Check out their prices and give Scott and Deborah a call. It was way to easy and I am still pumped about my trip.

PS - if you try Zozo restaurant, please post a review.