Ft. Miles will give you a bit more privacy even though it's on Maria Bluff. The caretaker of Mandavilla lives downstairs in this house if I'm not mistaken.

Diana...thank you for the info...I think it is a little wierd for us with caretaker to be downstairs ?? Is ther ean issue with being at Maria Bluff ?

There are a lot of houses on Maria Bluff and many many people prefer that location as it's close to town. When we go to STJ we are looking for privacy, quiet and of course killer views and that's why we prefer the north shore and Coral Bay areas rather than the south side - which is Great Cruz Bay (Maria Bluff), Chocolate Hole and Rendevous Bay, Fish Bay etc. There's nothing wrong with that side at all and as I said many (and probably most) prefer it. It's just for us there are too many houses to our liking. Also it's hotter on that side of the island with less breeze so I guess AC would be a most at least in the bedrooms. We stayed on Great Cruz Bay one time at a beautiful house on the water but it was so hot (May) that we had to have the AC on all the time.

Describe your ideal house and maybe we can make suggestions. What is your budget? What time of year are you going? Remember there's a significant cost savings if you go Off Season. How many bedrooms do you need? Do you want to be close to town? Remember this is a small island and you can get to town from most places in 20 minutes. No matter where you stay you'll want to have a Jeep.

I believe Mandavilla is about 15 minute hike to Cruz Bay.