Craig, you need to take up this question with the owner/agent but your comment that locking off a bedroom is "such a lame thing, to begin with," begs a general explanation.

I think by "South Shore" you mean St Croix? You didn't say which island but that's not really relevant. I can only speak from experience on STT where private owners of condos and even sometimes villas often rent out their place with one locked bedroom set aside as their private space and in which they store personal things which they would rather a renter not use but utilise themselves when they're in residence.

The "locked" space is usually the less overall desirable area, i.e. what one would designate generally as, "the back bedroom." No serious renter would lock off the master bedroom..

Hope this helps in putting your mind at ease just a bit. Cheers!

I think he means they will be locking the room/s they won't be using. You will get to choose which you want upon arrival. They do this as some folks will use all the rooms so they have to clean more or they sneak in friends to use them and not pay the difference.

RL

Ouch, Ronnie, you offered a whole different perspective but don't you agree that poster Craig should take it up with either the agency or the owner he['s thinking about renting from?

I intended to take it up with the owner. I wouldn't bother with one where we didn't get to choose the rooms we get to stay in. I was referring to South Shore Villa on St. John, and Ron's take was the right one. As long as I get to chooce, I don't really care, but I just think as a general practice--and it is island wide--renting out a place to a group implies, for one, trust that they'll use it in the way agreed to, and two, that they're renting the house, not 12 out of 13 rooms. For my $4k, I'd like the whole house, but I understand the point about cleaning. That being said, I think it lends an air of unwelcome to have a rental agent lock one of the rooms in the house you've rented before they leave. Won't stop me from renting though.

Craig, when we rented our villa there wer 6 bedrooms. There were 4 couples and 1 single, normally that would call for 5 bedrooms, but we realized that the one single (my daughter) needed to have the option to sleep where she wanted and I wanted to make sure she wasn't off somewhere in a bedroom that wasn't close to anyone else. We spoke to the management company and they agreed to open all 6 bedrooms with no problems at all. None of the bedrooms were used as "locked" bedroom.

If there are more bedrooms then needed, I would imagine that it will work out fine because as long as you can pick what bedrooms you want.

Thanks Connie. Did you have to pay extra for the use of that room? Because payment at South Shore seems to be based on number of bedrooms "used".

Craig, we had to pay another $500.00 for the extra person for the week. We did not have to pay for another room, even though we only needed 5 bedrooms. It was good we got the 6th bedroom, because one of the bedrooms A/C didn't work, so it worked out good for us. I don't know what we would of done if we didn't have that extra bedroom except to ask my daughter to sleep in the living room on the couch.

I agree that it is lame,at best, to lock bedrooms. I always ask if they lock the "extra" rooms. If they do, I don't rent the home, unless those rooms are off in another building that won't be used anyway.

Locking off the owners space (usually closets and cabinets) is very different from locking rentable bedrooms.

When I rent a home, I am renting the home...not rooms. If I want to rent rooms, I'll go to a hotel or guest house. If they want to rent by room, not guest, then maybe I can get more guests into less rooms and pay less? No, right?

I want to enjoy the home, as it was built and designed. I want to enjoy the decor, the space and the amenities. If someone is "snaeking' people in, that is a problem...but that shouldn't be a sentence that all guests are required to serve.

Actually, my opinion is that locking rooms is not only lame, it is tacky.

I'd like to hear from the housekeeping people who clean villas (I know some and will ask). Do you get paid depending on the # of guests who were in the villa or the # of bedrooms to clean on each visit - or do you get a flat fee per house?

Hello all:

I'm not in housekeeping, so I cannot weigh in on how much is charged per cleaning engagement based up on the number of rooms... I'll wait for someone else to answer that.

Just so you all know, it's not just the cleaning but the A/C, extra water, and use of linens that adds to the overall cost of maintaining a villa. Electric bills do go into the thousands of dollars here, and we rely on the rain to get water into cisterns, to fill one costs a few hundred dollars. Remember, laundry must be done and more towels and sheets being washed equals higher bills. When you are not used to conserving, you use lots more water and power than those of us who do.

Villa rentals primarily pay the bills on an additional home for the owner, or keep things fresh while the owner awaits a sale. Since they have to pay for gardeners, pool persons, maintenance managers, and general repairs anyway (these cost a lot more here than many places), it's more expensive than most think. I have to accuse a few owners of cutting corners on certain things and letting their villas turn into ratty hovels, which is never good.

The alternative is to have an owner who only has one rate, and that's the rate for the use of the entire home and no other options. If you're a family of 4 or 5 that happens to fall in love with a 5, 6, or 7 bedroom villa, it's less affordable. To be honest, very few villa owners make huge profits from renting their homes (there ARE some who do!), and if one can be fortunate enough to break even, it's a very good thing. If you are willing to pay the full house rate, you will have the full house - no one's stopping that! But just pay the full house rate.

My initial response to the original poster's question was purely based upon my understanding of just a few condo/villa owners on STT. They rent out their condos/villas but, because they are also part-time residents of that villa/condo, they lock up a room which contains their very personal possessions. I'm sorry that I misinterpreted the original post. I've learned something now about villa rentals! Cheers!

Hey STT Resident - the point about "owner rooms" is also possible too. While it did not appear to apply in this case, it does happen as well. Some owners will maintain an office or extra room so that they don't have to keep lugging stuff back and forth in their travels. I'm sure everyone is glad to share their perspective or experience in regards to this often-asked and thorny question!

I echo A. Davis response on this topic in that costs increase with the number of guests staying in the home. Flamingo Point Estate rental rate includes the Main Home - 4 bedrooms. Every guest must sleep in a bed. Meaning, our main home can support up to 8 persons. If there are more than 8 guests, we can accomodate an additional 2 persons in the lower unit (1 bedroom apartment) for additional weekly rate - the lower unit is offered only in conjunction with/to the guest who is renting the Main Home and it is locked if it has not been rented.. Costs are both tangible and intangible. Property insurance, on-going maintenance, WAPA, landscape/maintenance, automobile repairs/maintenance (we make available transportation on Water Island for our guests), Property Management monthly fee, Property Manager meeting guests and being "on call" for them throughout their stay, opening the home, cleaning the home, closing the home, etc.. There's also the concern that our home (infrastructure and other resources including water) is able to SUPPORT a maximum number of people.

We do offer a flat rate for the Main Home and, if they need, the Flamingolow (lower 1 bedroom unit). I've seen other property owners who's rates are adjusted by the number of persons. These folks evidently do consider their costs that increase when the # of guests increase. If you desire the entire home to be available to you, then you should ask for the rate for the entire home. If you'd like to enjoy the rate based on # of guests/bedrooms required, then, you should communicate your desire to select which bedroom(s) to the property manager/homeowner.

And, yes, generally every vacation rental has an "owner's closet" (whether it's a whole room or a closet or whatever) and access is restricted.

the owner of South Shore Villa stated on the website "Unused Bedrooms" will be locked for the visit. That's a pretty clear statement on the rental terms for the property.

Greetings, We stayed at South Shore Villa in May of this year. The views are wonderful, however realize that you are back away from the water and there are many properties between you and the water. The villa has the best of everything, the kitchen is well equipped, the infinity pool breathtaking and all of the bedrooms perfect. We found the distance from Cruz to be a little cumbersome and probably will not stay there again. It is a one lane road that you travel up the last hill, basically straight up and at night your lights tend to point at the sky instead of the road, however you get used to it after a couple of trips up the hill. (Just our preference)

To answer the locked door question, we were provided all of the keys and were able to pick our bedrooms. We had three couples, so there was an unused room. The key stayed at the villa all week and there wasn't a big deal made about the room remaining locked. We did not use the room at all and it did remain locked, but we did check it out upon arrival and maybe even took some of the towels out of the bathroom.

Seaview homes has done a great job for us in the past, we really enjoyed Beija Flor, it has the same number of beds and baths.

Dear Craig,

As the owner of the South Shore Villa (www.stjohnrental.com) I believe I can provide a definitive answer about why we generally keep the unused bedrooms locked. First, let me say I appreciate your interest in our home and I do understand your feelings especially given the amount of money you are considering spending.

Having a home in the Virgin Islands is an expensive proposition. Property owners are generally charged by the hour for maid service and thus the expense of cleaning an additional bedroom can be substantial. Even if after a rental, an unused bedroom appears to have been unused, we must still clean it to make sure that all of our rooms continue to meet the highest standards.

I can also confirm that many of the expenses of owning a home in the Virgin Islands run considerably higher than a location stateside. I've personally paid electric bills running as high as $2,500 per month (thankfully this was our highest).

We keep the unused bedrooms locked to help minimize both the expenses associated with cleaning the bedrooms, but also to minimize the ware and tear on our home. Ultimately this benefits future guests as it helps keep our rates competitive and our home in top condition.

If you still believe it is unacceptable to have the extra bedroom locked, send me a private email at [email protected]. We truly hope you book a stay with us. Our home is our favorite place in the world and I believe it will become yours once you have experienced a stay.

Kind Regards,
Larry

One more comment to my earlier post. All of the bedrooms are available and guests choose which ones they want. All bedrooms are fairly equal in appointments and size; although one does have a balcony.

Regards,
Larry

Larry: it's awesome that you took the time to explain to all of us how things run at your property! I hope that the original poster catches your responses.

Likewise. I appreciate hearing Larry's view - and I also appreciate the info from A. Davis. Sorry I didn't response soonser. My "real" job is kicking my B-U-T-T....end of year crunch and '08 planning.

I had not thought about the fact that the unused room would need to be cleaned anyway - or that A/C use would be higher if an extra room needed to be cooled. Both of those make sense and I can see the point.

I think I can now see pros and cons for all sides.

I was on a PM with a few posters (did you guys know that you can add multiple people to a PM now? - so cool! - it becomes like a private thread). Anywho, one person mentioned that they know someone who is renting a home where they have to specify, IN ADVANCE, whether or not they want to use the A/C. If they do want it, they have to pay $450 extra for it. Someone else on the PM chimed in that they have heard that some villas will ask you to pay an "electricity" deposit in advance...and then, meter is read upon your arrival and departure - and the bill for your electricity will be deducted from the eletricity deposit. Whoa! But, you know, that is one way to control costs and, perhaps, make the villa more affordable for people who are wiling to conserve energy.

I haveto say that my one complaint with Fairwinds was that they had timers on the bedroom A/C units and it would click off in the middle of the night. I was there in August and things got very "still" on a few nights - I mean - no breeze! I would awaken to a steamy, hot room because the A/C had shut off and I had all of the doors and windows closed. I couldn't have paid for that A/C to stay on...but I would have!

The whole discussion is interesting - from both sides. I kind of like the electricity deposit thing.

There's a big video ad for South Shore Villa at http://www.on-stjohn.com/