i see that no one is answering, so i am replying. in the interest of full disclosure, i am a representative from a company that also rents this villa. it has been in our program for many years. i have rented it myself many times.

this makes my opinion about the villa, perhaps not as trustworthy as that of someone who has stayed there. on my last visit, i found it charming, private, and well-maintained. the managers are very pleasant and responsive. bearing in mind that the property is not ultra-modern, it certainly is a great place for couples - it's rustic, rather zen and so very natural.

as for the construction, it is down the hill and on its own, and does not block the view. this project has been in the works for several years and there is very little activity there at this point. even if there is, movement is not visible from the common areas of the villa and those below cannot see into the property at all. there is a privacy screen put on the deck where you could see the project by the owner, but even before that, it did not present a problem for those who were aware of the construction in the first place. you'd have to go to the end of the deck and look over to see it. you would never see it at the pool or in ordinary movements about the villa.

on my last visit, i found the villa more pleasant than the photos, because of the additional landscaping work.

i don't know if this will help, and i am sorry that we don't have any reviews on file ... my guess is that many people write in the villa's guest book or share with the managers instead. we rarely hear directly from the guests about their needs since they get them met on island. that is the way it should be. our office is based on st. thomas and the retreat is on st. john. we make call-outs and try to reach guests, but sometimes leave a message, and we also endeavor to email our direct guests after their stay... they don't always respond (which we take to mean all went well)... and many of the agents we work with do the same.

this could be a nice way to remind guests to share their experiences in fora like this one or on review web sites, to help others. we have recently begun to ask for reviews via our email signatures, because we realize that potential renters find them quite valuable.

i hope that someone else writes, and i started to write a couple of times and hesitated... but perhaps this will help a little.

For what it's worth, A Davis is a frequent poster on this forum and she posts about many things. Her posts are helpful and well considered.

Dear Anita

Thank you for your in depth reply to my inquiry.
I feel that you are very sincere and we appreciate you taking the time to confirm what we have seen of the villa in photos.
The retreat It is exactly what we were hoping for when we started our search in St. John. Serene, tasteful decor and OPEN to the outdoors. The private path to the secluded beach is a wonderful bonus.

Thank you again for reassuring us.

Sona

Linda,
Thank you as well.

you are welcome Sotomin! i hope you enjoy your stay! please let us all know how it was after.