Diana,

We vacation on St. John every spring and every year we rent a villa "different" from the year before. You have already decided to stay close to Cruz Bay so that narrows it down. Some of our deciding factors are the view (sunrise or sunset?) pool, hot tub, AC (some villas you need it & some you don't), being able to hear the ocean, proximity to beaches, etc. We rented through Vacationvistas last year and we are using them again this year because they were so wonderful to work with. Good Luck!

Diana
As Kristen mentioned, you have made the first choice by locating near Cruz. This means everyting from Cruz south to Reef Bay is at your disposal. We stayed at Second Wind (caribbeanvilla.com) on Reef Bay this past June. There are numerous properties between there and Cruz although you may be limited by your $3000 for 6. You'll be able to find numerous choices but another $500 will really open up your options.
Definitely get a pool as it really is refreshing and rinses salt off your body at the end of the day. Air conditioned bedrooms are nice but we never used ours. We're from Houston so the weather is not an issue for us, but it really depends on location for breezes. If you are in a valley or lower/closer to the water, you will want the relief. The higher up a hillside, the more the breeze and A/C is not required, especially at night. Check with your agency as to location and recommendations. We found Caribbean Villas to be very helpful.

Thanks. I never thought about the sunrise or sunset. We would much prefer to see the sunset. Would that mean we would need to look for a west facing cilla?

Yes. That puts you in Rendezvous Bay, Klein Bay, Chocolate Hole areas if you want to be near the coast. Otherwise, you can be up the hillside in the Cruz area. Again, once you have narrowed your choices somewhat, you should ask the rental agency about orientation. If they are not sure, think twice about using them at all.
If you get the Reef Bay area, you need to get on top of the hillside to see sunsets, otherwise the views are Eastward overlooking the Southern coast of STJ (I think Cocolobo gets both sunrise and sunset). One thing to remember is the West facing location will also have a greater sun exposure so pool is must and A/C may be more desirable depending upon your tolerance.

I believe most villas on Maria Bluff all face West towards ST. Thomas, I do know that if you are facing ST. Thomas and do not have obstruction you can view the sunset. Its one of our favorite things to do which prevents us from renting certain villas.

Diana,
Since you asked, I can (without violating board rules) certainly recommend Morningside Villa to you. It's located on Rendezvous Bay, and fits your description perfectly. You can check it out at www.morningsidevilla.com, and email me with any further questions you may have.

Best,

Regan
Okay, I thought I would let it go but now you opened the box. I assume you are the owner or similar as your signature always includes Morningside. I previously thought you were just a visitor until I realized you were still there and knew a great deal of local regs.
Where do you go if someone rents Morningside?

Chris,
I'm not sure I understand the thrust of your question, but in the interest of clarification and full disclosure: I am indeed the owner of Morningside Villa, but unfortunately still do live full time in Michigan. I include Morningside in my signature specifically so that anyone reading my posts will understand that I have a business interest as well as a traveler's interest in St. John, just in case it matters somehow. Whatever I may know of St. John is just from a few years experiences first as a visitor, and now as a villa owner and occasional tour guide for our personal guests.

I included the parenthetic comment in my last response so that others would know that I try to be careful not to violate the board's rules regarding solicitation, they do allow me to respond as an business owner, but not to initiate discussions for the purpose of generating business. By the way, I appreciate those rules, like everyone else I hate spam and/or people posting messages with what turn out to be ulterior motives.

Hope this clears up your questions!

Best,

Thanks. How do you stay away from STJ? If I had a home there, I would be tempted to spend most/all of my time there. Of course, one does need to make enough to pay for it so I guess that is where MI comes in.
Enjoy both MI and STJ.

Morningside looks beautiful bit I did not see the rates listed any where. How can I find the rates for 6 (4 adults and 2 children) for 2 weeks in June or July of 2005

Diana,
Please email me at [email protected] and I'l be happy to provide you with rate and availability info. (It's not on the website to honor agreements with other websites that broker for us as well.)

Thanks!

Regan
Morningside Villa
St. John, USVI