Hi Lana.

I am not familiar with the villa but I live on the peninsula on which it is located. I'm closer to the beginning of the peninsula where the vegetation is more lush and Villa Jamie appears to be further down the peninsula because the photos show more arid vegetation. The location is on the quiet side of the island, directly opposite the downtown area where most of the cruise ship passengers spend their time. This area is removed from the hustle and bustle but it's still fast and easy to get downtown, so much so that we have our P.O. Box in Frenchtown. There are several gated communities on this peninsula but I don't know if Villa Jamie is in one of them. McLaughlin Anderson is the property manager and they're solid.

Thank You so much for the response. I am in charge of finding a place and planning the vacation for 7 other people, and only one of them and myself have ever stayed in St. Thomas before. So I'm really feeling the pressure to make everything as perfect as possible as not to disappoint. I have bragged St. Thomas up so much on how beautiful it is and how much fun it is and I want them to all see that to.
Thanks again!
Lana

Lana,
We are staying there in June. Do a search on this site. Just type in Villa Jamie and you can see what everyone had to say. I have also talked to people on STTwho have assured me we would be totally happy at Villa Jamie. When will you be going?

We will be going in February of 2007. Thank you I will try doing the search, I'm sure it's great, it's just nice to hear from someone who's seen the place.

Let me know what you think of it after your visit. You'll be there before us!

Gladly! Now I need to find out where to bring the crew for a nightlife, we will be traveling with a few single men who I'm afraid sound like they're expecting spring break. Also I am not familiar with that side of the island, can anyone recommend anything close buy or if not ,how far away is everything from the point?

that side of the island is very pretty but fairly isolated and quite, but there are a few places (hull bay hideaway,sibs,bryans or whatever they call it now) if i were you i would cab it... employ a local (even if you have a rental because of scketchy, poorly lit roads w/o guard rails) downtown and hit the green house or go to the east end (red hook area) where there are a number of places w/ fun nightlife. or from there you can always ferry over to stj for the evening w/ lots to do in cruz bay. (dont miss the last ferry @ 11pm) 🙂

I currently have a villa for rent two miles outside Red Hook which is a great place for people looking for a quite dinner and those also looking for music, dancing, and bar hoping at night. From what I have read above it might suit you more than Villa Jamie, depending on what you are looking for. The north side tends to be more low key and requires a taxi ride to get to town or Red Hook (where most of the night action is). Feel free to check it out on VRBO.com under East End Villas St. Thomas ~ Hide Away villa~ Good luck with the vacation plans! Feel free to ask any questions!!

Lana,

I am just back from 16 days on STT (returned last night - trip report "soon come") and I visited Villa Jamie on a tour that McLaughlin Anderson arranged for some villa travel professionals.

We visited quite a few villas, but Jamie stands out amongst them as one of the most incredible and surely the most well decorated, IMO. If you have ever visited designer showcase homes in your area (sometimes we have them here where people will pay to tour them and the money is donated to a charity), Villa Jamie looks like one of those homes. The decor is very artistically done. The bed linens are top notch and everything is very luxurious. I am absolutely sure this home was designer-decorated. I have pictures that I'll put on a CD this week and share with you if you want.

There are two master bedrooms in this home - a large master retreat on the main level (with its own small kitchen complete with granite countertops, stainless steel and a stove!- a jaw dropper - I'm not talking about a mini fridge here) and another master retreat on the upper level - no retreat kitchen up there, but I'm sure the couple in that retreat won't cry about that 🙂 - and there are two other king suites with large, private granite baths.

There's lots of dazzling granite in the baths and kitchen. The kitchen is a designer showpiece of its own! There's a media room / office upstairs with large flat panel, wall mounted TV and DSL hookup for your laptop.

Obviously, the owners have spared no expense in this villa.

There's an infinity edged pool and you are perched right above the water - oceanfront. Fabulous, fabulous views - of course - and Jamie has views of both the North side (BVI) and the Bay on the Magens Bay side!!!

The area is very safe - I went walking many mornings and felt completely safe - many of the best villas and luxurious private homes in this area - people are very friendly and always waving and smiling as they go by. Jamie is really out by the tip of the Peninsula, so you'll likely get sunrise and sunset views - and LOTS of cooling breezes out there.

Peterborg Location

This is my favorite part of St Thomas (Peterborg) and is where I stayed on this visit. I also prefer the North side of Peterborg peninsula to the south side because it is cooler and offers the best views - usually Hans Lollick (the small, uninhabited island just across from Peterborg Peninsula), St John, Jost, Sandy Cay, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Thatch Cay, Tobago, Lovengo Cay - this area really offers you a full sweep of island views - INCREDIBLE! (I can still see it in my head from the last two weeks of just gazing at this view every day - dawn breaks and there's what looks like a mist around the many green islands sitting in blue water - and then the sun rises behind them with golden rays streaming through the mist - so hard to describe, but incredible to experience!).

Restaurants in this area include some of my favorites on the island :

Indigo (above Magens Bay at the Magens Point Resort- alfresco, poolside dining with a small waterfall - you can swim in the pool while you wait for your food - reasonable prices and really YUMMY food - I went there 6X on this trip - try the Mojito cocktails)

North Drop (restaurant high on mountain above Hull Bay - other side of Magens Bay - alfresco dining on a deck in a lush mountain area with water views- go at sunset - yummy food - reasonable prices - closed while I was on island - so I couldn't get there this time)

Sibs on the Mountain (inside and alfresco dining - the alfresco is in a rear garden area - VERY tropical feeling (read: bring bug spray)...various terraces with seating and a little stream running through the middle - romantic lighting)

Then, of course, you can cross the mountain and be in town in 15 minutes from your villa - and sample (sigh) Meson Amalia!!! It was closed while I was there and I am really bummed about that because it is simply amazing! It is in swanky Palm Passage and the prices are higher than the others that I have recommended, but well worth it - so maybe save this one for a special night. The cuisine is Spanish. The atmosphere is sophisticated and elegant, but not over the top fancy - dining is alfresco. Try the sangria and paella.

For your Spring Break crowd - head to Greenhouse in town and also to Shipwreck Tavern in Havensight. There's a popular nightclub that is popular with young(18-30) tourists - Offshore Bar. Greenhouse is also a good place to dine for non-Spring Break-esque folks - good food - good prices - fun times.

We had lunch at Gladys' Cafe in town after shopping one morning and the food was awesome - local food and other popular American dishes. Gladys' is a busy place - very popular with the visitors and locals - so get there a little earlier than the lunch crowd to secure a seat.

There are MANY other places to dine in town, but since I haven't tried many of them, I cannot personally recommend. Cuzzins is another favorite of ours for local food - upscale atmosphere, inside dining, wonderful West Indian cuisine.

And, of course, being on Peterborg, you'll not be far from Frenchtown restaurants - Craig and Sally's!!! Or a casual lunch or dinner at Hook, Line and Sinker.

And, you'll be close to Hull Bay so you can drive over and have lunch at Hull Bay Hideaway - a beach bar and restaurant right on Hull Bay Beach.

And you'll be 15 minutes from Red Hook for all that goes on over there, which is discussed so much here so I won't repeat that.

I would choose Jamie in a heartbeat! I bet the popularity of Jamie will grow as word gets out (since Jamie is new) - so act fast if you've decided on that one.

Villa Jamie is a newly built house and is listed with McLaughlin Anderson. It is located in Petorburg and is VERY CENTRALLY LOCATED! Easy to get to Megan's Bay and to any restaurant you desire with popular Indigo's and Old Stone Farmhouse being the nearest restaurants!!!!! I highly discourage renting a taxi to do all of your getting around in as it is extremely costly and you are totally reliant on someone else to get you around. You should beable to get into your rental car on a whim and go anywhere and anytime!!!!!!! The roads are great in Peterborg and not an issue at all!!!! McLaughlin uses its very own taxi service that is used for escorting, and for guests whom would like to go out drinking and for moving luggage, etc. This taxi service knows the location of all the houses rented by McLaughlin and I discourage using any other service. Regardless, McLaughlin suggests using rental vehicles instead of using taxi's for many reasons. Villa Jamie is not THAT remote and is not located in the area on North Drop (formally known as Bryan's), Deano's, and Hull Bay, tho is not a bad drive to get to them! I too am an escort (tho not a taxi) for McLaughlin and have been to Villa Jamie many times. You will NOT be sorry for renting this house! It is beautiful!! The very first guests were lucky to see whales frolicking around during their stay, what more can you ask for? Tho the only time you would see this is around the end of Dec to the beginning of March!

I have to agreee with Sherri about driving in this area - the main road out to Peterborg is one of the best roads on this island - completely newly paved with blacktop - and maintained well because AT&T has a discreet international cable station and a couple of exectuive residences at the end of that main road and they fund most of the upkeep since they built that road in the first place.

Other roads brach off from the main road and those roads are private and maintained by the residents and villa owners. Sherri, doesn't the road to Jamie pass by the little road to the villa in which I stayed? If so, there is a small, one lane road concrete road that branches off from the main road at the very end - and you do have to go slowly becuase it is one lane and some people drove through it too soon after the concrete pour in one small area so you bump around little there - but it is not dangerous in any way and you are not near the edge of the side or anything like that - you just have to go slowly because of the bumps in the road.

After you pass that bumpy part (there is only about 10 feet of it) you will again be on a two lane, well paved concrete road that has pretty stone round-abouts with plants in them at some of the little tiny intersections. As you drive along you won't really see the houses, but will see manicured hedges and flowers and little decorative pillars with names of homes on them as you go by each one's driveway. It must cost a fortune to keep this place up because EVERY DAY there were men armed with weed wackers, gloves and bags out there trimming hedges and keeping things edged just right along the road. I was told that this area's roads are all private and, therefore, are not at the mercy of the USVI government for maintenance. I know there is at least one washed out road out on Peterborg, so there is a detour to get to that area. But, with the way everything winds arounds, you can just come around another way.

Once you are off of Peterborg, the roads have guard rails and are pretty well lit, wide, well-paved and fairly well-traveled. If you are going from Peterborg to town, you will be on main roads that are wide, totally lit and have guard rails.

Thank You so much to everyone for their advice. We have rented Villa Jamie for our vacation in February, and I am so excited to hear that it is as great in person as it is in the pictures. Now I just have to decide which bedroom I want in the house. To those who have been to the house, would you pick the master on the main or the upstairs master? Are the balconies equally private in both suites, and does one have better views than the other? Also to Bluwater, I am really enjoying reading about your recent vacation. It's always so amazing to me how easy it is to get hooked on St Thomas and how anyone who has stayed there seems to share the same fond memories and feelings about the island. I've been there with a few cruises but only stayed there once, which was last spring, and now I'm hooked! It's like everyone shares some kind of connection. Can't wait to read more about your trip, thank you for all of your helpful advice on were to dine, and if you could possible forward some of your pictures of Villa Jamie that would be greatly appreciated!!

HI Lana,
What Master you can use depends on how many rooms you have rented! If you rented 3 rooms then the Master on the main level is locked off, I will confirm this with McLaughlin. When Bluwater and I went on our tour that is what we were told and this was news to me even tho I had done many escorts to this villa. As I said I will finalize this and get back to you! Of course, if you rented all 4 rooms, then you have your pic! If this is so, I would choose the Master on the main level only because the Megans side view is a little more open and ofcourse you have the kitchen if you would like! You can request me as your escort if you would like.

Hi Lana,

I don't recall what the views were like from each bedroom (these quick tours really don't impress the image like a stay would - but just give a reference - maybe my pics will help me with this one).....but, the lower Master ("The Jamie Suite") seemed just slightly more impressive as a master - but not enough for me to think it would matter too much.

I don't see why you would ever use that kitchen in the Jamie Suite since the main kitchen is just across the great room. However, since that suite is on the level of the pool deck and I think I recall that it had a patio area to itself at the end of the pool deck, which would be nice for access to the pool for a night swim and getting back to the room without going through the house. Though, I would hate to see them lock off this suite if you don't rent all 5 bedrooms. If two couples decide to rent this house, it would be nice for each to have access to a king suite. I hope that reference on our tour was inaccurate. Sherri, we were also told by our tour guide that this lower suite was not a Master - remember that? You and I were both surprised to hear that and I knew I had seen it referred to as the Master on the Mclaughlin Anderson site - and the virtual tour indicates that the lower suite IS the only master, which conflicts with the site's narrative indicating two masters - so maybe the same confusion applies to the locking off. I hope so.

Cheers to a villa with such beautiful suites that even the tour guides have trouble deciding which is the master!! 🙂

On the other hand, Lana, if you are sitting out on that patio (this patio would have better views than your south facing Magens Bay patio, I would think - and surely have cooler breezes), then you would not have privacy on this patio if your other guests decide to take a swim in the pool. If you think you will want total privacy on the North patio, you might go with the upper Master suite so that you are not disturbed by others using the pool. Also, I would guess that the upper level suite would have better views than the lower. Remember, you are not perched directly over the water on the south side. You are perched on the North side (this is best anyway) - so your view of Magens Bay will probably be best from the upper level.

So, choosing the MBR suite, for me, would depend on:

1. Privacy at the lower North patio (will the pool activity compromise my privacy?)
2. Views

If there's a lock-off, then you'll only have one MBR anyway. I hope this is not the case.

Thanks again Sherri and Bluwater for your input. Yes, we have rented all five rooms, the group we are going with gave my husband and I first choice of rooms seeing I have done all of the research and booking for the trip. But they keep asking if we have decided yet, I thought we would wait until we got there but I guess that wouldn't be fair either. Have you heard anything about a villa rental company called The Caribbean Way? I am new at this villa rental thing and I had booked with this company before I heard of McLaughlin and now I am regretting it because they seem to be a lot more accommodating and more heard of than the company I booked through.Is there anything I can do at this point or is this company okay?

Also I forgot to ask Sherri, this may sound like a very silly question, but like I said, I'm new at this. What did you mean by escort? And does it matter which company I booked with?

Yes, Caribbean Way does bookings for McLaughlin so do not fear! Infact, that is the co. that we were touring with! Not a problem! By escort I mean that when you arrive at the airport, you will be met. Once you get your luggage and rental car you will follow your escort to the villa (this is how you find it)! The escort will then give you a tour of the house and then go over the map to show you how to get to the villa as well as grocerey stores, restaraunts, etc., etc.! You will enjoy your visit, I am sure. Good Luck on deciding which master to use!

Sherri, do you work for McLaughlin? I am asking because we have rented Stone Cottage through McLaughlin for 15 nights beginning November 19. From reading this Board, it seems as if you are quite knowledgeable about the island and its villas and seem to really care that visitors thoroughly enjoy their stay in the islands. Any chance you could be our "escort" when we arrive on November 19th?

Hi Che',
Are you renting a vehicle and driving to the villa? If so, I automatically am your escort as I do all of Stone Cottage and Rockworks p/u's! I look forward to meeting you on Nov. 19!