I can't speak to the villa itself, but we stayed at the small cottage at the end of that road and the location is wonderful, quiet and serene. It is a long haul to almost everywhere else, so keep that in mind.

Thanks Linda, could you tell me more about what you experienced there? Was it buggy, breezy, peaceful, roosters at 5:00 am 🙂 Any info much appreciated, I'm hopeless at searches and haven't found anything on that area! Thanks again!

Look for reviews by Sandy & Dave Dudich. They were consistent posters on the old Caribbean Travel Roundup newsletter and loved Villa Serenity. CTR has not been active in a few years, but the archives are still out there. It looks like their most recent posting is from 2002 at http://www.caribtravelnews.com/c1202_01.htm#stjsandy. I've always wanted to stay at Villa Serenity, but the lack of a pool has been a killer for our gang.

I love the Francis Bay area:
- It's a great beach
- There are some level walks in the area for folks that don't like hill trails
- Leinster Bay is nearby
- Big Maho Bay is accessible via the goat trail at Maho Bay Campground
- Maho Bay Campground is there if you want to grab breakfast or dinner
- I get a car, but there is regular shuttle service from the campground
- Coral Bay is nearby
- Cruz Bay is close enough

We stayed in the are in 2004 while at Maho Bay Campground. As every where, there are noseeums on the beach at dawn and dusk. Mosquitos were about average, certainly better than my Northern Virginia backyard in September. You can check our Maho Bay Campground 2004 trip report at http://www.garvin.us/STJ/Trip_Reports/2004-Maho_Bay_Campground/St_John_Trip_Report_2004_Maho_Bay_Campground.html.

Cheers, RickG

Dave and Sandy Dudich can be reached via their Yahoo group email address. You can sign up for their newsletter, which comes in email...complete with pics and reports on their continued St John escapades. Good info and they don't junk up the inbox....just here and there with useful and interesting reports.

email: [email protected]

Thanks Rick and Blu!

I concur with all above. The area is very private. At the cottage where we stayed the only shower was out on the deck and completely open except for a knee to shoulder screen on the driveway side.. I don't remember roosters etc. I think it was totally quiet. This area is in/next to the national park so there are no neighbors except Maho across the street and down the road.

The no-seeums were very bad at dawn and dusk. We used spray and still had problems. You'll have a wonderful time.

just curious about this home, re: bugs.
deck, and sunsets? we always stay on the other side, and would like to adventure to this side, except the bugs, in august worry me. any input is greatly appreciated/
1. is there a grill, for cook outs
2. bugs, how bad are they, evening.?
3. kitchen,
4. baths, shower, in all bathrooms?
thanks, linda

We stayed at Francis Bay Estate this past September and while it is a lovely area; I don't believe we will stay there again. There were absolutely no breezes.....the noseeums and mosquitoes were out in full force, making it almost impossible to sit out on the terrace after the sun set. Another negative for us was the drive to Cruz Bay for dinner every night; of course if you have most of your meals at the villa, this wouldn't be an issue. We tried going to Francis Beach a couple of times because it was so close to the villa, but were driven away by the noseeums. We ended up going to Maho most of the time; it is such a beautiful beach.... saw sea turtles every time....so great. It was very quiet and peaceful at our villa, except for the occasional truck driving up to the campgrounds. No roosters....I really missed being awakened by them in the early morning. I don't mean to sound negative; I think much had to do with the time of year......