I hope this information is not too late for you. My husband and I stayed at the Villa Sundsborg two years ago in May 2003. We were quite disappointed with it. The first bad sign was a broken down car parked in the yard by the driveway behind the house.

We found the house to be run-down and not very clean despite the Caribbean Villas website mentioning it had been given a "face-lift" by new owners. Though we encountered few mosquitoes elsewhere on the island, we had so many mosquitoes around the exterior areas of the villa that we could not even sit outside in the upstairs seating area with the view. The lock was broken on one of the doors from the deck to the master bedroom so we couldn't lock our room. We mentioned the lock and the mosquitoes to the management company but they seemed uninterested.

On the positive side, the pool was nice especially at night. Also the small gazebo next to the pool had fewer mosquitoes and was a good place to relax in the morning. And there was an amazing large colorful iguana who occasionally made appearances at the pool.

Despite our disappointment with the house, we had a fantastic vacation. St. John is stunning with such beautiful scenery. We would recommend Jumbie Bay beach for an intimate beach on the palms and Trunk Bay around 4pm as the crowds begin to leave. The restaurants are also excellent. Highlights were Asolare for amazing original food and views, Vie's Snack Shack for awesome Caribbean food (worth the drive),

If you read this and you are already locked into your reservation, don't worry. Just keep your expectations for the house low and it will be fine. You will have an amazing time in St. John.

I too stayed at Sundborg a couple of years ago...and because it wasn't recently, keep that in mind.

On the positive side, the house has awesome views...it is in a great location and we were quite happy there. It wasn't luxurious, but then again, the price wasn't high.

We were there in February, and I don't recall a bug issue. It may just be a time-of-year thing.

Broken lock and junk car seem like things that are unacceptable though. Mention it...that might get resolution.

Just wanted to add a little positive feedback for this place.

JeffC

In the Caribbean, where the salty air and intense weather conditions (constant: heat, sun, wind, heavy rain), a rental home can go from great to bad in a very short period of time.

If you are looking for a luxury villa, as this one isn't and doesn't claim to be, you should start with agent managed villas and work down from there. If a villa isn't being managed, be wary. Again, remember, big difference between luxury and not - and not much in between.

In this case, the villa is managed...but the descripton of the villa is pretty matter of fact (not conveying luxury at any level). The price on this villa is an indicator that you shouldn't expect what you would from the more typically priced villas in this area. Always compare your rental consideration to the others in the same area - not other areas of the island (Coral Bay is usually less expensive than Cruz).

Deeply discounted villas/homes should fall under scrutiny. Last minute deals will usually afford only 10-15% off. The majority of villa owners don't sweat over "un"rented weeks - so discounts are hard to come by. The other reason for discounting is poor villa condition/constrcution nearby.

Travelers considering villas should note this agent (CV) as one who manages at least some less luxurious/non-luxury properties. The pool furniture was a clue (plastic), as is too much rattan furniture, lack of photos of each room (usually compensated for with pics of the view) and dark/poor photos (if they can't take good pics of the villa, they probably can't properly attend to the details of the villa).

If you want luxury in your villa, you have to pay to play. If you're not in need of luxury and want to try out the self-catered style vacation in a cheaper home, remember how bad things can get in the Caribbean weather conditions.

There are some "on the fence" villas with good deals going - like the villa JanW reserved on STT. I can't tell if this is that case-but the car in the yard sounds like it's not. Perhaps the car was on someone else's property. Rusting cars on property are not an uncommon site in the Caribbean - anywhere.