The views are out standing also there are breezes so you can leave the screens open and don't have to run the AC You don't have to cook your own food but some of us like to.

sm,

perhaps you do not get stj. for yrs when the bride and i want a beach vacation we rent a beach front condo or house on the fl atlantic or gulf shore or did beach front in cancun, grand cayman, t&C etc. we walk down to the beach, do lunch in condo and dine out most evenings. while on the beach we read all day and visit with friends and others stacked in on the beach.

on stj we always stay in a villa up high on west end for the panoramic views of the azure water, the sail boats, the cruise ships and the evening sunsets and lighting of stt. to us the only thing that compares are some knob hill views in sf. we drive to couple of different beaches each day, pausing along the way to enjoy the many vistas, the water at the beaches is always gin clear, most of the time the conversations are hushed and we either picnic or do lunch out. bride's not interested in getting her hair wet, but all the beaches we go to on stj give me the pelasure of world class snorkeling, home to villa late in day for her views, dinner out if up to otherwise dinner on the deck with the view i have paid for (always something i grill or pasta stuff from starfish). frankly dining on decks at hillside villas on stj during our 9 trips has added a bit of spice to life of a couple who just celebrated 42 yrs of marriage.

yes we still go regularly to the beach. but when we want beauty and revigoration we head to stj hillside. to us stj is about the beauty of her views, from the beach, the overlooks and for hrs on end from the hillside villas. the air of romance and the hope that our health and finances will allow us to continue to have the stj views we love so much. you see we get stj; she's the fountain of youth!

papabou

well said papabou! We've done the resorts, the cruises, the beachfront condos, and nothing compares to your own private getaway pearched high on a mountain overlooking the prestine tranquil waters of St. John. Most villas are a short ride to the restaurants/bars, a little bit longer ride to the beach but it's at our pace. We can pick a crowded beach or a beach where there is nobody but us and when the day is down we drive back up the mountain to our little slice of heaven to watch the world go to sleep with no noise except the tree frogs singing and the ocean hitting the bays. Everybody has their own opinion on a perfect vacation and for us it's St. John in a villa high in the mountain overlooking Coral Bay. To each his own.

papabou gets it! I was just there for a week with my daughters and we hit one or two different beaches every day. 52 beaches, 52 weeks in a year, coincidence?

I started my Caribbean adventures on the Yucatan at beaches like Xpuha. Amazing beaches, beautiful. The next beach was a 25 minute drive. Then Jamaica. Negril was great fun, but its the same beach. You need to get on a boat to go snorkeling. Then Torotola - great beaches, but not much variety and an urban feel. St. John? National Park, beaches that are nothing but and great snorkeling - no villas or hotels on the beach to get in the way.

The November trip is paid for and we are going to go sailing next Spring and spend time on STJ afterwards.

Have you tried Cancun? Miami? Aruba? I hear St. Tropez is nice.

Cheers, RickG

We always travel with 10 to 12 people - we find it more affordable to share one villa as opposed to three or four hotel rooms

We will prepare most of our evening meals at the villa - again more affordable - everyone will take a turn at cooking or cleaning up - it's all fun - some delicious and intresting concoctions have been started on our family vacations (beer and Rum make anything taste good):P

It is an effort loading up the vans with the coolers and all of the beach equipment every day - but the reward is worth it

Besides the affordable price the big plus to renting your own villa is your own private pool

We are not big party people - we don't feel the need to go and do the bar thing more than once maybe twice during our 10 day visits

If it was just my wife & I, we wouldn't mind trying an all inclusive adventure right on the beach -

Well that's just my twist on this subject

I think this thread has the potential for being real intresting

Steve

I don't think snowman had any issues with STJ and what the island has to offer. If I read it correctly, he doesn't understand why one would rent a villa over multi unit accommodations. To each his/her own with pros & cons on both sides. Personally, I prefer a villa whether renting for 2 or 12. A large party makes it less expensive while a party of 2 is well worth paying for the privacy. I don't care for a villa close to town but if it is going to be out of the way I want to have views to die for or breezes to avoid being locked inside.
Renting a villa is somewhat like renting a day sail or arranging for any vacation. Do you want to be around & meet new people all the time, party or have a quiet & relaxing trip?

To each his own.

P.S
Snowman, if you don't want to rent a villa in the hills with gorgeous views that's fine by me. It opens a slot of availability. 😎

I can not imagine stay anywhere but a villa. It is not for everyone, but for us it is the only way.

Xislandgirl's Top Ten Reasons to stay in a villa on STJ

1. I can get up and get a cup of coffee in what I wore (or didn't wear) to bed

2. I can lounge by the pool with no one but me (and my husband, he likes to tag along) There are no screaming kids, no people complaining that the sun is too hot, and my own mixed drinks just a few steps away.

3. After a full day on the water or on the beach, I can kick back on the couch, eating leftovers from last night's dinner and read a book or watch a movie, or just stare at the cruise ships on the horizon. Staring out at the beautiful Caribbean Sea is intoxicating.

4. I will never hear people in the next room

5. I can make a weeks worth of beach lunches for the cost of 2 lunches out

6. Walking up and never leaving the quiet and solitude of the villa all day is a good thing. Some of us call it Villa Gravity.

7. I spend every day of my normal life with too many people. I vacation to get away from them.

8. Cooking on the grill with the ocean breezes blowing, my favorite music playing, and a killer bottle of wine is better than any restaurant I have ever been too.

9. I can always hop in my car and drive to Cruz Bay or Coral Bay if I need to see people. I want quiet on my vacations. Being close enough to town to walk holds no appeal to me.

10. The price of a villa + the money I save on the few meals that we cook oursleves = an affordable vacation that allows me to vacation several times a year.

Xislandgirl - Agree with all 10 (tu)

Well Said!

I understand where Snowman is coming from, but what he described (as I understand it) it was STJ is about

Good news! Lots of blue water and islands to choose from!

Papabou & Islandgirl,
I am guessing you are on different ends of the age spectrum. Papabou, Herb & I are 42 years as you. But interestingly enough we all like St John and the villa idea for the same reasons.
Herb & I have been going to small caribbean islands for about 12 years, and we always rent a "villa", don't you just love that word!. It's a house!!!. Isand girl, we choose villas for all the reasons you mentioned. I do not want to be at a "resort" with 500 beach chairs lined up around the pool or beach. Give me my own little taste of paradise along with my morning coffee and a view and I am in heaven. I also like to feel that we are part of the island that we are on. I can stay in a Westin Hotel in New Jersey or St John. Would I be able to tell the difference?, don't think so.
But to each his own. If someone wants to be waited on for their vacation, that fine with me, I just prefer to do my own thing.

STT is paradise, simply stunningly beautiful.
This is a good thread for my interest. I'll be a first time villa renter this summer, and just starting my search for a place to stay. I was actually looking for something both walking distance of a good beach - and with a view. I'm now reading from you folks that i should not expect a STT villa to have both features.

Good to know - I can stop looking 🙂 True ???

s-o-t,

can't reply to what's available on stt, i'm a stj visitor and use stt as point of entry and exit for stl. clearly there are more beachfront developments on stt. happy hunting.

papabou

STT has quite a few beachfront or waterfront villas....probably more than STJ.

If you use the mclaughlin anderson site, you can search for beachfront and waterfront properties and see what's open. That's how I would start.

Nothing like waking up to the complete solace of your own space....walking out onto yout private deck.....greeting the morniing....creating the breakfast of your choice....and then strolling just a few feet down to your private beach....and back to the kitchen whenever your icy cocktail needs to be refreshed...or you need to check the market quotes on CNN (paying for the next visit)....or you want to turn the fillet you have marinating for dinner on the poolside gril.

If you haven't tried a villa, you don't know what you're missing. Try it once. If you prefer resort life, so be it. There's something for everyone.
_________________________
Keep Left - Dems in '08

agree with everything but the final line
sure wish the donkeys would have offered some one beside twiddle dee and twiddle dum
but as always you are right in line with your island advice

😛 :$) 😀