TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums US VI and Puerto Rico St John in Jan - villa advice

Hi all, we are looking for a place to stay mid jan on st.john. We need a 3 brdm, a/c and as much as possible internet (I will still have work). A pool would be great and of course a view.
We will be staying for 1-2 weeks. Looking for insights on villas.
I would also like some insights on any other logistics that we'll need (car rental, stocking house, areas that are harder to navigate due to the roads, et al)
Thanks all!

Sounds like your first trip to St John? Do you know if you want to be close to Cruz Bay or is a 30 minute drive to Coral Bay ok? Once we have a location, for us it's usually Bourdeaux Mountain/Coral Bay side, Here's how we begin our searches..........

My wife and I search the local villa websites, especially those with availability calendars. For the heck of it, I just did a quick search on www.Vivacations.com for random 2 weeks in Jan 2014. I saw Mayan Sky was available for $4400wk. We've stayed at this villa, maybe 5 years ago, it's in Upper Carolina and has beautiful mountain/valley views and of the harbor in Coral Bay. The location is 25 minutes to Cruz Bay, less than 10 minutes to Maho Bay and same for Coral Bay restaurants/groceries.

After we find a couple villas that look good to us we immediately contact our friend Denise at www.onlinevacations.com and let her take over from there. Denise has been on St John over 30 years and her local knowledge is priceless. She manages a couple nice properties in Cruz Bay, but she can assist with any villa and her services don't cost you a thing.

I like doing the villa searches even when it's not for me! PM your dates, budget, must haves etc and I'll search away. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />

In talking with villa managers, ask first about the internet. There are places on St John where internet service is spotty to unavailable.

www.kalideoscope.com

amazing villa - internet - fax/copier. Email Jack the owner - he will negotiate with you.

Goozee, thank you for the idea of Kalideoscope, but unfortunately it is all booked up in Jan. Any other ideas?

Thanks all!!

PS Beerman, I did PM you. Thanks!

If internet is a priority, you definitely want to talk to the management company. In my experience, internet/WiFi is average at best in most villas. Mongoose Junction must have great hot spots because the tables are always filled with people on their laptops.

You should reserve a vehicle asap. We like STJ Car Rental but pricing is pretty even across all agencies. Some allow you to park in their lots, which can be a plus.

What is your budget?

We loved Bay Rum Breeze. The view is fantastic and the access to the main road was quick. I suspect it may be booked, it is proving to be a very popular rental.

We used Blue Sky Management for provisioning last year and will do so again this year.

I have my eye on this house -

http://casalafamiglia.com/blogdetail.asp?wb=082013

I have been following their blog. It looks like it is going to be a nice property. The owner is including private transfer from the STT airport to STJ, which is a very nice add-on.

Cleobeach,
That villa, Casa La Famiglia, is a beautiful property!! I spoke to the owner, who is wonderful!! It is way out of our price range, but someday, with more couples, maybe. But, thank you for that insight as I really enjoyed speaking to her (and she was really responsive!). Great for others!

Yes, she is great. I think they will do very well with that house. It is priced high but for large groups and the things she plans to offer, I think it will become very popular. We hope to go see it when we are on STJ in January (if it isn't rented) as I am very interested in it for our next group trip.

Here are a few I have bookmarked -

http://www.caribbeanvilla.com/property/On-a-Clear-Day/#availability

http://www.villasouthpalm.com/

http://www.islandhideaways.com/stjohn/villas/coral-cove-st-john/

I worked with Villa Fish (Steven) last year and was very pleased with his recommendations and service.