Good Morning! I have seen A LOT of messages and posts about last minute rentals. With the predictably busy summer season upon us, accommodations have been tough to find. Well, for those of you on the hunt, I have to share with you today a newly renovated, boutique style rental that is just a moment’s stroll from downtown Cruz Bay. The Peacock is a fresh listing on the vacation rental market, has all the comforts of home, beautiful views, funky decor AND availability in June, July and August!
Well folks, Thanksgiving is creeping up on us which means the Holiday Season is right around the corner. Many of you may look forward to this time of year for large family gatherings and re-connecting with your loved ones. Unfortunately, for many, the current pandemic may keep us away from these larger gatherings due to concern over the spread of the virus and the health of our more “at-risk” family members.
Due to all of this, 2020 might be the year that you finally take that holiday trip that you’ve been thinking about for a long while. With family traditions potentially on pause until a vaccination is widely accessible, a simple getaway to St. John in a private villa with your immediate family might be the holiday rest and relaxation you need.
The USVI is OPEN to visitors again as of tomorrow and we want to highlight a luxury lodging option that is close to town with all of the amenities and incredible views.
Dreaming about your next vacation on St. John? Take a walk with me through this beautiful villa overlooking Great Cruz Bay and make some plans for your next getaway!
Today, I’d like to share with you a stunning short-term rental tucked away amidst a tropical oasis in Great Cruz Bay. The Other World Guest Villa offers a beautiful retreat for a couples getaway OR a great family vacation!
The Hills Saint John, luxury vacation condominiums.
It’s starting to get pretty chilly up north, so I know that vacation planning has gone into overdrive for many of you. You have so many options when choosing a place to stay here on St. John; the island had accommodations for all budgets. Well today, we’d like to tell you about a luxury condominium vacation destination. It’s an upscale spot with many top-notch amenities, and we think you’re going to like it.
The Hills Saint John is described as being a modern-day vacationer’s oasis. It’s comprised of 22 two-, three-, and four-bedroom condominium-style villas that sleep up to eight guests comfortably. Each of the resort’s villas come equipped with chef’s kitchens, private verandas and all the comforts of home. Some of the units have private patio areas complete with pools.
The Hills Saint John opened in 2008 and was then called Sirenusa. It rebranded itself following the 2017 hurricanes.
“In the wake of hurricanes Irma and Maria, the owners spared no expense in not only repairing storm damage but elevating the property to new levels of sophisticated Caribbean charm,” David Adams, condominium association president, said recently. “The visitor experience was enhanced with upgraded guest services and amenities, like the new Clubhouse restaurant. This reinvention called for a repositioning of the brand and to appeal to new travel segments. With The Hills Saint John, we moved away from Italian villas names, instead naming them in celebration of Virgin Islands flora and fauna to further evoke the tropical feeling of St. John.”
Speaking of guests services and amenities, The Hills Saint John’s management team includes a full time concierge and guest services team which vacationers have access to from the time they book the property to the time that they return home. It offers a welcome amenity specifically catered to each guest’s stay, from a gift card to the Clubhouse, to a bottle of champagne, a birthday cake or other fun surprises. The Clubhouse restaurant is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as cocktails and hors d’oeuvres from mid-November through July. All guests receive a complimentary hot continental breakfast with in their stay.
(Off season days and hours for the Clubhouse have not yet been determined.)
The Hills Saint John is located just five minutes from Cruz Bay. Its hillside location makes it the perfect spot to watch the boats cruise in and out of the harbor or pass in nearby Pillsbury Sound. It’s also a prime location to watch the sun dip down into the water at the end of a perfect island day. The complex has everything you need for the ultimate vacation including the Clubhouse restaurant mentioned above, a pool and fully equipped gym. Check out a few pics plus the Clubhouse menus:
Rates vary between $425 and $1,050 a night depending on unit size and season. Interested in becoming an owner? Several units are available for sale. For more information on vacation rentals or sales, please visit www.thehillsstjohn.com. You can also call 1 (800) 727-6610.
Looking Out Toward the Westin from The Other World
You have several options when looking for a place to stay when vacationing on St. John. But every then and again, something truly special and unique pops up. Today we’d like to tell you about one of those places. Please check out today’s St. John vacation rental spotlight…
The Other World is so relaxing, you’ll never want to leave. You’ll first enter the private lush grounds through a security gate. Next you’ll discover an open-air living space that features native stone columns and archways, as well as eclectic/global furnishings and artwork. A true couples retreat, the villa has two air-conditioned, enclosed master suites, each with its own bathroom, television and french doors that open up to the stunning views outside. For those of you traveling with children, there is also a room on the lower level equipped with bunk beds.
The Entrance to The Other WorldThe Open Air Living SpaceDining with a ViewOne of the Three BedroomsBeautiful Stonework Detail Throughout
A fully-equipped kitchen/bar area combined with a large patio with immaculate views as far as the eye can see make for a perfect happy hour spot. The villa also features a dipping pool, a great feature after a long day hiking or at the beach. Need to cool off? No problem. With a convenient location just 10 minutes from downtown Cruz Bay, this villa has everything you need for the ultimate St. John experience.
Please check out a few more pics…
View Toward the Open KitchenVideo Games Too!Lush LandscapingLarge Outdoor Lounging AreaThe Other World Looking Southwest – Perfect Sunset Views
Today’s story is near and dear to my heart, and one that I have been eager to share with you for quite some time. Today I’d like to introduce you to Bogie’s Villa.
Over the past two years, I’ve been asked quite often about my experience during Hurricane Irma. People are curious where I hunkered down, who I was with and, obviously, how we fared. I haven’t shared much publicly, but today I have a bit of a story to tell.
I “hurricaned” (which is now a verb for many of us) with four of my very best friends. I was with my boyfriend Mike, and three of our friends – Chris and Shawna Dudek (owners of St. John Car Rental) and Basil Bsisu. Basil owns Bogie’s Villa with his wife KC. The five of us and five dogs hunkered down in a lower level studio apartment at Chris and Shawna’s home. It was built like a concrete bunker. We had a few scares, but we were safe throughout the storm.
Basil and KC purchased Bogie’s Villa in July 2017, just two months before Hurricane Irma. At the time of their purchase, Bogie’s was a collection of long-term apartments that housed the former owner and a handful of residents. Basil and KC chose to remain in their rented apartment down the street so not to displace any of the tenants. I remember how excited they were to become homeowners on St. John. And we were all so happy for them.
Then Hurricane Irma blew through.
The morning after Hurricane Irma was tense. Basil, Mike and I did not immediately know how our homes fared. Once we determined it was safe to leave the house and traverse the roads, Mike, Chris, Shawna and I set off on foot to town while Basil made the trek from Contant (the neighborhood above the basketball courts) all the way up Gifft Hill to check on his apartment and Bogie’s.
Mike and I were fortunate in that our apartment fared very well. Basil, we soon learned, lost nearly everything. Bogie’s was destroyed as was the apartment he and his wife KC lived in. We were all devastated. It’s hard to put into words how you feel when you watch someone you care about so deeply go through one of the toughest moments of his life. Heartbroken doesn’t quite describe it.
KC is a special woman. She is an amazing friend and an amazing wife. She’s resilient, and when she sets her mind to something, she gets it done. When the majority of the people on St. John were working to evacuate in the days following Irma, KC was doing everything she could to return to her home. (She happened to be off island visiting family when Irma hit.) And because of her strong will and tenacity, KC was able to get back to St. John one week later, with almost all the supplies Basil requested, despite the fact that our airport and seaports were closed.
KC and Basil spent the following 18 months working tirelessly with Mr. Gregson Simon to repair Bogie’s Villa. The damage was so severe that the US Virgin Island government used images of it in their television ads highlighting the disaster. KC and Basil have put their heart and soul into creating a comfortable space for both residents and guests. From doing a lot of the demo themselves, creating the design for Tektite, installing kitchen cabinets, and learning countless lessons from the pros, they wore a lot of hats throughout the rebuilding phase, and I am so happy to announce that they welcomed their first guests back in March.
Bogie’s Villa after the 2017 hurricanes.
Bogie’s Villa has been converted into four vacation rentals that span between two buildings. (KC and Basil live on site in a fifth unit, and another long-term couple occupies the sixth unit.) The location is great – right on Gifft Hill Road – and it’s an easy drive into town and also to the North Shore beaches. It’s a great location for exploring all St. John has to offer from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay and all the hiking and beaches in between. Bogie’s has been renovated top to bottom with lots of concrete, (so it’s strong as heck!), and it even has a brand new pool! And even better, due to it’s location atop Gifft Hill, you get spectacular sunset views from all rooms and from the pool. And you know me, I love a good sunset view!
Now just take a moment to picture yourself relaxing in a brand new pool with a spectacular sunset in the sky… It can happen over at Bogie’s!
A pool with a view at Bogie’s
As I mentioned, Bogie’s has four vacation rentals, all of which were named after some of St. John’s best dive sites. (Basil is also a dive instructor at Low Key Watersports and has been since he and KC moved to the island in 2015.)
French Cap, the penthouse, is situated on the highest point on property, and it provides the widest views directly across Pillsbury Sound over Thatch Cay to St. Thomas, and to the north all the way to Great Tobago. The unit has two bedrooms and one bathroom. It has a brand new kitchen, vaulted ceilings – which make it feel extra spacious – and an expansive, private deck. French Cap can be rented as a one or two bedroom unit.
French Cap Outdoor Living SpaceFrench Cap Kitchen Living AreasFrench Cap BedroomFrench Cap Bathroom
Cow Rock is a two bedroom, two bath apartment and is the largest of all the units at Bogie’s Villa. It has a master king bedroom with ensuite, a queen bedroom with a separate bathroom, and A/C in the bedrooms. It also has a brand new kitchen and a fantastic, private deck. It’s an ideal space for a family or two couples.
Cow Rock Outdoor SpaceCow Rock Dining Kitchen AreaCow Rock Living Space
Calf Rock studio has beautiful views directly across Pillsbury Sound over Thatch Cay to St. Thomas from the shared pool deck, or even as you lift your head in the morning.This large studio provides a queen bed, and a kitchenette complete with a full size refrigerator, hot plate, toaster oven and coffee maker. It’s perfect for a single person or a couple looking to relax. There is also a sofa and smart TV for streaming, and a high top table for dining.
Calf Rock StudioCalf Rock Studio Alternate View
Tektite studio is island tiny living at its finest. This well thought out studio, located on the pool deck, provides a custom queen storage bed, kitchenette and wet room-style bath. This small space is wonderful for a single person or close couple who are looking to get out and explore, but want a comfortable and clean space to lay their head at night. And like all the units at Bogie’s, guests have access to the shared pool, as well as poolside seating.
The Tektite Studio is locate beside the shared pool.Tektite StudioTiny Living with a Nicely Equipped Kitchen Space
And for those of you interested in checking out the views from Bogie’s, they even have a webcam! You can see it out at www.bogiesvilla.com/webcam
Rates for Bogie’s Villa range from $100 to $350 a night and vary depending on unit and time of year. They’re currently offering discounted rates for October, so perhaps a last minute St. John vacation is in your future!
So the next time you’re looking for a vacation rental on St. John, please be sure to check out Bogie’s Villa. You can learn more and see additional pics at www.bogiesvilla.com. You can also follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bogiesvillas.
Win a week at Faith Full View, a great, one-bedroom, cottage in Coral Bay.
Hello everyone and happy Friday! How does a vacation in an adorable, one bedroom cottage with some of the island’s best views for only $285 a night sound? Pretty great, right??! How about for a mere $25 for a whole week?? For one of you, that will happen! Interested? Want to know more? Than please read on!
As you know, we’re in the midst of a pretty amazing raffle. For just $25, you can enter to win a complete St. John vacation. Villa, airfare credit, Jeep rental, wine, gift certificates… you name it! But the raffle ends tonight at 9 p.m. EST, so you need to get your tickets now. 🙂
To entice you all just a little bit more (we are sooooo close to our goal!), we’d like to spotlight the villa that’s up for grabs. We’d also like to thank the owners, John and Helen Faith, for their generosity which helped us raise an enormous amount of money for Bahamas relief. Now without further ado, please check out Faith Full View…
Faith Full View is a one bedroom cottage with spectacular views of Coral Bay, the British Virgin Islands and beyond. The cottage sits in a very private setting with its own private pool that’s situated among lush gardens. It’s pretty easy to start relaxing the moment you walk into this comfortable and well appointed home. Its 180-degree views can be enjoyed from the shaded covered porch while you dine or enjoy your favorite cocktail. You can also lounge comfortably on the deck while watching the sun rise up from the sea. And even better, the breezes on the mountain will keep you comfortable all day long.
This new cottage is beautifully furnished to give you a relaxed island feel. The air conditioned bedroom boasts a comfortable king bed that will allow you to watch the sunrise from your bed. You will find the toiletries you need from your very large bathroom with a view from your shower you won’t find anywhere else! You will find everything you need to prepare your meals in the well equipped kitchen that includes, stove, microwave, large refrigerator, toaster and coffee maker. You have a very comfortable couch to enjoy your favorite TV shows on either Apple TV or Roku if you decide to stay in for the evening. You will also have a washer and dryer for your convenience.
You will have the same amazing view from your own private pool and sunny pool deck that is surrounded by lush gardens and palm trees. How amazing does all of that sound? And again, it can be yours for only $25! All you have to do is enter our raffle!
Quaint Coral Bay is less than a five minute drive down a paved road to enjoy the music, restaurants or groceries. Beautiful white sand iconic beaches of the North Shore are a 10-minute drive away.
Rates for Faith Full View start at $285 and vary deepening on time of year. Want to learn more? Please visit their website at www.faithfullview.com.
Reminder: The raffle ends tonight, September 20, 2019, at 9 p.m. EST. You can purchase your tickets below.
News of St. John’s Pay It Forward Raffle: One Grand Prize
A One-Week Stay at Faith Full View, a Beautiful One Bedroom Cottage with Pool & Amazing Views in Coral Bay
Tickets are just $25. To purchase a ticket, please choose the number of tickets below. You can buy up to 10 at a time. Then click the Buy Now button. This will bring you to a secure PayPal page where you can check out. (All entries will be treated as donations to Bahamas Relief.)
You will not receive a paper ticket. We will print a spreadsheet of all the entries. We will then mail merge those names into a sheet of labels. I, Jenn here at News of St. John, will personally cut the labels. All entries will be put in a box/bag/bin, and the winner will be announced on or about this Sunday depending on how we’re affected by Tropical Storm Jerry. If you have any questions, please email me at [email protected]
Again, please help us reach our goal. We join us in paying it forward! Thank you and good luck!
Hello everyone and happy Monday! I know it’s pretty chilly up there, which means your vacation browsing is likely in overdrive! Well today, we’d like to tell you about a great villa that’s available here on St. John. It’s newly renovated, has amazing views and it’s close to town but far enough to be nice and quiet. Intrigued? Want to know more? Then please read on…
Villa Sunset Cruz is located in the exclusive gated community of Virgin Grand Estates, an upscale neighborhood on St. John’s southwest shore. Sunset Cruz sits at an elevation of about 700 feet, so it has breathtaking views of Great Cruz Bay, the Caribbean Sea, St Thomas and the outlying cays off in the distance. Villa Sunset Cruz is the only home on its drive, so you will enjoy privacy and seclusion there. And even better, the west-facing views offer dazzling sunsets year round!
This three bedroom, three-and-a-half bath home spans three levels and offers opportunities for outdoor living on each floor. On the first level you will find a poolside bar and tiled pool deck featuring a large saltwater pool, a 1/2 bath and an outdoor shower. On the second level, the large, air conditioned great room with adjacent 1/2 bath opens onto a spacious deck and is the perfect place to gather and entertain. The chef’s kitchen comes equipped with everything you will need to cook all your meals in style with natural stone countertops, custom cabinetry and stainless steel appliances. The laundry room is conveniently located on the main level and all appliances in the villa are brand new. The third level features another bedroom with a private balcony overlooking Great Cruz Bay.
All bedrooms have access to outdoor balconies with private sitting areas overlooking Great Cruz Bay and breathtaking sunsets. Two of the bedrooms are located on the second level with a third offered on the private third level.
When staying at Villa Sunset Cruz, you get to decide which level offers the best sunbathing, optimal viewing of the brilliant turquoise waters of the Caribbean by day and fiery sunsets by evening.
Villa Sunset Cruz is just a 10 minute drive from Cruz Bay where you can check out a plethora of shops and great restaurants. Prefer to stay in? Well then you can opt to grill out on the patio and relax in the reclining outdoor chairs.
Rates start at $460 per night and vary depending on season. But here’s the best part… Villa Sunset Cruz is offering a 10 percent discount on all stays in 2019. How amazing is that??!!
Want to know more? Ready to book that trip? Check out www.villasunsetcruz.com for more details.
