A Week in Heaven!!!

Guest: Wayne (Maryland, USA)
Date of Stay: 07/24/10 Review Submitted: 08/12/10

My wife and I had a perfect week-long stay at Villa Mar de Amores. Everything in the Villa was as advertised, and the owners were very helpful in helping us plan for our stay. This was our first time in the Caribbean, and St. John was a perfect get-away. We chose to snorkel most days, and take advantage of the various west and north side beaches. Leinster Bay had the best snorkeling, with Honeymoon Beach coming in second. We had a wonderful time on the Bad Kitty (Calypso Tours) day-long boat trip to the British, VI and snorkeling at the Caves on Cooper Island. Back to the Villa - there was total seclusion. Except for the brief Monday service by the local landscaping team, we were undisturbed. The villa's manager was very helpful and accommodating - she met us at the ferry, and helped us with the car rental (4-wheel drive is a must), and informing us of places to go and see. The pool offered wonderful morning and nighttime swims in the tropical air, and after a few nights with a full moon, the sky was dark enough to see tons of stars. The kitchen and outside grill gave us an opportunity to eat in, although we had wonderful meals at the Westin, Morgan's Mango, and even Skinny Legs in Coral Bay. From the deck, we could see St. Croix in the distance, and I spent hours just watching the waves come in to Rendezvous Bay 700 feet below the villa. The view was spectacular and peaceful, the villa decor was exactly as pictured, and we couldn't think of a better place to return to as soon as possible. We did NOT want to leave!!!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Wonderful!!

Guest: Lippena (Marquette, MI, USA)
Date of Stay: 03/22/10 Review Submitted: 04/06/10

Our family of 4 truly enjoyed our time at this villa and St. John's. The home is perfect for children, view is spectacular and pool was good.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with young children.

Guest: Duncan B (Pittsburgh, PA)
Date of Stay: 12/01/09 Review Submitted: 12/01/09

The two of us spent a very romantic nine days in this piece of paradise (Nov 27-Dec 6, 2008). Mar De Amores is an ideal location for your stay in St. John. The house is private and quiet. The view is world class, and one of the best vantage points on St. John. The living room, kitchen, inside dining area, outside dining area, deck and pool all look out on this view. The location above Chocolate Hole is convenient, being not far from town (Cruz Bay) and beaches. The 3 bedrooms could easily accommodate six people. The owners were very helpful, and every aspect of our stay was just great. We were sad to leave and hope to return soon.

Recommended for:

Magnificent views and a great place to stay

Guest: Duncan B (Pittsburgh, PA)
Date of Stay: 11/27/08 Review Submitted: 12/01/09

The two of us spent a very romantic nine days in this piece of paradise (Nov 27-Dec 6, 2008). Mar De Amores is an ideal location for your stay in St. John. The house is private and quiet. The view is world class, and one of the best vantage points on St. John. The living room, kitchen, inside dining area, outside dining area, deck and pool all look out on this view. The location above Chocolate Hole is convenient, being not far from town (Cruz Bay) and beaches. The 3 bedrooms could easily accommodate six people. The owners were very helpful, and every aspect of our stay was just great. We were sad to leave and hope to return soon.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, people with disabilities, sightseeing, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Guest: Gary & Kathy1 (St. Charles, IL)
Date of Stay: 01/05/09 Review Submitted: 01/05/09

As for St John Island, we experienced many facets of the island life. Cruz Bay is surrounded in quality dining, shops and lifestyle/bars which kept us busy for a week. I could easily recommend many restaurants but I'll leave it up to you to pick one. Diane, bartender at The Balcony made Kathy a lime in the coconut which was the most unusual drink along with the best burger, everyone brags about their burgers around here. These were for sure the best Coral Bay is way different. A much quieter setting. Many locals to mingle with. All my new bud's live there. It didn't take me long to hook up with some of the most quality people, coming from every aspect of life, each living the live's we dream about. In between the 2 bays are the most steep and winding roads. Drive left, drink right is a phrase used on the island which, if read well, represents the respect needed for traveling on this island. It is actually legal to drink and drive but don't let this fool you. If you are stopped, it gives the police all the more reason to detain you. Be smart. Respect the island. No one is rude, but if you have the same bad habit I did, driving on the right side a couple times by accident you will probably get a ear full from a local or taxi driver. Highlights of our trip Peace and privacy of the house, no tan lines.... enjoying the incredible view. Beaches and snorkeling together. All day boat excursion to BVI Jost Van Dyke and other cool stops. A Never to forget bug dive with some really quality locals off of Norman Island. Celebrating Kathy's birthday at Asolare's Restaurant. Recommendations Don't come here expecting to do a lot. This is a quiet vacation spot Boat / Snorkel / Dive / Fish at least once while you are here. The story will last. Bring lot's of money. Everything but rum is expensive. Initiate greetings, Good Morning Afternoon Evening to everyone. You will get a reply. DRIVE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD Rent a 4 wheel drive vehicle at the St Thomas airport. It's just easier than doing it in St. John. Gary

Recommended for:

Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 01/01/09 Review Submitted: 01/05/09

Spending significant time in MX over the last 15 years, Kath and I decided to spend her birthday somewhere else, choosing St. John Island to be our next adventure. Resourcing VRBO, we found Claudia's home on the North end of Chocolate Hole perched as far up the mountain face, providing the MOST SPECUTACULAR VIEW you could ever imagine. To the South you view St. Croix. To the Southwest you overlook 3 beautiful bays, each having distinct qualities. Past the bays you see 6 scattered islands and then as the sun sets directly over them, picture's of my wife were never better. The deck area easily accommodates 2 to 3 couples. Outdoor Pergola dining area next to 4 very nice lounge chairs for all day sunning and then a cool pool for refreshing during the day's sun bath. The entire south face of the main house is accessible through large sliders. We had the sliders open the whole time we were there, enjoying the constant breezes. The kitchen, dining and living areas were suitable for 6. Master bedroom was great. 2nd and 3rd bedrooms are smaller as normal. Master bedroom has a nice flat screen and private bath. The main theme of this house is absolutely the view, deck and pool. We toured the many beaches, enjoying them all but nothing compared to the privacy, peace and pleasure of the deck. VRBO has come through every time for us and this is no exception. Excellent choice for the price. GO TO NEXT COMMENT TO CONTINUE

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Mar de Amores

Guest: bap524 (New Orleans, LA)
Date of Stay: 08/09/08 Review Submitted: 08/25/08

St. John is absolutely beautiful. This house is atop of a mountain with great views. It is close to Cruz Bay so shopping is not a hassle. The drive up the mountain is interesting but you get used to it. We liked eating out on the deck and using the gas grill. The house is very comfortable and we would recommend it to anyone.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, adventure seekers, families with young children, families with teenagers.

A perfect vacation in St. John

Guest: norton (New Jersey)
Date of Stay: 04/26/08 Review Submitted: 05/06/08

We just returned from a wonderful 7 days on St. John at Mar De Amores. Perched 600 feet high you have a wonderful view and catch all the breezes. We were met at our car rental and brought to the house which was exactly as decribed. The house was a delight. It provided everything you could want. We really enjoyed just spending time on the deck or in the pool. Of course the island has wonderful beaches and resturants. We did spend one day touring around St. John on "Bread on the Water" a 46 foot Sailboat. We also rented a power boat from Nauti Nymph and went to Tortola, Norman Island and Peter Island. I can't wait to go back.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children.

We will be back!!!

Guest: Jill and Dave (Pleasant Prairie, WI)
Date of Stay: 03/22/08 Review Submitted: 04/29/08

We found that Mar de Amores was a fabulous place to stay! It was spacious, with a well layed-out floorplan and it had all of the comforts of home. The water supply was plentiful, but we were still in our conservation mode, which you should be whenever you visit an island! The breezes were plentiful so we never even needed to turn on the air conditioning. The pool is small, but we found it to be perfect for our family of four after a long day at the beach. We loved the private location at the very end of a mountainside road. Yet, it was suprisingly close to Cruz Bay, the grocery store and all of the best beaches. It had the most incredible view of the ocean and lots of lush vegetation. The owners, managers, housekeepers, etc were all a pleasure to communicate with... everything went smoothly. We loved it and are planning on going back next year. Thank you!!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, adventure seekers, families with young children, families with teenagers.

True Bliss

Guest: Chuckie (Michigan)
Date of Stay: 11/01/07 Review Submitted: 01/17/08

Thank you very much for a wonderful time. We loved the peace and quite. The view from the deck is spectacular and watching the sunset from the deck in the evenings and having our coffee on the deck with a warm breeze in the morning was a dream come true. It's close enough to town to feel the privacy of the island and very comfortable, everything at the villa was wonderful and in perfect order. The biggest problem we had is not wanting to leave. We did plenty of shopping in town on our way to the beach and sight seeing along the way. We went every where on the Island, from Cinnamon Bay to Coral Bay and back again. We had the best time of our life and can not wait to go back again. It was great dealing directly with the owners, so we knew exactly what we were getting. They provided everything that we asked for and were all too happy to do so. We hope that they feel as we do in that we have made new friends and that's a very special thing. We hope you will enjoy your vacation as much as we did. Thanks again.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.