An Honest Review

Guest: Tim and Becki (Wauseon, OH)
Date of Stay: 10/22/11 Review Submitted: 10/30/11

My wife and I just returned from our 4th trip to St. John. Our stay at the Eureka property was a bit disappointing. First the good points about this property. It did provide an excellent view of Rendezvous Bay, Chocolate Hole and on most clear days you could see St. Croix in the distance. The house was easy to reach, only 10 mins from Cruz Bay with easy access to anywhere on the island. The house was clean on the upper level, but the downstairs lower unit (which we did not use) was empty and clearly had not been attended to in some time. Wooden louvered windows could be opened to provide cooling breezes and large ceiling fans kept the house cool as there was no air conditioning (not a problem for us). Nancy (from Caribe Havens management company) was cordial and very friendly and offered her assistance for anything that we may have needed. The price was reasonable for an older property on St. John. Now the downside...No one informed us there was major construction going on right next to this property. Everyday like clockwork, the construction crew would begin around 7 - 7:30 am and end sometime around 5:00 - 5:30 pm. Heavy machinery, hammering, power tools...you get the picture. (Construction will not be completed until sometime early in 2012 according to the owner/builder). So much for sleeping in while on vacation. On three days of our stay there was heavy excavating going on, so imagine a large noisy backhoe/grader in your side yard, not too mention diesel fumes blowing through the house. The house itself was also disappointing. We knew it was an older property, but it certainly needs maintenance. The large deck was in disrepair, one end of it pulling away from it's support beam. The house was weathered and trim was falling off and rotting in places. The refrigerator was rusted on the outside, and needed to be cleaned out each day as large amounts of water would accumulate inside (poor seals) and run out the bottom onto the floor. There were a lot of little things that if attended to, would have made this property and this review more positive. In all fairness, my wife and I are generally off to the beaches, snorkeling, hiking, and doing all the things we love to do during the daytime, so not much time was spent at the house between 9am and sundown. As a couple, this rental property was a fair value for our needs and expectations. We're not sure that it would meet the needs or expectations of most couples or families though.

Owner response:Dear T+N. Thank you for your feedback. We value your comments and we strive to provide an outstanding experience for all of our guests. I have already spoken to Nancy the property manager regarding your comments and concerns. I will contact you directly but I also wanted to respond to each of your four points here for the benefit of others. First, I am glad to hear that you enjoyed Eureka for its outstanding, convenient location and spectacular views of the Caribbean.We feel it's one of the best views on St John and that Eureka represents an exceptional vacation rental value 1. The downstairs unit is NOT part of the villa rental. Eureka is listed as a 2 bedroom/2 bath villa sleeping six (4 in beds) with kitchen, living room,etc all on the main level. All of the photos on the VRBO listing are of the main house and upstairs deck+patio areas.The downstairs unit will be renovated in 2012 to offer an additional bedroom with two additional twin beds,full bath and a second living area with a kitchenette. Once complete it will be added to the listing. The downstairs unit will NOT be offered as a stand-alone rental.It will only be available along with the Villa rental. We expect that the additional space will be particularly appealing to larger families. 2. I wish you had contacted Nancy about the refrigerator. Freezers tend to frost in the island climate;a simple defrosting would have resolved the issue. 3. The trim. There are some areas of trim that need to be replaced and the underside of the deck needs a pressure wash. The work is scheduled to be completed in the next 30 days and it will include repairs to the shifting support post you mentioned. 4. The construction must have been difficult. Please accept my sincere apology for the disruption. While we can't prohibit construction nearby, we have generally had very good communication with our neighbor regarding this project and I am very disappointed that we did not know about the landscaping work ahead of time. Had we known, we would have made arrangements for the work to be stopped or we would have offered to relocate you to another property. The owner has told us that the work being done is the final landscaping and installation of trees that were removed during construction. The heavy (noisy) work is now over and the owner expects the project will be completed within 60 days. I know that you were severely impacted and I will call you to discuss ideas I have to make it up to you.

Recommended for:

Fantastic!

Guest: Birdman (Portland, OR)
Date of Stay: 12/06/09 Review Submitted: 08/26/10

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Eureka in early December. Beautiful sunset views. The house was very comfortable for our family of 5. The house was just as described and portrayed in the photos, clean and in good condition. Well equipped kitchen was a nice plus as we cooked many meals at home. I was a bit concerned that there was no air conditioning, but it was actually quite cool and comfortable and we wouldn't have used it. We loved the night sounds and searching for the LARGE iguanas sunbathing in the tree canopy. Nancy, the property manager was terrific! We will be back!

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with young children.

beautiful!

Guest: Chloe (Harleysville PA)
Date of Stay: 07/05/08 Review Submitted: 08/01/10

Every night in this home was magical, even watching the lizards on the deck eating the bugs for us! I can't wait to stay in this villa again!

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