Absolutely Beautiful

Guest: Jason (Wilmington, DE)
Date of Stay: 07/09/11 Review Submitted: 08/16/11

When staying at Lameshur Cottages, you get the felling of living alone on your own island mountainside, basically because you are. The cottage is located on the southeastern part of St. John's, which is not as crowded as Cruz Bay or Coral Bay. You literally see one other house in the mountain vista view. That's it. While the cottage does not have air conditioning, you don't need it. The windows, while screened to keep out mosquitoes, are all open air, The time of year we visited, mid-July, the temperature never got above 82 degrees. There were nice cool breezes going through the house, and when it was still, you have the ceiling fans. The wonderful thing about St. John's is that there are more beaches to visit on the island than there are days in the week, and two of those beaches are located within walking distance of the cottage (Lameshur Bay and Saltpond Bay). We spend our time going from beach to beach. In the evenings, we drove out to Coral Bay to enjoy the seaside bar and restaurants there. The cottage itself was clean and full of amenities, like your own washer and dryer, your own full kitchen, towels, snorkeling gear, beach chairs, beach bags, etc. I can think of no better place to vacation if you really want to disconnect from the world.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, adventure seekers, sightseeing, age 55+.

Great Adventure in St, John and at Lameshur Cottage

Guest: 1st time travelers to St. John (NC)
Date of Stay: 05/29/11 Review Submitted: 06/06/11

My husband, daughter, and I enjoyed our recent visit to St. John and the Lameshur Cottage very much. We loved the peace and quiet of Coral Bay and the cottage itself. Although it was very hot and the mosquitoes were fierced at times due to much rain over the past month, we had a wonderful time exploring the island.. . every day was a new adventure! We enjoyed hiking, snorkeling, sailing, swimming, dining out, cooking in, relaxing in the hot tub, and seeing all the many species of animals that roam the island. The main Lameshur Cottage was very cute and had everything we needed including a cat to make us feel right at home. The ceiling fans and screened windows created enough breeze to sleep comfortable at night. But it was very warm inside the cottage in the mornings and late afternoons. However, we were not at the cottage long enough to be too miserable because of the heat. Russ was wonderful to work with and very accomodating. The beds were comfortable and the cottage was clean when we arrived. The washer and dryer was nice to have. However, I do recommend more comfortable furniture in the sitting area!

Owner response:Glad you got to meet some of our valley's pets . Our most famous one is a little goat we call "Lil Bit" .You can see pictures of him on my FACEBOOK site . Sitting in our kayak and waiting for me just outside my door .Russ Melrath

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, adventure seekers, families with teenagers, sightseeing, pet owners.

Great Little Hideaway

Guest: Karen and Bob (Brockton MA)
Date of Stay: 04/14/11 Review Submitted: 04/27/11

We were only at Lamshur 2 nights but thought it was terrific. The colors are so vibrant and just put you i the mood to relax and "be on vacation". The only thing different I would to see is more comfortable furniture in the living room/kitchen area. We have been to St, John's 6 times before this and never stayed at this end of the island. Would do it again.

Recommended for:

Delightful experience,In every way

Guest: Lin (Gloucester)
Date of Stay: 02/19/11 Review Submitted: 03/01/11

We returned last week from a truly wonderful vacation at lameshur cottage.Our only regret is that we were not there for more than a week.lameshur cottage was in a perfect location.A short walk to what was our favourite beach especially for my 7 year old who loved snorkling there and got to see turtles and squid ,star fish but to name a few.The property was just perfect,every thing and more that made our time there special,and my children loved the hot tub as did my husband and I at the end of a beach filled day.We loved all the local restaurants and it was great having a great kitchen at Lameshur and we made several meals during our stay.We fell in love with St Johns and Lameshur.Russ is just wonderful and a tower of great information-He made our trip so easy and really puts so much work into making lameshur such a lovely place to stay-I loved the beach chairs and toys cooler etc etc.... it made our beach days even nicer.There is so much to tell about the great time we had and we feel so fortunate that our first experience to St John was staying at Lameshur .We can't wait to return!

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

Adventure Week!

Guest: Deb (S.E. Michigan)
Date of Stay: 01/22/11 Review Submitted: 02/28/11

Had a great time in our little tree house. The kids have great stories to tell of the visiting goat. Coral Bay has become our favorite part part of the island. Great to have a kitchen and washer/dryer available to use. Russ was a great host and very knowledgeable. Hope to come back next year. Make sure you take the walk out to Rams Head worth the workout! D.S.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with young children, sightseeing.

lovely quiet little cottage escape

Guest: janet (bainbridge island, wa)
Date of Stay: 02/05/11 Review Submitted: 02/14/11

My husband and I recently rented the larger Lameshur cottage. It was a wonderful week. The cottage was very clean and well located for south end beaches. I loved having a hot tub, a full sized fridge and washer/dryer. There were all the beach accouterments you could ever want, which was wonderful. We hiked and snorkeled everyday all over the island. Russ was so nice. Since he was staying on St. Thomas during our week he picked us up from the airport and drove us to the ferry. I highly recommend Lameshur cottage. Don't forget to check out the night sky!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, adventure seekers, sightseeing.

Perfect Escape

Guest: Megan (Newport, RI)
Date of Stay: 01/02/11 Review Submitted: 01/16/11

Our week at Lameshur Cottages provided peace and quiet as well as adventure. The cottage is well equipped and even better than pictured. We especially enjoyed the hot tub and great selection of books. During our stay, we went to several beaches on the island, but our favorites were the two beaches right down the road (Salt Pond and Lameshur). The snorkeling was fantastic at both spots, and our kids were thrilled to swim with turtles, rays, many colorful fish, and even an octopus! There are also great hiking trails nearby that lead to the Petroglyphs and ruins. Russ was a fantastic host, answering numerous questions before our arrival, providing lots of local information and even helping us to get the kayak loaded onto the jeep. We are already counting the days until we return to Lameshur Cottages!

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

Peace and Quiet Indeed!

Guest: Jane (Washington DC)
Date of Stay: 12/25/10 Review Submitted: 01/07/11

We loved staying at Lameshur. Everything was great, and Russ was very easy to contact, with many suggestions and quick fixes for any problems we encountered. The cottage was very well-fitted-out, with many books, and a blender for those frozen drinks. It was wonderful to sit out on the porch and watch the animals... we especially loved the goat "Little Guy" that likes to hang around- give him a scratch on the head! :) Thanks for a great stay, we couldn't have asked for more.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, adventure seekers, sightseeing.

Adorable Private Villa, Great for 2 and Honeymoons!

Guest: skylark_11 (Sleepy Hollow, NY)
Date of Stay: 10/06/10 Review Submitted: 10/28/10

This villa was so adorable. The care in designing and decorating the place is apparent. We loved the open design, incredible views. Right outside the bathroom and French doors of the bedroom are stunning mountain views. The place was immaculately clean (always a concern in going the rental route) and quiet. Coming from the hustle and bustle of NY, this was a huge plus. We also enjoyed the private patio where we took advantage of the hot-tub and barbecue. Russ, too, was a fantastic owner and host. He probably answered every phone call, from the one I made to him to get info. about the place to the ones I made to confirm our plans and get advice for the trip. There are also nice extras staying here, such as use of a kayak and beach gear, and a washer & dryer, which allowed us to pack more lightly. My only suggestions for the place would be a full-length mirror (fiance and I got married on St. John & spent honeymoon here- would have been nice to see all of myself while getting ready). Also, even though we ate out a lot, we would have preferred better cookware, as we do like to prepare some of our own meals, even on vacation. Other than those suggestions, we loved the place and would stay here again, and would highly recommend this place to friends.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, adventure seekers, sightseeing, girls getaway.

perfect honeymoon local

Guest: the honeymooners (shelby township, mi)
Date of Stay: 10/17/10 Review Submitted: 10/26/10

Russ' cottage was so perfect for us! St. John is such a beautiful location and to add the adorable, comfortable, secluded cottage, made it absolutely perfect. We were a bit intimidated by the roads at first, but once you get used to it, they are actually fun. Salt Pond Bay was the best for snorkeling, but stay clear at sundown...the bugs are fierce. Skinny Legs is a must for delicious burgers and fun atmosphere. Everyone we encountered was so friendly and helpful...especially Russ.

Recommended for:Tourists without a car, romantic getaway, adventure seekers, sightseeing.