Cool, Affordable Cottage with Awesome View for Couple or Family, from $125/Night

• Deeply relaxing mini adventure

  Deeply relaxing mini adventure

  • Guest Holly
  • Date of stay 02/28/13
  • Review Submitted 04/09/13
  Our stay at Stonegarden Cottage was so very pleasant. It was close enough to everything to be easy to take a short drive over to have early morning dip at Maho Beach or go down to Skinny Legs for happy hour or check out the awesome tasty bites in the hidden isles of Love City Mini Mart. We Loved the exploring to do on this end of the island: Ram's Head, Salt Pond, Water Lemon Cay, Vi for her sweet iced tea. But the cottage is far enough up a hilly road to be quiet and totally relaxing. The cottage has all the cool things you would want but didn't even think about like binoculars for looking at the beautiful view and checking out boats. Or everything for the beach: mini cooler, umbrella, beach chairs, snorkels. And the check-in and welcome was warm, directions were clear and easy and the experience was really nice!

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

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• Vacation of a lifetime!

  Vacation of a lifetime!

  • Guest Norma
  • Date of stay 02/06/13
  • Review Submitted 03/04/13
  This was the most carefree and relaxing vacation ever--definitely in the top five vacations we have taken during our 46 years of marriage. We have recommended Stone Garden Cottage to our friends, family, and even people we met during our stay on St. John Island. The internet listing description and photos were very accurate--so much so that when we arrived, it was even better than the pictures. The moment we walked into our cottage I said "This is so beautiful!" Both the owner and their manager were so helpful and able to answer any questions that we had. The east end of the island (Coral Bay area) is definitely the best place to stay. It was very close to all the north shore beaches, and Coral Bay area had enough restaurants to choose from as well as 2 small grocery stores if you wanted to eat at the cottage. The thing I liked the most on the Island is that everyone was friendly and helpful; and even though we were there during high season, I didn't get the sense of too many people. We like places where it is not crowded, and you get the sense of everyday being an adventure without all the traffic, pollution, etc. associated with most vacation areas. We are retired and will continue to vacation every winter on St. John Island at Stone Garden Cottage.

  Recommended for: Age 55+, sightseeing, families with young children, adventure seekers.

  Owner response: We are delighted that you enjoyed Stonegarden Cottage and plan to return each year! We work hard to keep up the property so it was great to hear that you found it beautiful and even better than the photos. And it was good to hear how much you liked the Coral Bay side of the island, and that you had a relaxing vacation. Thanks for taking time to write your wonderful review!

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• Clean Coral Bay Studio

  Clean Coral Bay Studio

  • Guest scottndeb
  • Date of stay 01/07/13
  • Review Submitted 02/22/13
  The property is well cared for with nice grounds. We prefer to cook most of our meals. There was a very nice grill and a clean compact kitchen. It is located on the side of Bordeaux Mountain where driveways can be challenging. This is one of the easiest we have experienced in our various stays in St. John. We had difficulty with the wifi, we were not able to connect inside the studio but had some luck from time to time on the outside porch area attached to the studio. The owner was kind enough to let us use her computer in the unit they lived in which is above the unit we stayed in. It's a good base to work from to go the the beaches and hiking trails.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers.

  Owner response: So glad you liked the Lower Level of Stonegarden Cottage. We were having some problems with the weather affecting the wifi while you were here, which can happen from time to time. By the way, we have now moved out of the Upper Level and are renting that part of the house to vacationers as well. So you could try the more roomy Upper Level next time if you return to Coral Bay. We hope that you come visit again! Thia Muilenburg Owner

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• Tropical cottage - amazing view!

  Tropical cottage - amazing view!

  • Guest Wildsongs
  • Date of stay 11/24/12
  • Review Submitted 01/23/13
  We have stayed in some wonderful locations all over St. John on our repeated visits - this was the truly the best! The apartment had everything we needed, including an excellent kitchen area. The view from the apartment windows is amazing. You can see all the way across the channel to Tortola! The decor is cozy and tropical and we were made to feel right at home! The bed was comfortable (important to me because of my back) and the evening breezes eliminated the need for air conditioning. An added plus was the smooth paved road that took us up to the apartment. The location is perfect, close to all the beaches on the Coral Bay side if the island, a 15 minute drive to the North shore beaches (Maho, Francis, Waterlemon). Coral Bay beaches have great snorkeling and are not overly crowded. This has become our favorite side of the island! We also went out to East End and visited Haulover Bay and Hanson Bay ( which is home to Vie's Snack Shack! Don't miss her Johnny cakes and garlic chicken.) Restaurants on the Coral Bay side of the island are exceptional. Miss Lucy's for West Indian cuisine, Shipwreck Landing, where every dish we ordered was good, and Aqua Bistro for plentiful portions of four star entrees. Of course you don't want to miss Skinny Legs for hamburgers and beer! And the Donkey Diner serves wonderful breakfasts and great pizza. We certainly recommend a jeep if you are on this side of the island, but we saw many hearty souls walking the area just fine! The road out to Little Lameshur Bay is rough and very bumpy so a jeep is really the best way to get there. Don't miss this beach, we have seen all kinds of reef fishes, including Southern Rays and Squid! The apartment has a landline which is great because up on the mountain your cell phone can roam over to LIME and that is international rates. We would recommend this apartment to anyone and then hope there will be an opening when we want to return!

  Recommended for: Age 55+, sightseeing, romantic getaway, adventure seekers.

  Owner response: Thanks for your wonderful review of Stonegarden Cottage, Lower Level. We're delighted that you loved it so much, and that you want to come stay again. Glad to hear that the kitchen, bed and view from the apartment all pleased you so, and that you'll be telling your friends about us. We look forward to your next visit! Thia Muilenburg, Owner

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• Lovely place

  Lovely place

  • Guest Carolyn W.
  • Date of stay 12/25/12
  • Review Submitted 01/17/13
  We stayed in the lower level of the Stonegarden Cottage (the studio apartment) and had a wonderful time. The view is indescribably beautiful, and the location is convenient -- private but not isolated. The porch table was a pleasant place to take in that amazing view, and we liked lolling in the hammock. The bed was comfortable and the kitchen set up with everything we needed. We didn't even turn on the television, but watched movies on the internet at night.It was good to have the snorkeling equipment and beach chairs for our days at Cinnamon Bay, Waterlemon Bay and Salt Pond Bay. Gwyn was very welcoming, and also recommended local restaurants that we enjoyed. We hope to come back next year!

  Recommended for: Age 55+, sightseeing, romantic getaway.

  Owner response: We're so glad that you enjoyed your stay here at Stonegarden Cottage, and that the Lower Level had everything that you needed. We certainly hope to see you again! Thia Muilenburg, Owner

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• we loved stonegarden cottage

  we loved stonegarden cottage

  • Guest marc and sue
  • Date of stay 02/01/12
  • Review Submitted 02/27/12
  My wife and I really loved our stay at Stonrgarden Cottage.Weve been to Coral Bay several times before and are very fond of it.This was our favorite renal. It is just as the photos show it.The property was immaculate and had a nicely equipped kitchen.We had everything we could have wanted.The apartment has a lovely deck with a great view. Our hosts were very nice and very helpful.We would recommend Stonegarden Cottage to our friends.

  Recommended for: Age 55+, sightseeing, romantic getaway, adventure seekers.

  Owner response: Thank you for taking the time to post your review of Stonegarden Cottage, Lower Level. We're so glad you enjoyed the unit, it's view and all the amenities there. We look forward to your return! Thia Muilenburg, Owner

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• WE HAD A BLAST!

  WE HAD A BLAST!

  • Guest Iryna
  • Date of stay 12/03/11
  • Review Submitted 12/22/11
  We had an incredible experience. Every morning waking up with roosters greeting the sun, having coffee on the porch with a breathtaking view of Coral Bay, enjoying changing colors of the ocean that matches the colors of the cottage, falling asleep with amazing sounds of tree frogs. We had a blast. Place is very clean and every detail is taken in consideration, even colors of dishes on a kitchen complement surrounding nature.We took great pleasure in walking around the property on the beautiful stone paths and listening to the wind playing with the chimes. All information and maps of St. John were provided. We appreciate that Thia and Raf created this great place.

  Recommended for: Age 55+, sightseeing, adventure seekers.

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• Really Good Value

  Really Good Value

  • Guest Joyce
  • Date of stay 05/24/11
  • Review Submitted 06/02/11
  Perfect place for me travelling alone wanting a safe, quiet place to get a good night's sleep. If I had just stayed in Cruz Bay, I would never have gotten to see Coral Bay on the other side of the island where the Cocolobo Shops were located, items to purchase by original artists, great food, homemade Tamarind and other flavor ice cream for sale, etc. I saw most of the island from Route 10, but explored Cruz Bay shops, took a British Virgin Islands cruise for the day on Bad Kitty catamaran, went to several beaches off of Route 20, ate dinner at Coral Bay. Got a good overview of St. John and British Virgin Islands by staying at Stonegarden Cottage. Very nicely decorated cottage with artwork from St. John's artists, TV, coffee maker, small refrigerator, nice view of Coral Bay. I researched a lot of what I wanted to see before I went there but one week is not long enough. Could not do it all in just one visit. All the people that I met were wonderful, many people told me of their Caribbean trip experiences and preferred to stay at St. John and make their way around the Virgin Islands from St. John for day trips to British Virgin Islands. I loved having the cottage all to myself so that I could set up my visiting agenda without any complaints from travel mates. Would rather have come during the vicious winter weather we had in January and February 2011 in the Mid-Atlantic area, could have used the sunshine and warm weather then just to get me to May.

  Recommended for: Age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing.

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• Slice of Heaven

  Slice of Heaven

  • Guest Jess
  • Date of stay 02/02/11
  • Review Submitted 03/10/11
  In the month or so since we've returned to Chicago from St. John, my traveling companion and I will periodically look at the other and say, "Remember Stonegarden?" The escape up the hill outside of Coral Bay was a welcome respite from the snowy season in Chicago, and a beautiful place to stay. We didn't rent a car for our trip—and although I think both of us would choose to have one next time, there's no doubt that we got a great taste of the island. Just up the hill from Coral Bay, it's a short trip to Skinny Legs, Island Blues, and Aqua Bistro and the surrounding markets. The quiet side of the island was just our speed—since we were without a car, we started each day by walking down the hill around 7, hitching rides or grabbing the bus, and coming back to the cabin by nightfall. It's easy to get a cheap or free ride from Centerline road to the North shore beaches, and if you do choose to rent a car, it's a short jaunt to some of the more exotic parts of the island, like Salt Pond Bay and the Ram's Head hike. The cottage itself is beautiful—quiet and comfy. We made a lot of use of the kitchen amenities, including the nice gas grill out back. The incredible view from the back deck dominates most of the photos I took, and the hosts are kind and helpful. They even helped us arrange a taxi back to the ferry the morning we left for the airport. This is a perfect place for one or two on the quiet side of the island.

  Recommended for: Tourists without a car, age 55+, sightseeing, romantic getaway, adventure seekers.

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• Guest comment entered by owner

  • Guest Anne
  • Date of stay 04/17/06
  • Review Submitted 04/17/06
  "The house surpassed our expectations in its location, comfort, tasteful decorating, kitchen facilities and luxurious bathrooms. The view was spectacular!... We loved sitting out on the deck sipping our coffee in the morning and wine in the evening while looking over the bays and faraway islands....We are already thinking about how and when we can return and we will certainly recommend your cottage for anyone we know who heads your way!"-- Anne from Iowa City, IA

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LOW SEASON (April 15-Dec 14): Lower Level: $850/wk-135/nt
  Upper Level: $1450/wk-230/nt   Whole House: $2095/wk-330/nt
HIGH SEASON (Dec 15-Apr 14): Lower: $1150/wk-185/nt,
  Upper: $1850/wk-290/nt   Whole: $2495/wk-390/nt
Holidays (Whole House Only): 
Christmas and New Years Weeks: $2695
Thanksgiving Week: $2495   President's Week:  Add 10% to High Season rate
5 night minimum stay; rates subject to change without notice; kids are welcome!

Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.