Sun, Sand and Surf

Guest: Love to travel (Kalispell, Mt)
Date of Stay: 01/24/12 Review Submitted: 02/09/12

What an amazing island and super great condo that Dave and Cary have! Their unit is right on the beach. We could literally spend hours and hours just looking at the sea's gorgeous blue,blue waters. The breeze that sweeps over you as you stay entranced in it all is an amazing experience to say the least. You are but a hop skip and jump away from some great snorkeling there as well. The condo is totally well equipped. The owners have thought of everything with all the amenities a person could want. Very well maintained and great attention to detail. The island offers some of the best beaches we have seen. A must do (hands down) is to make sure you get over to Buck Island. Cary and Dave also offer their guests great suggestions to make sure you make the most of your time there. Without any hesitation we would recommend booking your stay through them and on one of the best Islands we've been to. Thanks guys for the memories that will live on and on!

Owner response:So glad you loved our condo as much as we do! Glad to hear about the Jolly Roger buck island trip. I usually recommend Captain Heinz but good to have an alternate choice.

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

Wonderful Condo and Location!

Guest: Snorkelers (Blacksburg, Virginia, USA)
Date of Stay: 01/13/12 Review Submitted: 01/23/12

This is a wonderful condo and great location! The condo is well maintained and clean. The full kitchen, including dishwasher was great for eating in and the laundry in the condo meant we could pack less and wash part way through our stay. With the doors open there is always a nice breeze blowing so we never needed more than ceiling fans to make us comfortable. The condo has absolutely fabulous views of the East side of the Island and it is right on the beach so it feels like the water is lapping at your balcony. We have been to St. Croix before and stayed on the far West side and the far East side. The location of the condo is great because we were only 20-30 minutes from all our favorite activities on either side of the Island and just minutes from Christianstead. This was a huge plus for us! Cary Jo is fabulous to deal with and tries hard to make sure you have all the information you need to make the stay great, including tips on where to shop etc. I would stay here again and recommend this to any family or friends visiting the Island. Can't wait until next year! If you do decide to stay here, make sure you snorkel in the bay out front. They have a 5' Barracuda that lurks around the tire reef!

Owner response:Thank you Jeanne! It was fun helping your family have a great time together at our condo! I hope to work with you again next year. Cary Jo

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

Yes, it is true!

Guest: LoveVacations (Oregon)
Date of Stay: 12/11/11 Review Submitted: 01/02/12

From your first step inside the condo there is nothing between you and the sea. The unit is newly updated; lovely and very comfortable. Working with the owners to arrange our stay was a pleasure. We thoroughly enjoyed our two week stay; exploring the entire island and its history and experiencing the many outdoor activities. Many great places to eat and we found the local people friendly and helpful.

Owner response:Thank you Jeanne! It was fun helping your family have a great time together at our condo! I hope to work with you again next year. Cary Jo

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

Can't wait to head back!

Guest: Krissy729 (olympia)
Date of Stay: 10/28/11 Review Submitted: 12/10/11

Your condo was a perfect getaway for me and my husband, before our first baby arrives soon! We loved the proximity of the beach from the condo, as well as the short drives to other beaches around the island. It was great having our own kitchen, and the private patio overlooking the beach and water was amazing. We have already started planning our next trip, and will bring along some friends next time to share this gorgeous island with. Cary, thanks for being so easy to work with. Your condo is the perfect vacation spot!

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

Just A Little Slice Of Paradise

Guest: Bob & Karen From The 'Square (Central NY)
Date of Stay: 01/08/11 Review Submitted: 10/09/11

This winter will mark our 3rd year staying at Dave & Cary's place at Colony Cove. We've done many cruises (still do on occasion) as well as the land-based resort thing but for us this seaside unit on this beautiful island, is as close to paradise as it gets. Colony Cove is gorgeous and really is just five minutes from downtown Christiansted. The grounds are lush tropical gardens with a pleasant pool and cabana/cookout facility just steps away. The entire grounds are clean and nicely kept. The clientele is largely a combination of vacation renters and seasonal condo commandos with a numberl of year-round residents thrown in for good measure. What was so striking to us is that the place is soooo quiet and uncrowded; even during peak winter vacation weeks the pool and seaside lounge chairs are sparsely populated, if at all (when was the last time you could say that about a cruise ship experience?). What makes this particular unit so special is that there's only one building in the complex that is true beachfront (as opposed to "sea view"), and this is it.The large gallery (island-speak for patio or lanai) runs the length of the condo and offers the perfect view of the sunrise over Christiansted harbor. The sandy beach is directly under you and offers the perfect opportunity for long walks along the beach; you'll awaken to the sound of breaking waves. In addition you are absolutely centrally located with the pool just a few steps in one direction and the neighboring restaurant (Smuggler's cove) a similarly short stroll the other way. The unit itself is squeaky clean, spacious, tastefully furnished and has all the amenities (big screen tv, wi-fi, dvd- and ipod players, washer 'n dryer, land-line phone) you could ask for. A beachside artificial reef offers great snorkeling and you can sign out equipment right at the front desk. Add to that a weekly rate that is insanely reasonable even before the stay-7-nights-get-the-8th-night-free offer and you simply won't find a better vacation bargain. There's tons of info out there about STX to be had so we'll just add that it's the incredible variety on this island that defines it and makes it so special. The west end is tropical rain forest; the east end is literally desert. There's a casino, resorts, world-class golfing alongside sedate historical gardens and plantations. If you want to be a tourist, check out St. Thomas; but if you're a traveler, come to St. Croix.

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

Stayed for Anniversary Vacation

Guest: Sarah (Chicagoland, USA)
Date of Stay: 07/18/11 Review Submitted: 08/11/11

We really enjoyed our stay here at the Colony Cove resort! The nightly rate was very reasonable, especially since we got the use of a full kitchen and lots of space in the living areas and on the lanai. The condo was very clean and well-maintained. This property made a great "home base" and was conveniently located for lots of exploring on St. Croix. Rather than spend each day at the condo, we enjoyed checking out many beaches in the area. Cary advised me correctly that a car rental really makes the trip more enjoyable! Dave and Cary were great to deal with and very responsive to all of our questions, plus they had some great advice about the island! We really enjoyed touring Buck Island with Captain Heinz and a bioluminescent kayak tour with Virgin Kayak. Half Penny Beach was lovely, as was Cane Bay. We really enjoyed a nice private spot just north of Rainbow Beach that we found by following a local who had pulled off to the side of the road to park. Rowdy Joe's and Eat @ Cane Bay both had great food! St. Croix was a beautiful island and we look forward to visiting again soon!

Owner response:So happy you were able to go to our island for your anniversary! You were the second anniversary guests this summer at 202D. We have had wedding guests, sister trips, girlfriend get together, etc. in the last few months. Fun helping you all have a great stay in our condo for your special times. Hope you come again! Cary Hofstad

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children.

Guest: Gina & Craig - GA (-)
Date of Stay: 07/09/11 Review Submitted: 07/26/11

Hi Cary! Just wanted to thank you for a fabulous time in St. Croix. Your place had the most spectacular view!

Recommended for:

Guest: More from Chris and Dennis at end of stay (-)
Date of Stay: 07/09/11 Review Submitted: 07/09/11

Your unit is undoubtably the nicest, best situated unit of them all! I'm looking out at the sun rising over the ocean right now while typing this note to you from the kitchen bar!! The mongoose are outside squealing while chasing each other. It took me a couple days to figure out what that racket was all about! Also, wanted to thank you for the lovely bouquet of fresh flowers that were sitting on the counter when we arrived. They lasted almost 5 full days. My sister, husband and I went into "town" every night to eat and meet up with the rest of our family members and friends who came also for the wedding. Our most favorite restaurant is Bacchus. We took the brides parents and the wedding party there for the rehearsal dinner - - flawless service and fabulous food. We also enjoyed Breezez, Rumrunners, Cheeseburger in Americas Paradise, Kendricks and really loved Tavern 1844. We spent the evening on the Boardwalk with all our clan for Jump Up!!! That was so much fun. We did so much, Buck Island, Sunset Cruise, Snorkling, Snuba, and even spent some time every day at the Colony Cove Pool. Not sure how we accomplished it all but we did.

Recommended for:

Guest: Chris & Dennis from Alaska (-)
Date of Stay: 07/01/11 Review Submitted: 07/05/11

That was quite the storm!! Lots of thunder and lightening and power outage in 202d! Made for challenging girl time getting ready for wedding rehearsal but we powered through. Yesterday was totally awesome all day. We got lots of sun and enjoyed your pool - very refreshing. More so than the warmer ocean. Today is our sons wedding on Hotel on the Cay so we are excited. Sitting on your veranda enjoying my coffee overlooking the spectacular view of a mirror-like ocean. Just magnificent. We are enjoying daily visits from the gecko family here. They provide quite the entertainment. We enjoyed a sunset cruise last night which was flawless and breathtaking. I'm listening to the dove cooing in the background. How do you stay away from here? Just wanted to give you an insiders update and to thank you again for sharing this piece of heaven.

Recommended for:

Beautiful property!

Guest: snush (Tampa, FL)
Date of Stay: 05/14/11 Review Submitted: 05/31/11

We thoroughly enjoyed our week in St. Croix. Cary's condo is very nice and the views are spectacular. The condo is well equipped with just about everything one can think of. We rented a Jeep at the airport and found the 'left side' driving quite easy- people drive slowly on the island... which is such a nice reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the U.S... Smugglers cove (right next to Colony Cove) is a good place to find a strong rum concoction- we spent our first evening at Smugglers, as a ferocious sub tropical storm blew in and we were basically stuck, so we were forced to sample a 'few' Cruzan Confusions!! Breezes restaurant is very nice- good food and drinks. I recommend renting a car, as you can then explore the entire island. St. Croix is beautiful!! The only negative of the week was the weather. We had rain and BIG storms almost every day. Buck Island is a must do. Tito and Sue's hermit crab races are also fun and entertaining. Sonya's is the best place for a St. Croix hook bracelet. We found prices for food, drinks, and merchandise to be quite moderate. St. Croix is very laid back- quiet and peaceful. I would gladly rent this condo in the future. In fact, as I write this review I am planning another escape to the Caribbean!

Owner response:I was so happy to have you at our condo for your "annual girl friend escape" trip! So sorry the weather was bad but you made the best of it and had a good time anyway!

Recommended for:Girls getaway.