Romantic Cottage: Stunning Ocean Views. Hot tub. Cruz Bay!

So glad to know that you loved the Cottage and will be coming back again. We look forward to seeing you next year. Thanks for taking time to write a note for us in the review section to let other guest know what you thought. Chris & Abby

Andrew, thanks for taking time to write a review of your stay at Meritage Cottage. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed yourself and hope to come back in the future. Chris & Abby

Wonderful guests! Would welcome back again.

Thanks for taking time to share your thoughts regarding your vacation at Meritage Cottage, our goal is to have you want to return again in the future. Chris Rosbrook/ Owner

Thank you Paula & Kirk. We agree with you guys. Listening to the waves and star gazing is the perfect way to start any day. Its so peaceful. Abby is incredible. It’s important that guests know that they have Abby on the island should they need anything. She was born & raised on St. John, so she knows all there is to know about the islands. Let us know when you plan to return. We will pencil in the dates for you. Thank you again. Linda & Randall. 🌴

Chad, I'm glad to know your honeymoon was so enjoyable at Meritage Cottage and sorry again about the Hot Tub having a malfunction while you were there, but glad they were able to fly in the part and Sinbad was able to fix it by your last day. We appreciate your complete understanding of the situation and were able to enjoy the compensation we provided you. Hope you come back to Meritage for many anniversaries.

Hi Don & Teri, We can absolutely guarantee that there are no roaches in the cottage. The cottage is professionally sprayed monthly. We have the most meticulous cleaning team. The last reason I know for sure there are no bugs, is because we stayed there ourselves just before your visit. The cottage was spotless as it always is. We have very high standards that we upkeep. The only thing I can think of is that you may have brought one in with you while you were unpacking your beach gear or you left the door open, and one got in. Remember it is the Caribbean and there are bugs. A single bug that you likely invited in yourself does not qualify in saying that the place has roaches. To us that seems farfetched. Out of 10 years of reviews on this site, there has never been a comment such as this and most guests highlight the cleanliness along with the fantastic views of the property.

Lorraine, We are so pleased to hear that Meritage Cottage was the right fit for your vacation on St. John. Thanks for the house warming gift of scissors, we had a pair in the drawer, not sure what happened to them, but hopefully these will stay put. Please come join us again in the future. Chris & Abby

Ralph, I appreciate you taking the time to write a review for Meritage Cottage. We are so glad to know that you had a wonderful time and are planning to return with your extended family in the future. We are lucky to have Sinbad looking over our home for us and providing the guest with Island charm and enthusiasm. Best Wishes Chris Rosbrook/owner

Dan & Nicole, Thanks for taking time to write a review of your stay at Meritage Cottage. We are always pleased when we here all our effort to make our guest vacation one they will always cherish. Please come back and join us again in the future, we look forward to seeing you. Chris & Abby

Nathan, Glad to hear your honeymoon was a success and that you enjoyed your stay at Meritage Cottage. I'll let Sinbad know you appreciated his tour of the town and getting you well settled in for a great week. Thanks again, Chris

Melissa & Scott, Sinbad and I are s o glad to hear your honeymoon was such a great experience. I'm glad you appreciate all out efforts to make our guest stay on St.John one they will truly remember and hopefully return for years to come. We have had honeymooners return year after year for an annual vacation back at Meritage Cottage and your review explains why that is. Thanks for taking time to let our future guest know what you thought. Chris Rosbrook

Dear Jorge, Thank you for staying at Meritage Cottage and the compliments you provided. We trust that you were able to enjoy St. John, its beautiful beaches and towns. It’s unfortunate that the electric was out on two of the mornings that you were here. We understand that the electric did come back on by 1pm both days, and therefore was more of an inconvenience in the mornings. Please note that we highlight the potential for power outages in the information packet that we send to all guests, at the time they book their stay. While you were on the island, there was an explosion on St Thomas which impacted electric throughout the USVI. But given the severity of the incident, the crews were able to restore service within a reasonable amount of time. Pasted below are excerpts from our information packet which highlight the potential for power interruptions and how to best cope with such, including impact to water service, which is provided via cisterns, which is then pumped in; city water service which is common in the US mainland is not provided. During power outages, most guests go to the beach, which we assume you did, and were able to return later in the day to the cottage with electric and water to enjoy the evenings. Excerpts from information packet: Should there be a short power outage, please do not flush the toilets during this time or use water in general as this causes the water pump to lose its prime. Power outages usually only happen when they are working on the lines for one reason or another and most last only a few hours at the most, so be patient should this occur while you are there. (Call Abby if there is a power outage). Another reason why you should bring a solar power phone charger. We do not drink tap water when we travel, we recommend buying gallon bottles of water from the store to use for drinking, and the smaller bottles to take to the beach. Don’t forget to buy a couple of bags of ice! Regarding trash disposal, this is also clearly addressed in the information packet. In St John, it is customary for guests to stop at the conveniently-placed dumpsters located throughout the island to dispose of their trash. There is a labor shortage on St John and therefore the cleaning crew has to allocate their time and resources most wisely. Thus, the cleaning crew coordinates their visits to the properties before people check in, and not necessarily when they check out. Although we clearly request that guests personally dispose of their garbage on their way to the ferry dock, with the dumpsters right on the way there, it’s disappointing that you were unable to do this. This also helps to reduce the need for pesticides, which helps the environment of course. Excerpt from information packet: St. John does not provide door-to door trash collection. Please throw your bagged garbage in the back of your jeep and drop it off at one of the nearby dumpster bins along the road in Cruz Bay. You can easily do this daily on the way to the grocery store, beach, etc. Daily removal of trash is recommended to prevent the unpleasant effects of heat as well as deter unwanted pests. The three lovely ladies that clean after guests leave share one car along with cleaning equipment and unfortunately do not have room in their vehicle to carry trash after guests leave. Thank you for your understanding. We have considered installing a generator, but this would lead to higher rates since these do not come cheaply in St John. We have also stayed at properties which have a generator, but they are not completely reliable and it’s even more frustrating to book a property which has a generator that isn’t working. Obtaining parts for generators and power plants in the islands always takes additional time compared to the mainland. Also, the hot tub is brand new as of last year and this was the first real power outage since we purchased it. From your comments we learned that the hot tub just needed to be reset at the control panel for the temperature to operate correctly after an outage. Based on your comments, it appears that your requirements would be best met by staying at a hotel. The hotels in the area charge 2 to 4 times our rates however. When we travel in Europe, we often stay at hotels as they reliably have air conditioning, which is much less prevalent there, compared to the US. In general, we recommend travelers research the nuances of their given destination to familiarize themselves with local customs and concerns, and we make that relatively easy for our guests by addressing such in our information packet. Sincerely, Linda & Randall

Dear Sue & Bill, Thanks for the beautiful review. We are always so pleased to know that our guest have had a wonderful experience at Meritage Cottage and enjoyed our special Island. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with everyone and we hope you'll join us again in the future. Chris Rosbrook / owner