We (myself, husband and my older mom) stayed at Villa Carolina for a week right after Thanksgiving. We were looking forward to this trip for many months! The villa was as pictured and the location was truly stunning. We did have a few small little hitches (easily remedied) that I feel warrant honesty. I'll start with the pros:
- The views are nothing short of spectacular. Truly. I am not a morning person and sunrises were 100% worth it.
- The grounds are well-kept and so lush. Total privacy but a 5-10 min ride down the mountain to Coral Bay.
- The villa was nicely furnished and comfortable; we had everything we needed to cook a few meals. Having beach chairs, a few floats and coolers was a welcome accommodation.
- A/C in the bedrooms was really a life saver at night for cool, comfortable sleeping. We all slept very well here.
The cons:
- This villa is located in a lush, Caribbean paradise and there WILL be some bugs (and an occasional lizard or frog in the bathroom). In order to have the breeze come through the main area (which, to be clear, does NOT have A/C, just fans) you'll need to have the terrace doors open. We were OK with a normal expectation of a few critters, and the breeze WAS glorious. However, at the time of our stay, there was a roach issue inside the villa that was above and beyond a normal bug here or there from an open door. At first I thought it was "normal" for such a location, but as the week progressed, they were EVERYWHERE. I felt it was appropriate to let the property manager know (which I did, the second to last day) and he responded in a timely manner. We were told the property is regularly serviced by an exterminator and that the roaches were not a normal thing. So, all in all, what's one to do? We certainly didn't let it ruin the fun but it did put a damper on the stay. If you are considering booking I would make certain this issue has been resolved.
- The pool lights do not work. We were told about this in advance, and apparently getting things repaired on St John in a timely manner can be challenging, but just know before you go if you enjoy night swimming.
- There were some communications from the manager here and there that felt a little passive-aggressive in nature, and frankly, I didn't love that. I just chalked it up to tone getting lost in translation via text and didn't let it ruffle too many feathers, but details like this do matter and affect overall experience.