Rara Avis was a very interesting property, and we are glad we stayed there. We loved the closeness to Cruz Bay (ferry, shops, restaurants) and the beaches on the North Shore. We had considered a couple of places near Coral Bay -- we ruled them out because we were arriving early evening. With being new to driving on the left, we didn't want to have to drive from the ferry dock in Cruz Bay to Coral Bay in the dark, on the left... Later in our trip we went to Coral Bay, with it being off-season, there wasn't much open over there. We are so glad we chose Rara Avis and Cruz Bay off-season!
Rara Avis has wide open spaces. The front of the home facing Hart Bay has huge sliders, the rear has large folding wooden doors and a large window in the kitchen. When we were "home" we kept these open all the time to let in the sea breeze, and the occasional bird and lizard. It was very warm when we were there, and there is no air flow nor ceiling fans in the bedrooms in the lower level of the main house. There were only 4 of us so we used the Cabanas detached from the main house for our sleeping quarters. The pods had ceiling fans and large doors in the front, windows in the back for air flow. It was still warm at times trying to sleep. No A/C in the main home nor the cabanas...that's OK, we opened everything up and let nature in -- literally! We would snorkel during the day at the many beautiful beaches or hike the park, come back to Rara Avis, take a swim in the pool, get cleaned up and pick a Cruz Bay restaurant for dinner. Then we would come home and sit on the beautiful, spacious deck of the main house with adult beverages and watch the moon rise and stargaze. There are lots of deck options, and patio seating areas to choose from (private or group spaces), lots of hidden nooks. There are two outdoor showers, a nice bar-b-q grill, and a very well appointed kitchen. There were beach chairs and coolers available for our use, a washer and dryer, beach towels...
The pool could use some maintenance, the tile coping was missing in places, and the furniture in the living room could use some updating. It worked fine for our needs, and is a nice place, but elegant and fancy it isn't!
DO NOT Rent Rara because there is a beach and water access, that is not the draw for this property. The beach area wasn't merely rocky, it was piles of coral, not even good for walking much less swimming. We were a little disappointed on that front. We would stay here again.