Moonwalk - mid century modern home on North Shore St. Croix

Many thanks for the kind words, Ann. We're happy that you enjoyed your trip and the house. Knowing our guests have a good experience is the next best thing to being there for us.

Sharon- We are so glad you enjoyed Moonwalk, and we hope you will return! It sounds like you might be a gardener as I am. Indeed, we have only had the place a short time. The yard was overgrown with invasive plants, which we recently removed to let the nearly choked out bougainvillea and frangipani flourish. If (and hopefully when!) you return you will see our garden as it matures . If you love plants as I do, I would also suggest visiting the botanical gardens on St Croix! They are quite lovely and there is a plant sale once a week (that is where I got the Baobab tree in the front yard). --- Dru

We are sorry your experience did not meet your expectations. However I must point out several things. First, the website clearly states that the main part of the house and loft are open air and that the air conditioning amenity is only in the two bedrooms. It also clearly states the air conditioning overage policy on the home page (incidentally I have never had to charge this - it is mostly to get people to remember to turn the AC off when they leave for the day’s activities). If you will review the messages I sent to you, you will see that your booking confirmation message reiterates the open air nature “steps above the surf”, and asks you to contact me immediately if you think this might not be a good fit for you. The pdf information file we sent you and my pre-arrival reminder message to you also reiterate all these things. So, all this information was presented multiple times and therefore should not have been a surprise. Regarding lighter fluid, spices, personal hygiene effects, soaps, and the like, these are not host responsibilities. Vacation homes provide different types of amenities than hotels. We have owned vacation beach rental properties stateside, and in those, everything is emptied out after each guest - even the ice in the freezer. Things are more expensive and not always easily obtainable on the island, so there is kind of an island karma attitude - share your extras rather than throwing them out - replace what you use, and leave behind what you don’t need for the next person. The spices in the kitchen are our personal working stock, and most all of our guests appreciate having spices available over an empty cabinet.

Wow. We are a little horrified that the house was incompletely cleaned when you arrived. We have already addressed this with our housekeeper. Saturdays can be very busy turn days for her with multiple houses and she usually has help on those days. She now knows that she has to come behind her help to make sure nothing is missed. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

I am sad and a little shocked that you had a bad experience. We’ve had dozens of other renters over the past years, and never received a review like yours. With VRBO,Vacation Rental By Owner, a renter chooses a privately run lodging, a home, a guest cottage. Moonwalk is not a corporate apartment or hotel, which might have been a better fit for you. A good bit of your review addresses issues with St Croix, and not our home. St Croix is the largest of the USVI at 28 miles long. All beaches are public; there are dozens of beautiful beaches to choose from. Cane Bay and Sandy Point are only two of many options. We’ve never heard any complaints about the restricted access to Sandy Point, as by and large most people think that allowing endangered Leatherback, Hawksbill, and Green sea turtles to continue to nest there is ok, and it doesn’t really hinder their vacation, as it appears it did yours. Moonwalk is our home that we delight in sharing with others. The “clutter” not seen in earlier photos is art work we have collected on our travels around the world that we recently shipped to STX. We feel this makes the Moonwalk experience a richer and more interesting one. I think what you describe is a difference in personal taste, with yours perhaps being a bit more on the spartan side. We’d love your suggestions on how to fix some of the issues you raise - The house sits on the ocean, and its basically like living on a boat. I do not know how to deal with salt spray other than to move the house! I counted my silverware and I have 12 complete place settings. There are 2 drawers in the kitchen, so I am scratching my head as to how this could have been missed. I’ve counted the towels in the closet. There are 15 bath towels and 12 beach towels, multiple hand towels and wash cloths, and 4 complete sets of towels hanging in the bathroom. There is a sign on the fridge with our housekeeper’s phone number if you needed more. We have ample excess. Most of these are new, purchased within the past 6 months. I have left a few older, obviously faded/frayed beach towels in case someone is searching for an older towel to wipe their feet or wash their rental car. Should I remove these from the mix? The beach chairs in the garage were purchased in November. The lounge chairs on the deck were purchased in January of this year. The only clothing hanging in the closet is a single wetsuit and it is in the back with a bin marked “owner”. The majority of the closet is available for use. The books in the dressers (which are otherwise empty) and in the closet are there for renters, a “library” others have requested over the years. Should they be removed? The “food” in the refrigerator is basically island home rental industry standard and usually the condiments left behind are greatly appreciated by our renters. The closest grocery store is over the mountain and a 20 minute drive. Not having to buy a 5$ bottle of ketchup for a few days use is usually considered a good thing. We are indeed sorry that your experience was not a pleasant one. Had you reached out to us with any concerns beyond our vehicle in the driveway, we could have helped you to perhaps find a solution you would have found acceptable, and even to help you find other accommodations more to your taste. It is our understanding that you left island after only 3 days so perhaps the problem wasn’t just our Moonwalk, but St. Croix as a whole. We think it is a rare gem of an island but it is not for everyone.