My husband and I stayed at the Seaside Studio for five nights, beginning June 28, 2013. This was our 5th trip to St. John, but our first time at Grande Bay. We've previously stayed in private villas, the Westin, Cruz Views condos and Gallows Point. We liked Grande Bay the most and will be back.
I rented the Seaside Studio unit using VRBO and we had a great experience, from beginning to end. Tracy was helpful in answering our questions, her rental contract was simple, the terms were fair and she was easy to work with. The studio unit is small-ish (like a large hotel room with a kitchenette), but was nicely decorated, clean and perfectly sufficient for two. We could have stayed two weeks and not wanted for more. This was the first time I've had central A/C on St. John, which is a real luxury. This unit is on the first floor, one level above the road and beach; the parking garage is directly below. We really didn't have any road noise from below, in fact we were able to hear the ocean lapping against the sand, which was really nice with our morning coffee. I'm sure the views are more sweeping and spectacular from the upper building at Grande Bay, but frankly I liked the convenience of this unit and hearing the surf. It's a trade-off. It was quick to roll out into Cruz Bay, just one flight of stairs and off you went! We never used the elevator except for our arrival and departure with luggage. The staff at Grande Bay were really helpful as well. The safe in the unit was locked when we arrived, and the front desk sent maintenance in mere minutes - problem solved with no waiting around. No dreaded island time at Grande Bay; a friendly and professional operation all around.
We stayed during Carnival, and in the interest of full disclosure, it did get rather noisy at night. The live music typically begins around 11pm, so I wouldn't recommend any unit at Grande Bay during Carnival if you are a light sleeper. However, we are NOT light sleepers, so we didn't mind at all. We have a white noise app installed on our phones and just turned that on - problem solved!
Thank you Tracy for offering your beautiful 2nd home for rent. We will be back, hopefully renting both bedrooms with the kids!
Alissa - Atlanta, GA