We just wanted to thank you again for working with us so we could enjoy Seagate this year. It was an absolutely wonderful trip. Words cannot describe how much we enjoyed St. John. The kids had so much fun in the pool and hottub. The wildlife was beautiful too. Love the sugar birds, iguanas, lizards, etc. Everyone agreed that the best snorkeling was right in Chocolate Hole. Our rooms were so comfortable as well. Thanks again and we're starting to save for next year!!! Beth (Woodbury, New Jersey Feb. 2010)
We had a great time at Seagate Villa last week! Thanks so much for letting us spend some time on St. John. What a wonderful spot! The place is really kid friendly and that just made our time so much more enjoyable. Our 17 month old is a curious chap and it makes traveling to non "child proof" locations a challenge. Seagate was a joy! I'd even go so far as to suggest you advertise that point for family vacations. Thanks again! Ryan (Durham, North Carolina Nov. 2009)
We booked our trip to St John on relatively short notice, and booked with the owner of SeaGate Villa on just as short notice. We traveled in mid April of 2009. We got a 5 nite deal because there was a wedding booked just after us. Myself and wife, with 12 and 15 year-old daughters, plus my 15 year-old nephew went and had an amazing time. The villa was actually a bit too big for us. We never used the downstairs bedrooms. The three on the main floor were perfect though.
The owner sent us a great welcome kit, and then we worked directly with the on-island rep once we got to the USVI. This villa has some great mature landscaping, and the layout is great. The main floor is perfect for a large family, with the nice kitchen, large great room with hot tub, three bedrooms off the great room, plus the covered deck overlooking Chocolate hole. Also can’t forget the quad entry doors and pergola at the entrance, plus the side patio off the kitchen, which has a grill and great view of the bay, plus stairs down to the pool. The one thing that the website and owner never really impressed upon enough was that this villa is truly ocean front!!! The property is relatively large and has a nice gentle sloped grass path directly to Chocolate Hole. To the left and right of the path are beautiful mature landscaping, which was relatively dry when we went as there had been little rain recently. My daughters were a bit freaked out by the iguanas, which can startle you when they are interrupted from their sunbathing. They can scamper away very quickly (the iguanas are quicker than the teenagers!) We only saw one big slow one by the pool, which can be seen in our photo gallery. Nephew and I snorkeled right in front of the villa and saw a medium size turtle. Get past a couple urchins, and Chocolate hole is a nice morning snorkel.
Chocolate hole can seem small from the villa, because you are so close. There was construction to the left of the villas, and it always seems that there is a weed-eater or skill-saw running somewhere during the day. You are so close to the water that you can hear the ocean lapping the rocks at nite, and also the water trucks delivering water across the bay in the late afternoons. I’ve been to Eden’s Whim as a dinner guest, which is directly above Seagate (some photos of Eden’s Whim can be seen in my 2006 photo gallery). This is much closer to the ocean, which is a completely different experience.
The pool and decks are great. You can see Pond Bay from the top deck though, but you are normally facing either across the bay, or to the ocean when sunbathing. Reading a book from the lower deck is a truly peaceful moment. Usually just the ocean is what fills your senses; sight, sounds, smell. Especially great at nite.
The upstairs bedrooms are all neat and clean, with nice new amenities, including large showers, modern fixtures, and an outdoor shower in one of the bedrooms. The downstairs kitchen was mildly dated, but had a fridge with a huge capacity ice-maker, so we never had to buy ice to fill coolers for day trips ( there were 3 coolers to choose from, when going out or the day to the beach). That bedroom/kitchen is directly adjacent to the pool, so it serves as a pit stop for a cold drink, if you fill that fridge with a few cold drinks. The bedrooms/bathrooms downstairs are nicely done, even though we didn’t use them.
As for the beaches and eating, we had a great time, even though we tried to cram a lot of sunbathing and meals into a short trip. We were usually wiped by the time dinner-time came around, as can be seen by our red faces in the photo gallery. Not much more can be said about the St. John Beaches, so this is mainly a Villa Review. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.
Link here: http://picasaweb.google.com/TSMannLumber/StJohn2009# Thomas (Athol, MA April 2009)
Wonderful... in such a short time, it came to feel like home and a comfy welcoming place to return to after a busy day's activities, or to hang out when we were feeling lazy. We couldn't have asked for better! Don't change a thing! We all hope to be back one day and this will be our choice for accommodations. PS Thank you for all of your hard work over the years to make Seagate such a special home! Kathy & Peter (Cincinnati, OH), Andy & Nancy (Chicago, IL) Wayne & Marcia (Denver, CO) June 2009
I can't begin to tell you what a good time we had at Seagate Villa. Your home is just beautiful as described and had plenty of space for our family. You have thought about everything we might need ( It shows the love of your family). We did some exploring and shopping, but mostly resting and swimming. The guys loved the snorkeling and spent much time doing that. Who knows, we may return some day and certainly would recommend Seagate. Nancy (Daylestown, PA Aug 2010)
Just a short note to say that we had a great vacation and Seagate is a wonderful
place. Thanks for every thing! Chris (Lewisville, NC July, 2010)
I wanted to thank you for allowing us the experience of staying at Seagate Villa. It is so lovely and we all enjoyed our time there and exploring the island. Sharon was absolutely wonderful to us and we appreciate all of her help as well as your advice prior to our trip. I hope that I will be able to stay here again and will always remember the fantastic view! Reynette (Seneca, SC May 2010)
Hi Lisa, I wanted to let you know what a wonderful vacation we had! Your home is gorgeous, and with such a great feeling of care, joy and love on the whole property. The only problem-our time there was too short! There is always an element of risk when trying to find the "right" vacation rental, and the whole group felt that we certainly had great luck to find you. We're already strategizing the challenging task of how to find the time to all be there together again. Thanks for sharing your little piece of heaven with your guests. We hope to be able to enjoy the many pleasure of Seagate again. Jeanne (Cambridge, MA April, 2010)
Hi Lisa, Thank you so much for allowing us to rent your beautiful villa. It was a week in paradise. Your home is clean, comfy and homey. We could not have asked for a nicer place to stay. The views are amazing. We loved everything about the island. The restaurants were very good. Our top two favorites were Zozos and La Tapa. We also liked Morgans Mango, especially the atmosphere. The food at Paradiso was good, but it was more fun to be outside at the other restaurants. We also cooked in a couple of nights and loved sitting on the deck while we ate. Skinny Legs was a fun bar to have lunch. The beaches were beautiful. We were a little limited to which ones we could go to because our son David was on crutches. Salt Pond Bay was the one beach that would have been too much effort for him to get down to on the crutches, so that is first on our list for next time. Because we couldn't go to Salt Pond Bay, we went to Miss Vi's beach on the east end that day. We spent most of our time at Trunk Bay, Hawksnest and Cinnamon Bay. They were not crowded at all and the water was so warm. It was fun to snorkel every day and to just enjoy the abundant sunshine. Thanks again for allowing us to use your beautiful home. We had a wonderful vacation and hope to be back next year. Happy Easter! Mary (Ada, MI March 2010)
