Island Cottage Guest Comments
Absolutely in love with this place.
View, easy access, fully equipped, restaurant, bars, groceries…steps away. If you like the unplugged quite vacay, this is the place. Everyone is correct, pics don’t do justice. It was fantastic.
Jada and B.
Relaxing stay in St John!
We just returned from a wonderful week in Coral Bay. The house had everything we needed for a simple, relaxing stay. Such a convenient location to the North Shore beaches (our 7 year old loved Maho, Cinnamon, and Francis Bays), Salt Pond Bay, and the laid back restaurants of Coral Bay. Dolphin Market in Coral Bay is a great place to pick up provisions for your stay – we cooked breakfast at the cottage every day (my husband appreciated the coffee press!) and packed a lunch for a day of hiking and relaxing on the beach (we brought our own small soft sided cooler which was easier to manage on walks from the car to the beach than the big cooler at the cottage). We appreciated the beach chairs and beach toys!
The roosters were a bit loud in the very early morning, but were easily drowned out by running the fans. Beware the mosquitos are terrible this year – we’ve never had that issue in our previous 3 trips to St John.
5/5 stars Stayed Feb 2022
Rachel
Perfect Getaway
Everything about this property was amazing from the view, deck, hot tub, location, etc. There’s not much more you could ask for.
Stayed Dec 2021
Robert H.
A quiet gem, perched in the hills, overlooking the ocean. A perfect escape!
My wife and I spent Christmas week at this lovely cottage in Coral Bay and had an amazing time.
The house is perfect in every way and we immediately felt at home the moment we arrived. The views are incredible from sunrise to sunset from every room in the house.
Everything we needed was there, whether it was for relaxing (hot tub, deck chairs, BBQ grill, hammock chair, couch, Bluetooth speaker, etc.), sleeping (comfortable bed/sheets, blackout curtains, air conditioning/fans), eating (dining room table, outdoor dining table, full kitchen with toaster, blender, pots, pans, utensils, glassware, spices, dinnerware, etc.) or exploring (beach chairs, cooler, maps of the island, books, beach towels, etc.). The outdoor shower was nice/private and we looked forward to showering upon returning from the beach each day.
The house and its furnishings are in great condition and the tasteful details make it a special place. While you will need a car, getting to the house, parking and finding your way around was a piece of cake (not something to be taken for granted on St. John!). There are food/supply markets, restaurants and bars very close by (walking distance if needed) that offer a wide range of choices. We dined out a few nights and cooked in a few as well. Everything we needed for cocktail hour was available close by and sitting on the deck watching the sun drop behind the mountains was priceless.
Each day we packed the cooler and beach chairs/towels and explored the different beaches the island has to offer. You can rent snorkeling gear at the bottom of the hill for $40 pp per week which gives you something fun to do while at the beach each day. Coral Bay is on the “quiet side” of the island and after exploring the entire island including Cruz Bay, where you arrive, it’s definitely the area that we’ll be returning to as it offers splendid and unspoiled views of the harbor and surrounding islands while out of the hustle and bustle of Cruz Bay.
Communication with the owners and local caretaker was excellent as she reached out the week before by text/WhatsApp so that anything we needed was a quick text away.
My wife and I are seasoned house renters and can certainly say this was one of the nicest experiences we have had anywhere. We’re very much looking forward to our return visit.
Andrew C.
Stayed Dec 2021
Enjoyed our stay at Island Cottage
We enjoyed our vacation in St. John and Island Cottage! The owner was easy to communicate with and provided us with all the information we needed. House is really cute, clean and pictures are accurate. We enjoyed our mornings and evenings on the deck with an amazing view of Coral Bay. Maybe the best part! Only enjoyed the hot tub a couple of evenings because it was so hot outside but was fun to have. Owner recommended Landlubber Logistics which we utilized and would recommend to others. Shop with them ahead of time on-line and they will grocery shop and fill the refrigerator before you arrive. We also ordered dinner with them for the day we arrived which was waiting for us upon arrival. Was so nice and worth the money after a long day of travel. Kitchen has everything you need to prepare meals at home if you want to. No AC in main part of the house. Open windows and screen doors to have air flow in main space. AC in bedroom which made sleeping comfortable. Bathroom toilet and sink inside but only shower is outside. Private and something we quickly got used to! There were three of us – two adults and our 14 year old daughter. We originally thought she would sleep on the futon/coach in living room but with no AC – we put the provided extra twin fold out bed/cot in the bedroom next to the main bed. St. John is very casual and laid back. Skinny Legs was our favorite local restaurant minutes from the house in Coral Bay. There are also a couple of markets in Coral Bay to pick up basic grocery items. No question you need a rental car so you can drive to amazing local beaches. Maho Bay and Cinnamon Bay were our two favorites closet to the house. They drive on the left – so be ready – but it’s doable. One last plug – if you are an animal lover, go visit Carolina Corral. Look it up. The only animal rescue on the island and tours or horseback rides provide much needed funding. Minutes from the house. Oh and it is true that donkeys, goats and chickens just roam St. John roads. Watch out for them! Happy Travels!
Meredith G.
Stayed Jul 2021
Everything as advertised
The place was great, all the amenities were perfect. Fabulous view, hot tub, deck, etc….
A winner.
Will B.
Stayed May 2021