We reserved the Crow's Nest Villa at Wharfside Village for 4 adults. We used Caribbean Days as the villa agency and we were pleased with their prompt service and attention to detail.

http://www.caribbeandays.com/stjohn/1bedroom/crowsnest.shtml

Would I rent this villa again? Absolutely. It was perfect for us.

Would I recommend this villa? Yes provided you are a party group looking to hang out and enjoy the nightlife.

Is this villa suitable for 2 couples? Not unless you enjoy public frivolity. There are really no walls separating the beds and the bathroom walls do not go all the way up to the ceiling. It's like a big slumber party environment.

Villa Photos (click to enlarge)

**Pros**

Location: The location of the villa is right in Wharfside Village. It is a quick walk down the stairs to Joe's Rum Hut or Paradise Cafe for beverages and quick meals. The Beach Bar is also located just at the bottom of the stairs to the villa as is Low Key Watersports. The Balcony restaurant and The Captain's Quarters bar are on the same level as the entry door to the villa. If you have ever used the "public" restroom above Joe's Rum Hut, you've passed the entry to the Crow's Nest. The location was perfect for us as we spent our evenings roaming the local bars. A quick return to the villa for touch ups etc was a big bonus for our group. You can also walk to the villa right from the ferry dock. No need to take a taxi as it is a short jaunt.

Decor: The villa is charming and very clean. As soon as we walked into the villa we knew it was a great fit for our personal styles.

View: Great view of Cruz Bay. Watching the boats in the mornings was a pleasure.

A/C: The villa is air conditioned and stays cool. The king size bed area is much cooler than the queen size bed area as the air conditioner is on the outside of the bathroom wall. This worked great for us as I like it cool at night while the others prefer a bit more moderate temp. There is an oscillating fan available as well.

Laundry: Stackable washer and dryer. We used these multiple times a day for towels and clothing. An ironing board and iron is also provided.

Bathroom: It's very large and accommodated 3 women at one time with two sinks. The shower is huge and you could have a party in it if that was your intent.

Kitchen: Full kitchen with a full sized refrigerator.

Cot: An extra sleeping cot was provided.

Audio/Video: There is a small stereo available. There is also a television and a dvd player in the king size bed area. We never once turned on the television however.

Beach Gear: Beach towels were very large and thick. Beach chairs were offered as well. I believe there were 5 or 6 chairs.

**Cons**

Noise: The location makes for a noisy villa. We were out until early hours of the morning so it didn't affect us. If you are looking to retire early and enjoy a peaceful evening at the villa this is not the villa for you. We found ourselves cheering with the Captain's Quarters during some tough man contest they were showing on television. The bars in the area are aware when you are renting the villa and they are very friendly and make apologies for the noise if it gets out of hand. They even offered to invite us to their activities so that we would be included in their revelry.

Light: If you don't enjoy morning sunshine waking you up, don't rent this villa. The "sun" room as I like to call it has 2 walls of paned glass overlooking Cruz Bay. The view is spectacular. The sunshine is really bright in the mornings and there aren't shades on all of the windows so there isn't anything you can do about the brightness. The queen size bed "area" does have shades that can be pulled however there is a stained glass window by the bed that I swear makes you want to sing "Hallelujah" when the sun shines through it.

A/C: The air conditioner was noisy. We didn't really complain about this but it does get on your nerves after a while. Had I been in a complaining mood I would have mentioned this to management.

Bathroom: Lovely large bathroom but the walls don't go all the way up to the ceiling. The door to the bathroom is also a slatted door so overall the bathroom isn't all that private. If you truly love the people you're traveling with this won't be an issue. Make sure you understand that it will be an issue if you're not completely comfortable with your travel partners.

Windows: The windows in the villa don't open. I was ok with this as I like to keep the humidity outside where it belongs. If you wish for ocean breezes don't rent this villa.

Stairs: There are lots of stairs in this villa. Not only do you traverse stairs from the main level of Wharfside Village you also have stairs to go up once you are inside the villa. Our luggage was very heavy and this was a bit of a trial getting to and leaving the villa.

Parking: There isn't free parking available near the villa. There is a parking lot where you can pay a fee to park by Verace jewelers which was a fairly short distance from the villa. We did pay to park for a couple of hours occasionally. We rented our vehicle from Penn's and they allowed us to park our rental Jeep on their lot in Cruz Bay during our visit.

I'd be happy to answer any further questions about the villa. It was a great experience for us and we will more than likely rent the villa again for our next visit.

~Rachel
~March 1-8, 2007