Note from Ruth:

Regarding Star Villas http://www.starvillas.org/

Ron and I used to stay at Star Villas when we vacationed on St. John before we moved here. We loved it and we are now long-term renters of one of the Star Villa units.

The neighborhood is fantastic – within walking distance of Cruz Bay, quiet and safe.

Star Villas Apartments are not luxury villas, luxury condos, hotels or a bed and breakfast. They don’t fit the standard category listings and maybe that’s why every single unit isn’t booked every single day. I sure can’t figure it out otherwise.

Here are some reviews I found online at tripadvisor.com:

Traveler rating:

Cruz Bay: Star Villas: "absolutely loved staying here"
Apr 8, 2006:  A TripAdvisor Member, delray beach, florida

Star Villa, Gallows Point, St. John, USVI
March 18-23, 2006

This home was so beautiful, that the pictures do not do it justice. We never expected it to be so amazing. The entire back of the house is decked. The view is spectacular. You can see St. Thomas, Little James Island and Big Jmaes island. Off in the far distance you can see St. Croix. We loved barbecues in the evening, sitting on the hammock and enjoying the view of the Islands, and sailboats peacefully passing by.
The interior of the house was immaculate and the kitchen was stocked with all the cooking, seving and eating utensils you needed. The master bathroom was incredible. The shower was actually outside of the main bathroom on the other side of a sliding glass door. It was screened in up top, with a ledge that had plants spilling over in the shower. It was so unique and beautiful that we took pictures of it.
This house is in a great location. Just a short walk to downtown. If we spent the day at the beach we would go home and jump in our own private pool. Life could'nt get any better.
The owners of Star villa were wonderful. Bob and his lovely wife Marlena were so helpful, and always there if we needed anything. We called them when we arrived on the ferry, and within minutes they picked us up. Same goes for the sad day that we had to leave, they were there to give us a ride back to the ferry.
The Star Villa is one place we will definetly recommend to anyone who wants a beautiful, private vacation on St. John

Traveler rating:

Cruz Bay: Star Villas: "Great Time at Star Villas"
May 14, 2006:  A TripAdvisor Member, New Orleans, LA

My experience with this property took place in:

May, 2006

My ratings for this hotel are:

Value

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

I traveled to this hotel with:  spouse/partner

I recommend this hotel for:  An amazing honeymoon, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists

My visit was for:  extended vacation

Would I stay at this location again:  absolutely!

We just returned from St. John and had a wonderful stay at Star Villas, specifically Papaya II. The villa is well appointed with plenty of towels, dinnerware, gas grill, A/C in bedrooms, and cable tv/telephone. Also, the unit was absolutely spotless. Marlene and Bob were very pleasant and were right next door if we needed anything. There is a nice view of Frank Bay from the balcony but you cannot see the sunset. The walk into town is fast, but there are some moderate hills to climb on the way back (not a huge problem, just take your time!). We would stay here again. For the price this villa is a great deal.

Traveler rating:

Cruz Bay: Star Villas: "Classy Villas"
Sep 4, 2005:  A TripAdvisor Member, Eagan, Minnesota

STAR VILLAS is a short ten minute walk from Cruz Bay. These units with breath-taking views are one of the best accommendations Cruz Bay has to offer. These classy apartment units are clean and fully equipted. Besides their kind hospitality, Bob and Marlene do a superb job with making sure your stay is comfortable. I have become spoiled staying at the STAR VILLAS and I hope to return as often as I can.

Traveler rating:

Cruz Bay: Star Villas: "Star View -Good Value for your $"
Jul 30, 2005:  A TripAdvisor Member, Texas

View larger photos

My experience with this property took place in:

June, 2004

My ratings for this hotel are:

Value

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

I traveled to this hotel with:  spouse/partner

I recommend this hotel for:  Young singles, An amazing honeymoon

My visit was for:  extended vacation

Would I stay at this location again:  most likely

My husband and I stayed at Star View for our honeymoon in June 2004. Overall, we had a very good stay.
Good Things: Bob and Marlene seemed very nice...we actually never met them! We rented a car on St. Thomas so we had our own ride there. They knew it was our honeymoon and they were very non-intrusive and we appreciated that. However, they were only a phone call away if you needed something.
The price was pretty much unbeatable. We were on a budget so this was important to us.
The unit was clean and neat. It had plenty of towels, books to read (including one St. John guidebook we made use of), a radio, cooking supplies, beach chairs, a grill on the lower deck and a small cooler.
The view on the upper deck was great!
Bad Things: The stairs! They were very narrow and winding...it did get to be a pain to go up and down them but oh well.
The cooler was pretty small and the handle kept popping out...they could use a new one.
The bed was not very comfortable...it felt like the mattress needed to be replaced.
I'm sure my husband and I will be back at St. John someday and we would definately consider Star Villas again...although for next time we'd like a bigger place, like maybe Star Villa.

Traveler rating:

Cruz Bay: Star Villas: "Star Villa's Sugar Bird a wonderful place!"
Jul 17, 2005:  A TripAdvisor Member, Iowa

My experience with this property took place in:

July, 2005

My ratings for this hotel are:

Value

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

I traveled to this hotel with:  spouse/partner

My visit was for:  extended vacation

Would I stay at this location again:  absolutely!

Just returned from 7 nights at Sugarbird and it was a wonderful vacation villa. It had everything you would need including beach towels, beach chairs, cooler and A/C in the bedroom. It is in a very good location near to town with its own parking spot. We also rented a car to explore the island and would recommend others do so. I think you would miss alot w/out a rental car. Bob and Marlene were nearby if needed and are lovely people. We will definately stay with Star Villas again, seems to be a great value for the island. Can't wait to go back!

Traveler rating:

Cruz Bay: Star Villas: "The best value and the best vacation"
Jul 12, 2005:  A TripAdvisor Member, Cary, NC

View larger photos

My experience with this property took place in:

June, 2005

My ratings for this hotel are:

Value

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

I traveled to this hotel with:  spouse/partner, teenagers

I recommend this hotel for:  An amazing honeymoon, Older travelers, Families with young children, Families with teenagers

My visit was for:  extended vacation

Would I stay at this location again:  absolutely!

We stayed in the Star Villa -- the one with the pool. Everything was above expectations. All surprises were good ones. We spent 13 days at the beginning of June. The best part of the villa is the view. It has a huge deck that wraps around the house. Each of the two bedrooms has double sliding glass doors, and the rest of the house has 3 more double glass doors. So it's a very open, cheery place to stay. If it weren't St. John we would have stayed in the villa more.

We spent most of our time at the beach, snorkeling, and exploring the island. It was so nice to come back (very tired) take a dip in the private pool, and fix something easy to eat. Yes, that's right. We cooked for ourselves. The villa has a full kitchen with all the cookware and utensils. Most standard condiments were already there too (previous guest add to the collection and we added a few of our own). There's a very nice gas grill on the deck. We found it easier, quicker, and of course cheaper to fix our own meals than to eat out. If you don't like to cook on your vacation, it's a short walk down to Cruz Bay.

Like the previous review, I don't see how anyone would have half the amount of fun without renting a car. We rented ours at the airport (STT) and fairy-ed it across. That's a lot cheaper and faster than taxi. Besides, we loaded up the car with food from Cost-U-Less in St. Thomas. If you rent a car in St. Thomas, you should choose one that has an office in St. John. We rented from Avis that doesn't. We didn't have any problems, but if we had, we would have been responsible to get it back to St. Thomas. I know Hertz has an office in St. John. There may be others.

When you go to Cruz bay (to shop, eat, or dive with LowKey) you'll probably want to walk because parking is scarce. If you're going to the grocery (we went to Starfish which is nice) or anywhere else on the island, you'll want to drive. Note that at the Star Villa you have your own parking spot right at your front door (you don't get that at a resort).

I only found one reason to stay at a resort or hotel over Star Villa, and that's because I asked someone why they stay there every year: Frequent Flier Miles.

It seemed like Bob cleaned the pool every day -- far more than we felt necessary. We didn't see them much, but one thing is for sure: Bob and Marlene take care of you. I don’t think it needs it, but Bob mentioned that he’s planning for some major updates for the Star Villa this fall. I just hope that next time we get to go to St. John the Star Villa will be available. The secret is out now!

Traveler rating:

Cruz Bay: Star Villas: "An island of economic sanity on St John"
Jul 6, 2005:  A TripAdvisor Member, Columbus, Ohio

My experience with this property took place in:

July, 2005

My ratings for this hotel are:

Value

Rooms

Cleanliness

I traveled to this hotel with:  spouse/partner

I recommend this hotel for:  An amazing honeymoon, Tourists

My visit was for:  extended vacation

Would I stay at this location again:  absolutely!

Spent a week in Sugarbird at Star Villas over Carnival on St John. Villa was great, with everything we needed for a great vacation. The best thing is the location. It's a 10 minute walk to downtown, and the deck overlooks the ocean. Overall, a wonderful bargain in St. John compared to the rates at the resorts.

A few notes on St John for those interested. The beaches are fantastic. In particular, Trunk Bay and Leinster Bay (requiring a 1 mile hike to get to it) were the best for both swimming and snorkeling.

Food was expensive. But the food was very good. We enjoyed Zozo's, Panini Beach, Cafe Roma, and Polli's. Zozo's was a real standout, and is a 2 minute walk from Star Villas.

Last note. Lots of people have written about not renting a car. Our thinking was that these people must have not seen very much, or paid a fortune in cab fare (the cab experience leaves much to be desired). All the best beaches, hikes, etc. require transportation. Was definitely worth renting a car for at least a few days.

And yes, Bob and Marlene are wonderful hosts!

Traveler rating:

Cruz Bay: Star Villas: "Star Villas -- great location and excellent value!"
May 16, 2005:  A TripAdvisor Member, Cleveland, OH

My experience with this property took place in:

May, 2005

My ratings for this hotel are:

Value

Rooms

Cleanliness

I traveled to this hotel with:  spouse/partner

I recommend this hotel for:  Young singles, Families with young children, Tourists

My visit was for:  extended vacation

Would I stay at this location again:  absolutely!

We just returned from our wonderful 10 day St. John vacation and can't wait to return. The location of Star Villas was great -- no need to rent a car. The Sugarbird condo was in walking distance to the ferry and downtown cruz bay. The awesome beaches of St. John were just a short cab ride away (Trunk Bay is a must see!) The condo provided everything we needed -- it was the perfect size for two people. We were very pleased with the value and accommodations -- many of the people we met were paying three times the price per night for the bigger name resorts (resulting in more spending money for awesome shopping in St. Thomas)! We'll be back soon!
Dave & Christina