Good grief don't wait until you go there!!! That goes for villas, Jeeps or any other type of accomodation. St. John's the kind of place that you need to do your homework while you're planning.

I would contact several villa agents and see what they have available for your dates. That will narrow the field and then come back to the forum for additional information.

I do have the e-mail address for Lauren @ Estate Lindholm. It's lauren@estatelindholm.com We love to stay there for a couple of days before getting into our villa.

linne: we are also coming to St John in July and staying at Estate Lindholm. Their email is apparently down, so I called this week and made reservations directly with Lauren for 7/8-7/15. (1-800-322-6355) So give her a call! Based on several website recommendations, I think this is the best fit for us on accomodations for our first visit to St John. We did not want to go the upscale resort route. But, since it was just the two of us, we didn't want to be too isolated, but more close to town and able to meet up with other vacationers in the Inn. Plus, it does have a pool and I think that will be a plus in July after a long day touring the island...

Ditto the other posters. Give Lauren a call. Estate Lindholm is a lovely place with pretty views of Cruz Bay and the sea, about a 10 minute walk down hill to town (wouldn't walk back up though!) and 10-15 minute walk down the trail to the beach. From Honeymoon Beach you can continue on the trail another 10 minutes or so to Caneel Bay Resort, have a drink at the bar (or, if it's midday, go for the lunch buffet) and either walk or taxi back.

This a a beautiful island and a very nice area to stay. You will wish you'd spent all your time here!

We returned two days ago from our stay on STJ where we stayed at Estate Lindholm.

As this was our first time on the island, it was perfect for what we wanted and needed.

We didn't want to rent a car and the location made that possible. Moments after we checked in, we were on our way for a 10-15 minute trail walk to beautiful Honeymoon beach where the snorkeling is great. Later we walked over to Solomon beach which is very pretty.

Back at EL, we took a dip in the pool and walked 7 minutes into town where we were free to drink without the responsibility of driving that night. A few hours later, equipped with a tiny flashlight Pia recommended, we simply walked back up to our room. Yes it was pitch black on the walk back up and the last part of the walk is a bit steep (just go slower at that point) but there is a spectacular overlook you pass on the way up and, the stars at night were breathtaking. We didn't need one taxi ride that entire day!

The room contains everything you need to be able to relax on a quiet, private balcony, with either a drink or food you've taken out and need to reheat. Lauren has thought of every detail to make the room perfect, including even a hurricane lamp for the balcony at night.

During our 4 days there, the weather wasn't the best for snorkeling (do you call it a "swell") but Lauren's husband gave us a suggestion on where to go that we never would've figured out on our own and it was the best day of our trip!

It is more costly than some lodging on STJ but far, far less than the resorts. To us, the garden setting, location, little breakfast, pool, views, and personal information made it well worth the rate. Everything we had read from Trip Advisor reviews was true. Any complaints posted are extremely minor.

Any other questions, let me know!

We are also traveling to St. John in July (7/28-8/3) and are staying at Estate Lindholm. I had read so many great reviews that I decided to go for it. Lauren has been incredibly helpful in giving advice about the island and recommendations for car rentals, etc.

It sounds like Estate Lindholm would be what you are looking for as well. The rates were incredibly reasonable. We decided to stay in the "Jumbie" room. There is a panoramic view of that room on their website.

Good luck choosing a place and have a great time!

Looks like you already made you choice but for future people that find this post I have this advice about Cruz Views Condos.

I just talked to the reservation people and their is ongoing construction right near the condo since I wanted to stay here. They said that it will still be happening in like10 months from now. They are not sure when it will end.

They have been honest about the noise so I do give them points for that one.

On my last stay at St John I stayed here 5 years ago I stayed at Cruz Views and it was great, really a shame about the construction.