Completed our stay November 12, 2007 and loved it! Our hostess was exceptionally gratious - we were picked up and dropped off at the Cruz Bay ferry - a relevant extra benefit since street addresses are used only loosely in St. John's. Hillcrest is a 5 minute walk from Cruz Bay - be aware that the magnificent view our room had overlooking the bay was due to the house being located on a hill. While we enjoyed walking to and from the house, the walk to and from the town is not for the faint of heart - strongly consider renting a car if you're not in good physical shape. The room itself was average, but the amenities were exceptional! A well stocked bar including, snacks, mixers and liquor - esepcially the bottle of champagne waiting for us ! - and snorkeling gear was also provided free of charge - a "must" in our case!

Overall, I'd recommend Hillcrest to any couple or family looking to take advantage of what St. John;s has to offer at a reasonable price.

We were in St. John for a few days for a wedding at Caneel Bay. Hillcrest Guest House was a perfect place to stay for this wedding. Hillcrest is located near the ferry stop in Cruz Harbor, making it a very convenient location. From the guesthouse you've got to walk about 5 minutes down the hill to catch a taxi to any of the beaches. The walk up to the guesthouse is steep, but we found it to be just fine and quite quick.

The views from the rooms are pretty, the apartments clean and comfortable. Extra perks included being picked up and dropped off at the ferry station by Phyllis, wi-fi access, kitchen with snacks, fruit, coffee, tea, guidebooks. There is not a single thing we could complain about. Thank you Phyllis!

Liezl + Viet, New York, NY

We stayed in the Front Suite for 2 weeks. There’s not much to add to the other reviews. It seems how much you like Hillcrest depends on your expectations and desires. Though everyone agrees that Phyllis is the perfect hostess. She is extremely nice, accommodating, genuinely friendly, and helpful.

After reading all the reviews here, we expected there would probably be some noise issues, and we dealt with them easily. Keeping the A/C unit’s fan on at night produced “white noise” which covered up any noise coming from the town, the road, or nearby animals. (I don’t recall if anyone mentioned the roosters, but during the times we had the fan turned off, they were much more annoying than the dogs.) We found the bed comfortable and had no trouble sleeping in it.

We enjoyed the food that Phyllis provided for us, and (to our surprise) made use of the DVD collection. We didn’t come there to watch DVDs, but it turned out there were a few times at night when we had an extra hour or so, and watching a movie we hadn’t seen before was an enjoyable way to spend that time. The unit had everything we desired, except a toaster. But that was no big loss.

The view from the unit is nice, though as someone else pointed out, a bit restricted due to the screens. But thank goodness for those screens, as they kept the mosquitoes out. Unfortunately at the time of year we were there, the sun set directly behind a building in front of the unit, so the actual sunset was not visible. That may not be the case during other times of the year. But the view of Cruz Bay harbor is still gorgeous.

Being so close to town was great. Walk down the hill, and in 3 minutes you’re in town. It was no problem walking into town, but coming back up that hill was a bit of an ordeal. It’s just that last block, with a grade that must be around 30%, that’s a killer. But if you take it slow and you’re in reasonably good shape, it’s much easier than trying to find a parking space in Cruz Bay.

For us, Hillcrest Guest House was an excellent value, and just what we needed.

We loved St John and cannot wait to go back. Phyllis was wonderful picking us up at the dock and giving great suggestions on places to eat and things to do. We hiked and snorkled almost every day. What a great place to spend a birthday.