Loved the accommodations at Villa Papillon. Views are amazing. Great location for accessing Magen's Bay and restaurants. Enjoyed having separate spaces and yet common areas to gather. Pool was usually "refreshing" but hot tub provided warmth when needed. Nice basket of snacks but surprised to find very little in way of staples as in other villas we have rented.
Spent 8 days at the Villa Papillon. In one word....PHENOMENAL! The place is as advertised ,only better in person. The location was breath taking. The living accommodations we're perfect for our party of 5....neat, clean, very cool, great layout, had every amenity you could possible need for vacation. Pool and hot tub were fantastic. The view... to die for! We did NOT want to leave. This is truly heaven on earth. Thank you Linda and Mike you were awesome hosts. and thank you for the goodie basket in the refrigerator for our arrival. I can't say enough good things about the Villa Papillon. We would all go their again in a heartbeat!
Paradise with a price. Villa Papillon would be absolutely spectacular if it weren't for an extensive list of condescending and ridiculous "do's" and "don'ts". It is next to impossible to take a breath without being confronted by yet another sign, instructing how to behave or operate in the villa (see the photos attached). Quite literally, one can't even escape for a moment of privacy in the toilet! There is a sign posted next to the toilet paper to your left! These signs also seem to suppose a certain level of idiocy of behalf of the reader. This, unfortunately, transforms what should be a relaxing refuge into a place where one feels scrutinized and judged. It is insulting and intrusive. Privacy is also minimal. This was not fully disclosed, however we quickly learned that the owners live right below the villa on the property. They seem to be listening and observing the entire time. Every time you vacate the villa (even briefly), you can count on the owners entering as soon as you've left… which might be somewhat acceptable if it wasn't obvious that they are paying close attention and just ready to pounce at the opportunity. It's creepy. You feel very closely monitored. In fact, I would not be surprised to learn that there are hidden cameras observing. I do have to emphasize, that our group of friends did still manage to have a wonderful visit. The villa is lovely, the views are superb and the the location is fantastic. Villa papillon just needs to seriously reconsider its management style. When paying for luxury accommodations, one should receive the appropriate hospitality in return. This was not hospitality. It was the opposite.
My wife and I have been onsite property managers for Villa Papillon for 19 years. This is one of the finest, best value, luxury vacation villas anywhere. As with all reviews, there is always the ‘other side of the story’. By the way, we were in Miami for 7 of the 10 nights your group stayed with us.
First, in regards to the signs. Yes, we have signs posted around the property. They are there for safety and to help prevent problems. Our pool sign reads “no glass around the pool” I think you’ll find a sign like this at every hotel pool. The sign at the dryer reads “clean lint tray after use”. A clogged lint tray can overheat the dryer and can cause a fire. I wish we didn’t have to post signs like this but a broken dryer in the Virgin Islands doesn’t get repaired as fast as in the United States, so we try and prevent problems. In the fridge the sign reads “don’t adjust the temperature” (we’ve had guests in the past fill an empty fridge full with food and think that by putting the thermostat to a very low temperature that it will cool quicker. Result: an overheated compressor). The sign by the toilet, a 4” x 4” sign, reads “If your toilet is running, please call us so that we may take care of the problem right away. A leaky toilet will use up $105.05 worth of water in 24 hours.” (That sign is there because we have no city water, only the water that we collect from rain on the roof. This is the case for most homes in the Virgin Islands. If we get low on water, we have to buy it by the truckload and have it delivered. We are only trying to avoid wasting water and preventing our water pump from burning out. Remember, because there is no city water, it is pumped up from our cistern. Again, I don’t think this is any different than hotels that leave a sign asking you to reuse towels to save water.)
The sign at the main door reads “remember to close and lock all doors to the villa and put on the security alarm when leaving for the day”. Why would anyone have to post a sign saying ‘close and lock all the doors and windows when you leave’? Because we have had some guests leave the villa for the day with doors wide open and unlocked! When your group mentioned to my wife Linda that you would be gone on Sunday for an all day boating trip, we went up to the property to do what we normally do when guests are gone. And that is to add water to the pool and hot tub, check chlorine and chemical levels (we do our own pool maintenance), sweep up any leaves on the deck and check to make sure everything is fine. We saw some towels lying around and my wife took it upon herself to wash them for you and put them on the dryer. We saw a plastic wine glass at the bottom of the hot tub and removed it because someone might step on it and hurt themselves. We also noticed that the main deck door was unlocked. My wife went in the through the deck door and also noticed that the alarm was not put on. The contract states we have the right to enter the premises if there is a problem. An unlocked door was a problem! An unlocked door means no insurance coverage if there is a robbery.
In regards to your other comment of “they seem to be listening every time”, it wasn’t us, it was one of our neighbors who complained about the very loud music. That’s the reason why you were asked to turn the music down. Here is the excerpt from the signed contract. “QUIET ENJOYMENT: We understand you are on vacation, however, your neighbors are not vacationers. Loud music, midnight pool parties and excessive noise may generate a complaint. Quiet times after 9pm. Please be considerate.”
We received an email during your stay, while we were in Miami, from the person who booked the villa for your group and I quote “I want to again apologize for everything. I assure you there will not be any more issues.”
As I said earlier, Villa Papillon is a very successful villa. We’ve been onsite property managers here for 19 years. The best run and best maintained villas usually are. Our property is repainted every couple of years. Everything in the villa is high end. A little over a third of our business is from repeat guests. That’s a high return rate for a villa operation.
And thank you for the 4 out of 5 stars.
We had a wonderful week staying here. There were three couples in our party. Linda met us at the airport and we followed her to the property. She gave us a quick but thorough tour and even surprised us with a bottle of wine, fruit and cheese plate and gluten free cookies. The pictures in the ad are exactly how the place looks. We have nothing but wonderful things to say about the property as well as the hospitality of the owner. The views from the massive deck are stunning! When we weren't out exploring, we spent all but our sleeping hours on this beautiful deck, in the pool, and in the hot tub. The property is stocked with everything you could possibly need - beach towels, indoor/outdoor sound system, beautiful grill, pool floats, etc. We will definitely be back!
This house is fantastic, the views are unbelievable. The accommodations were perfect for three couples. We couldn't have been happier. While the house is superb, we ate most of our meals out on the amazing deck. The kitchen was great, for the few meals we prepared inside, mostly we use the outdoor grill. Everything was perfect. Linda and Mike were so nice! Linda prepared a map for us, making our trips around the island easy, with little stress, driving here is on the left side of the road. We were able to locate everything easily. The views are remarkable from every room of this house. I would highly recommend this property. We loved the hot tub and pool. Thanks Linda and Mike for your kindness and taking great care of us.
