Guests declare Great Expectations the best villa on St John

Our private getaway was perfection in paradise and the view was phenomenal!  

— Mick and Beth H.| Santa Monica, CA

Our stay at Great Expectations was wonderful! We had two families including several children with us, and it accommodated our group perfectly. We enjoyed beautiful scenery with a very island-like ambiance throughout the property. We have stayed there twice now, and expect to return in the future. I would recommend it to anyone!

— Lyndon

Our stay at Great Expectations was wonderful! We had two families including several children with us, and it accommodated our group perfectly. We enjoyed beautiful scenery with a very island-like ambiance throughout the property. We have stayed there twice now, and expect to return in the future. I would recommend it to anyone!

— Lyndon

Hi!  We had an awesome vacation and your villa was the perfect place for us to stay (we loved it)!  My nephew loved the "bachelor pad" with his own fridge.  Actually, the weather was really pretty good -it only rained a few times on St John and wasn't a problem when it did.  We played tennis 4 days!  All of your recommendations were spot on - we used Christie's, Mathayom, Courtesy Car Rental, the taxi service in St John and Dream Weaver sailboat (and got discounts at all of them).  Captain Jini and her first mate did an awesome job with the sailing and snorkeling - my 71 year old Dad had trouble when he got in the water and they worked with him and got him back in the water snorkeling which ended up being a highlight for him.

We do hope to stay at your Villa again in the future.

My camera takes panoramic shots so I've attached a few of them of the villa and the views from the villa. Sorry for the size of the files - I hope that is OK. Thanks for the wonderful vacation house!

— Nancy | Black Mountain, NC

"We have been coming to St. John for 10 years... Great Expectations is undoubtedly our favorite villa that we have stayed in. The location, seeing the sun rise and set - have been exceptional. My special place is the Hart Bay side - breezes, the way the sun hits [the water]. The Great Room is wonderful. Kristin and Chuck have thought of everything... Beautiful! We enjoyed! We will be back!"

— Maureen C.| Easton, Connecticut

Our Stay at Great Expectations was great. We had 5 different families with a total of 15 people. Kids ages ranged from 13-21...the tennis court/basketball court are a big plus when you have to keep kids entertained.

The layout of the villa works perfectly if you are traveling with a group. Bedrooms allow you to have your own space with your own private balcony area while the main room and pool area are perfect when you all want to be together.

The only reason I did not rate the location as 5 star is because I prefer a bit more isolation from neighbors; you are in a residential area so houses are close and lots of them. That being said we heard very little noise all week and the landscaping around the houses provide privacy...I'm from the country...I prefer my neighbors a couple of miles away:). It was very convenient to town so that was a plus.

I would recommend this villa to anyone and would stay again if traveling with a large group.

— Tammy Pennsylvania

"Great Expectations meets and exceeds it's name"

This was our third trip to St. John. I like this little island more than anyplace I've ever visited. Half of the natives ignore you and the other half treat you like family. I haven't visited during the busy season, but this time of year it is wonderful and easy to get around . We had 13 people in our group and never had any trouble with dinner reservations or anything else except parking. That wasn,t a problem either after we found a pay lot around the corner from St John Spice. It's pretty entertaining watching them park lots of cars in such a small space. Great guys work there. Great Expectations- Wonderful. We had a 4 yr old with us and he took the small triangular pool as his own soon after we arrived. While the pools appear small in the pictures they were big enough. You wouldn't think you would need a hot tub in the heat but with the breeze at night it got used alot. The villa had more pool toys than you could ever use, as well as tennis rackets, basketballs and noodles and chairs and coolers for the beach.We ended up eating most of our meals out,but the kitchen had everything you would need to cook anything. We chose Great Expectations because we wanted to be together,but the way the villa is set up you have plenty of room to get away for a while. I hope I'm leaving the impression that we had a wonderful time,in a wonderful villa on a wonderful island. Wonderful!!!

— Tamara and John K Kansas

Our vacation was wonderful!  Great Expectations was perfect for our group of friends and family!  Everyone had such a great time and loved the villa!  I can't believe how perfect everything went - weather, travel, the group of people staying together!  Joe and I got married on the Thursday that week on Trunk Bay and it went great!  The wedding and the entire trip was everything we had hoped for!  Other than that we did a lot of snorkelling, hanging out on the beach, and relaxing at the villa.
 
Everyone kept commenting on how great the villa was.  The layout worked perfect with our group since we had a good mix of early risers and late night people.  No one got in each other's way and everyone had their own space.  I am so thankful we found your place, it was perfect!  We would love to stay there again in the future!
 

— Tracy Indiana

The Villa was just perfect for the group of wounded warriors from Walter Reed Army Medical, we were able to accommodate everyone very comfortably.  The views are spectacular and the great room and pool area is a great central meeting area.  After a full day of diving the guys we were able to relax and enjoy every moment !!

The support of the entire community of St John for our wounded warriors is outstanding and Great Expectations exceeded everyone's expectations. We hope to have this opportunity again and make it a yearly event for SUDS.  Thank you so very much for your generosity for without it SUDS could not continue to support our men and women who have given do much to our country.

— Carla for the Soldiers Undertaking Disables Scuba ( SUDS) Group

"Great Expectations met all of mine!"

— Danell, Rob & Natalie G. Delaware

"Fabulous home with every amenity...thoughtful layout & careful attention to detail...unsurpassed privacy... the breathtaking views & exquisite breezes...Our 5th trip to St. John has been our best ever...We are already looking forward to coming back same time next year!"

— Steve & Beth D. New York

"I couldn't believe how well stocked the home was - even down to the beach towels & laundry detergent. I've never seen such a well-stocked kitchen at any of the homes we've rented...how often do you see games, puzzles & books for your use?"

— Linda

"Sisters - daughters - nieces (12 women on the loose)"

"We had a fantastic trip to St. John and Great Expectations was spectacular. This was my fourth stay at the property and each time is better than the last...there were so many upgrades the best of which was all the new appliances!!! We enjoyed the amazing views, the pools, and the shared living space. The private bedrooms made the stay most enjoyable as everyone had the ability to go to their own space if needed. The care taker Coby, was wonderful. He came at our beck and call, he was professional, and great at his job. We loved the location - it was close to town and a short ride to all the beaches. We will be back for a fifth trip. We love Great Expectations!"

— Patty

"Wonderful!"

Great Expectations was great! First and foremost is the space. Good kitchen, great room, bedrooms and bathrooms. The most used space was under the retractable awning on the pool deck and of course, the pool. We snorkeled at different beaches every day (usually 2 different ones each day) but our favorite was coming back "home" and relaxing in the pool. The kitchen was very well stocked with any utensil, dish, pot, or spice you would need. Previous guests were kind enough to leave "condiments" which saved us some money at the grocery store. Coby, the property manager, could not have been better! He was attentive to everything we asked of him. And his restaurant and shopping recommendations were spot-on! We arrived on a Saturday and it was raining. It has been raining for 2 weeks which is very unusual. We didn't actually see the sun until Thursday, but still got sunburn through the rain clouds and luckily, it wasn't bad enough to keep us from the beaches. We only had 6 in our party so the villa was plenty big. And it would be great for a much larger party too. We never used the basketball/tennis court but it can be a definite plus for those who play! Chuck and Kristin send out a detailed letter before you trip which came in very handy... from car rental to possible excursions. The views are great, but we noticed that the foliage was very overgrown (because of all the recent rain?) that it was hard to sit on the different patios/decks and see the water on either side. You needed to be standing up. By the way, the flowers and plants are beautiful. So many different flowers!

[note: our great landscapers took this comment to heart, sat in the chairs to see if they could see the water, and trimmed the landscaping back to ensure the views from the chairs were as great as when standing! Thanks Sue for the comment]

— Sue Ohio

We had a wonderful time swimming, snorkeling, watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets. The location of the villa is perfect. The owners provided everything we needed - the kitchen was completely stocked with all the utensils you would need, gas grills, washing machine/dryer, water sports equipment, beach towels, tennis rackets and balls, etc., etc. They thought of everything! This was our second stay at Great Expectations and I would certainly recommend it.

— Claudette Georgia

Best vacation of our lives - hands down!

40th anniversary celebration with our kids and grandkids, ages 1-62. Great Expectations was the perfect setting for everyone. The villa was extremely family friendly and well-equipped, and Coby, the property manager, was an outstanding source of information about the villa and beyond. Cooked in most nights. Beautiful, open kitchen--a couple of notes: the large double refrigerators are great, but the doors are not safe places for bottles of wine (& the pretty tile floor is unforgiving when they crash!) Also- we found that the sticker-shock at the grocery store (yes, food is very expensive there) can be lessened if the adult children cook for Mom and Dad. :) Amazing place; we'll be back!

— Mary Jo Wisconsin

Best Family Vacation ever!

My husband and I honeymooned in St. John 5 years ago. We loved it so much that we brought our families back with us.
When we started our search for places to stay, we were a little discouraged because the prices were sky high at the hotels and it was difficult to find a villa that could accomodate our large group (14 adults). Thanks to Great Expectations, we were able to do just that. Chuck was very helpful with answering all of our questions before we booked and after hearing from him, we knew that this was going to be the perfect place for us!

When we arrived, we were very happy to see that the place we were staying was exactly as the website described. The view is one of the first things that you notice upon arrival. It was such a beautiful sight, we knew we weren't going to be disappointed with the rest of the villa.

My husband and I were the last to arrive so when we got there, everyone was already enjoying the pool and some cocktails. The setup of the main house with the pool right outside was awesome. It made it so we could do everything in that one area.

My husband and I stayed in the owners apartment and we were very happy with that, however, we spent most of our time at the main house with our families.

The main house was great. The kitchen was very updated and well stocked. There was an area to watch tv and a dinner table that could fit 8. Our only problem with the tv area was that the tv wasn't working well. Although nobody missed watching it, the diehard Patriots fans were a little upset to be missing the 1st preseason game! We had an ipad so we kept them updated though.

The bedrooms were all very nice and spacious. My parents room had a problem with the aC but Coby took care of it right away!Coby and Chuck were very accomodating to all our needs throughout our whole experience.

In all, GE was more than amazing. I would highly recommend this villa to large groups (I actually alreay have!) and I definitly hope to return!

— Kim Massachusetts

Brought the whole family (14) here to St John to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary. Visited many beaches, the ones on the North Shore including Cinnamon Bay. We had stayed there in the 70's and 80's. We also visited Maho Bay and Francis Bay (great!). We drove over to the East End beaches and took an Eco Kayak and snorkeling tour from Haulover. We also went down to Laneshur Bay - tough drive but BEAUTIFUL beach. Our trip on Bad Kitty to the BVI was really, really good.  The Baths were breathtaking! Cruz Bay shopping and restaurants are always fun.  This villa has EVERYTHING you could want or need and Coby is so helpful. What a wonderful place to celebrate with a large family. Perfect sunrises and amazing sunsets. 

— Bill H. North Carolina

Perfect! 8 grandkins, 3 kids & spouces + grandma & grandpa. Had a blast! Spend some riot-laughing moments playing games & having some super meals in the Great Room and hit a number of beaches. You put a lot of thought and care into this great place and it was just wonderful for all of us.  I don't think there was even one kid argument the whole trip - very unusual - but they just had a blast. We have some friends who were waiting for our return & report to consider family trips of their own and I give it an A+ - thanks much!

— Fritz Wisconsin

Exquisite home in perfect setting with great amenities
We loved our stay at Great Expectations! The location and views were spectacular, rooms lovely and great room, with breezes and views of the sea in two directions, was the center of our family vacation. So much was provided for us, including pool and beach equipment, terrific kitchen equipment, and a very helpful house manager. Our grandaughter couldn't wait to get into the pool each day before we went on to one of the island's gorgeous beaches. We would visit again in a minute!

— Ellen L| New York, NY