the views and nearby beaches:
Great Expectations is framed by the extraordinary 'double' east/west views with both the sunrise and the sunset. The villa is located on the south shore of St. John, less than a 5 minute drive on paved roads to town (Cruz Bay) and 10 minutes to the famous, white sand beaches of the U.S. National Park. There are 2 beaches within walking distance.
The closest beach for swimming and fabulous snorkeling is just a short walk to Chocolate Hole - a sandy beach with calm, protected water on the west side of the villa with some of the best snorkeling on the island thanks to a 'salt pond' (formed during hurricanes when the storm drives the ocean inland and the water then gets trapped) which the government allows to be kept open to the harbor attracting an amazing variety of fish and sea turtles to feed on the crustaceans from the salt pond. The 2nd beach accessible from a path directly from the Villa on the east side is Hart Bay with great beach combing thanks to the coral reef just offshore
the villa:
All the openings (sliding doors, windows and transoms) are fully-screened. Italian tile adorns the floors and kitchen and bathroom counters. Native stone work laced with local coral and shells frames the villa entrance and is used around the site to highlight the lush landscaping of beautiful, colored bougainvillea, hibiscus, croton, wild orchids and, and our favorite, frangipani. A number of significant palm trees as well as banana trees complement the beauty of the site.
The villa is furnished with custom-made teak furniture and carvings from Bali and, we think, very tastefully decorated with original paintings, sconces and even a native mural which was written-up in the local papers. Great Expectations does not pretend to be fancy, just very, very special!
the bedrooms (all air-conditioned):
Each of the 4 spacious, Master bedrooms has a private bathroom with double sink vanities and indoor/outdoor showers. Each has high cathedral ceilings with skylights, ceiling fans and soft lighting adding to the sense of spaciousness. Each is furnished with custom-made teak furniture from Bali including a California (extra long) King-size bed which can be converted into 2 Twin-size beds and each bedroom can comfortably accommodate a foldaway bed or portacrib for children (no charge when staying in the same room as parents).
The Club Room, down the stairs from the Main Villa to the tennis court, has a trundle bed (two twin beds) and can be used as a 5th bedroom for one adult or a couple of teenagers (perfect to get away from the others and vice versa). A nearby 2 bedroom Guest House with its own living room and kitchen is available for rent for larger groups bringing the total number of bedrooms at Great Expectations to 7 providing comfortable sleeping accommodations for as many as 20
Other Activities:
basketball
