My husband and I just spent a week at Windwardside Cottage for our honeymoon. We decided on this villa because of the wonderful reviews, the detailed description and the wonderful things we had heard about the island of St. John. Additionally, we decided that the quiet Coral Bay side of the island would fit us better than Cruz Bay.
Well, I can say that it is absolutely a gem. The villa is everything you see in the pictures! The lush landscaping, the privacy, the lovely hot tub, all of the balcony and deck options. We started every day by having a cup of coffee on the balcony off the kitchen which has amazing views in the morning, and all day! Then, we would make our plan for the day.
We so enjoyed Salt Pond Bay that we spent 3 of our 7 days there. The Ram Head Trail hike that starts at the end of that beach has such beautiful views and is just long to feel like we got a little work out in and earned our beach time. We loved using all the of the supplies that the house had-- beach chairs, cooler, etc. We would then make our way back home, shower and either cook at the house and soak in the hot tub or meander to one of the restaurants around Coral Bay.
The food on that side of the island is VERY casual. Aqua Bistro has some nice fish options. But in order to get a fancier meal, you will need to make you way to Cruz Bay, which is not a big deal at all. We loved Morgan's Mango.
Besides Salt Pond Bay, the other beach we really loved was Cinnamon Bay. It has everything you could want to spend the day. We went for the little walk around the ruins before we went to the beach. You can rent kayaks or any other water equipment. There is also a small store and a restaurant with sandwiches burgers etc. It wasn't crowded, and the beach was spectacular.
There is nothing bad to say about Windwardside or St. John in general. We did have one maintenance issue, but it was addressed and fixed within the hour.
The only challenge is the drive up to the house. And it really is a challenge. Other reviews have described it as steep or bumpy. And that is an understatement. It is super bumpy! It is completely worth it, but I wish someone had described it more because we were kind of shocked the first time we did it.
