Great Expectations EXCEEDED all of our expectations...

We stayed at Great Expectations last week to celebrate my husband's 50th birthday. There were a total of 19 of us, including grandparents, adult siblings and children. We planned the trip about a year in advance and I spent many hours reading reviews, looking at the website and every picture I could find. I am pleased to say that the villa is exactly as it looks - which is amazing! Everything was just so beautiful and our large group had plenty of space. What a treat to have every family have their own bedrooms (total of 8) with their own individual bathrooms! The pool was super clean, warm and with a breathtaking view. We spent every morning at the beaches and all afternoons & evenings in the pool. We had such a nice time. Every person said how wonderful the trip was and the villa provided the perfect home base for everyone. It was a very special trip for all of us and we will cherish the memories and time there.

PERFECT! This place is pure tropic magic!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ I am beyond impressed with this magical property. Everything went beyond what we expected. The place was spacious, comfortable, clean, and with spectacular views all around. We stayed here with a group of 15 and everyone absolutely loved it. The owners were very helpful with any questions/concerns about booking, and Patti (property manager) was super sweet and helpful during our stay. Highly recommend this place!!!

Perfect island getaway with sunrise and sunset views

What a special place! Yes, it's great to have a pool, a hot tub, and a tennis court, but what's really fantastic is the setting and the layout of the property. You can watch the sun come up over one bay and watch it go down over another. There are cross breezes in every room, and the bedrooms are in separate buildings from the great room, so when you're ready to let the Caribbean breezes lull you into blissful sleep, you can escape to your own private hideaway. And the main building is a great place to gather, make meals together in the well-stocked kitchen, and hang out during the evening or on the rare rainy afternoon with books, games, or a movie. The only downside is that we had to leave.

Wonderful family vacation

Ten of us enjoyed an amazing vacation together. The house is big enough so that everyone has their own space yet intimate enough to feel like home. Kitchen is well equipped and we ate most meals at home. Jeep rental is a must therefore we missed walking down to town but the house was so nice we didn't want to leave it at night. Good luck with catching the amazing sunset...the clouds got in our way, but still spectacular.

Perfect, exceeded our expectations!

Our family of 19, ranging in age from 2-72 recently spent 10 days at Great Expectations and it met all of our expectations and then some. The space was great for all of us to spread out. We really appreciated the multitude of patio areas and hammocks tucked away around the grounds where we could relax with a good book or just enjoy the views which were spectacular! Our grandchildren spent a lot of time in the 3 pools. We are a family that likes to cook so the very well equipped kitchen was much appreciated! We would stay here again in a heartbeat!

The whole family had a vacation of a lifetime

We had an awesome time, visited 6 different beaches where kids and grandkids really got into snorkeling seeing lots of fish, turtles, and even a nurse shark in close to shore at Maho Bay. If the grandkids weren't at beach, they lived in the pools at GE!

Not a lot of hiking as the heat and humidity was challenging...we really appreciated the air conditioned bedrooms!

One odd incident...we had a good sized iguana (whom the kids named Otis) that hung around the grounds a lot. We never fed him or went near him but he actually lunged at 2 yr old Henry who was sitting in a patio chair outside the great room and grabbed his big toe! No blood drawn and Henry didn't seem fazed but it really freaked out his parents! Have you ever had any incidents like that? [our answer was 'no, and it is a good thing that iguanas are vegetarians!].

The villa was perfect. We couldn't have asked for anything more. The whole family have had a vacation of a lifetime!

August 2016

50th Anniversary celebration with 8 adults & 7 kids

After visiting ST John for at least 20 - 25 times since 1985 my husband & I could not think of a more perfect location to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary with our family. Thanks to your wonderful villa - compound the 15 of us were all able to be together in one location. We had 8 adults and 7 children ranging in age from 7 to 15 - the swimming pools, hot tubs, & tennis court/basketball court are a big plus in keeping everyone entertained. The villa had everything anyone could ever hope or dream ofin a rental - including Coby who is the best. Our family loved exploring all the beaches, snorkeling and hiking. We loved the fact that the great room was a separate building from all bedrooms. We were concerned about the weather as we have always visited ST John in February in prior years, but we should not have given it a second thought - it was warm, but not as bad as FL can be in the summer. Thank you Kristin & Chuck for providing a superb location to make wonderful family memories. The grandchildren are already asking when we can return. We would highly recommend ST John & Great Expectations to anyone.

I would recommend this villa to anyone

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.

Accommodated our group perfectly

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!

The perfect place for us to stay

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... Thanks for the wonderful vacation house!

Our Second Stay

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.

45th Wedding Anniversary

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 Lameshur 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.

Well stocked home

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?

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!

Trunk Bay wedding & reception at Great Expectations = Bliss!

The F-Z wedding at GE was fabulous!  We were married on Trunk [Bay] and then celebrated with our friends & family here at Great Expectations.  We had 11 people in total.  Everyone loved the villa!