Allesandra vs. Vistaero?

[larlardb8]

Hi!
We are headed down to St. John next June for (as my mom likes to call it) our "annual family reunion"!There will be six of us, my brother and friend, my parents, and my husband and I. We are trying to finalize our villa choices and have narrowed it (I think) to two villas, Allesandra and Vistaero. We have stayed at Vistaero before and just love the pool deck, outside bar, gazebo, and and opening living area. However, we have heard great things about Allesandra as well!
Anyone have any thoughts on either of the two?!
Thanks in advance!
Lar

[augie]

I was fortunate enough to attend a happy hour/potluck that some friends hosted when they stayed at Allesandra last fall.

If I was looking for a place for three couples, it would definitely be at the top of my list.

Ample parking for everyone, outstanding deck and sunset views, and very well appointed.

I can't do a side by side comparison having never been to Vistaero, but Allesandra is awesome!

[waterguy]

I have never stayed at Vistaero but have stayed at Alesandra 7 times it is my go to villa for 6 or less I have become friends with the owners who are great they have done some things above and beyond the normalfor my family. So I might not be the most impartial judge.

[Lindy]

I stayed in Vistaero with a large group last fall and we weren't overly impressed with the place. The views and the pool area was nice enough, but the place was getting a little bit threadbare. It's been listed for sale and it seems that a lot of maintenance may have been deferred due to that. The two bedrooms (upper and lower) on the backside of the fireplace had water running down the walls when it rained - the flashing or the roof needed some major attention. It wasn't so bad in the upper room but the water pooled all over the floor in the lower one. The couple staying in that room thought it smelled musty even before the rain problem. We also thought the beds other than in the master were very uncomfortable. The hot tub didn't work the entire time we were there and the microwave died part way through the week - although we did find another one in a storage area for the house so we didn't have to do without. We ran out of LP during breakfast one morning and the faucet in one of the showers was stripped so that the water wouldn't shut off one day. Desination St John was excellent about solving those issues right away but it just seemed like a lot more problems than any of the other villas we've rented so far. You might want to ask if the roof has been repaired before you make your decision.

[larlardb8]

Thanks so much for the replies everyone!

After some investigation it seems we have decided on Cocotier. Would have gone with Allesandra based on reviews, but Destination St. John is offering a 15% discount right now...so that was the deal breaker for us. Allesandra looks fantastic though so Im sure that will be in the running for the NEXT trip (I cant come home from one trip until another trip down is in the works.)

We aren't going down until I have a break from school in June 2011 but I already am counting the days. Will be a MUCH needed break from my anesthesia studies.
And I cant think of anywhere else I'd like to spend it more!
Thanks again
Lar