My wife and I had been to St Thomas several years ago as a couple. At the time we had visited St John and loved the beaches and the relaxed feel of the island. When we left, we promised each other we would come back and bring our college age children. We had always enjoyed family vacations where we stayed in a house or villa as a family. We found Eureka on the web and it met our expectation and exceeded them! The house is situated on a hill overlooking Chocolate Hole and Hart Bay. The view is fantastic! There's a porch across the entire back side of the house is great for sitting and looking out at the sea. I never tired of the view. The house was plenty larger for the four of us. There are two large bedrooms, one on either side of a large Great Room with attached kitchen, Each bedroom had it's own bathroom with shower. There was plenty of space in the Great Room for use all to relax there. The house comes with wireless and cable tv so we could all stay connected and informed. The kitchen was small, but complete. We just ate breakfast and snacks in the house. The restaurants on the island were great so we ended up eating out every night. The nightlife Cruz Bay kept us out late a few nights! A couple things you need to consider when you stay a Eureka. The road to Eureka is steep at times. Nothing difficult to drive, but your really know you are climbing the hill when you drive up the road to the house. When you turn off the road, there as a substantial cement culvert you need to transverse to get the vehicle down to the house. We were told to rent a car with high clearance and we did. We rented an Explorer and it had no trouble getting over the culvert, but can image a small car getting stuck trying to go over it. There is a steep driveway to the house. The first time we went down it I was questioning my ability to do this. After driving it a couple times, it was no trouble. This is a house that is a bit of work to get to, but it is well worth the experience! If you get the appropriate vehicle, Eureka is a really great place to stay. The experience of spending a week together was great for our family. The house was clean and everything we needed was there to just move in. All we needed to bring was food and drinks. We had a great time. It's a great place. St John is a wonderful place to vacation. The beaches are incredible. Cruz Bay is a short drive away. I'd say there again!

My family recently returned from a week in this lovely home perched high above Chocolate Hole and Rendezvous Bay in St. John and it truly was paradise. The home is lovely -- very airy and wood everywhere, which made it seem almost like you were in Bali. In the evenings the sunsets are directly in front of you and are spectacular, and then as the sun goes down (& until almost mid-day the next day, when the sun makes it over the higher points surrounding the back of the house) the elevation brings in a very pleasant cool breeze. The home is divided into upper and lower sections, each having its own kitchen (although the lower section kitchen is small) and this is also a great way to divide space (or get rid of kids!). The location is close to Cruz Bay, so getting into town for restaurants, supplies etc is easy -- but the location also offers a quick escape to the beaches we prefer on the Eastern (opposite) end of St. John. We have been coming to St John for 25 years and this was our favorite house, no doubt about it. It is Paradise in Paradise.

My wife and I just returned from our ? th trip to St. John, began in 1971. Over the years we have stayed at the Eureka property approximately 5 times, most times we book too late. We love the property because of the proximity to town, if you forget something it is not the end of the world AND the location is great for catching a dinner in town without the distance. The property provides an excellent view of Rendezvous Bay, Chocolate Hole with St. Croix in the distance. The house was very clean and well maintained. Louvered windows can be opened to provide cooling breezes and large ceiling fans kept the house cool. The price was very reasonable for a property on St. John. We have traveled the Caribbean extensively, been to most Islands, and St. John is our favorite. Eureka is the perfect spot for all our needs.

We took our adult children for a family vacation. We loved the house from the first time we saw it. The location is wonderful. The view is amazing. We went to sleep to the tree frogs every night. We loved it and will be staying here again.

My wife and I visited St. John for our honeymoon and had a superb stay at Eureka. Eureka is both quiet and safe and offers breathtaking views of the entire bay. We spent the days exploring St john’s beautiful beaches and thoroughly enjoyed our time in this hillside home. The property was clean and comfortable with the amenities we were looking for (quiet, ocean view, full kitchen, internet access, location). We especially liked mornings and evenings on the deck taking in the view. We were concerned that it might be hot as we visited St John in the middle of July but we were very comfortable with the ceiling fans on and the ocean breeze flowing through the house. The property was easy to get to from Cruz Bay and gave us a great base to explore all the island has to offer including some of the best beaches we have visited, a wide array of restaurants & shopping and amazing snorkeling and hiking. We look forward to returning to St John and we will definitely return to Eureka, it’s 5 Stars at an affordable price.

Eureka! is wonderful easy Caribbean living… Good location 10 minutes to/from town, very nice layout (big central great room with a bedroom & bath at each end and a covered terrace along the back), wonderful sunset views over Chocolate Hole, comfortable furniture, well equipped, the villa was very clean (as in spotless), and bug free which was a delightful surprise considering the amount of rain earlier in the season. Eureka’s property manager, Nancy, was helpful, easy to work with from beginning to end, and the villa exceeded our expectations. A previous review noted construction next door which was good to know. Prior to booking, Nancy advised us of the construction and that it was at the stage of mostly interior work…tiling, hammering, and painting. Happy to report that to be true (not much constuction noise) and the bit of noise/sounds we did hear made it feel like being part of a vibrant community… comfortable normal safe neighborhood sounds. Some sawing, some hammering but nothing too early, too late, or too long, and the sounds did not bother us at all. Whoever is building/remodeling appears to live there and that helps with the neighborly feel of things…considerate workers who smiled and waved when we drove by. We have Verizon cell service which does not have good coverage in the Virgin Islands and Eureka! doesn’t have Internet or Wifi which meant we needed to hit a café or public wifi spot to check email, etc. The square in Cruz Bay has free wifi, benches, and shade so we went there. The day after we departed, received an email from Nancy kindly alerting us meds had been left in the refig. Sure enough, husband left his vitamins and Nancy mailed them back. We were very comfortable at Eureka!, felt right at home, enjoyed our stay, and working with Nancy. She knows St John well and takes great care of Eureka! We will return to Eureka! and stay longer!

My wife and I just returned from our 4th trip to St. John. Our stay at the Eureka property was a bit disappointing. First the good points about this property. It did provide an excellent view of Rendezvous Bay, Chocolate Hole and on most clear days you could see St. Croix in the distance. The house was easy to reach, only 10 mins from Cruz Bay with easy access to anywhere on the island. The house was clean on the upper level, but the downstairs lower unit (which we did not use) was empty and clearly had not been attended to in some time. Wooden louvered windows could be opened to provide cooling breezes and large ceiling fans kept the house cool as there was no air conditioning (not a problem for us). Nancy (from Caribe Havens management company) was cordial and very friendly and offered her assistance for anything that we may have needed. The price was reasonable for an older property on St. John. Now the downside...No one informed us there was major construction going on right next to this property. Everyday like clockwork, the construction crew would begin around 7 - 7:30 am and end sometime around 5:00 - 5:30 pm. Heavy machinery, hammering, power tools...you get the picture. (Construction will not be completed until sometime early in 2012 according to the owner/builder). So much for sleeping in while on vacation. On three days of our stay there was heavy excavating going on, so imagine a large noisy backhoe/grader in your side yard, not too mention diesel fumes blowing through the house. The house itself was also disappointing. We knew it was an older property, but it certainly needs maintenance. The large deck was in disrepair, one end of it pulling away from it's support beam. The house was weathered and trim was falling off and rotting in places. The refrigerator was rusted on the outside, and needed to be cleaned out each day as large amounts of water would accumulate inside (poor seals) and run out the bottom onto the floor. There were a lot of little things that if attended to, would have made this property and this review more positive. In all fairness, my wife and I are generally off to the beaches, snorkeling, hiking, and doing all the things we love to do during the daytime, so not much time was spent at the house between 9am and sundown. As a couple, this rental property was a fair value for our needs and expectations. We're not sure that it would meet the needs or expectations of most couples or families though.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Eureka in early December. Beautiful sunset views. The house was very comfortable for our family of 5. The house was just as described and portrayed in the photos, clean and in good condition. Well equipped kitchen was a nice plus as we cooked many meals at home. I was a bit concerned that there was no air conditioning, but it was actually quite cool and comfortable and we wouldn't have used it. We loved the night sounds and searching for the LARGE iguanas sunbathing in the tree canopy. Nancy, the property manager was terrific! We will be back!