Planning a family vacation requires careful thought and planning. You want to create an experience that every member of the family will enjoy. And when you have children, that means choosing your lodging carefully to ensure they have plenty to do throughout the trip. As you’re selecting, consider St. John villa rentals. Many of these rentals come with adequate outdoor space and a pool for splashing and cooling down.
Why Outdoor Space Matters with a Family
Of course, having a villa rental with ample space for your whole family is the number one concern, such as a five-bedroom vacation house, for a multigenerational family. Everyone needs their own bed and personal space, especially if you’re doing a lengthy trip to St. John.
However, having kids cooped up inside when they can look out and see nothing but beautiful, bluish-green water surrounding them is a recipe for disaster. They need to release all that pent-up energy, especially on those days when the temperatures are 80+ degrees Fahrenheit in December.
You’ll have a patio for the kids to play tag, ball, or whatever it is they love to do when they’re out in the fresh air and sunshine. Whenever the temperatures rise, everyone can keep cool in the pool. Specifically, it’s your family’s private pool, so your kids can splish and splash their little hearts out without having to worry about the other guests or taking into account all the stringent rules a hotel pool has.
If you’ve ever traveled with children, you know how it can be. Some of the most common phrases include the following:
- “I’m bored!”
- “I want to leave to go to ___ now!!”
- “Can we go to the beach?”
- “When are we going to the beach?”
You get the picture… they’re impatient. They want to keep busy from the start of the trip until they’re on the flight back home, fast asleep. Having an outdoor space with a pool ensures they have something to do at all times to alleviate a lot of the whining and boredom.
One final thing: if you’ve stayed in a hotel with your children in the past, you know what it’s like to keep them quiet. They’re so hyped up over the day’s activities, or possibly just raring to go after visiting museums and other locations that just aren’t up their alley. With a villa with outdoor space, the kids can be loud and truly be kids while on vacation, and not have to worry about disturbing the other guests.
What to Look for in a Villa
Your villa is your home away from home while you’re in St. John. So, besides making sure you have outdoor space for your children in your St. John villa rental, you also need to think about everything you and your family will need to be comfortable and relaxed.
For one, you need room for every member of the family. One reason you’re probably opting for a villa instead of a hotel is that you can have more room for everyone. But as you’re comparing, think about whether you’ll need laundry and would like to cook inside your rental.
The distance from the attractions you want to see and activities you want to partake in is another factor to keep in mind. You can rent a car — well, usually a Jeep or SUV, because of the terrain — to navigate the area. However, you still want to be close to everything to avoid spending most of your day driving around.
Since most of the city isn’t walkable, you’ll need to get a taxi everywhere you want to go. As a heads up, they don’t have rideshare services on the island. And when you opt for a taxi, you may pay per person rather than a fee based on distance. That could easily rack up if you have a large family and need to use a taxi frequently.
Why Choose Our Villas
Even though there are other villa rentals in St. John, ours stand out for their ample amenities. We want you to feel comfortable here, like you’re still at home, safely tucked in bed, just in front of the beach.
When it comes to options, we offer ample ones regarding amenities and size. You can find just what you’re looking for to make your trip memorable and stress-free.
You wouldn’t think a villa overlooking the water would have Wi-Fi, but they do. We know that most of your vacation will be spent exploring the area, but that sometimes requires you to look up directions, spots to go, and more. Not to mention, you’ll have downtime that you may want to spend reading a good book on your tablet, keeping in touch with friends or family back home, or playing a game. We make sure we’ve thought of everything to make your trip relaxing and convenient.
Finding Activities for the Kids to Enjoy Outside of the Villa
Having a pool and outdoor space at your villa is only part of the equation for creating the perfect vacation for your children. For a trip to be truly kid-friendly, you need to plan any activities carefully and make sure that each child has activities to enjoy that are age-appropriate. In some cases, that may mean altering the activity to be on their level.
One example is the Virgin Islands National Park & Junior Ranger Program. Pick up a booklet at the visitor center for each child. The activities they’ll be able to complete will depend on their age. In general, though, the book will include nature questions, cultural activities, scavenger hunts, and puzzles. They’ll be instructed to explore beaches, trails, and ruins. Once your children complete their books, they bring them back and will receive a ranger’s badge.
Other activities you may want to put on the itinerary include the following:
- Glow kayak or night tours
- Carolina Corral
- Maho Bay (gentle water)
- Annaberg Sugar Plantation Ruins
It’s not just a vacation; it’s a memory you’re making with your family. And when you have children, you want to consider that outdoor space — and possibly a pool — are pretty much necessities and a way to guarantee your children will look back on your trip to St. John fondly.
