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on 2/22/2008
by Camden Swanson
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Going on The Florian Villa Adventure Retreat was like getting the chance to live a Jimmy Buffett song. Immersed in a tropical paradise, I was treated to hiking, snorkeling, unspoiled beaches, gourmet food, and plenty of cocktails to end each day. The owners, Scott & Deb, created An Experience . . . I had so much fun and have so many great memories that just looking at one of my pictures brings a smile to my face.
It was the perfect mix of activities (hiking to sugar plantation ruins or deserted beaches, boat rides to the isolated parts of the island, snorkeling amongst sea turtles and tropical fish) and relaxation (Deb’s tasty dinners, lounging in their beautiful pool, cocktails in Cruz Bay). And I haven’t even mentioned the property yet. Wow! It’s simply beautiful, a place you just don’t want to leave. If I close my eyes I can instantly conjure up the feel of the comfy deck chairs, the smell of the tropical plants, and the spectacular views of The Caribbean Sea and surrounding islands.
When I returned to Boston I felt so re-energized I didn’t even mind that it was snowing.
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on 2/8/2008
by christine
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My first vacation to St. John USVI was an excellent one. Istayed at Florian Villa in Rendezvous Bay, St. John. I went on an AdventureRetreat that featured yoga and spa in the morning and outdoor activities inthe afternoon mostly considered of hiking in the US National Forest andsnorkeling in Trunk Bay. ( We also completed two days of Scuba Diving outof Maho Green Resort which covered ares from Jost Van Dyke to the East Endbast Coral Bay to Yawtzi Point where there was wreck believed to be cause byGeneral Electric ). The facility was in a great location right betweenCoral Bay and Cruz Bay. It was very clean, maintained, however it was not abrand spanking new house, A couple owns the villa so I was a littlesurprised at how quick and reactive they were to emails and phone calls. Iwould highly recommend either the retreats to a friend or the villa itselfjust to rent. There is a draw back to the retreats. There are not many ofthem in the year so it was very hard to coordinate my schedule with theirretreat schedule. Customized retreats filled up quickly however renting thevilla didn't seem as big a deal. ( just like very other villa ). The villais located high in the mountains which means that is not on the Reef BayBeech but it is on the Reef Bay Trail which is only about a 30 minute walkeddown to the Reef Bay. I loved the retreat especially snorkeling on the eastside of the island and scuba diving by Great Lameshur Bay. Yoga overlooking St. Thomas was spectular and although there is much more room atMaho Green Resort, it is usually blocked off for dinner and breakfeast. Thefood was either catered in or was cooked by the retreat leader. The fewtimes we went out I would say that the restaurants were about 50/50. Therewere about three really good places to eat and the rest were OK. I alsodidn't appreciate the roosters, the Iquana, or the wild goats in the middleof the roads. It also takes a little use to the terrain in the jeeps. I dohave to say that the best thing about Florian is that is located right inthe middle of the North Beaches, Coral Bay, and Cruz Bay so everything isabout the same drive. I also really like the villa. The living room,dining, room, and kitchen is wide open and there is a beautiful mountainbreeze, not stagnant at all. The rooms are all enclosed and have brand newAC units. The coils managed the bugs just find as we heard that parts ofBordeaux Mountain were buggy.
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on 2/3/2008
by eric rother
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I went on a yoga retreat at Florian Villa. I have been on other retreats before and althogh this is not as big as let's say Costa Rica Retreats or Mexico retreats, it was just as satisfying. The group was small and intimate. The food was catered in and was excellent much better than going out. We did go to Cinnamon Bay for 2 beach day yogas, actually one at sunset and one at sunrise. Most of the other yoga was done at Florian Villa looking over St. Thomas and Megan's Bay close to Bordeaux Mountain. I believe that the retreat's strongest points was not in its yoga but in its activities off of the Florian complex. There was a half a day of scuba, every day of snorkeling and hiking in the U.S. National Forest and even glass blowing at Maho Green Resorts. ( I believe the Omega institute has retreats a Maho which looks like something to investigate however they are much larger but you can walk down to the beach and the yoga is done ontop of a huge pavaillon. ) It doesn't matter where you go on your retreat in Saint John, I don't believe you will be disappointed. One of the best days was when we rented a power boat and went to Jose Van Dyke and around St. John to Norman Island. Another great day was to go to Skinny Legs where you can tell the theme is New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox, as the owner from Skinny's is from Boston. The yoga retreats are small from six to ten people and that can restricting. The frogs at night can very loud, but again this is in the middle of a national forest. All in all I enjoyed my stay at Florian Villa St. John and my retreat was very good. After taking planes trains and automobiles I realized why the island is so secluded and a little more expensive, you get to sit back and enjoy the peace and quiet. You might even see Kenney Chesney.
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on 2/2/2008
by chrisitne macdonald
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I went on a spa vacation at Florian Villa. The villa was beautiful as I expected. It had a huge pool and was located to everything. We went scuba diving, snorkeling, hiking (backpacking) in the United States National Forest, and also went boating and took shopping trips to St. Thomas. There was the usual for spas but this one included yoga, facials, massage, etc. but like the book says feet, fins, and four wheel drive, it was like an adventure spa. I highly recommend it for three, four, or five day getaways. The trip was well organized although St. John is a little tough to get to but that is what makes it different than Aruba, Turks and Caicos, and Jamaica. It is lush national forest located in the Carribbean. Driving seemed a little adventurous but the views were spectacular. Hawksnest and trunk bay were my favorite spots as far as beaches were concerned and the Mary Hope Trail, the Caneel Side Trail, ( near Caneel Bay ), and the Reef Bay Trail were the best hikes. If you do go and you are a New England Patriots fan, check out Skinny Legs, the owners are avid Boston Marathon runners. The owners were more than gracious but I thought that there cause ( wounded veterans and families of fallen firefighters ) was great. They give two weeks wounded veterans ( Marines from Bethesda, Maryland and Soliders from Walter Reed ) and two weeks from families of firefighters from FDNY, Boston Fire Department, South Carolina fire department. There latest mission was to track down a Marine Reservist from the 1/25th Marines who was wounded in Iraq to let him use the villa. Kenney Chensney said it best in his song Old Blue Chair on the Be As You Are. We thought we saw Kenney Chensney on Jost Van Dyke but our guide from Nauti Nymph said no it wasn't him. ( By the way if you do go, all his references, Cinnamon Bay, St. Croix, Tortolla, are all beautiful ). So whether you go for a Yoga Spa, or you go on all inclusive Family Vacations, or and Adventure Vacation, or you get married on St. John you can't go wrong with Florian Villa. And St. John is a Boston island, so you can always watch the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots with all your fans at Skinny Legs. Last I heard Florian Villa was trying to get Tim Thomas from the Boston Bruins to go down because he is big into yoga. Others that you might see down on St.John are Michelle McPhee from WTTK, Margery Egan from the Boston Globe, and Mikey Adams from Planet Mikey on WEEI, Ray Bourque, and Terry Francona all I was told were big Boston favorites. But the island is small quaint and the beaches really are world class beaches ( like Megan's Bay ) and the hikes are spectacular.
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