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WSJ Virgin vs Bay vs Coral Vista

triangulum33

triangulum33

TUG Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2013
Messages
304
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42
Location
NorCal
Resorts Owned
2005 WKORN
What are the differences between Virgin Grand, Bay Vista and Coral Vista Villas? What kind of weather risk do you run by staying in the Fall?

My wife and I are contemplating staying there on SO in 2017.
 
The biggest difference is location. If you called the main pool, beach the "center of the resort" the closest to the center would be Coral Vista, then Bay, with Virgin Grand furtherest at the "top of the hill".

Age wise is exactly the same: newest, Coral, Bay, then Virgin Grand.

Size wise is of course the opposite, they keep building smaller: largest Virgin Grand, then Bay and then Coral.

I just returned from a two week trip staying a week in Bay Vista and a week of my own at Virgin Grand.

My friend's unit had the best views ( though my Virgin Grand has very nice views too) but they own their unit and locked in the view. I know that floats into Bay Vista get ground floor units and they don't have much of a view (ocean) at all. My Virgin Grand is my favorite unit size and space wise. (We were traveling with a group and mine had way more room to spread out). I also like that you can park in front of your unit, accessibility to the small and quieter pools, accessibility to the grills, etc.

I haven't stayed in Coral and I'm sure they're beautiful, but IMO (and it's of course subjective) I'd choose Virgin Grand. Then Bay, then Coral... I saw the in progress Sunset (?) villas and thought they were really small with not a lot of storage. No way they would work for the group we travel with. BTW, in my comparison I'm using the two bedroom Bay Vista and two bedroom townhouse at VG. Our group also consists of another two bedroom loft (Vista) and three bedroom (Vista)

Hope you have a great trip!
 
BTW, as far as hurricane season goes, it can happen. It probably won't but it can. We live in Charleston, SC and have the same worries every year so I don't have any problem traveling during it.
 
I personally prefer traveling to the Caribbean in the winter because of the lower humidity. I really don't like heat + humidity. But I'm giving it a try this September, so wish me luck!

The one thing to be mildly concerned with is that we just ended an El Nino cycle (warming phase in the Pacific O) which favors heavy rainfall and monsoons in the western Pacific O...and fewer hurricanes in the Atlantic. El Nino is often followed by a La Nina (cooling phase), which translates into a more active Atlantic hurricane season.

2 months into the hurricane season and we haven't seen anything unusual yet. So La Nina, if it will happen this year, is still at bay. It still may happen this year, but if not, it's somewhat more likely to hit in 2017 because they usually happen every 2-7 years and the last one was 2010-2012. If/when La Nina does hit, it's predicted it's going to be particularly wicked.

Would I hold off on planning an expensive destination wedding in the Caribbean for fall 2017? Probably. Would I hold off on making reservations for a regular family vacation for fall 2017? Absolutely not. But if I was headed to the Atlantic in the fall in any year, I MIGHT invest in travel insurance which will offset fees related to changing plans at the last minute. (Note that airlines and hotels are usually very accommodating when it comes to diverting tourists to other places (for no fee) when a hurricane is imminent, but not so accommodating when it comes to minor tropical storms.)

St. John is a great island. If you're a nature lover, I think you'll like it, no matter what phase you end up in or what time of the year you travel.
 
tammymacb said:
The biggest difference is location. If you called the main pool, beach the "center of the resort" the closest to the center would be Coral Vista, then Bay, with Virgin Grand furtherest at the "top of the hill".

Age wise is exactly the same: newest, Coral, Bay, then Virgin Grand.

Size wise is of course the opposite, they keep building smaller: largest Virgin Grand, then Bay and then Coral.
Click to expand...

With the main pool being center - it is Sunset Bay, Coral Vista, Bay Vista, and VGV. Sunset Bay villas are opening in 2017.

All the 1Bd villas are in VGV.
No studios in BV phase.
 
You're right. I totally forgot Sunset for that part. They're right on the pool. And, no thanks, I think they'd be really noisy.
 
tammymacb said:
You're right. I totally forgot Sunset for that part. They're right on the pool. And, no thanks, I think they'd be really noisy.
Click to expand...

For certain folks it would be great - but happy with our sometimes private B33-B34 pool. Those glass doors are solid - during our tour in June, I noticed no pool noise until opened.
 
triangulum33 said:
What are the differences between Virgin Grand, Bay Vista and Coral Vista Villas? What kind of weather risk do you run by staying in the Fall?

My wife and I are contemplating staying there on SO in 2017.
Click to expand...

If just the 2 of you - I suggest a 1Bd villa in VGV if you have the SO to spare -based on room and view - and pool/BBQ area between buildings (rent a car and park right outside your villa).

Certainly a lot of info here on differences.

As to weather... do not let that deter you, but if nervous get travel insurance.

btw - air fares seem to be dropping from SFO-STT
 
Sorry I double posted.
 
Keep in mind that the last SB buildings (10, 11, and 12) will start construction in late 10/16 and will be finished by 12/17. Today's resort email indicated that they will cease construction during holiday weeks.

I would go with a VGV unit because of potential view, pool privacy (even better in a pool villa), and grills (even better in a pool villa). Of course, you may need a villa for 8+ people.
 
We'd have our then 10 and 8 yo, plus another 4 person family with kids. Sounds like Coral would be good for us, while a couple wanting peace and quiet might want Virgin.

Or we could charter a sailboat. :)
 
If you're doing any grilling/eating in, only VGV has a full oven. I'm not sure about the fridge. But, I know the new Sunset Villas don't even have a full sized fridge.

With that many people, eating out every meal gets very expensive.

VGV also has access to the freecycle, which I thought was an awesome option for extra beach stuff.
 
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