Great views
Great views is a list for a week spent looking out. On these islands a view like that usually means a ridge or an upper slope, high enough that the deck takes in the channel, the cays and the next island at once, and the view is what you see from breakfast to the last drink of the night. On St. John that means Gifft Hill above Cruz Bay, Catherineberg on the slopes over the North Shore, and Bordeaux Mountain at the top of the island; on St. Thomas, the hills that run along its spine.
It is the opposite bargain to On the water. A house at the shore gives you the swim and the bay in front of it; a house on the ridge gives you the whole horizon and asks you to drive to the sand. Height costs two things. The first is the road: Gifft Hill and Bordeaux Mountain both sit on steep ground, and the concrete switchbacks up to some houses are hard work for a rental sedan. The second is the distance: Gifft Hill is 12 minutes from the Cruz Bay ferry, Bordeaux Mountain 25.
The list starts from owners who mark an ocean view on their listing, and on islands this steep most of them do. So we pick from those by hand, from the photographs, and a house is here only when its deck takes in the whole horizon rather than a slice of the sea between two roofs.
Written by Virgin Islands Villas · Updated Oct 2026
No house on this list yet
No villa meets this list’s rule yet; it fills as owners list their houses. Until then, every villa we list is on the St. John vacation rentals page, and On the water, Modern and Bring the dog already hold a house. Own a house that belongs here? List your villa.
How a house gets on this list
- The owner marks Ocean view among the listing's amenities
- And we pick it by hand from its photographs, for a deck that takes in the whole horizon rather than a glimpse of the sea
- On any island the site covers
- The villa's page is live on this site
What to ask the owner about the road and the view
Ask how the drive up feels in the car you have rented, and whether it changes after rain. An owner who has watched guests arrive knows which corner stops a sedan, and will tell you if you ask.
Then ask where the view is seen from. On some houses it fills the living room, the pool and every bedroom; on others it is one deck, and the bedrooms face the hill. Ask whether the photos were all taken from one spot, and what the view is from the bed you will sleep in and from the kitchen where you will cook. Last, ask whether anything has grown or been built in front of the deck since the photos were taken.
Questions about Great views
How are the houses on Great views chosen?
In two steps. The owner first marks an ocean view on the listing, which most houses on these hills can. Then we look through the photographs and keep only the houses whose deck takes in the whole horizon, the channel and the next island at once. A house with a view of the water between the trees is a fine house, and it is not on this list.
Do I need a four-wheel drive for a hillside villa on St. John?
Plan on a car with clearance and a low gear for any house on the hill. A car is needed almost everywhere on St. John, and our St. John area pages mark which neighborhoods measure steep: Gifft Hill, Bordeaux Mountain and Chocolate Hole among them. The owner knows their own driveway better than any map, so ask whether a rental sedan makes it up after rain before you choose the car.
How far is the beach from a villa with a view?
A drive, nearly always, and how long depends on the ridge. From Catherineberg the North Shore beaches are a short drive below, and the Cruz Bay ferry is 14 minutes away. Gifft Hill is 12 minutes from the ferry with a beach a short drive down. Bordeaux Mountain is 25 minutes from the ferry, and every swim starts with the road down.