Papaya Suite at Sunset Serenade
About this apartment rental
Summary: Private Suite: Close to Town with Beautiful Views! The Space: The Sunset Serenade Papaya Suite is a cute and comfortable unit with gorgeous views of Cruz Bay, the Sir Francis Drake Channel, St. Thomas and the surrounding cays. This cozy, clean and convenient suite - it is located less than five minutes from town - has everything you need to enjoy an unforgettable stay on the breathtaking island of St. John. It is fully renovated as of June 2018. The Sunset Serenade Papaya Suite has its own private entrance and is equipped with a large king-size bed, spacious bathroom (new shower with a private feel and gorgeous view of Cruz bay), kitchenette, air conditioning and screened-in porch with a bar and seating area. When staying with us, you’ll have everything you need for an unforgettable vacation right at your fingertips. This includes coffee for your mornings, beach towels, beach chairs and a cooler for daytime fun, and comfortable outdoor furniture where you can relax while watching the sun dip down into the Caribbean Sea. Sunset Serenade has wifi throughout and a large parking area providing ample off-street parking to all guests. It also features an outdoor grill area that is shared between Sunset Serenade’s guests. The Sunset Serenade Papaya Suite is a great economical option for vacationers looking for clean and comfortable, yet affordable accommodations close to Cruz Bay. We can almost guarantee you’ll be booking your next trip before the ferry leaves the dock. Come see St. John while enjoying the comforts of home at the Sunset Serenade Papaya Suite … we promise you’ll love it!
Amenities
Air conditioner
Kitchen / Kitchenette
Internet / Wifi
TV
Garden
Map of Cruz Bay
Apartment in Cruz Bay
Reasons to book
People love it hereGuests give this property a top rating
Includes essentialsGarden, Kitchen / Kitchenette, Air conditioner and more
Book with confidenceWe partner with the top travel sites so you know you're getting a great deal on the perfect rental
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Reviews
4.8/5.0
Outstanding(32 Reviews)
10.0
The Papaya Suite is a cute, comfortable unit not too far from Cruz Bay. The property is hidden away so it’s very quiet and dark at night. There will be animal sounds and maybe animal sightings. It was very clean and had a nice little kitchenette.
It is theoretically walkable to Cruz Bay but it is up a very steep hill. I wouldn’t recommend walking unless you’re in decent shape and definitely not with luggage. Also, St. John is not very pedestrian friendly (few sidewalks) but sometimes nice people will offer you a ride.
One warning, the lock on the door to the inner room didn’t always unlock when I turned the handle. I accidentally locked myself out. Luckily it unlocked after a few minutes of jiggling the handle. I would leave the keys in the screened room.
8.0
We loved everything about our stay here. The place was perfect for a quick weekend get away for two. The view is beautiful and the place had all you need for the beach. The only thing we found was that the shower was cold and the main bedroom light was out, but everything else was great. We would recommend this place and will stay again someday. Thanks for a great stay.
10.0
We can’t wait to go back. You definitely need a jeep to get there and to get out of the gravel parking spot.
10.0
This unit has everything you need as long as you don’t mind getting up and down a steep set of hills. And hosts were top-notch. Would come again and recommend to our family and friends!
10.0
We had an excellent stay in the Papaya suite! Like a few other reviewers have said, we wish we'd gone with the Honeymoon suite (Papaya is below it) for the better view and open air deck. Papaya has a screened in porch and the deck above it extends to partially block the view of the sky, but it was still really nice (woke up to a view of a rainbow one morning). The unit has a very comfy bed, beach chairs, cooler, sunscreen, coffee, a toaster oven, microwave, plates/cups/utensils, and a lot of towels!
A few things to note:
*Bring earplugs. The tree frogs are loud and they might keep you up. We were used to them by the 3rd night and I miss them now.
*If you're going to drive on the island, get a jeep or something with 4WD. The roads up to the property are STEEP. We rented a mid-sized sedan (given a Chrysler 300, which was RWD and probably the worst choice to drive on St. John) and we could make it up the roads but spun the tires each time. We also couldn't park in the gravel parking lot (almost got stuck trying to back up), so we just parked on the road. It rained 1 day and we didn't take the car anywhere, it wouldn't have handled the hills when they were wet.
*We walked into town for dinner each night, then took a taxi back up. The taxi was $7/person back up. We found the best way to direct taxis was to say we’re next door to The Hills. Heads up that taxis are hard to get after 10PM.
Overall, really nice stay and would definitely recommend. Thank you for having us!
10.0
We had an excellent stay at this property, it’s only a 5 minute taxi ride into Cruz Bay and the views from the covered porch are beautiful. The communication with the property owner was impeccable. We would definitely stay here again, looking forward to booking again soon!
5.0
Amazing place. Lovely shower/coffee-drinking view. A little dicey getting to town on foot, and not always easy to locate a taxi from here, but the place itself is perfect. Super comfy bed. Would stay here again (but also would rent a car) 😊
5.0
My daughter and I stayed here for two nights. It was not as close to the "action" in Cruz Bay as I had imagined but it is very close to the Westin (we booked an excursion leaving from there). Note that St John is very hilly and the roads to this property are no exception. Just be prepared - I'm glad we only had to do it for two days.
5.0
The Papaya Suite was perfect for the two of us. Everything we needed for our 3 night stay. The shower was great and the towels were awesome. Having beach towels, chairs and a cooler was very helpful. Easy check in and out.
5.0
This is a well maintained, clean, comfortable place that we truly enjoyed! We would definitely recommend and hope to stay again in the future!
5.0
Very cozy quiet stay. Comfortable king bed & pillows. Ocean view a plus and beach chairs and cooler came in quite handy! We would stay again! Pleasant accomodations ❤️ TY for sharing Paradise!
4.0
Did not like that the unit is directly under another unit. Walking into town is only for those who do not mind jumping out of the way of traffic. Other wise, the unit was very clean and well equipped. The property managers promptly responded to a problem with a power surge and resolved the issues promptly and professionally.
5.0
Second stay with this host
Loved our second stay with this house. Property was exactly as pictured and was a great location to Cruz Bay. Will book again!
5.0
Loved all the extras. Beach chairs, beach towels, cooler, bug spray and sunscreen. Our friends stayed at the Hills next store... Which made this smaller and more affordable for a party of two ♥️ We also LOVED the scenery of from the porch shower and screened in porch.
Thank you! We will be back!!
5.0
Great affordable vacation place for two!!
Loved all the extras. Beach chairs, beach towels, cooler, bug spray and sunscreen. Our friends stayed at the Hills next store... Which made this smaller and more affordable for a party of two ♥️ We also LOVED the scenery of from the porch shower and screened in porch.
Thank you! We will be back!!
5.0
Beautiful view
We really enjoyed sitting on the porch every morning and evening. Beautiful view!
The property was very clean and had everything we needed. I didn’t realize there wasn’t a stove for cooking but we did work around that easily with the grill, microwave and toaster oven.
Must use caution on the road.
5.0
Morning😍. Sitting at the counter with my coffee looking out over the bay. My favorite part of my day at home is morning looking over my backyard, but the view from Papaya Suite was hard to beat. Went to all of the stores hunting for Kcups for the Kuerig. None to be found. I finally looked in a kitchen cupboard and found a supply. It is the little things that make this place perfect.
4.0
Just wish there was better communication on how to find a place in the contact person would’ve been great we kind of lucked out another Vrbo nearby Helped is out Hannah Helped is out.
4.0
Was a good experience.
Just wish there was better communication on how to find a place in the contact person would’ve been great we kind of lucked out another Vrbo nearby Helped is out Hannah Helped is out.
5.0
Gorgeous views!
Wonderful, cozy suite on St. John. Amazing views for morning coffee, and even a decent sunset view when the clouds cooperate! Fabulous comfortable bed, and enough kitchenette items to make a little breakfast before heading out for they day (toaster/microwave/blender).
A small warning: The hill to the house requires confidence! We rented a small vehicle, and driving it up the hill is NOT for the faint of heart. Renting a 4WD vehicle may be for the best, but the little Toyota Yaris survived.
5.0
Great sunsets
We really enjoyed our stay at islands abodes. Absolutely loved the view. Its now a life goal of mine to have a shower with that kind of view in the future. Sunsets were great. We didn't rent a jeep, but it was easy enough to get back and fourth to the property with the taxi's right at the Cruz bay ferry terminal. If I had to do it again, I would spend the extra money and rent the unit that was above us with the even better view.
4.0
Property itself is a bit hard to find. Made harder by the US VI not caring in the slightest about road signs.
The view could be improved with a tree trim. The space itself is very comfortable
4.0
this was a perfect location! views of the ocean and super close to cruz bay! The shower outside was awesome!
4.0
first stay
this was a perfect location! views of the ocean and super close to cruz bay! The shower outside was awesome!
5.0
This place is very quiet and clean. The apartment has everything you need including sunscreen lotion, an oven, beach chairs and a cooler! There are some mosquitoes but don’t worry, they even provide you with two bug zappers! Will stay at this place when next time we visit USVI!
5.0
Wonderful Experience!
This place is very quiet and clean. The apartment has everything you need including sunscreen lotion, an oven, beach chairs and a cooler! There are some mosquitoes but don’t worry, they even provide you with two bug zappers! Will stay at this place when next time we visit USVI!
5.0
For starters, if you're taking a taxi to the property (well worth $5), tell the driver that you're staying in "the hills," otherwise they don't know where to take you and will refuse. Since there were no rental cars available during our stay, we walked down into town for a delicious breakfast at The Landing (not an easy walk, but doable down hill). After breakfast, we hiked from the restaurant to honeymoon beach (travel light, as they have refreshments and beach rentals at the beach). The rental unit was very clean and had a lovely garden. It would've been perfectly comfortable if not for the mattress. The mattress is king sized and sinks in on either side due to wear, with a firm hump in the middle. It's useable, but definitely needs replacing. Would consider returning in the future.
5.0
We enjoyed every minute of our stay at this location. At Island Abodes our expectations were exceeded.
First and foremost is the hospitality here. You are provided with everything you need from beach chairs and a cooler to high-quality shampoo and conditioner to even a welcome basket with some goodies such as a tote bag.
It is particularly nice to have your own parking spot and we did not need four-wheel-drive to get to the home or up the driveway.
There is a screened in porch which is lovely to watch the sunset and you are only about a mile to Cruz Bay. Although we didn’t walk you could’ve. There is a grocery store a bank and a deli amongst other things very close by in addition to all that Cruz Bay has to offer.
Basil was particularly attentive and we greatly appreciated it the service we received.
5.0
A wonderful experience at Island Abodes
We enjoyed every minute of our stay at this location. At Island Abodes our expectations were exceeded.
First and foremost is the hospitality here. You are provided with everything you need from beach chairs and a cooler to high-quality shampoo and conditioner to even a welcome basket with some goodies such as a tote bag.
It is particularly nice to have your own parking spot and we did not need four-wheel-drive to get to the home or up the driveway.
There is a screened in porch which is lovely to watch the sunset and you are only about a mile to Cruz Bay. Although we didn’t walk you could’ve. There is a grocery store a bank and a deli amongst other things very close by in addition to all that Cruz Bay has to offer.
Basil was particularly attentive and we greatly appreciated it the service we received.
5.0
Quiet studio with a view
We had a great time at the Papaya Suite during our first overnight visit to St John. No complaints and would stay here again.
5.0
Clean unit, but mattress needs replacing
For starters, if you're taking a taxi to the property (well worth $5), tell the driver that you're staying in "the hills," otherwise they don't know where to take you and will refuse. Since there were no rental cars available during our stay, we walked down into town for a delicious breakfast at The Landing (not an easy walk, but doable down hill). After breakfast, we hiked from the restaurant to honeymoon beach (travel light, as they have refreshments and beach rentals at the beach). The rental unit was very clean and had a lovely garden. It would've been perfectly comfortable if not for the mattress. The mattress is king sized and sinks in on either side due to wear, with a firm hump in the middle. It's useable, but definitely needs replacing. Would consider returning in the future.
5.0
Wonderful location + place!
We loved renting the Papaya suite. The room isn’t large, but it’s all you need when spending all day at the beach. The room cools down so quickly from the AC upon your return each day, and the outside living area/patio has a wonderful breeze and view of the island. Would recommend!
4.0
Cute, sweet place to stay
Super cute place to stay. The only negative was the family staying in the unit above ours were pretty disruptive on this peaceful place. They were up early yelling at their barking dog and stayed up late doing the same thing. I think that was just bad timing and not at all the fault of the property management team. We were only there for a short time or we would have communicated with management to intervene. The place itself was adorable with all the things we needed for our short stay.
5.0
Clean and comfortable with beautiful view
A little difficult to find but perfect. King size bed was comfortable. Microwave, toaster oven, mini fridge, and shared grill. We cooked in 2 nights. Complimentary bottle of water was appreciated. We were also very happy to have access to beach chairs and cooler. Absolutely loved the sunsets, and waking up to fresh air and sunrises from the screened porch
FAQs
How much does this apartment cost compared to others in Cruz Bay?
The average price for a rental in Cruz Bay is $827 per night. This rental is $578 less expensive than the average.
Is parking included with this apartment?
Parking is not specified as an available amenity at Papaya Suite at Sunset Serenade . For more information, we encourage you to contact the property about where to park.
Is there a pool at this apartment?
We didn’t find pool listed as an amenity for this apartment. It may be worth double checking if a pool is important for your stay.
Is Papaya Suite at Sunset Serenade pet friendly?
Unfortunately, this apartment is not pet-friendly. Try searching again and filter for "Pets Allowed"
What amenities are available at Papaya Suite at Sunset Serenade ?
We found 5 amenities for this rental. This includes air conditioner, kitchen / kitchenette, internet / wifi, tv, and garden.
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