The description of Satinwood is a total lie!!! My husband and I arrived at Satinwood at 5:00 pm on 2/29/16 and were totally devastated. I cried !!! We have spent many wonderful comfortable times on St. John but walking into Satinwood was totally unexpected. The description of this property on Trip Advisor was completely misleading. The description as "deluxe" and for "discriminating guests with all the conveniences and comforts expected" is totally untrue. The description never mentioned that this house has compost toilets, virtually a "job Jonny" in the bathroom. That was bad but everything else was worse. The towels and linens were old, stained and dirty. The furniture looks as if it came from the dump. It was broken, old, smelly and dangerous. The house smelled!!! The grill, safe, washer and dryer didn't work. The pool was below the skimmer which wasn't able to filter. The steps leading to the house were decrepit and dangerous. I could go on and on. To sum up, this house is your worst nightmare. Check out the pictures I have posted. Thankfully we were able to secure a comfortable house with Catered To for the reminder of our stay. We left Satinwood the next morning after a sleepless night. NEVER RENT THIS HOUSE !!!

My wife and I have been coming to St. John for years. For the first time ever, we rented the same villa for a second time, and the villa was Satinwood. We also brought another couple to share in the dream. We really like Satinwood for the balance of what it offers. It's not the fanciest villa on the island, and it does have some quirks that some people might not enjoy, such as self-composting toilets with no flush. No odor whatsoever. I say, if you want everything on a trip to be exactly like it is at home, then stay home. :) There, I got that out of the way. But the house is nice, and MORE than sufficient for the needs of anyone who enjoys the outdoor Caribbean life. Here's what we like about it: - Complete privacy at the unique plunge pool - Most stunning view on the island. Do not undervalue this point! - Perfect location if you enjoy both Cruz Bay and Coral Bay, not too far down the East End or South East. - The donkeys live in the Carolina neighborhood. We like donkeys. - Hilltop location means cool breezes - Solar powered/immune from island outages - 5 minutes to Maho, Love City Mini Mart, or Skinny Legs - Price is reasonable compared to some really pricey places with a far lesser view and pool. (Owners: if this ever changes, it will affect our choices - price matters!) Here's what we really didn't like about it: OK that section was short. Here's what some people might take issue with, but come on people, you should be outside anyway so who really cares!: - Kitchen a little dated - Appliances just good enough - Wi-Fi can be spotty If I cared about the quality of the countertops or cabinet doors, I would rate this a 4 star. But since what I care about is a great pool, stunning view, amazing location, fair price, and just the best darn setting in the Lesser Antilles, I rate it a 5 star and highly recommend Satinwood.

We arrived in heavy rain which made for quite the drive across island. Tanji from Cimmaron met us at the ferry dock and quickly took our main driver to the rental car company and circled back down to pick the rest of us and the bags. We enjoyed the huge porch even in the rain. Next day we set all the chair cushions in the sun to dry and back to Cruz Bay for grocery shopping, lunch at the Beach Bar, drinks at the St. John Brewery Tap Room in Mongoose Junction and hit some North Shore beaches on the way back Coral Bay and Satinwood. We went to Ship Wreck Island the next night for dinner and enjoyed local music there as well. For the next several days we explored during the day and cooked at the house. We kept running out of propane and had to use the grill to cook some things. We let Cimmaron know about the propane situation and they took care of the leak in the propane line coming to house from top of driveway. As always things are on Island time but we got by for the couple of days it was a problem. The dryer uses propane too but there is also a good, sheltered clothesline downstairs that we used while the propane was broken. The hot water is solar heated so we had all the hot water we ever needed and the cisterns were full from all the rain the island had gotten recently. Never had a "no" water issue during our 10-day stay. The only negative was that were not able to use the internet during our stay. Turns out the telephone was out and that is why the DSL didn't work. The phone issue got fixed mid week, but then Innovative had to come fix the rest of the problem. Naturally we saw them heading our way as we were leaving. The home is an older home and it's not elegant but it is super functional, very well designed and comfortable. The power went out one night and Cimmaron came and got the generator going as it did not automatically come on. We enjoyed the pool in the mornings. It's shady out there in the afternoon. At night we loved the pool deck for star gazing and watching meteors. We killed a few spiders and roaches, but that's expected on an island in a jungle. A few little black tree frogs got in sometimes too but we just sent them back outside. The driveway was really good compared to others we've seen and been on. When you come in park close to stairs pointed in and do your 3 point turn (if you are good) the next time you leave. There is a small place to do this and our main driver got pretty good at it. There looked to be more parking for Satin Wood at the top of the drive off the road. We only had 1 jeep so we didn't use that. The road to the house was it great shape and the donkey's spent a lot of time in Upper Carolina and on Centerline Road. You can see Centerline Road from the porch, we enjoyed watching the road traffic avoiding the donkey's down there. There wasn't a lot of boats coming and going from Coral Bay when we there. We enjoyed watching boats from the beaches at Maho, Cinnamon and Francis. We thought Satin Wood was located in the perfect location on St. John. Close to Coral Bay and the Love City Mini Market and the east end and southern beaches and the north shore beaches were very close as well.

Satinwood was a great base for our 7 day vacation in St. John. The views of Coral Bay and BVI beyond were spectacular from both master bedroom porches, the main porch, the dining / living area, and from the pool. This villa is quiet and fairly secluded at the end of Miracle Mile road. This unit is better than advertised in the pictures. The Coral Bay breezes are amazingly consistent at the Satinwood villa elevation. "No air conditioning" was not a problem for us. The one night the breezes quit, the fans did just fine at keeping the air moving. The tree frog serenades each night were amazing. The hummingbirds were interesting to watch, and the morning doves and owls were relaxing to listen to. Dale from Cimmaron St. John greeted us at the car ferry in Cruz Bay and was fantastic...loads of information, quite friendly, and very thorough. Cimmaron St. John team members were ALL great...Marilyn arranged our "Bad Kitty" BVI trip, which was the highlight of our trip, another wonderful young lady stayed late on Saturday night to show us through some other properties we were interested in. A+ rating for Cimmaron team! This is a relaxing property which is self-sufficient (solar panels / generator back-up which is very quiet, local water collection, battery back-up, composting toilets (no problems with smells), etc.). Satinwood is an interesting feat of engineering / architectural design perched on the hillside. On the top level are two master bedroom suites with their own baths / showers, and upstairs secondary sleeping loft. These sleeping quarters flank the centrally located kitchen / dining room / living quarters / main porch...it is a very utilitarian set-up. This property would be great for 2 families with 2-4 kids each. We didn't utilize the lower level where there are additional accommodations, as well as the washer / dryer. We had easy access to all North Shore beaches, boating, and snorkeling, as well as Coral Bay and Cruz Bay. Although I would caution that it is a 20-30 minute drive to Cruz Bay at 20 mph, and you do not want to be going much faster due to the steep hills and sharp turns on Rt. 10 / Centerline Rd. Also watch for drivers who apparently think the double yellow line on the road should be placed under the middle of the car. Other than that, we only had to dodge donkeys, wild pigs, goats, roosters, iguanas, and mongooses on our drives into town. Quite fun and interesting. We had a lot of rain late in the week, so watch for fallen rocks on Rt. 10, just around the sharp turns. Strongly recommend small 4 wheel drive Jeep for both tight parking in town, and traction on the hills during the rain. The driveway into Satinwood is steep, with a tight turn-around at the bottom of the hill, but Cimmaron's maintenance guys came (without our prompting) and blew leaves / debris off the drive so getting in and out was no problem. The maintenance guys also resolved a back-up generator problem that we didn't even know about. They seemed very proactive and on top of it all. We really enjoyed eating at Aqua Bistro, Skinny Legs, and Miss Lucy's in Coral Bay, as well as Rhumb Lines, Joes BBQ, Jakes, and Ocean Grill in Cruz Bay, and shopping Mongoose Junction (the only reasonable place to park in downtown Cruz Bay). This trip was our 36th wedding anniversary and 40th "first date" anniversary celebration. We absolutely loved everything despite the 3 days of rain we got. We hiked the Reef Bay trail, petroglyphs, and Reef Bay Sugar Mill Ruins on the cloudy days. However, the next time we will spend as much time as possible on power or sail boats exploring the 90+ islands, and snorkeling the fantastic reefs in St. John and the surrounding USVI and BVI islands and cays. We are so pleased with everything related to our stay at Satinwood, including Cimmaron St. John's excellent support. Job well done.

Had a great family vacation and this home definitely contributed! Was wonderful that we were met at the ferry and guided to the home, we would have for sure been lost if we had to find the place on our own- but it's easy to find once your shown once. It's an eco home with compost toilets that worked well and runs on solar power (great that we didn't lose power with the majority of the island!). The view of Coral Bay and is remarkable, and the pool overlooking the view is also wonderful. It's a cozy home, but definitely could afford some attention and general repairs. Nothing that was too bothersome on its own, but just things that added up and made us wonder where I rent money was going if not back into the home! Broken blinds, foundation crack (!), broken screen door, broken handles to close windows, broken filter for the pool, dull knifes in the kitchen-- mostly little things that in the end just made it feel more like home.

If you are reading this , you are probably trying to make a decision about where to stay in St. John. Research no more. You have found the place. Satinwood is just as it is pictured....we wanted a place in Coral Bay, with at least three bedrooms, clean, had a good review on trip adviser and was reasonably priced.We realize that everyone is different with varied expectations , so were were looking for overall trends. Satinwood filled the bill. I was initially scared of the mulching toilets ( remembering back to the outhouses in Girl Scout camp) but it was NOT an issue at all. The views are spectacular. The home is well equipped with everything you would need. We rated it a four because it is a bit tired, but so are we! Many places are more luxurious, but that was not what we were there for. There are two master bedrooms upstairs with 2 lofts ( for kids only). The third master bedroom is a separate apartment in which you have to go out of the house and down some stairs.....great if someone really wants or needs privacy. The downstairs bedroom is its own separate apartment. Cimmeron was extremely helpful and called us whithin 15 minutes when we ran out of gas for the stove. They offered to come out that evening which was not necessary and had it fixed before 7:00 am the next morning. Our trip to St. John was glorious. Satinwood's driveway is the least scary one we saw. Many are pretty steep. There are some hairpin curves to get to the house , so a four wheel drive is important. We saw lots of donkeys, pigs, and goats but never saw or heard any neighbors.....so satinwood is quite private. Relaxing by the pool was great. We brought in a lot of food from home and stopped at Cost u less in st. Thomas as groceries on the island Are very expensive. We had hired Smile taxi in St Thomas to pick the six of us up with luggage and take us to the ferry. Carol was most accommodating and waited while we grocery shopped. It was definitely worth it to bring groceries over . In St. John We enjoyed a day long sail / snorkel with Cloud 9 in Cruz bay. Captain Dave was quite a sailor and the snorkeling was phenomenal. We had memorable dinners at Skinny legs and Aqua Bistro. We also had an enjoyable lunch at SOGO in Cruz Bay. Our favorite beaches were water lemon , hawknest, honeymoon and salt beach. We thought trunk was overrated and crowded. Avoid trunk when the cruise people come in. Snorkeling was magical. We even swam with the turtles. All in all it was a memorable, restful vacation where we enjoyed sitting back and drinking "rum painkillers" in 80 degree weather under a starry sky with the ones you love. Have a wonderful time. You won't regret renting Satinwood. Have a great vacation!

Satinwood sits perched above Coral Bay, and the view is more incredible than the pictures show. There is a huge master bedroom with a loft on opposite ends of a central living area. My mother stayed on one side with the kids in the loft (which they loved) and my husband and I on the other - complete privacy. There are decks outside each bedroom and off of the main living area as well. The pool was good. The location was a bit far from Cruz Bay, but there are places to go out to eat in Coral Bay. Get groceries at Starfish Market before you head out. Also, all the beaches are very close, and from this location, you can explore the more deserted beaches on the island. The best thing about this place was the service. I've rented houses all over the world and I invariably find they are woefully under stocked. Here, there were plenty of pots and pans, a grill, coolers for the beach, beach chairs, salt and coffee in the cupboards, and a binder with carefully written out with details and recommendations for the whole island. It felt like home the minute we arrived. We also appreciated Cimarron's welcome bag with a bottle of rum in it! Finally, the house is built in a green design and I really appreciated it - I felt good about staying in this wonderfully pristine place.

My wife and I were scheduled to stay at this property in late June, 2013, with our two-year-old daughter. First, the good. The communication we had through booking and prior to arrival was pleasant, and the owner threw in a pack and play so we wouldn't have to rent one or bring one from home, which was nice. The pool can probably be nice given the right conditions, but truthfully, the place is so surrounded by nature that it will usually be found with leaves, bugs, or other foreign objects in it. It has a good view but not overly impressive (you kind of get used to it driving around) and I don't know if the drive all the way up the mountain and down the treacherous driveway is really worth it. I will say the property seems to have been built with eco-friendly aspects - the composting toilets being the key component. Alternatively, here are some of the issues we ran into. The property was not ready when we arrived, despite the fact that we arrived after our pre-scheduled time. It took two maids and the property assistant over an hour to get it ready. When we first arrived, I was instantly disappointed / concerned. The owner's description paints a much rosier picture of this property than its true condition. As an example, the description speaks of "comfort" and "luxury," neither of which exist in this property. First, while it is understandable that a lack of air conditioning might not always lead to discomfort, when the breeze is not blowing, which was the case during our brief stay, the normal island humidity is oppressive and this house offers zero relief. Additionally, there were several broken screens, which again, tends to become an issue in rat and bug-infested environments. Also, several appliances and normal household items did not work (stove, toaster, light switches, etc.), none of which the property assistant who greeted us could fix for our stay. We were going to "tough it out", until we woke up on our first morning there. After awakening and rummaging about the bedroom, my wife and I noticed relatively large excrement droppings inside our bedroom on a shelf at chest height. Clearly, a decently sized animal (probably a large tree rat??) had been crawling around during the night as the three of us slept. After seeing that, my wife and I decided it wasn't worth risking our health and safety, so we left and stayed at another lodge on the island. We are very reasonable people who have stayed in a variety of rustic, eco-friendly settings on a number of vacations, but this is the first time we both felt uneasy and generally disgusted with our rental. I called the agency / owner several times but no one ever bothered to return. I cannot recommend this property in its current condition. It is in general disrepair and unpleasant to occupy, to state it mildly. For those looking for something eco-friendly, and who are willing to live in spartan conditions for their vacation, it may be an option to consider, however, I would think at this price point there are likely better options out there.

This house has a great view of Coral Bay, is spacious and breezy, and well-stocked with all necessities. Nice pool and outdoor area and can easily accommodate 3 couples and 4 kids. You should have 4WD for the location. Composting toilets can be improved (better seat and cover system). Some screens need to be repaired to minimize the number of bugs that attack you at nights.

We were welcomed at the ferry by staff who also helped us manage a snag in the jeep rental. They escorted us to the Satinwood villa, which was a good fit for two couples with bedrooms split on each side of the living area. The view down into the bay was better than watching T.V. and the breezes up the hillside were cool and refreshing. The internet was disrupted several afternoons but the staff was quick to check it out. The villa was close to hiking trails and good beaches. We rate this as one of our best vacations. Thanks for taking good care of us before and during the week. Gratefully, Roger De Young