What the villa stock looks like here
The five houses I have in St-Jean run from five bedrooms up to ten, so this address works for a large family or for two or three families travelling together, not for a couple on their own. Most are built into the hillside on one side of the bay or the other, so the layouts are terraced and the living space faces the water. That suits groups who want to spread out during the day and still eat together at night. It is also the address I would point a first-time visitor to, or a family with teenagers, since the shops and the sand are a short trip away rather than a expedition across the island. The difference between the five is mainly size and how high up the slope they sit.
What you accept by choosing St-Jean
The runway runs along the back of the bay. Aircraft come in low over the road through the day, and from the houses on that side of the bay you hear them; ask me which of the five sit on the quieter side. The beach itself is very busy, so if you picture an empty stretch of sand, this is not the right address, and I would move you to Flamands or Saline instead. The commercial area brings traffic with it. What you get in exchange is proximity: from any of these five you are a few minutes from most of what you need, and you spend far less time in the car than you would from the quieter corners of the island.
Common questions
Can I walk to the beach from these villas?
From some of them, yes. Others sit high enough on the hillside that the climb back up in the heat is not something I would recommend, and you would drive the few minutes down instead. Tell me which matters more to you, the walk or the view, and I will tell you which of the five fits.
St-Jean or Lorient?
Lorient is a real village further along the north coast, quieter, with a reef that keeps the water calm at one end and brings surf at the other when the swell comes in. Choose Lorient if you want daily life around you and less passing traffic. Choose St-Jean if you want the shortest trips to the airport and to shops, and a busy beach does not bother you.
I want quiet and views. Should I look at Pointe Milou or Lurin instead?
Both are quieter, and both cost you the beach. Pointe Milou has no beach at all, it is a rocky point. Lurin sits on the heights above Gouverneur with no beach you can reach on foot. From either one, everything is done by car. St-Jean is the opposite trade: more noise and more people around you, much less driving.
Tell me your dates
Rates depend on the season and the length of stay, so I quote them case by case rather than publishing a figure that would be wrong half the year. Send me your dates and who is travelling, and I come back with what is actually open in St-Jean.