Reviewers Rating: Excellent

This was my first experience renting a villa and I have to admit that I was quite nervous at the beginning. I was especially nervous when my husband and I found the villa of our dreams (Villa Amour) that was rented by a private individual. Thoughts run through your head... is this person really who they say they are? Anyone can make a website.... and on and on and on.

After emailing the owner Rick several times and finding nothing negative on the web, I crossed my fingers and made the reservation. I know I was really nervoius but that probably comes from living in Chicago and always needing to be alert.

I shouldn't have worried for a split second. My husband and I got off the plane and Rick was right there waiting for us. He picked us up and took us to the villa.

We chose not to rent a car in St Thomas because my husband and I only wanted to stay at the villa for 7 nights and not do any exploring. We work extremely long weeks so this is a perfect vacation to us.

Needless to say, after 7 days of being at the villa every second, we can give you a very thorough review!! The first thing I have to say is that Rick, the owner, was absolutely fantastic!!! We had sent a grocery list so that we could have a stocked fridge and Rick had everything in the fridge before we got there plus soft music was playing when we walked in.

Walking into the villa takes your breath way. I had basically lived at the Villa website (http://www.villaamour.com) the weeks before leaving and I can say without a doubt that the pictures do NOT do the villa justice. A complete work of art is how I would describe this villa.

You walk in and there is a wall of glass - 30 feet long at least that COMPLETELY opens right into the deck and pool / hot tub area. I could not believe how incredible the sights were! The pool is enormous (20x40, I think) and was perfect for swimming and lounging. I part of the pool is an infinity edge that 'falls off' and is just incredible to see. The pool has beautiful lights set in that makes night swimming so peaceful.

We sat by the pool area for about 12 hours a day! Heaven on earth!!!!!

The kitchen is beautiful and large. Granite counters, a bar top, counter stools, and every piece of kitchen equipment you could need plus a barbeque grill right off the kitchen. the dining room has an incredible table made out of granite that seats 8 and is just beautiul.

A dramatic staircase leads upstairs and has a skylight with floating glass fish suspended underneath. A sight to see! Especially when the sun shines through.

The villa has 4 large bedrooms each with its own bathroom and shower. In total, there are 5 bathrooms. Even the bathrooms are beautiful at Villa Amour.

The villa is extremely private and has very few neighbors. A road down the hill leads to a secluded beach. When we walked down, there were only 2 other people there. It's not a small beach either! White sand and coral. Perfect! Just a note that the path up and down the hill is not extremely easy. I wouldn't recommend walking if you are not very fit. Drive down if you have a car.

The villa is extremely cool due to the tradewinds that blow through the house, its high position on the hill, and the fans. We were never uncomfortable there even though it was June (2002) when we visited.

Rick is a perfect owner and called throughout the stay to see if we needed anything. I can't rave about the villa enough. I wish we were there now. We'll be back in 2004!!! :)