Dear Jorge, Thank you for staying at Meritage Cottage and the compliments you provided. We trust that you were able to enjoy St. John, its beautiful beaches and towns. It’s unfortunate that the electric was out on two of the mornings that you were here. We understand that the electric did come back on by 1pm both days, and therefore was more of an inconvenience in the mornings. Please note that we highlight the potential for power outages in the information packet that we send to all guests, at the time they book their stay. While you were on the island, there was an explosion on St Thomas which impacted electric throughout the USVI. But given the severity of the incident, the crews were able to restore service within a reasonable amount of time. Pasted below are excerpts from our information packet which highlight the potential for power interruptions and how to best cope with such, including impact to water service, which is provided via cisterns, which is then pumped in; city water service which is common in the US mainland is not provided. During power outages, most guests go to the beach, which we assume you did, and were able to return later in the day to the cottage with electric and water to enjoy the evenings. Excerpts from information packet: Should there be a short power outage, please do not flush the toilets during this time or use water in general as this causes the water pump to lose its prime. Power outages usually only happen when they are working on the lines for one reason or another and most last only a few hours at the most, so be patient should this occur while you are there. (Call Abby if there is a power outage). Another reason why you should bring a solar power phone charger. We do not drink tap water when we travel, we recommend buying gallon bottles of water from the store to use for drinking, and the smaller bottles to take to the beach. Don’t forget to buy a couple of bags of ice! Regarding trash disposal, this is also clearly addressed in the information packet. In St John, it is customary for guests to stop at the conveniently-placed dumpsters located throughout the island to dispose of their trash. There is a labor shortage on St John and therefore the cleaning crew has to allocate their time and resources most wisely. Thus, the cleaning crew coordinates their visits to the properties before people check in, and not necessarily when they check out. Although we clearly request that guests personally dispose of their garbage on their way to the ferry dock, with the dumpsters right on the way there, it’s disappointing that you were unable to do this. This also helps to reduce the need for pesticides, which helps the environment of course. Excerpt from information packet: St. John does not provide door-to door trash collection. Please throw your bagged garbage in the back of your jeep and drop it off at one of the nearby dumpster bins along the road in Cruz Bay. You can easily do this daily on the way to the grocery store, beach, etc. Daily removal of trash is recommended to prevent the unpleasant effects of heat as well as deter unwanted pests. The three lovely ladies that clean after guests leave share one car along with cleaning equipment and unfortunately do not have room in their vehicle to carry trash after guests leave. Thank you for your understanding. We have considered installing a generator, but this would lead to higher rates since these do not come cheaply in St John. We have also stayed at properties which have a generator, but they are not completely reliable and it’s even more frustrating to book a property which has a generator that isn’t working. Obtaining parts for generators and power plants in the islands always takes additional time compared to the mainland. Also, the hot tub is brand new as of last year and this was the first real power outage since we purchased it. From your comments we learned that the hot tub just needed to be reset at the control panel for the temperature to operate correctly after an outage. Based on your comments, it appears that your requirements would be best met by staying at a hotel. The hotels in the area charge 2 to 4 times our rates however. When we travel in Europe, we often stay at hotels as they reliably have air conditioning, which is much less prevalent there, compared to the US. In general, we recommend travelers research the nuances of their given destination to familiarize themselves with local customs and concerns, and we make that relatively easy for our guests by addressing such in our information packet. Sincerely, Linda & Randall

Hi Don & Teri, Sorry to hear about your experience, but thank you for bringing this to our attention. We were previously unaware. We pay for monthly pest control on the island and have never had any complaints of this nature. Abby (our property manager on St. John) did say that she had the place treated again and also had housekeeping come in right away to disinfect & do a deep clean. Believe me, no-one dislikes unwelcome guests more than I do. This will be taken care of. We are glad you enjoyed your stay overall and would be happy to host you again. Linda & Randall 🌴

Thank you Paula & Kirk. We agree with you guys. Listening to the waves and star gazing is the perfect way to start any day. Its so peaceful. Abby is incredible. It’s important that guests know that they have Abby on the island should they need anything. She was born & raised on St. John, so she knows all there is to know about the islands. Let us know when you plan to return. We will pencil in the dates for you. Thank you again. Linda & Randall. 🌴

Wonderful guests! Would welcome back again.

Andrew, thanks for taking time to write a review of your stay at Meritage Cottage. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed yourself and hope to come back in the future. Chris & Abby

Lorraine, We are so pleased to hear that Meritage Cottage was the right fit for your vacation on St. John. Thanks for the house warming gift of scissors, we had a pair in the drawer, not sure what happened to them, but hopefully these will stay put. Please come join us again in the future. Chris & Abby

James, So glad to hear your honeymoon was so enjoyable and that Meritage Cottage was a part of the equation. We wish you many years of happiness in your marriage and hope you will return to St.John over the years to relax and have fun. Thanks, Chris

Dan & Nicole, Thanks for taking time to write a review of your stay at Meritage Cottage. We are always pleased when we here all our effort to make our guest vacation one they will always cherish. Please come back and join us again in the future, we look forward to seeing you. Chris & Abby

So glad to know that you loved the Cottage and will be coming back again. We look forward to seeing you next year. Thanks for taking time to write a note for us in the review section to let other guest know what you thought. Chris & Abby

Joanne, Thanks for writing a review and glad to hear you enjoyed the Cottage and the views. Just wanted to clarify to guest reading this review that the roads are all paved right to the cottage and the reference of needing a jeep may just be a recommendation for the Island in general. Thanks again guys and hope you come join us again. Chris & Abby

Jessica & Laurie, We are glad to to hear Meritage Cottage fit the bill for your vacation on St.John. I'll pass your message onto Sinbad and let him know how much you appreciated all his help getting you all acclimated to your new surroundings. Thanks for taking time to write a review, were always curious to know what people think of our service. Thanks, Chris & Sinbad

Jonathan, The electric company has been working on new power lines over the past month in our area which has prompted some power outages for a short period. They frequently do this late in evening when folks are asleep as to not inconvenience people during the day, which may explain the fridge seem to not be working. Our manager Sinbad went to the Cottage both mornings after you called to find the refrigerator working fine and hard ice in the freezer and at the moment it is still working perfectly. As well our manager checked the wi-fi with his computer to be working just fine. We have not had a complaint regarding the wi-fi from any of our other guest. Sorry you experienced this . Chris

Nathan, Glad to hear your honeymoon was a success and that you enjoyed your stay at Meritage Cottage. I'll let Sinbad know you appreciated his tour of the town and getting you well settled in for a great week. Thanks again, Chris