Hi,
Thinking about renting a villa in April or May and was wondering if anyone has used blueoceanvillas.com or Sonja Van Der Drift for a villa rental recently and could share how it went. I've found that most Villa rentals require a bank transfer/check for deposit and cash on arrival. Is that fairly typical.
Thanks,
-Matt

Matt

I just reserved a villa for late May through Gobeach.com. It will be the first time I use them, but up to now it has been very easy. I sent them a personal check for the deposit after signing and faxing them the contract. They did not require a security deposit but did require a form be filled out and signed authorizing them to charge my credit card in the event of any damages to the villa. I have dealt with Annemarieke, her email is aj@gobeach.com. She has been very helpful. Let me know if you have any questions.


Jose

My wife and I rented Villa Leones through Sonja for a week in March 2010. We sent her a deposit up front, completed all the forms with the cc commitment. Then paid the balance at some point prior to the trip. It all went great. Island Properties REMAX is the agent on the ground in St Martin. One of the employees took us up to the place and got us settled in. Fantastic! It was really amazing.
You NEED a car if you are going to stay at any of these villas, for going to the market, etc. Traffic is insane in the urban areas. Take all the insurance you can get on the vehicle if you don't have it covered on your credit card.

We just got back a week ago. Stayed in The Stone House that we rented through Sonja. We paid the deposit and then the balance both by check before we arrived. Someone met us at the rental car office and directed us to the villa. Everything went smoothly. Great villa with a SHORT walk to the beach and good food.