We stayed at Castara Retreats for two weeks and were delighted about the beauty of the lodges and the garden. Staff has been very friendly and always helpful. Lots of birds visit the garden and the view from the bedroom and balcony is wonderful.
With help from the manager we got married under the pagoda at Castara Retreats and all we had to do was 10 minutes of paperwork in Scarborough. The ceremony was lovely with nice ocean and rainforest views, a good meal and at night some drinks with local people from Castara.
We could hardly believe how perfect HEAVEN was for us! We wanted total privacy and that is what we got, PLUS...the most amazing view of Pigeon Island and Rodney Bay. The villa has a 360 degree view, about 280 degrees is over the ocean and bays and the rest lush mountains. We chose to cook our own meals and limited the housekeeper and gardener to 2 days a week for 2 hours a day. The weather was tropical with rain showers coming and going...the temperature was perfect, never wore a sweater. The villa is truly "one of a kind"...we felt so blessed to have found it! It is a bit "older"...but by no means "tired", airy and open to the outside...pictures are accurate. Having our own good sized pool overlooking the ocean was a definite plus...YES..we would return if given the chance someday.
Don’t let the staged website photos fool you. This place is involved in a very slow renovation and there’s only a few adequate rooms that are marginal. The window a/c units barely cool the rooms, there’s no screens on the rusty sliders so you’re restricted to the semi-conditioned air and most doors, windows, etc. are poorly installed or will just fall off in your hands if not careful. Mosquitos are vicious there and will haunt you all night long as they creep between the many gaps to find you. It’s very remote there so the cell phone reception is non-existant however, the internet connection is strong so have your Skype account charged up. The restaurant is pricey and you may be the only people there with the crashing waves to one side and the rowdy dice slammers to the other at the bar.
The owners live on the mainland so they assigned their lazy daughter to manage the place. Great call if you desire a raucous, hootin’ & hollerin’ party atmosphere most days at odd hours with the groupies that hang out and drink with her. Don’t expect any standard professional hospitality or common courtesy. She is careless and others in the business on St. Croix will verify that.
Obviously, not recommended.
We just returned from a stay at Villa Paprika, and there are not enough wonderful things our family can say about this beautiful property. We had a group of twelve staying and the layout provided enough space for us to have our own privcacy when needed, and ample space for us to share family time. We are definitely coming back to Villa Paprika for our next family vacation!
