Harmony Studios: “Harmony was the right choice”

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“Harmony was the right choice”

Just back from a four night stay at Harmony Studios and felt it was the right choice.

Rooms were cool enough with fans. Mosquitos were almost nonexistent until 2 days after it rained, then they were moderate. 437 steps to our studio at the top was a lot, but we went up/down about 3 times per day anyhow. Can also drive 2/3 of it. Rooms/showers comfortable. Place was empty since it was low season, which was extremely nice. Front desk says it's a circus at high season.

Restaurant was adequate, but no more other than a rather nice view. $10 for breakfast by the time you bought enough to get full. Much larger portions & better food in town. $2.50 at their store for a sandwhich was a much better deal.

Store quite well stocked with food/beer.

Staff fairly friendly. Bring a calling card for the free phones outside the units; MCI phonecard worked but some others didn't. Some cell phones work, others didn't.

Chose this over the Maho Tents and it was the right choice for us. The tents have better location (some right over the water) and many fewer steps, but shared baths and looked rather less comfortable.

The snorkeling at St. John is so nice that our group would do it 2-3 times per day/night. With this said, it was very nice to be able to go straight from our room to the beach where 100' away in only 4' of water was an area where we saw cuttlefish that changed color, a 5' fish with a remora attached, urchins, many many types of coral and sponges and fish.

At night we ran down to the beach, jumped in and splashed in water that phosphoresces. We rented the small sailboat on the beach and in 20 minutes were at Whistling Cay (island) seeing lobsters.

Did a 30 minute swim across to Cinammon from Maho and saw a small shark and sea turtle and had a little fish ride the pressure wave of my goggles the whole way home.

Saw dolphins in the bay while eating breakfast. This would all have been more complex if we had been at The Westin where we would have played tennis or swam in the pool instead.

Harmony Studios:

“A glorious grown-up camping experience..we loved it!”

We are 63 and 64 years old, and we have traveled to St. John on several occasions. This year it was "my turn" to select where we stayed.

I really wanted to stay in the Tent-Cottages, but my husband, not quite so adventurous as I, said "no"...he wanted a private bathroom...imagine!

So, we stayed in Harmony 6-A. Let me tell you about Harmony.

We were there off season, so things were nice and peaceful.

In Harmony, choose either 6-A or 5-A...they are the two upper level suites that have the best view...Harmony 1 through 4 have NO VIEW, so remember that.

We took way too much stuff and hauling the suitcases up the fifty steps from the Jeep (Highly recommended) to the room was angina-producing, according to my husband.

The room is large with king sized bed (comfortable), sofa bed and two rollaways. Refrigerator, microwave, sink. Good fans. No air-conditioning, but great breeze at night, and in the day time, we were under water snorkeling.

Water pressure is weak but certainly adequate. Regular American toilet (hey, remember that this indoor bathroom was high priority for us!).

The staff was great at supplying fresh towels and sheets...things sour fast in that humidity. The dinner meals at the Pavilion were extremely good...not expensive in comparison with the other Cruz Bay restaurants of St. John, and what a view. Two nights we ate in our room just because we wanted to.

The bays around Maho are excellent...we did a bay a day. I'd advise taking your own snorkel gear, a beach towel, bug spray.

Harmony supplies you with a nice little cooler for beach jaunts.

We stayed eight days, and it was fabulous, and we had many tales to tell when we came home. I am taking our 23 year old daughter down in January, and she and I ARE going to stay in a tent-cottage...I'll write a comparison after wards.

Maho is not made for the staid, luxury requiring traveler...we've stayed in plenty of 5 Stars, but this was the perfect way to feel at peace with nature and to relax totally...ladies, no makeup...just shorts, slacks, the less you take, the better. By the way, take a hair dryer if you need one...there is plenty of electricity generated by the solar panels.

A long review, but I just had to tell you what a truly memorable week we had. If you feel at all in-tune with the environment, go for it and stay in Harmony Suites at Maho Bay. It is different, but what an experience!

By the way, my husband is somewhat physically handicapped and the steps from the Pavilion or from the beach to our cottage were really hard on him, but we found a way to drive right down to the beach (adjacent Francis Bay), and we could drive right to the Pavilion. The steps from the Jeep to the room were not bad except when we were hauling suitcases.

Go and have fun! I am a physician and this was just what this doctor ordered!

Harmony Studios:

“Loved Harmony Studios”

Just got back from the Maho Bay Camps where we stayed in the Harmony Studios (nice rooms-great views). It was the perfect place for people that love the outdoors/nature and care about the environment.

Service was great-no complaints. The meals at the Maho restaurant were delicious and the portions were huge.

Loved snorkeling at the little beach at Maho. Just remember to bring lots of bug spray and wear it ALL the time. Also, there are lots of steps so you will be sure to get a daily workout.

Harmony Studios:

“Enjoyed Harmony”

We just returned from St. John, having spent five nights in a Concordia Eco-Tent, and four nights in Harmony Studios (H1B). We truly enjoyed ourselves and could possibly return to Harmony in the future, but it did not "wow" us. Another poster suggested that their unit was not properly cleaned. I felt the same way when we arrived. There were dead moths on the night stands, and everything looked a bit worn. The patio furniture was missing webbing, and many of the light bulbs were burnt out.

All things that we could survive, but also things that I would expect to be in good order in most "hotels". I would expect that mgmt's request for departing guests to strip beds and sweep the unit is only asked so that the cleaning staff has an easier time. I did wonder however, whether they actually just place new sheets on the bed and hang clean towels.

I think we're fairly easy going, and we still had a great time.

We ate in the unit every morning, and were glad for the limited kitchen facility because we packed a lunch in our day pack every day.

The pavilion was lovely in the evenings, and the food we tried was good and fairly priced.

The glass blowing demonstration is a "must see". My personal favorite was Yoga in the F Pavilion.

We hiked many of the North Shore trails while at Harmony, and visited most of the beaches.

A great vacation!

Liked — Being on an island paradise.

Harmony Studios:

“Exceptional stay for us, but not for everyone....”

The Maho Bay experience really suited us, but it's important to know what you're getting into before choosing this "resort".

Staying at Harmony Studios is billed as "luxury" by the resort, but although comfortable, it's actually borderline "rustic". Overall, Maho Bay-Harmony Studios is rather similar to staying at rustic cabins that one finds in may US and state parks in the 48 states.

First, some background on us....we and our friends are couples in their early '60s. We are in pretty good shape, but definitely not fitness fanatics. We chose Harmony Studios over the so-called "tents" because the studios have their own private bathrooms and running water (at our age, we find it tough to do communal facilities!).

We are nature buffs and scuba divers, and are definitely pro-green eco-tourists.

We found the studios to be very comfortable and functional, and the setting is spectacular.

Our friends had a great view of the bay, while our balcony was set more in the forest with the variety of beasts that roam the grounds.

We had smaller bedroom studios for each couple, but each had a very comfortable king-size bed, full bathroom/shower, large closet for storage, kitchen/dining area, and huge sliding doors onto a large balcony.

The solar-heated hot water was usually at least warm, and actually got hot a few times. However, you share this with one other unit, and the supply is limited, so one depends on the citizenship of one's neighbors in this regard.

However, with the air temperature usually around 80+, even tepid water was fine for a shower. The only problem here was that our solar heater had to be repaired initially (which was done promptly)...without solar heating, the water was frigid and suitable only for sponge-baths. We understand that the communal showers have such unheated water....another reason for going with Harmony.

The studios are in well-constructed up/down duplexes with proper walls, tiled floors, and simple but good furnishings, in this regard, the studios are more like condos than cabins.

The window/ ventilation in the main livng area is enormous, and all apertures have effective screens. A ceiling fan also helps circulation.

In December, we were never too warm, and in fact had to shut windows during a few cooling rains.

Perhaps the only negative aspect of the studios themselves is the potential for noise from one's neighbors, both in the same building and in neighboring structures. All that open window space allows noise to travel, so if you are sensitive to the usual family conversations or activities or like to sleep in late (i.e. past about 7am or so), then Maho is not for you.

As you might expect, most of the folks frequenting Maho Bay are pretty sensitive types, so gross disturbances are rare. Further, the resort rules strictly prohibit the playing of music and require silence after 10am. However, we did suffer one night of horror from a couple who refused to be quiet until well after midnight, so not everyone was a good sport.

So much for the description of the accomodations. The real charm of Maho Bay is its setting within a dense rain forest hillside overlooking a spectacular bay.

We fell asleep to myriad animal noises at night, and often to the sound of brief rain showers. The walkways of the resort are wide, sturdy wooden sidewalks and stairways that are suspended above the forest floor by several feet.

These give you the feeling of gliding through the vegetation.

Much has been debated regarding the need to climb and descend long distances between Harmony Studios, the restaurant, and the beach.

For us, we found that at a leisurely pace the climbs and descents were not too difficult or imposing, although we were careful to plan our activities to avoid too many up and down trips each day. However, although one can drive to and park at Harmony and at the restaurant, folks with physical disabilities will definitely find this place difficult to navigate...it's not even close to disability-accessible.

This is especially true for the resort beach, which can only be reached via a long, steep stairway.

Many comments have also been made about the bug situation. In December, we found the mosquitos more or less tolerable, but repelant was sometimes required. A few of these local laddies did penetrate our studio each time the door was opened, but we did not find our sleep or activities much affected by them. Yes, we did have a few small cockroaches, but we've lived in the tropics and don't find these guys too offensive.

The restaurant served reasonably good meals at fair prices. We found the portions much too big, though. Finally, the staff were very helpful and friendly. They are largely in their early twenties, and seem very committed to the eco-philosphy of Maho Bay, and work very hard to keep the resort running smoothly.

Lastly, I'd suggest that renting a sturdy 4-wheel drive vehicle is a necessity to getting into the whole St. John experience. We went all over this highly diverse and spectacular island, including to a few secret places the locals told us about (we actually had an entire beach and bay to ourselves for about 6 hours at one of these hard to access sites!).

While some of this travel can be done with taxis or arranged tours, there is nothing like the freedom of one's own transportation.

However, driving on St. John can range from amusing to hair-raising, as the roads are precipitous and often populated by feral species such as goats, donkeys, mongooses, and the odd domestic cow or horse. Naturally the locals add to the fun by driving too fast...

Harmony Studios:

This was our first stay on St John. We had heard about Maho Bay and thought that would be an interesting place to stay with the kids and liked the idea that Harmony studios have their own bathrooms.

St John is beautiful, truly a special place, worthy of the national park designation. The view from our studio was spectacular, we could see all the way to St Thomas.

Little Maho beach is below and is nice, but unfortunately is more than 500 steps from top to bottom, and back up is another 500 plus steps! Maho bay is a great idea and those who are environmentally conscious will appreciate the emphasis on recycling.

The restaurant is actually quite good with a spectacular view and reasonable prices.

The glass blowing demonstrations were interesting and our kids enjoyed their glassblowing lessons, which were reasonably priced.

The snorkeling is incredible with sea turtles next door at Francis Bay.

There is better snorkeling elsewhere and the restaurants in Coral Bay (Shipwreck Landing and Skinny Legs Bar) and Cruz Bay (Morgans Mango and Cafe Roma) are worth trying and therein lies Maho/ Harmony's biggest drawback - the road.

We wisely rented a Jeep, but the bumpy road in and out of the Maho Bay campgound gets tiresome, truly.

An excursion worth mentioning was a trip to the BVI on the "Bad Kitty", a recently launched motor catarmaran. There was room to move around which was a huge advantage over the other charter options we saw.

Our itinerary was a ride to Virgin Gorda to tour the Baths, lunch at Cooper Island, snorkeling the caves at Norman Island and finishing up with a Painkiller at Jost Van Dyke's Soggy Dollar Bar and some beach time. A great trip worth the money.

St John is an American paradise in the Caribbean and Maho Bay is worth a visit. Harmony studios are expensive for what you get and we got tired of all the stairs and especially the washboard road.

Harmony Studios:

“My aching Knees!”

What a wonderful place. Truly paradise. Not a place for pampering however. The studios advertise "hot water" but it just aint so. The solar water heaters give you a tepid shower at best. And there ARE bugs - mostly roaches in the room, but hey - it's the tropics.

The food was well prepared and quite tasty, if a bit pricey. Expect $20 each for dinner, plus beer or wine. Iced Tea is free.

Mostly a middle age 40's - 50's crowd the week I was there (Dec 8-15). Everyone is so friendly, and the place is so unpretentious, I would even consider traveling there alone. There were a good number of single travelers when we were there.

You really dont need to rent a car. Hamilton's taxi takes small groups on outings each day - at reasonable prices. Plus it's a nice way to meet other people staying at Maho. Mr. Hamilton really knows St. John.

My 52 Year old knees still ache thinking about all the stairs I climbed. Hundred and hundreds and hundreds. And I am in good shape. It was especially a gut buster to go from the beach to our studio. Yowsa.

My wife, who is a bit of a priss, and was more than a little aprahensive about "camping", can't wait to go back to Harmony.

If you dont like camping, but want the experience of Maho, AND you are in good physical shape, the Studios are a winner.

* Liked — Location

“Harmony Studios is UP THE HILL from most of Maho”

My husband & I spent 4 nights at Harmony Studios after years of looking at Maho Bay brochures since before there were websites to look at.

Friends of ours had stayed at Maho and complained about the many steps from their tent to the bathroom, so since we were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary, we decided to splurge on Harmony Suites.

The room was large studio with king size bed, kitchenette, private bath, closet, and a deck with a fantastic view. No complaints at all there.

However, it is about 180 steps down to dining pavilion, and again that much further DOWN to the beach. You really don't want to back and forth too many times in a day. (unless you are one of those people who runs up and down stairs to keep in shape)

We hope to go back to Maho, but next time we will stay in a tent-cottage, preferably between the dining pavilion and the beach, not TOO far from the bathroom.

* Liked — Maho Bay

Harmony Studios:

“Harmony is basic but beautiful”

My family of 4 just returned from a week at Harmony. We got two units (my children are teenagers), and that worked well.

The units would be very crowded for four. As other reviews note, the accomodations are pretty basic. We found them adequate in terms of comfort.

We did not have trouble with insects, and were comfortable sleeping at night. We did not mind the stairs, but all of us are in pretty good shape.

We had a jeep and spent most of the each day exploring the Island, and that worked extremely well. While Maho Bay is nice, we found it important to get out every day and explore this extraordinary island.

We went into Cruz Bay and Coral Bay for dinner, and, while expensive, it was fun.

We had breakfast each morning at Maho and found the food adequate and the view stunning.

You eat your food while you look out at the water and watch the iquanas in the trees. Harmony is not for everyone. It is not luxurious and it presents some challenges (like the stairs). But the setting is beautiful and we came to appreciate how close to nature we were.

Harmony Studios:

“best views on the island”

We stayed at Harmony several years ago, so it has probably changed in that time.

But I'm sure the views are as fabulous as ever.

True, it requires about 500 steps to reach the beach, so make sure you have everything with you when you go.

At the time the Park Service presented frequent evening programs about the natural splendors of the island. The food wasn't that great, but it was filling.

The unit was large enough with excellent cross ventilation. I recall that the sheets smelled rather sour.

What most impressed me was the view from our porch. We were out there for every sunset, watching the incredible colors fade and the lights come on over the water on St Thomas and Tortola, while St John stayed pitch dark.

Their beach on Little Maho Bay is a bit crowded, but you can walk or better yet swim around the point to Big Maho Bay, with some excellent snorkeling along the way.

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