We stayed in the Front Suite in Early November 2011. The room was clean and well stocked with liquor, drink mixes, bacon, eggs, coffee, and various other small food items. Phyllis was very helpful, even coming to find us and lead us back to the house when we got lost after arriving and picking up our rental car. It is also nice that she will leave you to yourself unless you need something. It is very nice to be within walking distance of Cruz Bay, but the walk back up the hill could be difficult for some.

There is snorkel equipment, coolers, and chairs available to use for free, although not all of it was in working order. Since we were the only ones staying that week we picked through it to find the usable ones without a problem.

Our favorite part of staying at the guest house was making drinks in the evening and sitting on the private balcony to watch the thunderstorms. This was our first visit to St. John and I hope we can come here again. We would definitely stay at Hillcrest Guest house again!

Phyllis, the owner, was wonderful. Our room was stocked with wine, rum, breakfast foods, cold drinks, and even ice cream! We had a nice view of Cruz Bay and the use of coolers, snorkel gear, and free DVDs to watch in the evening. Our room was a little worn and the bathroom needed a little attention, but the outstanding price and location make these minor issues. Highly recommended and we would definitely stay there again. St. John was fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed the hiking and snorkeling on the island. Trunk Bay is has the 'snorkel trail' and all the tourists. I'd recommend going there early in the morning, then moving on down the road to another bay when all the tourists show up. We did several hikes, including the Reef Bay and Ram's Head trails - both great hikes.

I stayed here as it was one of the cheapest places to stay on the island (not cheap in general terms however) but was disappointed mainly with the standard of cleanliness and the insect infestations but let's start with the positives :
Pros - excellent location, walking distance to cruz bay shops and restaurants (however the steep hill climb was not easy esp in the heat), owner picked up from ferry terminal, welcome guest basket of fruits very nice touch, AC in good working order and good sized rooms.

Cons - thick layer of grime on most surfaces including the kitchen, holes in the mosquite grilles so hey got in and we got bitten to death and worst of all at night cockroaches came out to play in the kitchen!
I wanted to leave but my travelling companion refused. I wish I had as despit how beautiful st john was as an islanf when I remember it the memories as marred by the dread I felt on having to return to this place...

I chose Hillcrest after reading consistent online reviews for 2 years. My last visit to St. John I stayed at Caneel Bay which is extremely pricey. I have to say I enjoyed this trip even more! The owner of the Hillcrest was so welcoming and such a lovely woman. I loved her dogs as well! We stayed in the Front Suite. She stocked the room with lots of alcohol and some snacks and breakfast food, so basically we just ate dinner out each night. So close to town, the hill is a little too steep for me to climb but going down was a breeze. Easily took cabs everywhere, it turned out cheaper than renting a jeep, plus didn't have to worry about navigating those roads! The absolute ONLY recommendation I could think of is to bring your own snorkel equip. or rent it down at Low Key Water Sports. The owner keeps a few sets but if other guests are using your size fins your out of luck. If I had $$ I'd buy some snorkel equipment to donate to the Hillcrest. Loved it and can't wait to visit again.!!!!!!