The Team Behind SP Vacations

The first thing many guests of SP Vacations mention is the drive in from the airport. St. Croix keeps to the left, most visitors arrive in a rental car they have never driven, and the road from Henry E. Rohlsen Airport to a villa on the East End takes 30 to 40 minutes. Lindsay, who came with her family in May, wrote that Rich “did guide us from the airport to the Airbnb when we first arrived which helped us get accommodated to driving on the left side of the road.” Fred, who stayed a week in April, wrote that “Joleigh helped us get from the airport to the house and took care of us all week answering questions and offering recommendations for things to do and dining.”

SP Vacations is the vacation-rental side of Sterling Point Real Estate, a brokerage with an office on King Street in Christiansted. It looks after private villas and condos across the island, from the hills of the East End to the beach at Judith’s Fancy and the sunset side near Frederiksted, and it looks after The Cerulean, the villa on our cover this month. This is a story about what its small team does for the people who stay in those houses, told mostly in the guests’ own words.

Who runs it

Sterling Point is owned by Nadja Boulger-Watrous, its principal broker, and Rich Watrous, who runs property management. Nadja, born and raised in Germany, came to St. Croix in 2010 to work on a sustainable farm in the island’s rainforest and has worked in real estate on the island since 2015. Rich is the name guests know. He answers the messages, coordinates the arrivals and is the person the reviews thank when something is put right; the company’s own site calls him “the person many guests already deal with by name.” The other name that comes up again and again is Joliegh Boothe, the firm’s Operations and Client Experience Lead, whose name guests spell several ways in their reviews.

The company name is newer than the work. Sterling Point Real Estate and its SP Vacations trade name were registered in the U.S. Virgin Islands in January 2026, and the rental website went live in September. Reviews that thank Rich for looking after guests go back to 2023.

Christiansted ~ St. Croix (23332375936) · Prayitno · CC BY 2.0 · cropped

Between them, the brokerage and the rental side cover what an owner on St. Croix needs: sales, valuations, long-term lets and holiday rentals. For a guest that matters in one practical way. The people who look after the house also know the island’s tradespeople, and how to get one out quickly.

Before you land

The service starts with the first message. SP Vacations asks guests to say what they want when they inquire about a home, or once they have booked, and most of it is arranged before anyone flies. Food can be settled first. Send a list and the basics are in the kitchen when you arrive, or the team will point you to Seaside Market and Plaza Extra for the first shop. After a day of flights, with children or grandparents in the party, a stocked kitchen is worth more than it sounds.

A car comes next. There is no Uber or Lyft on St. Croix, and the company’s site puts it plainly: “A car is practically essential here.” The team helps line up a rental at the airport, or a private transfer to the house for a party that would rather not drive on the first evening. In February a guest at The Cerulean found every rental company sold out. Timothy wrote that Rich “got us connected with a rental car when all the travel sites and rental companies said none were available.”

Then there is the question of which house. A family of six fits in several of the homes, and which one suits them depends on stairs, on the beach and on how the bedrooms are spread. For a group spread across more than one home, the site says: “That’s a conversation, not a form.” Our companion story this month goes through the houses one by one.

Guests describe a call before arrival. Kristina, who stayed at Toes in the Sand in April, wrote: “From the phone call the day before our arrival to the in-person quick tour of the property, the personalized service was exemplary.” Lauren, who stayed at Hook ’em on Paradise with a one-year-old, wrote that Rich “reached out after booking to coordinate meeting us upon arrival.”

The arrival

At several of the houses someone meets you. Their listings note an in-person check-in, and guests describe being met at the airport, guided out on the left-hand roads and shown round the house. At The Cerulean the welcome is always the same: the villa managers guide guests in from the airport and give a full tour of the house before they leave.

The condos work differently. At the Beach-Access Condo near Christiansted guests receive an email with the gate, lockbox and door codes and let themselves in. One guest found the lockbox hard to manage in the dark, so if your flight lands late, keep a phone torch ready and read the instructions before you set off.

Check-in is from 4 pm at every home. Check-out is at 10 or 11 am, depending on the home, and minimum stays are four or five nights.

The process, property and people were all A+ in our book.Fred, a guest in April 2026

When something goes wrong

The test of a rental company is what happens when something breaks. A guest at Toes in the Sand put the island’s side of it in a January 2025 review: the hosts “were even able to provide a new dryer when it was found not to be working (malfunctioning appliances is very common occurrence on the island). The dryer was ordered and installed within a few hours of initially reporting our problem. Which for this location is remarkable!”

Other reviews describe small repairs done fast. At The Cerulean, Timothy wrote: “We had a minor issue he resolved immediately early on a Sunday morning.” At Toes in the Sand, Melba gave four stars and wrote: “We had a couple of maintenance issues, but they were addressed by Rich.” At Moko Vista, a hilltop house on the East End, Shawn wrote: “There were some miscommunications between me and the host but Mr. Rich helped to solve it quickly.”

Some problems have nothing to do with the house. Amanda, who came with two other couples in March, wrote: “When our flights were delayed Rich was very responsive and easily switched main contacts for someone that wasn’t delayed, hugely appreciated that!” And once, a problem at a house meant a family had to leave it. Jen wrote in February that after “an unexpected issue with the property,” her party was moved to “another property in this management’s portfolio, which was a wonderful beachfront home in Judith’s Fancy,” and that Rich “was super responsive, professional and I would rent from him again.” Having a second house to move a family into is one of the advantages of booking with a company that manages several.

Then there is the checking in. Scott, who stayed at Toes in the Sand in April, wrote of Joliegh that “she was wonderful from the beginning and made sure to check on us throughout the week.”

The concierge list

Beyond the house itself, SP Vacations arranges services for any of its homes through its team on the island. The list is long and practical: a private chef, for an arrival dinner, one celebration meal or a full week of dinners; grocery stocking; a butler, a housekeeper or a bartender for a party. Mid-stay cleans, extra linen, a travel crib or a high chair are arranged on request.

On the water, the team books Buck Island snorkelling trips, half-day catamaran sails, sunset sails and sport fishing off Lang Bank with the island’s licensed operators. The company’s line on this is worth quoting: “we recommend the one that fits your group and dates rather than sell you a package.” Ashore, it books rum-distillery tours, guided hikes and the night kayak trip on the bioluminescent bay.

Celebrations are part of it too: proposals, anniversaries and small wedding parties, with the villa as the base. The company is clear that its houses are places to stay and not event halls: “Villas are the lodging base rather than event venues.” The concierge carries a fee, and the site states it plainly: “There’s a small coordination fee for concierge arrangements, quoted upfront, and any third-party costs (a chef, a charter, provisioning) are quoted before anything is booked.”

The smaller touches are the ones guests remember. Nicholas, who stayed with his family of four in May, wrote that “the complimentary sunscreen, after-sun products, and bug spray were an unexpected but wonderful surprise.” Jessica wrote that “Rich supplied four beach chairs for our ventures.” Chris listed what was waiting at Toes in the Sand: “chairs, towels, clips, sunblock, bug spray, aloe.”

Local knowledge, and candour

A good local manager also tells you where to eat and where to shop. “Island recommendations were given for activities and dining,” Kristina wrote. Nicholas wrote that “the hosts gave us suggestions for where to pick up groceries and were quick to respond to a couple of questions we had.” On hurricane season, which runs to the end of November, the company’s site says: “we watch forecasts with our guests.”

What stands out in the listings is how much they tell guests before they book. The Buck Island Overlook’s listing warns that the roads up to it are “narrow, winding, or steep” and to drive carefully after dark. Bananaquit Bungalow, a pink cottage that runs on solar power and rainwater, says it is “not suitable for guests who require continuous low temperature air conditioning.” The reviews add their own warnings, and the company publishes them: at Moko Vista, Shawn advised that there is no mobile signal at the house “unless you drive 2 mi away to the west,” and recommended a Jeep for “the gnarly road.” At Toes in the Sand, several guests point out that the north-shore beach in front is for walking, sea glass and watching surfers, and that the pool is for swimming.

The owners’ side

Guests see the arrival and the concierge. The work that keeps the houses in shape happens on the owners’ side of the business, and it explains a good deal of what the reviews describe. Sterling Point’s management covers routine inspections, preventive maintenance, a network of licensed tradespeople across St. Croix, emergency response and preparation for hurricanes. Owners receive detailed monthly statements, and their own stays go on the same calendar the team manages.

The company also makes a point that owners on the island will recognise. It will not promise an owner a rental income before seeing the house: “no home is quoted from a photo.” And the rental side is open to any owner, including those who bought elsewhere; in its words, it “manages homes for owners we’ve never sold and never will.” For a guest, it means one team that knows each of the houses.

Booking direct

Most of the homes are also listed on Airbnb and Vrbo, and plenty of the reviews quoted here came from those sites. SP Vacations also takes bookings on its own website, spvacationsvi.com, where every villa page shows live availability and a live quote from the company’s booking system; the reservation itself is completed on the company’s booking checkout at book.spvacationsvi.com.

The company’s case for booking that way is modest and specific. “You deal with the on-island manager before and during your stay,” the site says, and requests that do not fit a form, such as a chef, provisioning or a longer stay, “go straight to us.” In its own summary: “Fewer layers between you and the house.” Under what booking direct does not mean, it lists: “A secret rate.” Every home can be booked instantly except Shoy’s Beach House, which takes requests.

What it means for your stay

The homes differ a great deal, and our companion story sets them side by side. What they share is the team, and the reviews suggest the best way to use it is to ask early and ask plainly.

The office is at 52 King Street in Christiansted, a short walk from the boardwalk and the Buck Island boats.