Estate Chocolate Hole

EstateSt. John Estate Chocolate HoleLast verified October 29, 2026

Around Chocolate Hole and Great Cruz Bay

Sailboats and a sportfishing boat moored in Great Cruz Bay on St. John, below a wooded hillside dotted with houses — Great Cruz Bay, St. John

A straight-down aerial view of Great Cruz Bay, with many boats moored off a beach and resort, and the smaller Chocolate Hole bay to the southeast, among hillside homes on St. John — Great Cruz Bay and Chocolate Hole, St. John

White sand beach curving along Great Cruz Bay on St. John, with boats at anchor and houses on the green hillside beyond — Great Cruz Bay, St. John

Estate Chocolate Hole is a residential subdivision around Chocolate Hole Bay on the southwest coast of St. John, platted into several hundred mostly residential lots in the early 1950s. The Estate Chocolate Hole Landowners' Association, formed in 1984 and run by a volunteer board, maintains the estate roads and enforces the deed covenants across three sections: Chocolate Hole East, North and West. The covenants posted on its website allow one single-family house with guest quarters per lot, bar splitting lots, rule out businesses except on lots designated for a hotel, and permit only domestic pets. Owners may lease their homes, and the association says some are rented to vacationers. Lot owners share easements to beaches at Harts' Bay and Chocolate Hole. Building plans need association approval under its 2023 building code, and each section votes on its road assessments yearly. Buyers should request a letter of good standing before closing.

Amenities

Shared beach easements at Harts' Bay and Chocolate Hole
Association-maintained estate roads

How we checked

Last verified on October 29, 2026. Rules and fees change: confirm everything with the association before you buy or rent.

Source: Association website, https://www.echla.org/, https://www.echla.org/documents and https://www.echla.org/legal, plus the posted warranty deed covenants https://www.echla.org/s/ECHLA-warrantydeed-stjohn-usvi.pdf, the Building Code revised February 2023 https://www.echla.org/s/ECHLA-Building-Code-2023.pdf, the courtesy code https://www.echla.org/s/ECHLA-stjohn-homeowner-courtesy-code-letter.pdf and the welcome letter https://www.echla.org/s/ECHLA-WELCOME-LETTER.pdf, accessed 2026-10-29. shortTermRentalPolicy is set to allowed because covenant 8 permits owners to lease their homes and the courtesy code addresses rental homes and short-term guests; the covenants set no minimum term. The posted deed is a blank form from the original grantor, so confirm the covenants recorded on a given lot.

Type: Estate
Units: Residential lot with one single-family house and guest quarters
Association and fees: The Estate Chocolate Hole Landowners' Association (ECHLA) was formed in April 1984, and membership is a condition of using the beach easements. A volunteer Board of Directors runs it and holds regular board meetings. The estate is managed as three areas (East, North and West), and each area votes on its road assessments at the annual meeting in March. Assessments are due within 60 days of notice, and unpaid amounts can become a lien on the lot. The February 2023 building code requires plan approval before work starts, limits homes to two stories, requires at least 600 square feet under roof and off-road parking for two vehicles, bars construction on Sundays, and requires a road damage deposit of 1 percent of the cost of new construction or major improvements. Mailing address: 5000 Estate Enighed, PMB 64, St. John, VI 00830-6120.
Pets: The deed covenants posted by the association say no animals other than domestic pets may be kept in the subdivision. The association's courtesy code asks owners to keep pets on their own property and to leash them on estate roads.
Short-term rentals: Not confirmed

Map data: U.S. Census Bureau, TIGER/Line 2025

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