Hi, we are the Brices!

We’d love to welcome you into our home.

The story of Casa Buena Vista is one of resilience, courage and determination. We fell in love with this property in 2014, and we purchased it in 2015 after having sat on the market for eight years.

This structure needed a lot of work (hence the courage), but we were determined to breathe new life into it. Like many island homes, it was built by sections that served as an extension from the original dwelling and we tried to make the best of the existing layout.

We’ve poured so much love, sweat, and tears into it that it’s definitely become a member of our family. The property’s landscape has changed quite a bit throughout the years, most painfully learning that when bank-owned, the bank had all of the trees cut down! The horror. It then got overtaken by the wild tamarind tree, which is an invasive species. After Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, we lost our garden and several beautifully lush and established trees like two giant coconut palms and a frangipani that would greet you with its incredible scent just below our screened deck.

A Costa Rica native, Irene enjoys nature and the ocean breeze. Sleep with the windows open in the cooler dry season nights and let yourself be lulled to sleep by the waves below and the songs of the Coki frogs and crickets. And if you’re wondering whose eclectic books can be found on the bookshelf—You guessed it! Irene initially served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of the Virgin Islands before moving on as an Epidemiologist at the Department of Health. She definitely didn’t catch a break in St. Thomas! It’s always an adventure in every sense of the word.

A San Diego native, Arron enjoys making home improvements, computers, grilling, and making fresh pasta from scratch for ourselves and our wonderful neighbors… We lucked out; this dead-end street has some special people.

This home has held us through major events, such as two back-to-back Category 5 hurricanes, one pandemic, and the birth of our rainbow baby. It’s a special place; we hope you feel that when you stay with us.