Hello kpixie

My family (also two teenagers) stayed at Second Wind in 2004 and loved it. We especially like that side of the island as it is away from everything but near enough to Cruz Bay when we want it. You are already familiar with the roads out that way so going a little further will not be an eye opener. The layout is really nice with one bedroom attached to the family, dining and kitchen areas. The second bedroom, while separate from the main is accessible from the single deck and under a shared overhang. The master bedroom is in a separate building opposite the pool and has its own overhang while sharing the same deck with the other building (first picture on web site shows main building left of pool, master is not visible on the right). The first bedroom shares the bathroom with the main building but the second and master baths are dedicated and have outdoor showers (very nice). 😎

The view is unobstructed (read no other villas) looking south toward STX and it is always a kick to watch the cruise ships go out at night from STT knowing you get to stay longer than them. The beach is accessible from a path along the road but not for anyone carrying chairs, etc. There are a great deal of sea urchins among the rocks just off shore so water access is not good unless you walk east along the beach toward Genti Bay.

PM me if you want more details.

We stayed at Second Wind Dec 2007. Chris's description is right on. You can find some of my photo's and a description here.
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/736cb/996/3/
Click on the picture to see more. If you also click on the "Things to do" listing on that page you will find a listing of beaches. If you search for my Reef Bay page (second page I believe) you will see the trailhead to Genti/Reef Bay beach which is a short walk down the road from Second Wind.
The view is great. The sun in the morning can be bright but the overhead canopy provides shade. The person who responds to any needs such as a power outage is in the neighborhood. When the power was lost while we stayed, he called within minutes to say that he would be there as soon as power returned to make sure all was OK. He told us where to find flashlights and candles. When the power returned he was there to take care of everything immediately. I highly recommend this villa. PM me if you would like more pictures of the place.

These photos of the villa are great, thanks! I looked through your other photos, too. Took me right back to the island. I'm so excited...

I forgot to mention that the "passport" photo (main picture on my hompage @ http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/736cb/ click on it to enlarge) is taken from Second Winds deck.

We also wondered why the availability calendar was so open when we rented. I can only guess that some consider the drive from Cruz Bay to be a long one. We always enjoyed the drive through Fish Bay as it was always so quiet. BTW the road is paved all the way to the driveway. No more gravel roads after a StJ downpour :-).
The only detraction that I can think of is that there was construction down the road and the crew started about 8 each morning. For us it was an alarm clock that got us moving to the beach that much earlier. Wasn't too close or loud that we couldn't have closed the windows and turned on the AC if we wanted to sleep in.

Hi,
Saw your posting about Second Wind - kpixie is my wife - how's the interior of the villa? Any more photos would be awesome. Also, after a long day I like to watch a little TV - how's the TV set? (I know... who cares? But hey, I like to stay in touch with the outside world.) How was the hot tub and pool? Clean? Operable?
Thanks a ton!

Chris, were you able to find an entrance into the water along Genti Bay where the urchins weren't so prevelent? I had to wear my water shoes and tiptoe out until it was deep enough to get past them. Sadly my wife wouldn't follow so I wasn't able to spend much time in the water there. We did enjoy the hike to the Reef Bay trail and back. The solitude on that beach was the best we have found on the island.

Pixie, if you or the teenagers do hike along the beach below, be sure to check the high tide times for that day. If you get past the rock scrambles and the tide comes in you will find yourself waiting for the tide to receed before you can return. Also, bring a flashlight and mark the beach entrance to the trail with a stick or something as it can be difficult to find on your way back and when the sun gets low the trail through the vegetation gets dark earlier than expected. I speak from experience. :X

I'll have to look through my pictures to see if I have any of the interior. I took most of my pictures of the pool and deck area. I will let you know if I find any. I will say that it was not luxurious but clean and very comfortable. The furnishings were in very good shape. The TV was about a 27" and had a nice picture. There is basic cable if I remember correctly. There was a VCR and if you search through the cabinets an the storage trunk in the family room you will find a movie selection. I really did not watch it more than getting weather updates. Before we went I searched for reviews and found a few. One I remember remarked about the plates and silverware needing upgrading. The owners must have taken that to heart as the kitchen, appliances and utensils were great. We cooked our dinners at the villa for the week we were there and couldn't have asked for more from the kitchen. You'll also find a Weber gas BBQ pit that was nice. I had also found one review complaint about the operation of the hotwater in the kitchen. We had no trouble with it. The pool is one of the small fiberglass pools you see so many of in StJ villas. We visited in December and the water was cool but refreshing during the day and after returning from the beach. I would venture to guess that the pool was about 80 to 82 degrees F. I would expect the pool temp will be warmer if you are visiting in March. The hot tub was comfortable. We stayed at the villa with another couple and the hot tub was plenty large enough for the four of us. Unfortunately the tub is situated right next to the concrete wall. While it was not a problem, it did make the area feel more confined. I personally would've moved it out farther on the deck as the deck offers plenty of space. The whole villa, grounds, pool, tub and interior were clean and very well maintained. Although our shower (the west cabana) did have a shower head that could use some attention as the shower was more of a stream due to mineral build-up.

Pizix wrote:
Hi,
Saw your posting about Second Wind - kpixie is my wife - how's the interior of the villa? Any more photos would be awesome. Also, after a long day I like to watch a little TV - how's the TV set? (I know... who cares? But hey, I like to stay in touch with the outside world.) How was the hot tub and pool? Clean? Operable?
Thanks a ton!

Toes...

We never ventured into the water in front of the villa. Too many beaches where this wasn't and issue and I didn't want to risk any health problems while on vacation. Good suggestion on the tide changes as the scramble can be be interesting.

Pizix
Toes description is very accurate. We went in June so the pool was used every day. The interior is comparable to Blue Heaven if you go by the photos.

Concerning the open schedule...no problem from where I'm sitting. Let's leave that side of the island our secret.

Pizix,
I looked through my photos of our stay at Second Wind. I evidently did not take any of the interior. I do have some
shots of the exterior but not the interior. Let me know if you want to see more of the outside of Second Wind.