Sundance, Sea Scape or Second Wind

[shandrac]

Trying to decide between these 3. Any info or opinions?

[AquaGirl]

I haven't stayed at any of these, but you did ask for opinions, so here's mine. It really depends on what features are important to you.

Sundance
Full A/C is nice if its hot and muggy. Short walk to a beach would be nice to go for a dip without driving somewhere. I don't know how nice Hart Bay is for swimming. I like the open airy layout for the great room, dining room and kitchen.
I like to have a shady spot to hang out and lounge. It has 3 decks, but I didn't see much shaded area in the pics. I really don't like those oval bathtub looking pools. They just don't look nice to me.


SeaScape
I've looked at SeaScape in the past too. I love the big pool since I like to swim and spend time in the pool after coming back from the beach. It doesn't appear that there is a nice view from the pool area. Hard to tell from pics, but not sure you get much, if any, view from the deck. A nice view is important to me. Overall, this villa looks old and not updated at all. The price is nice.


Second Wind
I like the location on Reef Bay. Never stayed in that area, but it seems like it would be nice. You do have to be ok with a longer drive from Cruz Bay and part of the way on dirt roads (doesn't bother me, but some don't like that). I would like a short walk to Reef Bay Beach to enjoy the beach and hiking. Its not accessible by car, so it would be fairly private, except for the hikers. The second master bedroom in a separate pod is nice if you have 2 couples. Doesn't appear to have a shady area with a view for lounging. There's that oval pool again.

Happy Planning!

[Xislandgirl]

First excuse my typing, i may have broken my finger

We stayed at Second Wind and LOVED it. It was perfect for our group, looks better than the pictures and was a bargain.
There is plenty of shaded areas and we spend most of our time outside, in fact we never turned the TV on or sat in the living room.
It was very private and we rarely even heard passing cars.
the kitchen is a bit small, but we had no issues really, just not as ton of counter space. it was well stocked with pots.pans, utensils, etc.

[Nic in KC]

We stayed at Sundance a couple years ago with two other adults and two kids. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. It was my first a/c throughout villa and we loved it. The pool wasn't fancy, but we don't spend tons of time at the pool. We did sit in the hot tub almost every evening. There is shade on the pool deck and the covered upstairs deck is nice to get out of the sun too. We ate outside at the table up there when we stayed in at night.

The upstairs bedroom and one downstairs bedroom are pretty even and would be what I consider equal for two couples. The third bedroom was smaller. All the bedrooms did seem very private which was nice. The quick drive into Cruz Bay was great and it's a very easy drive.

Cloud 9 was perfect to work with and ties with Carefree for my favorite agency to work with so far.

Had a great washer and dryer, plenty of chairs, coolers, etc.

It isn't fancy, but was clean and everything seemed to be in good condition. If you really enjoy cooking and eating in at night, the kitchen wasn't very well equipped, it had the basics and that was it. Also, we did have the little aunts come out when a box of cereal was left on the counter, but we used some bug spray and kept the cereal in the fridge and didn't have any other problems.

Good luck choosing!

[toes in the sand]

Here is my review from the Villa Review section.
Bottom line is that we loved Second Wind and the price was exceptional.

Second Wind 07/28/2008
Reviewers Rating: Great
We brought a couple with us that was new to St John. I was worried that Second Wind would not meet the expectations that our tales of past StJ trips might have left. We need not have worried.
Second Wind had all that we needed. It was an easy drive (all paved) from Cruz Bay. About 20 minutes from the outskirts of town. Two seperate suites and one attached to the main house gave us the privacy we desired. The pool was the right size to cool off in after our Beach and or hiking trips. There was a problem with a sharp screen over the pool drain. We menioned it to the management company. Privacy at the pool and hot tub were good. There is one house above that has a limited view of the deck area. There are no houses in front Second Wind to spoil your view of sunrise over Reef Bay (and St. Croix? on very clear days)
All the amenities were of good quality. The kitchen was well equiped and a good selection of spices were stocked there. The BBQ grill was excellent. The beach equipment included 4 (or more) beach chairs, Large cooler and other items to long to list. We experienced one power outage while there. Immediately after the outage we got a call from the person who lives in the house above with instructions and assistance. As he promised, he was there immediately when the power returned to reset the cistern pump or something.

I would return to Second Wind for another trip without question.

[shandrac]

Wow! Fast replies. You all had some great info. I'm really liking the sound of Second Wind, but we are concerned about the extra driving into Cruz especially back after dinner. I haven't found a pic of the hot tub was it okay?

Last villa we stayed at was Cloud Nine. The views were amazing. I'm worried we will not be as happy with Sundance's views. Is it pretty private around the hot tub and pool?

I like the look of Sea Scape. I've been trying to find current reviews of it.

Shandra

[Creative Name]

My Wife and I stayed at Sea Scape in May of 2010. The pool is absolutely the best reason to stay there. There isn't a great view from the pool. It is very private though.

There is a small dining table on the deck that has an amazing view of the water breaking on the rocks below, and you also see out to French Cap and St. Thomas. To be fair, this is the only part of the deck that has a "great view", but we sat there every morning and evening and loved it.

The villa is outdated but very functional. We spent so little time actually inside the villa we didn't have any complaints at all. Again, that pool for the price is a steal.

[Creative Name]

Also, we are staying at Clound 9 villa in October. So, if you answer our questions about Clound 9, we will answer any of yours about SeaScape.

[shandrac]

Can anyone give me an idea of the drive time from Second Wind to Cruz Bay? Would it be difficult at night?

I think we will rule out Sea Scape as it seems the views aren't that great.

Do y'all think we will like the view from Sundance? Is the pond bay area still a big eyesore?

As far as Cloud Nine, we loved it! Would love to stay up on Gifft again but the villas are booked.

Thanks,

Shnadra

[Xislandgirl]

I didn't think it is a bad drive, but as a former resident, not much ohases me. There is nothing terrible about it, about 15 minutes or so into town.

We found the pool and hot tub very private. There is a house behind it with island residents, Jim and Terry. They are great people but we never saw them.

[awardb]

The views from Sundance are nice, but nowhere near the sumptuous views from Cloud 9.

To Creative.... if you have questions about Cloud 9, ask away, we've been there 3 times, in the last 3 years.

[Nic in KC]

To answer your questions about Sundance, we stayed up on Gift Hill really close to Cloud Nine. I have yet to stay at a villa that rivals that view and i've stayed in all different areas. That's just a perfect view!

Sundance has a good view if you look out towards the left when you are facing the shore from the deck. However, straight out, it honestly wasn't that great. Their is a small villa that shares the driveway, but we never saw those people. I felt like the way it was arranged the pool and hot tub were private.

[shandrac]

Thanks for all the help. We booked Sundance. Good price and just not a lot of choices for July 4th. Couldn't talk my hubby into staying out at Second Wind. To be fair, he is the one who does the driving! We'll get back to Gifft Hill next time. Love that view!

[toes in the sand]

Can anyone give me an idea of the drive time from Second Wind to Cruz Bay? Would it be difficult at night?
Thanks,

Shnadra

The drive from let's say the roundabout to Second Wind is 15 to 20 minutes, tops. I think I was able to make it to Starfish in about 10 minutes usually. There was once that I caught "rush hour traffic" at about 3:30 when the staff must have changed shifts at the Westin and school also let out that made it about a 25 minute ride. It is an easy drive especially once you pass Jacobs ladder. Your first time driving it there are a couple spots that make you say WOW (like when you get past the Gifft Hill intersection and the elevation drops very quickly with a turn at the bottom) but you get used to them very quickly. It is a very quiet and pleasant ride especially past the Westin and then Rendevous point neighborhoods as it building density really thins out.

At night is is not a bad drive at all and I always enjoyed rolling the windows down through Fish Bay and driving slow to enjoy the fresh night air and the sounds of the frogs.