Vacation Rentals by Owner

What an amazing trip!

Guest: Island Wanta-Bees (Ottawa, Canada)
Date of Stay: 01/02/12 Review Submitted: 01/06/12

As our first family get-a-way with our two sons (age 7 & 9) we couldn't have asked for a more amazing place to stay. Easy to find, amazingly private, beautiful views, fantastic house and the most friendly people on earth! The details describing the house were to a T! Parking when you get there is a little iffy, as the sandy road doesn't give you much space to tuck the car into, but we managed. A true Caribbean vacation home - we were utterly WOWED when we entered. It was clean, the views were amazing (although the vegetation along the deck between the house and the beach is much taller than is shown in the photos (but you can still clearly see the beach!). The most amazing thing was waking up early with coffee in hand and strolling the beach seconds away looking to see what the tides had brought in. We never went swimming right outside the house, the tides had uncovered some rough rock, but seconds away either to the left or right of the beach the kids went wading. We never let them swim too far out, as it was always windy and therefore a little rough, but they were in the water up to the waist on many occasions. Merci came by to check on us on a couple of occasions, and we only had two reasons to call - the first was on the one day we tried running the A/C it started leaking, but we just turned it off, called her to tell her and stuck with the fans. The second time was to see whether we could leave her our groceries that were left over. TV was working and was on (can't seem to get the kids away even in Eleuthera), but not for long periods of time. I'd definitely recommend renting a cellphone while on the island and A CAR! Most days we jumped in the car and visited one or two other nearby beaches (best were Ten Bay and Double Bay) but further away and amazing was Rainbow Bay. The only downside AT ALL was on one day the wind blew the other way and an awful smell from the pond behind the house came all through the house. We had to get up and leave that morning ASAP, but it was only one day. Hubby & I agreed that this wouldn't stop us from booking again (you can just go to the other side)! Renting process was so easy and the questions we had prior to leaving (which really weren't all that many since the description and contract contained so much info) were quickly answered. I would totally recommend this house again to anyone going and the only reason we aren't retuning in 2013 when we go back is we're bringing more people with us to PARADISE!

Owner response:Actually these guest stayed in May of 2011, but we are always glad to hear from satisfied customers. In response to the bushes between the deck and ocean-they are totally gone now thanks to Hurricane Irene in August of 2011. Also thanks to Hurricane Irene a brand new deck (larger than the other) puts our guest directly onto the beach-not a blade of grass to block the view. Thanks for your kind words.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

Have a really good break

Guest: cocawesome (Lynchburg, VA, USA)
Date of Stay: 02/26/11 Review Submitted: 03/15/11

We had such a wonderful week in this AWESOME house. Woken by the sunrise on the ocean, various tints of blue contrasting with the greens of the vegetation:AWESOME ! The beach it's just here, we were there with our two kids ( 5 and 7 years old), they were busy building suncastles all mornings no need to take the car. We mooved only afternoons and windy days, to find a beach less agitated, Caribbean beach of Ten Bay, beautifull beach for kids, is unless a quarter of an hour by car. The house is pleasant with big plate glass windows, the view is really magnificent, the wooden terrace side ocean for breakfasts alone together with the ocean: AWESOME ! There are even coconuts along the road! Nous avons passé d'excellentes vacances dans cette maison. Réveillés par le levé de soleil sur l'océan, les différentes teintes de bleus contrastant avec les verts de la végétation : GENIAL ! La place est juste au bout du tout petit chemin, pas de route à traverser. Les enfants ont passé leurs matinées à construire des châteaux de sable sur la plage, pas besoin de prendre la voiture et toutes les affaires dès le matin. Nous avons profité des patates de corail tout près du bord, en snorkeling. Nous sortions dans l'après midi faire des courses et tester d'autres plages. Les jours de vent, la plage était un peu moins agréable car non abritée mais la plage de Ten Bay, côté Caraïbes, est à moins d'un quart d'heure de voiture et elle est vraiment géniale pour les enfants. Pas loin de super restaurants, un peu chers quand même : beach House, avec une superbe plage aussi. La maison est agréable avec de grandes baies vitrées, la vue est vraiment superbe, la terrasse en bois côté océan pour les petits déjeuners en tête à tête avec l'océan : EXTRA ! Il y a même des noix de coco le long du chemin !

Recommended for:Families with young children

Outdated Photos

Guest: usually a happy traveller (St Helena Ca)
Date of Stay: 12/04/10 Review Submitted: 05/20/11

We rented Romantic Bungalow for 2 wks in Dec....We Adore the Bahamas & this was our 3rd trip, once to Nassau once to Great Guana Cay ( the best ever) & this time to Eluthera. We chose Romantic Bungalow because of the pictures of the view of the beach from the deck, living room & bedroom. We were totally taken aback when we arrived & the vegetation was so tall you could see the ocean, but no beach & totally no view from the bedroom. Bad start !!! If you don't care about the view, the house does sit right on the water. The other thing that took us by surprise was the fact that you have to supply EVERYTHING Yourself, including trash bags, toilet paper & even cleaning supplies. Supposedly this info is on the website, but we didn't see it before arriving. If you're prepared, it might be OK, but town isn't a 5 min. trip. We also found the house to be less than clean & had to call Merci to come clean out the shower so it would even drain...Merci is a lovely lady!!! But also hard to reach. There is no pnone at the house, so you have to drive to the pay phone & leave her a message.....I hate writing negative reviews, but also don't want anyone else to feel the disappointment we felt on arrival, we get maybe 1 vacation a yr & plan way ahead for it. I just wish the owners would update the photos & inform better on supplies so peoplke really know what to expect....

Owner response:I am only 5'8" tall and can easily see the beach from the back deck. We have trimmed the vegetation so that when guest want to sit in chairs or sunbath on the deck that they have a little privacy. After years of guest staying at our home, we have never had one guest complain they can not see the beach. Everyone has their personal preference-theirs is to chop the vegatation to the ground so they can see the beach while laying on the deck. Our preference is to have the best of both worlds-a little privacy and a gorgeous view at the same time. We arrive unanounced during the year to check on the house's cleanliness. We have always found the homes clean with the exception Merci was not cleaning the floor drains in the showers between guest as these guest complained. That situation has been fixed, but we have never found the home dirty in any manner. Between guest Merci puts new bars of soap in each of the two bathrooms as well as full rolls of toilet tissue. Dish soap is available by the kitchen sink and a trash bag in the kitchen can. This is fully explained to each guest. The telephone service is not available to our area yet, and this is fully explained in our contract. The house is not rented till we have received a fully executed "signed" contract stipulating they have read and understand the contract. We hate that these guest did not enjoy their stay. We strive to make everyone's stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. Please read all reviews, including the one listed here posted in Feb. of 2011 two months after this review.

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The perfect vacation...

Guest: Randy R. (Staunton, VA)
Date of Stay: 03/06/10 Review Submitted: 03/30/10

My wife and I normally stay at a 2 person cottage in Governors Harbor, but since our girls were coming we chose a larger place, Romantic Bungalow. Wow!! What a great choice!. I will warn you that the photos are a little dated, and the plant life has grown a bit - so the charm is not adequately captured; then again, they don't make film that good. The sunrises in the morning on the deck are breathtaking. The house itself is very well kept and very well supplied. The beds are comfortable and the bathrooms are h u g e! The caretaker, Merci is a hoot also! Highly recommended!! I'd return without a second thought!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guestbook Comment

Guest: David and Ann (Mobile, Alabama USA)
Date of Stay: 04/01/08 Review Submitted: 04/21/08

We just returned from a wonderful week at Romantic Bungalow- what a great house and gorgeous location. You couldn't ask for a better place. It was so close to the water and the breeze and the sounds of the surf were unbelievable. We had a great time. I highly recommend this rental!

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: dadio5 (buffalo,ny)
Date of Stay: 04/01/08 Review Submitted: 04/08/08

great house, fantastic views,very nice island.everyone very friendly. find the bakeries,excellent breads and goodies. some very good restaurants.lots of sights to see,read the book in the house. thanks for a great week tom!

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This vacation was awesome!!!

Guest: Alicia nyc (new york, NY)
Date of Stay: 03/01/08 Review Submitted: 03/31/08

We loved Eleuthera and loved the Bahamian Villa. The car guy Arthur is a trip and Merci the cleaning lady is so sweet. Thanks to you both!!! Very cool house with a totally decked out decor and views of water out of this world. We are kinda city slickers so we did miss the hustle and bustle of nightclubs and high end restaurantsa bit, but the laid back island brought my husband and I back down to earth at the same time. I would recommend the island and the Bahamian Villa for anyone looking for a gorgeous house and a peaceful island with one empty beach after another empty beach, including our favorite one in front of the house!!! Alicia and John, NY

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 02/01/08 Review Submitted: 02/18/08

Great spot. This is our second year staying here and we love the location. It is unlikely that you will find something THIS CLOSE to the beach.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 01/01/08 Review Submitted: 01/03/08

We just returned from a wonderful week long stay at Romantic Bungalow. The house is nicely decorated,clean and very comfortable. Weather couldn't have been better, not too hot, just warm and breezy every day. The snorkelling was amazing, right in front of the house. The underwater life is spectacular. We were lucky enough to see a manta ray gliding by over the coral. We stayed over Christmas and the locals were friendly and festive. Met some really nice people. Explored the island from top to bottom, got some great pics and memories. We will definately go back Thanks Tommy, your place is super!

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Our week in Eleuthera

Guest: S W (USA)
Date of Stay: 12/01/07 Review Submitted: 01/06/08

First of all, the island was WONDERFUL. People are all SO friendly and want to make sure you are having a great time, and if not, how they can make it better for you. VERY UNtouristy which was our most favorite part of the trip. No one running after you to get you to buy something, etc.--just like living in the neighborhood. We actually had some car trouble and had SO many people stopping to help us out that we finally sat in our car so they would not think we needed anything (because others had already taken care of it for us!). Eating out is EXPENSIVE and SLOW compared to the states, but you ARE on vacation. Got fresh fish and lobster at the dock in GH, and wonderful free range chicken at Burrow's in GH---if you aren't shopping early in the morning when they are cutting up the chicken, check in the freezer. It is the BEST tasting chicken since no chemicals, etc. are used in raising them. The Villa photos kind of faked us out. We didn't realize that the road was between the Villa and the Atlantic, but it isn't a big deal---just an observation. The lake behind the villa, also, is pretty much inaccessible but it is pretty and in the evenings especially you can watch the egrets flying and hopping around it. The villa was nicely appointed, but you MUST bring everything that is disposable--including TP and paper towels! The sand flies were aggravating and mosquitos were out at night, but the screens, etc. on all the entries made it very comfortable. We rarely needed the AC. Water pressure in the downstairs was poor, but upstairs was great. Kitchen could have been better equipped. I'm used to having MANY pots and pans and baking dishes in my kitchen as I do lots of home cooking, so this took some adjusting. Make sure you take advantage of the fish fry on Friday night. It was truly the highlight of our trip--meeting the people and eating the wonderful food, which WAS reasonably priced! We took many day trips around the island--to the north to Harbor Island which was very fun, and down to the south to Rock Sound, etc. Last but NOT AT ALL LEAST, was the snorkeling! We have been to several countries to snorkel and we LOVED the snorkeling on the Atlantic side. When the water was rough, however, we got kind of seasick so if you're prone to that, wait for a calm day. As the locals say, if it's rough on the Atlantic side, it's calm on the Caribbean side---but we didn't find much good snorkeling on the Caribbean side. From the villa, the access out to snorkel is a bit easier (walk out on sand) if you walk about 50 yards on the beach to the north. Then you can WALK right out to the reefs! The sea life was incredible and I guess the only bummer was the water temperature was a bit cool, but still completely worth it! We will definitely be back in the future as we loved the island itself!

Owner response:While most of this review is accurate there are a few points which are not accurate. The Villa does have a well equipped kitchen which is very large and beautiful with all stainless steel appliances and custom cypress cabinets. There is a blender, toaster, toaster ovens, garbage disposer and a gas stove. There are pots and pans, cooking equipment, glasses, cups, silverware, etc. We start off every renter with a fresh bar of new soap and a full new roll of toilet paper in each restroom and paper towels in the kitchen. That is the normal way most people rent their homes. This renter was upset because they did not receive unlimited soap and toilet paper during their stay. We used to supply it that way and soon discovered people would take the unused soap and toilet paper home with them! So we now start off each renter as stated above. The road between the house and the beach is a tiny sand one lane dead end road with maybe 2 cars a day. The Villa owns the lands on either side so it is an ocean front property. The down stairs shower water pressure was fixed. A piece of debris was blocking the shower head flow and was removed. Overall the house is spectacular and the island is very special. They are correct when they say the snorkelling is incredible right in front of the house!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Lovely time at Bahamian villa

Guest: Trish-Toronto (Toronto, Canada)
Date of Stay: 12/01/07 Review Submitted: 12/27/07

My boyfriend and I stayed at the Bahamian villa in Dec. 2007 - a beautiful home and well kept. We enjoyed the privacy of the back and side porches which overlook the lake and are unobstructed views. The house is a few steps from a beautiful white sand beach and had great snorkelling. It was a wonderful place to relax in a private environment and enjoy the peacefulness and lovely weather of the Bahamas.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with young children, romantic getaway.

Bahamian Villa

Guest: Da Pins (Milford, Ct)
Date of Stay: 11/01/07 Review Submitted: 01/14/08

Me and my partner stayed at Bahamian Villa this past fall. It was exhilarating. The stroll down the winding path to the beach was one Jaques and I looked forward to each and every morning. We are avid skin divers and the waters were sublime. The small inlet provided an excellent starting out point from the softley undulating beaches. Often, after watching in wonder the myriad species of fish, we would just hold hands on the porch and watch the shimmering waters. I was wondering if anyone new of any other Romantic destinations on adjacent islands one could "get away from it all " while still living in the lap of luxury. Best wishes Jimmy : Olympus Corp.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway

Guestbook Comment

Guest: JoeAnnie (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida)
Date of Stay: 10/01/07 Review Submitted: 10/07/07

Our stay at Romantic Bungalow during the week of 8/25-9/1 was amazing. Beautiful Home with awesome snorkeling, sunrises and sunsets right in front of the house. The most beautiful beaches we've ever seen and the locals were so friendly. Will definitely visit again. Thanks Tommy!!!

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 10/01/07 Review Submitted: 10/07/07

Found this home to be lovely, well appointed, and a great value. It is unbelievably close to the water (similar to Sable Rose nearby), with good snorkeling off the beach. In a cluster of six homes, so perhaps not as private as some, but nicely decorated, clean, and open to the views and breezes. Down a very bumpy sand track, but that is part of the adventure!

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 04/01/07 Review Submitted: 04/23/07

Great house - right on the water, clean and in good condition. The location is several miles down a single track road through the brush, yet has neighbors right around. For something so off the beaten track, we would have preferred more privacy. There were people on the beach at most times, and people across the road crossed very close to our decks to get to the beach. Lack of public water supply and no TV channels or phone service were different than we were used to, but the closeness of neighbors helped reduce some of the lack of connection with the outside world. If you are looking for total privacy this isn't it, but if you to be away from the world, yet still have some civilization close by this would work. We would consider returning, and are pretty particular, so that says alot. It's not a perfect location, but has lots of very redeeming qualities. We loved Eleuthera in general. The people were extremely friendly and we always felt safe. If you are looking for nightlife and lots to do, this won't be it. If you are seeking privacy, a small town feel, and a quiet place to relax, this island would be a good option for you. The property is in the middle of the island, so is in a good location for exploration day trips north or south.

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