Vacation Rentals by Owner

Relaxing in Paradise

Guest: Marian 1 (Minnesota)
Date of Stay: 03/25/11 Review Submitted: 04/03/11

Just back from an amazing week in Eleuthera. This was our second visit to the island and our first to Bahamian Villa. The property is in a great location on the Atlantic side with a long sandy beach and coral reef on it's doorstep. The house is well equipped, and well laid out to avail of island breezes. Great selection of restaurants nearby. Many beaches to explore and discover. We left on April first feeling like the ultimate April Fools! We'll be back.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, romantic getaway.

A Gem of a Home and Island

Guest: Young At Heart (Wilmington, Delaware USA)
Date of Stay: 07/10/10 Review Submitted: 07/18/10

We thoroughly enjoyed staying at this beautifully decorated and exquisitely-furnished, clean home to celebrate my husband's birthday. The Bahamian Villa's Central Eleuthera location is superb for exploring all the turquoise water on the Atlantic and Caribbean sides, and entire island by rental car. And for relaxing and exploring the reef and surroundings. We met many wonderful locals as well as visitors. The house is situated on a lake visible from 3 sides of the house as well as the beautiful oceanview from the 2nd floor. We enjoyed sightseeing and snorkeling on the many beaches, diving, eating and/or taking out from great restaurants closeby (Tippy's, The Beach House, Unique Resort, Mate & Jenny's) as well as in Rock Sound (Sammy's Place), Cape Eleuthera Powell Point restaurant, and the Buccaneer Inn in Governor's Harbour (a quaint town with many well-maintained homes with pastel-colored shutters). Governor's Harbour is closeby and has good grocery stores, as well as Millard's grocery in Palmetto Point. There are gas stations in or nearby main towns --- we had no problems driving around or getting gas. The transportation department is doing a wonderful job repaving the road near the Bahamian Villa, and we had no problems with delays on getting to and from the Villa. We did our research prior to arrival and found many very informative websites. Diving 3 days with Cape Eleuthera Divers was extremely pleasurable, and the sites we dove had many different size and varied fish. The diveboat crew were very accommodating and helped get my tank and BC off before climbing the ladder onto the boat. We thoroughly enjoyed the scenery driving back and forth. This gave us the opportunity to make stops at Lighthouse Beach, Rock Sound (the Ocean Hole), Tarpum Bay, Savannah Sound, Ten Bay Beach, and Double Bay. Shortly before our departure, we still had time to see Preacher's Cave, the Glass Window Bridge, and Cow and Bull (highly recommend). We wish we had more time to spend at both the Bahamian Villa and see more of Eleuthera. My husband and I love to travel, and this is one of the most beautiful homes we've stayed, and most beautiful island to visit. We prefer to stay at quieter places and off-the-beaten track.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Romantic Bungalow- paradise found!

Guest: David and Ann (Mobile, Alabama USA)
Date of Stay: 04/12/08 Review Submitted: 04/22/08

We just returned from a week at Romantic Bungalow and the house and the setting were simply gorgeous. We opened all the sliders and windows (good screens) and enjoyed the sound of the waves and the close proximity to the water. The house was very clean, well equipped and very comfortable. The photos on the websites are very accurate. Even though there were neighboring houses we saw very few people all week and the location and house felt very private and, yes, romantic! This is a beautiful spot and a great house- I can't recommend it enough. The central location on the island was a good homebase for exploring- we travelled to the Lighthouse Beach (must do) and also up to Harbour Island but coming "home" at night was the best. Eleuthera is a wonderful, laid back and peaceful retreat!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 04/01/08 Review Submitted: 04/10/08

I wrote a really long review and for some reason the server bounced it so this one is going to be short and sweet. The island is absolutely beautiful and very non-commercial, Bahamian Villa was fantastic and the "remoteness" of the house really added to the feeling of being in your own little paradise. Tom, the owner, was a pleasure to deal with and was very responsive to all of our questions. The caretaker, Merci was awesome and if you stay, take some time to get to know her and the some of the locals, they are really awesome people with such a refreshing approach to life. I would highly recommend Bahamian Villa and the island of Eleuthera to anyone looking for a safe, beautiful, and truly relaxing place to vacation. My wife, kids, and I had an amazing trip and can't wait to visit again someday soon. Feel free to email me if you'd like more details on the house, places to eat, things to see, or just general information about a simply amazing piece of the Bahamas.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 04/01/08 Review Submitted: 04/04/08

After looking for an ideal honeymoon location, we stumbled upon the beautiful pictures of Bahamian Villa on the quiet island of Eleuthra. The pictures were impressive, but when we arrived, we were completely impressed by the breathtaking location and the size of the house. Everything was very well cared for and clean. We loved the privacy of the villa and the solitude we experienced on the beach. The island was fun to explore, and the locals were extremely friendly. We even made it to the local fish fry, where we had the best conch fritters we'd ever had FOR $1! The most spectacular part of the island for us was the "Glass Bridge" and the picturesque cliffs. But at the end of the day, we were always happy to return from our adventures to our quiet retreat, our own Bahamian Villa! It was helpful on our budget to bring a cooler with meat and various items that would have been more expensive to purchase on the island, and we wished we had brought more movies since there was a limited selection at the house. Our honeymoon at Bahamian Villa, however, was exactly what we were looking for: a quiet place to relax, a beautiful island to explore on our own, and a very native, tropical experience without the irritation of tourism. We would highly recommend Bahamian Villa to anyone looking to relax and enjoy a simpler way of life. Oh yes, and the coconut rum is spectacular!

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: poolfairy (Northern California)
Date of Stay: 02/01/08 Review Submitted: 02/16/08

We stayed at this beautiful island and were sad when it was time to leave. the people are wonderful and the villa is such a treat. The beach is at your feet and your are surrounded by sounds of the ocean, where ever you are in the house. Other than our trips to Tippy's for drinks and dinner, our dinners at home were highlights of the trip. Enjoy!

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Guest: S W (USA)
Date of Stay: 01/06/08 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.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: S W (USA)
Date of Stay: 01/01/08 Review Submitted: 01/05/08

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!

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Trish-Toronto (Toronto, Canada)
Date of Stay: 12/01/07 Review Submitted: 12/26/07

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.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 10/01/07 Review Submitted: 10/09/07

My wife and I celebrated our 25th (along with our 12 and 14 year olds) at Tommy’s beach homes. We spent the first week (Aug 11 2007) at the romantic bungalow and a 2nd week (Aug 18th) at the Bahamian villa. I really can’t say enough about the homes (bright and spacious with all of the comforts of home) the location and the people of Eleuthera were amazing. There is a saying on the island “Eleuthera is not for everyone”…. If you are looking for a Disney experience, this saying applies to you. If you are looking to enjoy deserted beaches, pristine water, snorkeling that is simply out of this world and a truly authentic Caribbean experience then Eleuthera is for you. It was wonderful to have such well maintained homes in such great locations to call home for the two weeks. After visiting pretty much every beach on the island, we found that the snorkeling in the reefs at our own doorstep was the best on the island. Honestly the best vacation we have every had and can’t wait to return.

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Amazing Vacation

Guest: JoeandAnnie (Miramar, Florida)
Date of Stay: 09/01/07 Review Submitted: 10/07/07

Our vacation at Romantic Bungalow was amazing. The Home is Beautiful, the Snorkeling right in front of the house was spectacular as well as the sunrise/sunset. This island is a paradise and the stay at Romantic Bungalow made it even better. The beaches are the most beautiful beaches we've ever seen. Don't leave without visiting Rainbow Beach, it is a beautiful place. Thanks Tommy for sharing your beautiful home, we look forward to visiting again soon.

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