A Treasure in the South .. Beaches, Restaurants, Fishing, Diving its all Here

We booked Peter and Pat' house with the understanding that there would be seven persons occupying the rental (clearly noted on the booking request). We were traveling to Eleuthera for my father's memorial and were also looking forward to a little relaxation. Weeks prior to the trip I learned that two additional relatives wanted to join us for the memorial for three days (not the duration of the trip), and I sent an email to Peter to see if this would be okay given the maximum occupancy of seven. He emailed back and appeared to be very gracious noting they would only charge at $10 per day (per person), and it wouldn't be a problem. This changed a few days prior to the trip, he indicated that his wife Pat was concerned about the amount of people in the house. I again noted that I would be totally okay if he/wife wanted to keep the occupancy at seven, to which he responded the additional two people were fine to come. When we arrived in the airport, Peter was there to greet us along with the rental car person he had previously recommended. Brief greeting aside, he repeatedly stated that he thought there were only "five plus one coming and now there are two more". He seemed irritated and began to demand information that was really none of his business, i.e. where is the memorial taking place, what do you have planned, etc. To make matters worse the rental car person also turned out to be our taxi driver and was inebriated (which Peter knew) and charged us $100 for a 10min cab ride to the house. When we met Pat at the house, she gave a flaccid welcome and I sensed it had something to do with the additional guests so I asked, to which her reply was "well I don't know how many people are coming". To make a long story short, we ended up leaving the rental earlier than rented it for; we also asked the two additional guests to find their own accommodations. We were very disappointed with our experience given the reviews, Pat and Peter showed no compassion to us given the reason we were there, and we felt scammed by their rental car guy; he also took off with our baby's diaper bag for a few days before it was returned. To add insult to injury, when we left we made sure the property was in a clean/tidy condition. Peter thanked us with a back handed compliment noting that "given your numbers" the place was left clean/tidy. Nonetheless, we are determined not to let Pat/Peter negatively color our view of Eleuthera!

Our group greatly enjoyed our stay at Blue Ocean. Peter and Pat were gracious and helpful throughout the process and showed endless patience with our many questions and multiple changes. They were readily accessible during our stay and even came to help when our car battery died. The house comfortably lodged six adults and was a perfect base for exploring the southern part of the island. I would recommend a trip to the Spider Caves of Healing Hole (only a few minutes from the house) to everyone.

We have just Blue Ocean after a lovely week in Rock Sound. If you are into a laid back cottage kind of feel, this is the place for you. The swimming is great in the sandy shallows off the dock. All rooms have fan, so we never needed A/C. Cooled down nicely at night. Plenty of space. Our hosts Pat and Peter were lovely folks. Peter met us at the airport with a rental jeep as we brought a ton of gear with us. I must say one needs to be prepared for the vehicles to be In not so great condition but the folks are all so helpful that you'll never be stuck. The roads are full of crazy potholes and they drive on the left. There is a very good supermarket with prices somewhat higher than in Canada where we come from but look around for deals, no name or local brands and you'll be fine. There are a few liquor stores, a BTC office, a really nice guy named Gino who makes a killer Conch Salad and fritters at a little stand at night between the big Anglican church on the shore and the Blue Homecoming Hut. Sammy's is a great place to eat up the slope a bit. We never got to the North Side restaurant on the Atlantic side. Ran out of time. I'd encourage you to visit here. The folks would love to meet you and you'll have a great time.

We stayed at Blue Ocean house January 18-25, 2017. 7 of us, including 3 young children had a wonderful time making Rock Sound our home. We had the luxury of visiting family members who were sailing the islands. They were able to anchor their boat just off the beach and bring their skiff ashore at their leisure.

We had a dolphin visit the beach twice and many other sea creature graced us with their passing bye. Snorkeling the 50ft blue hole just out front was a real treat as we speared crab and caught mackerel for dinner. We also explored some amazing caves near the Boiling Hole a short walk up the highway.

The weather was a dream for 4 days and on the 5th day we witnessed a thrilling tropical storm which caused a short power outage.

Peter and Pat were kind to checked in on us to be sure we had all we needed. The water in the house did go off one afternoon, which is common in the area, but caused us no inconvenience.

The locals were so pleasant and helpful as we enjoyed a few short walks into town for supplies. Peter set us up with a local man, Wayde Sands, whom is a sweetheart. We enjoyed a few drinks with him and he was the most amazing guide for all things Rock Sound. Thanks you Wayde!

The house had everything we needed to make an adventure to last a lifetime. It was perfect for our kids to play on the beach and enjoy fresh coconuts they picked up in Pat's beautiful gardens. I picked fresh flowers for the girls hair daily and drank from fresh coconuts each afternoon.

Although we did not eat at any of the local restaurants, Peter and Pat were very knowledgeable. Our sailing friends assured us Peter & Pat'S advice on the topic was accurate.

If I had to say anything negative about our stay it would be the sand fleas or no-see-ums. After the rain they swarmed in full force. The men didn't seem to attract them as much as myself and my mother-in-law. There seemed to be no stopping them. Evening and night were the worst! Even with 3 types of bug spray and oil and our best efforts to avoid them, we returned home looking like we had a terrible case of chicken pox. Peter & Pat did warn us of the biting pests, but being from Northern, Ontario we assumed we were veterans to flocks of giant mosquitos...turns out we were sadly mistaken and the no-see-ums were a ruthless foe. Having said that, the bites will fade, but the memories will last forever!!!

Thank you Peter and Pat for sharing paradise with us! Much love from The Slacks

Had a great time at Peter and Pat's place in Rock Sound!

Communication was GREAT with Peter throughout our booking and planning process - he even offered to shop for a few basic essentials/snacks (frozen pizza, beer, etc...) so we had something to eat for dinner as we were slated to arrive fairly late (tired and with most everything closed for the day).

We were met at an easy rendezvous point where we then followed Peter back to the house. We were given the tour by Peter and Pat and made to feel at home.

Ask for better pics.. great semi panoramic view of the sound from several rooms (including bedroom) in the house. Comfy living room, huge back patio and even bigger hangout area complete with a shady cabana and a new truck load of sand. Would be a great place for 4-5+ people, but was also fine for the two of use.

Would have liked to have a few more items of use there (easily transportable cooler, beach chairs, etc.) but understand those things tend to either go missing or be abused by some renters so it is hard to keep in stock.

Power was out about half the time we were there which was a SLIGHT inconvenience (no cooking, no wifi to look up stuff) but overall, not a huge issue as we spent MOST of our time out of the house. We actually somewhat regret not just having a hang day of relaxing on the back porch or on the little beach below...too many epic beaches, not enough time!

Location:

Rock Sound in general is definitely even MORE remote than parts North like Governors Harbour and Gregory Town. Only a handful of restaurants (sometimes just one open) and one expensive, but (by island standards) large grocery store/gas station close by. That said, it is a great launching point to hit the southern beaches (LIGHTHOUSE beach is a MUST and wasn't long drive at all... ALSO NORTH BEACH was epic, a great stretch of Atlantic coastline just past Ocean Hole (8 min drive from house). Even on a windy day, we walked down the steps at the Northside Inn/restaurant and walked SOUTH along the beach - - around the little point to a secluded and semi wind protected cove with nice snorkeling and pink sand. IF YOU GO HERE - FIND ROSE (at Northside Inn) and have her cook what will likely be one of (if not the) best meals you'll have on the island - VERY affordable, home made grub - Make sure you get her rum punch (she'll claim she doesn't know what she's doing..but its damn delicious)!

Overall: cool house for a crew if planning to explore southern part of Eleuthera