リトルイエローコテージ：ラニカイビーチへの階段

Dear Whitney and Scott, Thanks so much for such a flattering review. It was a delight having you and your daughters stay with us. I only wish that our sunny weather had been more cooperative, but that just means a return visit for plenty of fun beach time! Come back again soon. Aloha, Nancy and Bob

Dear Jennifer, Many thanks for staying in the little yellow cottage. I’m pleased that you found it comfortable for you and your family. Besides the pack n’ play, I hope that you also made use of the high chair, baby gates, toys and children’s books. Concerning your comment about mosquitoes: they are ever present in the tropics, but since February have been particularly annoying. The culprit is an unseasonal spate of rainy weather that has drenched Oahu for the past few months. There is little any of us can do, but wait for the warm sun of summer. Fortunately, mosquitoes stay away from beautiful Lanikai Beach! Aloha, Nancy

Your compliments are heartwarming. Please consider the little yellow cottage your home away from home. Come back and visit us soon. With warm aloha, Nancy and Bob

It is unfortunate that Stephanie and her family did not enjoy the little yellow cottage. So many other guests have, and I must say that Bob and I try to make everyone feel at home. I presume that the core of Stephanie’s complaint stems from an incident that occurred the day after her arrival. That morning, as I normally do with all my guests, I went over to the cottage to make sure that Stephanie and her family had settled in well. I knocked on the front door, and while waiting, I noticed, through the window of the front door, soapsuds pouring out of the dishwasher onto the wood floor of the kitchen. Realizing that no one was home, I raced back to our house to get the spare cottage key. I let myself in and spent the next 2-3 hours cleaning up the flood. This involved three runs of the dishwasher until the soapsuds finally stopped overflowing. Although three floorboards were damaged, I felt lucky that I had caught the flooding before the water had ruined all of the upstairs flooring or dripped through to the downstairs bedrooms. Later Stephanie and her family returned, and Bob and I went over to discuss the morning flood. Stephanie told us that she had used ordinary dish soap instead of dishwasher soap when she ran the dishwasher. I said that I thought that her damage deposit would be sufficient to cover the repair costs. It is then that she accused me of snooping. This charge took me by surprise. Although I asked for an explanation, none was forthcoming. From then on, I saw Stephanie’s family only three times: once to help her daughter with a jelly fish sting, once to give some local coffee to Stephanie’s boy friend, and once on the beach. I never again entered the cottage nor did I stare in the cottage windows. I have better things to do. A few other fabrications deserve comment. As you can see from the pictures, the little yellow cottage is not a shed. It is a well-built, two-story house, surrounded by dense tropical foliage. It sits on a separate parcel of land behind our Lanikai home and is only a short walk away from one of the most beautiful beaches in Hawaii, if not the world. The cottage itself is about 1000 square feet with a split air conditioning system: one upstairs and the other downstairs. We do ask our guests to turn off all fans and air conditioners upon leaving the cottage to conserve energy. All the appliances are only a few years old and work perfectly if used properly. And the beds remain comfy as always. Do come and stay with us!