We think our cottage is amazing too - but nothing beats a guest’s affirmation ! Thank you Zoe - we enjoyed having you as our guests and look forward to the pleasure of welcoming you back!

Lori was a lovely guest to host ! But her visit to the tropics coincided with an unprecedented heat wave felt in many parts of the world - including the Greek islands were unprecedented heat set off fatal fires not only there but across swathes of Europe, Hawaii , and elsewhere. Fortunately - the islands did not experience that level of heat - but even so - long time local residents across the Caribbean - for the first time complained of heat levels which are not normal for us. Climate change is certainly making for extreme weather events - drought, floods, heat, more frequent storms - around the world . September for example was the hottest on record since the 1800’s in Europe. Here in the Caribbean, while July and August are our warmest months - it is not normal for us to be afflicted by very hot temperatures. Fortunately - we have entered the cooler months of October through June and respite is in the offering . Last December a few of our guests recommended that we stock light blankets since the evenings were cool enough to warrant them! This year is also a period of the El Niño weather system which makes for more extreme air and sea temperatures. Since we do not expect an El Niño event next year we are hopeful that life in the tropics trends as expected in non El Niño years!

We thank Alexandria for her fabulous review! And while geckos have been mentioned , (and we note that they are not harmful to humans) we were a bit surprised since previous guests have not raised this an issue. We nonetheless took the opportunity to seek guidance from our pest control provider who services our cottage every quarter. The company notes that the outdoor rather than the indoor environment is the natural habitat for these small lizards who prey on insects, so that venturing indoors would not be their normal practice. However, we understand that there are some natural scents which geikoes do not like which we had applied in a precautionary manner to the main door entry - since other areas are screened. We are happy to note that housekeeping have not reported any further visits:) The tropics provide a wonderful environment in which to live - both for humans and the array of tropical flora and fauna which together make up this type of ecosystem. However, while lizards for example - consider mosquitoes to be prey - which is good news for keeping the latter in balance - we prefer that they stay outdoors:). Our first goal is to make sure that our guests are comfortable.

Thank you Mike - for making hosting you so very easy!

I am delighted that Dale felt that our cottage was great and views fantastic. Even more pleased to hear that he would return! I am sorry that he did not give us the 5-star rating that we usually command, but I do understand that he considered my in-stay contact to have been lacking. Our lovely housekeeper however, was very much on site and in contact with our guests, and our property manager was available for any situation which might have cropped up. I pride myself in working really hard to support our guests long before they arrive. I assist with arrangements, provide information on fun things to do including lots of information on all nearby essential services. This is all provided, electronically, long before our guests arrive. Most of our guests use their smartphones and tablets, connected to our WiFi, to electronically access all of this information. I also assist guests with arrangements for either self-drive or taxi service, and always send a mid-stay message and another at the end of their stay. Unfortunately, the period of Dan’s stay had no precedent – in that it coincided with growing world-wide anxiety about the spread of COVID-19, and I was travelling. I left Europe on the day that Dan checked in (March 5) when news of the gravity of the COVID-19 situation in Italy, Spain and other parts of Europe broke, followed swiftly by alerts that borders were being shut and quarantine provisions deployed. It took quite a lot of effort to change all flights and scramble on the last ones back to Europe before borders were shut. I returned on March 12 - the day on which our guests departed, and was immediately inundated with loads of messages from other guests with bookings, understandably concerned about the future, their upcoming reservations and their options. We are still sorting through some of these with various partners. These last few weeks have been immeasurably difficult on so many fronts, and these are unprecedented hard and difficult times for everyone. Under normal conditions I would have been in contact with Dan during his stay; I regret my inability to do so for the reasons described; I hope he understands. He did however have the services of our housekeeper, and all of the information which I had previously communicated. I do hope that he visits again. He was a great guest.