Very little damage from Sandy!

We have had a couple of reports from Eleuthera about the impact of Sandy on Calypso. The houses came through fine, and we even appear not to have lost any roof shingles from any of the 3 houses. The grounds are basically fine too, though blasted by salty winds, and there are a couple of coconuts down, and some papaya trees too. Hopefully by the time we get down there late december everything will have greened up. We will post new photos when available. In the meantime, I will resume this blog using images taken earlier this year - sorry for the long gap, we have just been very busy (and we only rent jan-may)!
Here's a random image taken in the back garden, showing a hedge of pandora.

Here's a view inside "Woodstar", the pondfront house we stay when visiting (and which we don't rent) showing part of the living room and the fireplace, which only gets used a few times a season, when the nightime temperature dips below 65!

SeaStar Exterior Continued

Let's resume our tour of the immediate exterior of the larger of our 2 1-bedroom oceanfront cottages, SeaStar. Here's a view that shows the adjacent hammock area. You can just see SeaStar's roof and a glimpse of the ocean.

Here's a slightly more detailed look.

Here's the view from the patio.

In the foreground in the next image is a Desert Rose and behind it an oleander. You are looking towards the other rental cottage, Morningstar, behind the palms, and see a corner of SeaStar's patio.

Here we look at the outdoor shower (cold only) at the back of SeaStar. There's a large almond tree here too, which provides a shady spot to view the ocean.

SeaStar Exterior

The first image shows SeaStar's patio, which overlooks the ocean through palm trees. The flowering bush is oleander. The patio is paved in limestone. The roof of the living room has an unusual "dutch gable" finish.

Here's a different view angle. The other cottage Morningstar is hidden behind the dense grove of coconut palms.

The next view shows the oceanside facade, particularly the kitchen/dining wing/ Note also the very tall Norfolk Island pine on the right of the image. We will post more views soon.

SeaStar Kitchen

SeaStar's kitchen is quite small, with one window (overlooking the ocean), a sink, a 4 burner cooktop, a toaster-oven, lots of pots and pans, and 2 undercounter fridges, one of which has a separate freezer compartment. We suggest that to save energy, guests try to use only one of the fridges. Noise from these fridges is minimal, and in any case not audible from the dining room next door.

If you need small items such as spices etc (though some are provided) we can usually help.

The next image shows the entrance to the kitchen from the dining room.

In the next post we will look at the outside of SeaStar, and the immediate garden area.

SeaStar Dining Room

It's surprising that a 1-bedroom cottage should have a separate dining room, but this cottage is actually quite large (about 1000 square feet total). I'll incude the exact measurements of each room in a future post. Meanwhile, here are some images of the dining room.

Here you see the large dining table, which can seat 6 (if you invite guests: we do not allow more than 2 adults, plus 1 to 2 small children, to occupy the cottage). The window here faces the ocean, and there are 2 more windows. You can also see a twin bed, which is nice for daytime lounging, or for a child.

This view shows the open door leading to the bedroom, and various cabinets (with a large variety of crockery, cutlery etc, and a microwave). You can also see a corner of the dining table. The fish cut-out decorations where added by previous renters.

This shows a different view, with the opening to the small kitchen (to be featured in the next post). The parrot batik hanging is from Saint Lucia. You can see the large drinking water bottle.

SeaStar Bathroom

The bathroom is located behind the living room. There is a shower/tub combination, and 2 wahsbasins, a toilet, and a window facing east and viewing the garden, lawn, palms etc. There is lots of cupboard and closet space. There is also an outdoor shower (cold water only) located privately on the south side of the house, near a large clump of firecracker, which attracts hummingbirds. Of course we provide towels and all linen. The house is NONSMOKING! Also, please note that we encourage you to be economical in your water usage - do not leave faucets running! Our water comes from limestone wells in the back garden, and while it is perfectly safe to drink, it does have a high calcium content. We also supply a large container of drinking water (in the dining room).

The shower curtain is visible in the right-hand mirror.

The toilet and shower/tub are to the left of this view.
I will continue with the SeaStar tour tomorrow. In the meantime, you might like to look through an album of Calypso garden photos.

SeaStar Interior Continued

Now we move to the bedroom and bathroom. The first image shows the southwest corner of the bedroom, with a corridor that leads to the dining room (and has space to hang clothes).

You can see one of the 4 windows (this one looks over the rear lawn leading down to the pond, with various palms and flowering bushes). Under this window you can see the only AC unit in the house. However, since we only rent during the winter/spring (jan-mid may), it is not really needed (and is rather noisy). You can also see a ceiling fan mounted directly over the bed: on low speed this is almost noiseless. Also note that the 2 small refrigerators in the kitchen cannot be heard from the bedroom. Lack of neighbors and noise is one of the key features of Calypso. For us, the greatest luxury of all is to hear only the sound of ocean waves breaking on the outer reef, palms rustling, and the buzz of hummingbirds feeding at the immense firecaracker plant just outside the southeast window.

Here's an image showing the view through the north east window; this window is the only one in the house that does not have a mosquito screen, though these are hardly necessary in the dry season (jan-may).

Next, you see the queensize bed, and also the high ceiling.

Next, the view from the bed to the other side of the room, with the door that leads to the living room and bathroom.

Here's another angle, showing a futon seat that can be unfolded to provide a bed for a child.

We can also install a twin bed for a child (we do not rent to more than 2 adults), and there is a twin bed in the dining room too. I do not seem to have to hand a picture of the best view, through the northwest window, when one is lying in bed. I will add later.

Here's one more view. Bathroom pictures will be posted tomorrow.