We cannot say enough how much we both needed this vacation and had what we needed met in spades! From the time of booking through to our departure, Kwesi was attentive, responsive and flexible...ensuring that the fun of planning and the relaxation of vacation were our top priorities. We arranged ahead for groceries - which you can choose to do or not as there are several good grocery stores in Port Elizabeth...but at least we didn't have to worry about it on our first day. Having a car to use was a serious plus - gave us flexibility, air conditioning and good horse power to get up the hillside roads! The villa just was a perfect location and great place to "lay roots" on this gorgeous island.
The house is just as pictured and described by others, but let me share just a few observations and suggestions. Firstly, the house has everything you need as far as appliances, kitchen tools, towels, a bug zapper, sun screen, air conditioning, fully furnished, etc. But the most thoughtful thing - there are both U.S. Type B and U.K. Type G outlets...and they're everywhere. Yes, we're on vacation, but the devices are a constant presence, and this detail is very welcome! Also, a new projector system (screen hidden above Marley ;-) ) with Chromecast was recently installed. Being avid baseball fans, we were able to keep up with the games and also play some music. Not every app supports it, though, but a good system nonetheless. And we loved the pool. A nice size, very refreshing, and I will be dreaming about the views for months to come!
Now...the bugs. Yep...everywhere. So, it's hard to tell from the pics, but the house has two wings separated only by the breezeway with the outside dining table and grill. We slept in the MBR in the west wing where the living room is also located. So we kept all windows and doors shut there, had the AC running the whole time, and this meant a bug-free, humidity-free zone to comfortably retreat to and sleep in. Would I have loved the Caribbean breezes at night? Sure...but that came with buzzing in our ears (the fly nets only keep out so much), so keeping things shuttered was a good solution for us. The other wing has the kitchen...no AC but gets the better breezes. I'll just say that we had to spray a lot of bug repellent around the cooking and sink area in the morning so we wouldn't get bitten just washing dishes. Also, we had brought a lot of our own bug spray and a bug zapper. It helped, and we got into a routine. But we found the beaches not to be that buggy, so splitting our time between there and the house also helped.
Places we loved: Princess Margaret Beach was just perfect - clean, not busy and Jack's just steps away with delicious run punches and great Caribbean style food. We also liked Lower Bay Beach and had a wonderful dinner at Sugar Reef (which has the best rum punch on the island).
This was a California House in the Caribbean. It's gorgeous and well appointed, but not everything may go as planned. Kwesi was just a text message away, and we are very thankful to him for the use of his beautiful property.