PLEASE READ OUR ENTIRE LISTING DESCRIPTION SO YOU UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE RENTING - THANKS!
CRIME AND SAFETY CLARIFICATION;
***As you may have read the USA put out a safety advisory on travel to the Bahamas. Please know that is ONLY for the two heavily populated large islands; New Providence and Grand Bahama. It is NOT for our island which is extremely safe with zero violent crime against tourists. It is similar to thinking the entire state of Michigan is dangerous because parts of the city of Detroit are dangerous. You can book your stay knowing you will be in a safe area on a safe island even for single women travelers.
WHO WE ARE AS HOSTS;
We understand booking a property with few reviews might be of concern for some people. You can book with confidence with us as we have been Premier Hosts with VRBO/HomeAway since 2016 and have hundreds of 5 star reviews on VRBO/HomeAaway alone. We own and/or manage over 20+ properties with many thousands of reviews online averaging 4.9 out of 5.0 stars. We only offer high quality, clean, value oriented properties that are in a safe and convenient location with a great experienced caretaking and cleaning staff and Sea Grape Cottage meets all those criteria. This house was just built in 2022 and is owned by a local Bahamian couple named Nicole and Steven. They are the same family that operates Sea Spray Cottage and Buttonwood Cottage which are two of the most booked properties on the entire island with many hundreds of reviews. This cottage is located directly across the street from those properties which are oceanfront.
GENERAL INFORMATION AND LOCATION;
First let us say Eleuthera is not for everyone. There are a lot of bad roads and pot holes. The infrastructure is poor compared to back home. The power goes out sometimes for seemingly no reason. You get the point...if you want luxury and to be pampered go to Nassau or St. Barts. Eleuthera is an amazing gem of natural beauty, kind people who move at a slow pace and stunning empty beaches. If you're still with me keep reading! Sea Grape Cottage is in a perfect location inside Hatchet Bay / AliceTown (goes by either name). It is very convenient for exploring both to the north and to the south of the island. You are also located right inside town so you can walk to beaches, bars, restaurants, food stores, churches, even a frozen smoothie place anywhere from 2 - 8 minutes depending where in town you wish to walk! Hatchet Bay is a friendly local family town and is really cool because you are among the locals and not in some touristy fake over priced area. People will wave and say hello, and dogs walk the streets looking for a pat. You'll smell jerk chicken and hear distant music on the weekends. It is a lively little town and a true local Bahamian experience. That is what most people love who rent from us with our other properties right in the same area to emmerse themselves among the locals. There is free, safe and secure on-site parking. We provide a ton of photos (we take personally – not a hired professional) and specifically caption each image in a very detailed way so you know exactly what you are looking at in and so you are informed on what to expect before you book your stay. If we show a beach for example, we specifically caption the name of the beach and how far it is from our rental. Nicole, your on island host lives very close so if you need anything she is there with her husband Steven. We offer a great car rental guy to our guests for great rates and he is reliable. We have used him since 2016. He will have the vehicle waiting for you at the airport you fly into so you can avoid those steep Taxi fees (over $100 each way in some cases) and you can leave the vehicle at the airport when you leave as well. That alone will save you about $200 round trip depending which airport you fly into. We can hook you up with “the swimming pigs”, fishing, sharks, sea turtles, snorkeling and diving, cliff jumping, spearfishing, etc. Our boat and adventure captain is actually the guy who brought the pigs to the island and started the pig craze. He is the best boat captain in all the Bahamas. Last we offer 5% off weekly rentals and a huge discount off monthly rentals which is built in automatically to your pricing quote.
COTTAGE INFORMATION;
Sea Grape Cottage was built in late 2022 and sleeps 5 people. It is an elevated air conditioned 2 bedroom / 1 bath house with a nice grassy yard with trees and hedges for privacy. The unit is bright and airy with lots of windows with warm neutral walls and ceiling colors for a nice calm feel with some random splashes of color. You will find beautiful hardwood floors, tongue and groove pine ceilings with crown molding. All new furnishings and decor and a nice full size kitchen with window over the sink and open to the dining table and living room. It has free Wi-Fi for your laptop or cell phone. There is a good size Smart TV in the living room for Netflix and Prime and such. Each bedroom has a 32" TV with cable and has a queen size bed with of course all linens and bedding and towels provided. There is a sofa sleeper in the living room for the 5th person if you need that. The bathroom is located in the center of the house convenient to both bedrooms off the living room and has a shower and tub combination. The kitchen has all full size appliances and all the kitchen items you need to enjoy meals at home; coffee maker, wine glasses, coffee cups, drinking glasses, plates, bowls, silverware, cutting boards, pots and pans etc. Of course you also have the basics such as; paper towels, dish towel, sponge, dish soap, trash bags, seasonings and salt n pepper. There is a table for 4 for dining just off the kitchen and there is also a table and chairs outside to dine if you wish al-fresco style. There is an open deck off the front of the house and some large shade trees in the yard to get out of the hot Caribbean sun. There are beach chairs and a beach umbrella provided. You can see the photos section for a better visualization of the interior and exterior of your unit and also the surrounding shoreline. Again, please read the photo captions for more details.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS WITH DISTANCES;
First we have a map in the photo section showing you a visual so please check it out.
Hatchet Bay Beach - 3 minute walk
Front Porch Restaurant - 5 minute walk
Hatchet Bay Caves - 2 minute drive
Rainbow Inn Restaurant - 3 minute drive
Rainbow Beach - 5 minute drive
Smugglers Beach - 5 minute drive
Hidden Beach - 5 minute drive
Rainbow Bay Cliffs - 5 minute drive
Surfers beach - 5 minutes
Leo Rose and other beach bars - 7 minute drive
James Cistern Point Beach - 7 minutes drive
Gaulding Cay Beach - 8 minutes drive
Daddy Joe's Bar and Grill - 8 minutes drive
Queen's Bath - 10 minutes drive
Glass Window Bridge - 12 minutes drive
Ocean Cave - 12 minutes drive
Blowing Hole - 12 minutes drive
Twin Sister's Beach - 12 minutes drive
Airport Beach - 12 minutes drive
Navy Beach - 12 minutes drive
Receivers Beach - 13 minutes drive
The Deck Bar n Grill - 15 minutes drive
Pacal's Swim up Pool Bar n Grill - 18 minutes drive
Twin Coves Beach - 20 minutes drive
1648 Bar n Grill - 22 minutes drive
French Leave Beach - 23 minutes drive
Governor's Harbour tha capital - 23 minutes drive
***NOTE = there are many more attractions, but this is just a short list near us.
EXTRA PERKS STAYING WITH US;
Using our car rental guy we have used since 2016 takes that equation out of the mix for one less thing to worry about and he offers our guests a nice discount. If you want tours for fishing, spearfishing, exploring, sea turtles, swimming with the pigs, snorkeling etc. we have the best captain in all of the Bahamas and have been using him also since 2016. Our guests always get first dibs on any trip with him even if he’s busy. For guests needing laundry facilities, there is a laundromat just 3 minutes away. We offer an awesome huge trip planner document that provides tons of very helpful information about which airlines to use, renting vehicles, planning boating tours, swimming with the pigs, how to get to the island, the best beaches, the best bars and restaurants, and other adventures, etc. and that is only for our guests and most people find it invaluable.
ELEUTHERA IS NOT FOR EVERYONE;
If Miami Beach or Montego Bay is your thing we respectfully suggest you pick a different destination. Eleuthera is a sleepy island with some flaws; bad roads, dated infrastructure, more frequent than back home power / water / internet outages, geckos sometimes will be in a home and painfully slow service at certain places. We say this because every year we get a guest that complains about the island and that is clearly the case of a guest going to the wrong destination for their vacation. Eleuthera is not a 5 star resort island where fake people wait on you hand and foot just for a big tip. In Eleuthera people are genuine, helpful and kind. The crime is very low unlike the rest of the Caribbean. It is unspoiled and gorgeous and mostly empty going back back 75 years in time. We know it well and have been there over 100 times and have many long-term Bahamian relationships. You will explore the most stunning beaches you have ever seen and have them usually all to yourself. We love what it has to offer, but we are not the Miami Beach or Las Vegas type of the traveler either.
IN SUMMARY;
Sea Grape Cottage is a superb value, a new, clean, very cute n cozy rental cottage in an unbeatable location. You will be immersed in a local Bahamian neighborhood and meet the friendly and welcoming people. Some people are afraid to mix with the locals when traveling, until they come to Eleuthera and find out how warm and friendly the people are.
Thanks for considering Sea Grape Cottage!
Marielbys – your property manager during booking
Nicole and Steven – the owners and on island hosts
