A unique rental experience where you'll find a spectacular beach at the end of an exotic trail and the cottage situated right in the jungle in rural Eleuthera. A cute and cozy hideaway tucked amongst the jungle canopy of trees and nestled into nature. All the creature comforts of back home will be accompanied by the feeling of adventure being on a castaway island. This is for the nature adventurer that understands rural out island life, smaller grocery stores, non-paved roads and the DIY out island vacation.
Please read the entire description so you get to know our overall property, how to access Starlink internet, the neighborhood, and the cottage amenities. Also note that Eleuthera isn't for everyone. It has limited infrastructure and few lights at night and no fast foods joints or casinos. You are stepping back in time with a slow pace and unmatched natural beauty. The Surf Cottage is a simple, but very cute, affordable beachfront property that is perfect for beach fanatics, eco-adventurers and nature lovers alike. When you first pull into the driveway and exit your vehicle you will be greeted by a meandering wooden boardwalk which snakes its way to the cottage between natural fissures in the Earth and lush tropical foliage. We have a number of small coconut palms we planted as well. You are just 2 miles from Gregory Town where you have many bars and restaurants, a few gift shops, an ice cream store, a liquor store, a gas station, two food stores and free Wi-Fi at a number of places besides the cottage which has Starlink internet. The air-conditioned cottage is tucked away inside the island forest with nice foliage views from most windows. Note that there is not an ocean view from the cottage since it's tucked behind the dunes and rock, but depending on the winds you surely can hear it. To get to the sea there is a really cool beach trail with breathtaking ocean views as you walk down. It is roughly a 3 minute walk with stairs in any steep spots. It is something right out of a Robinson Crusoe movie. The property borders a huge government-owned nature preserve on the south side that goes for many miles. Our beach, called Surfer’s Beach, is not only one of the nicest beaches in Eleuthera, but also in the world. The seascape provides stunning natural cliffs and rock formations on the north end along with a mile long stretch of deep soft sand as you walk south. The swimming, snorkeling, fishing, spearfishing, shelling and beachcombing are superb. At the right time of year the surfing can be excellent also which is certainly fun to watch. Most days you can walk or swim all along the beach and not see a soul. A crowded day might be a few folks surfing and one or two local people searching for sea shells or playing with their dogs.
Waking up each morning to the orchestra of singing birds, grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting in our hanging hammock chairs inside the fully enclosed screen porch is a true slice of heaven, at least for us. Humming Birds and Yellow Crested Herons, along with other wildlife frequent the property grounds in the natural environment. If you are patient and quiet you will be rewarded most times with a variety of chirping birds communicating just outside the cottage. The Jungle Cottage is a very nature-oriented experience so expect a jungle type experience, but with nice amenities to keep you comfortable. The open concept studio-style cottage is just over 450 sq ft, including the screen porch and was completed by one of the island’s top builders in late 2018. We furnished it with everything you need to be comfortable- from linens, bath towels, and beach towels to hanging hammock chairs, 2 beach chairs and a beach umbrella. You will find glossy hardwood floors, accent trimwork around the doors and windows, 12 foot open beam cathedral ceilings in white with exceptional woodworking. Both the inside and the outside screened porch have ceiling fans along with an ECO friendly 23 seer AC system for robust cooling without much in the way of energy consumption. The roof is brilliant white aluminum which reflects the sun’s rays and transfers heat off the cottage for further cooling. The screen porch has comfortable wicker seating for two and there are also two hanging hammock chairs which guests love. There is a sliding glass door and lots of windows to let in natural light. The cottage has a gorgeous full kitchen with everything you need for cooking complete meals; including a built in microwave, a full size sink, a full size fridge/freezer and a full size range with oven and range hood. The kitchen island has 4 stools for seating. There is a beautiful aqua colored glass tile backsplash above the counters with complimenting 3 glass hanging pendant lights for a romantic lighting effect. The cabinets are “old school” hand crafted island-style with 100% real wood inside and out along with beautiful bar-style wooden countertops with a heavy clear shellac. The living area is open to the kitchen and has a small but comfortable love seat and a coffee table with a wall mounted flat screen TV. There is a DVD player along with a very nice library of about 50 movies that sit on a shelf below the TV. There are also some games such as Jenga, Dominoes and playing cards. The bathroom is fully enclosed, with walls going to the ceilings for privacy, along with a pretty spacious tile walk in shower. There is an exterior commercial grade "park style" charcoal grill for your fresh seafood. An added bonus is our outdoor shower. A note - there is no hot water in the outside shower, but hey it's a tropical island right? And of course, yes we have hot water inside the cottage in all sinks and the shower.
The cottage is perfect for 2 people, but it can sleep up to 4 people. However, this is not a place for 4 adults to rent. It's is for 2 adults, meaning one couple or for parents with up to 2 small kids. Aside from the fully enclosed full bathroom and large separate screen porch, the cottage is one large open studio space with no walls or private bedrooms. There is a sturdy island-made wood-framed queen bed for 2 adults and there is a queen-size air mattress we keep in the closet that would lay on the floor which is quite comfortable. It comes with a hand pump for your convenience. It can be leaned up on its side by the TV area wall or placed on top of the queen bed during the day so it is out of the way and you can move about. Just understand it is a tight fit for 2 adults and 2 small kids, but some families, like ours, do not mind that as we are always out about exploring. Another important note, The Jungle Cottage is a guest cottage, which is part of a larger property with a main house called Eleuthera Villa which we also own and rent out. The main villa is located way up the main driveway along the top of the ridgeline. The cottage is set down lower on the property and has its own driveway and boardwalk entrance and is a separate rental from the other house. There is a small laundry and supply building the cleaning staff uses between rental turnovers which is situated behind a large fence for your privacy. We have one neighbor to our north and no immediate neighbors to the west or south. The ocean is to the east. Overall the Jungle Cottage is in a private part of the island. Most guests have commented that they found it to be peaceful, romantic and relaxing. We do not have wifi but you can access the internet through your cellphone with data roaming turned on. If just checking emails and general internet browsing is your goal you should be able to work it out. Sometimes we get a decent signal in the cottage and other times we must walk to the beach trail ridge top for a better signal. Internet signals on the island are notoriously inconsistent so be ready to have some patience. Also when driving when you hit Commonage Road, just a half mile from our cottage, the signal is pretty consistent for us, as is most towns. While driving on the main Queens Highway most parts of that road have signals for internet near each town. Check with your carrier to be sure prior to your trip as to what options you have. Some people rent local cell phones or change out SIM cards for local ones on the island, etc. You can also contract BTC which is Bahamas Telephone Company for further information.
Aside from spectacular Surfer’s Beach which is located at our property, there are a ton of beautiful beaches just a 10 minute drive away or less, along with an abundance of other island attractions such as the Queen’s Baths, the Rainbow Bay Cliffs, the Glass Window Bridge, the Blowing Hole, the Glass Window Ocean Cave, the Hatchet Bay Caves, etc. Also some of the island’s top restaurants are very close by such as The Cove Resort, Front Porch Seafood, Twin Brothers, The Rainbow Inn, Delish Lifestyle, Unca Genes, Daddy Joes, etc. Many of those are top rated on Trip Advisor.
We have a rental contract that needs to be signed and returned to us prior to your arrival. If you have any questions please ask. It is pretty standard stuff such as no parties, no pets, no smoking, keep the house clean and orderly, do your own dishes etc. Very rarely do we have any concerns from our guests in regards to the rental contract.
