Little House On The Hill - Review Page 3
Living Area & Deck
The main living area is furnished with a dining table with four chairs, a small settee (sofa) and armchair, an electric fan and a cot (crib).
A portable “boom box” radio/CD/tape unit is provided – but don’t forget to bring some CDs or tapes if you want to take advantage of this. The cottage has a telephone, but outgoing calls are disabled.
Five foot double doors at the end of the living area lead out onto the substantial 224sq.ft. deck. Provided that you open these doors first thing each morning and ensure that all window and door louvers are fully open, the property stays cool, even during the hottest hours of the day.
The deck provides stunning views down the valley. Equipped with two plastic sun loungers and a pair of comfortable chairs, I could happily have spent all day on that deck. It is shaded from the sun until around mid to late afternoon. Immediately adjacent to the deck is a tall immortelle tree. It was in full bloom during our stay and covered the deck in flame-orange petals every time the breeze blew. The deck might require regular sweeping, but I would happily do that ten times a day for the sheer pleasure of all the wonderful bird life attracted to the tree. Less welcome was the gun-shot crash of mangoes falling onto the tin roof, prompting far more frequent washes of underwear than would otherwise have been the case. Thank heavens they were mangoes and not breadfruit. I'm delighted to say that the offending branches have been cut down so future guests need not worry about
this.
The Gardens
The gardens extend to about half an acre and are a picture of colour and life. You can help yourself to any mangoes, bananas or other fruit in season. Although built on a steep hillside, there is a nice flat area beside the cottage where Jill regularly stretched out on one of the sun loungers to enjoy the sun. The gardens are reasonably secluded, but guests need to know that local residents sometimes take advantage of the cottage’s concrete path and steps up the hillside as a shortcut to properties higher up the hill. Therefore you should not be too surprised if someone suddenly appears from nowhere and passes by with a simple “cuttin tru”.
Your Hosts
Marguarite and Sherwin are excellent hosts. They live less than two hundred metres away but are never “in your face”. Arrangements are all very relaxed and they are very keen to ensure that guests have a good time. If you want or need anything, or something is not quite satisfactory, talk to them. They will also arrange airport transfers, baby-sitting, laundry, local tours and excursions, car hire, etc. Meals can also be sent up from Marguarite's Restaurant – a particularly welcome feature for visitors arriving after a long flight.
Conclusion
We had a lovely four days at the Little House On The Hill. It may be simple, but that is one of its attractions. You are staying deep within the local community, with your own space, surrounded by local people who have shown us nothing but friendliness and courtesy.
I can understand that many people dream of staying on a beach, but I think they will miss so much. Castara’s best beaches are less than a two-minute drive from Little House, but no beachside property can offer the wonderfully colourful flora, fauna and animal life that surrounds us here. Whether it is the beautiful pair of blue-grey tanagers sitting side-by-side on the flame-orange immortelle tree just a few metres in front of me, or the week-old lamb gambolling beside its mother 50m away on the opposite hillside, Little House is a place of wonderful contrasts and deep relaxation.
We would gladly stay here for an extended holiday.
2007 Update: Since we wrote this review, a smaller one-bedroom cottage, known as Little House Two, has been built beside the main cottage. Although the cottages are less than 2m apart, the newer smaller cottage is set back and photographs would indicate that the occupants of both units can expect total privacy. As far as we can see, the front balcony of Little House Two should offer very similar views to the main cottage.
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