Guest Report

[John k]

We spent 4 nights in Avocado Cottage in March 2009. The cottage is situated on the slopes of Mt. Irvine, with a stunning view, overlooking a golf course and the Caribbean sea beyond.

The owner, Tony, was a very gracious, helpful and thoughtful host who collected us in the evening from the airport (we didn't hire a car until the second day). On our arrival at the cottage Tony, who loves to cook, had prepared us fish dish beforehand which we re-heated in the microwave, and a
delicious salad. He'd stocked up on essentials like bread, milk, sugar and butter and there were even a few cans of beer in the fridge which went down like a treat for a couple of weary and thirsty travellers.

The cottage is comfortable with 2 bedrooms, one with a double bed, the other with two singles, all beds adorned with mosquito nets. There's also a selection of second-hand books in one of the rooms. The living room/kitchen has a couple of sofas and TV (although we didn't ever watch
it). The dining table is out on the verandah.

The highlight of the cottage is the covered verandah with its views and which also served us as a sort of bird hide. It's surrounded by trees and shrubs. We couldn't believe the variety of birds we saw at close hand from the verandah. Apologies to Tony, but he'd left us a papaya and we put some pieces out and, in no time, we had motmots, blue and palm tanagers, bananaquits, and mockingbirds visiting - to name but a few. We also watched a couple of jacomars hunting in the nearby trees. Just a sample of the
wonderful birdlife that visits Tony's garden.

There are several beaches within a few minutes drive from Avocado Cottage. We walked to Bucco Beach which was a good 30 minutes walk away. That was on our first day before we'd hired a car. It's definitely better to hire a car
as restaurants aren't within walking distance and, if you're
self-catering, the nearest supermarket is about 10 minutes driving distance away. Tony was kind enough to drive us to a restaurant on our second night and we caught a taxi back.

We enjoyed our stay and would certainly return in the future.