Guest Report

[John Matthes]

Plastic Plants in Paradise
We arrived after dark, late because of a few missed connections. Excitement was mixed with exhaustion. The welcome meal set the tone for the coming week. Numerous hot and cold local dishes were presented by our host. As she described the ingredients we knew we were in for a treat. Full stomached, off to bed we went.

When the sun arose in the morning we were engulfed in the beauty of the streaming sunlight across the ocean. The morning revealed that Villa Soleil is a special place.

The villa itself has a certain mystique about it. A fantastic siting, rich color palette and superb views. The truly open-air main living area serves as the activity center of the villa. It's screenless design lets in the tropical ocean breezes (and the mosquitos).

Each of the thoughtfully placed bedrooms are truly private with en suite baths and their own sitting areas looking out to the sea. Individual a/c units provide perfect sleeping conditions (when functioning properly).

Inside, the decor was a mash-up of vintage West Indies and WallMart. Comfortable and numerous, the seating areas provided ample options for our group. Whomever put this space together missed the day in design school when they talked about "less is more". Plastic plants and tourist trap object d'art were everywhere trying to compete with the view. But everything was functional.

We used the dock for fishing, pool for swimming, sun for tanning, and the three refrigerators to chill wine, beer, and rum punch fixings. Mt Irvine fish market provided the freshest fish ever.

What an undertaking. To own a large property in such a remote area has got be difficult. When something goes wrong you have to rely on the locals to dig you out. And in this case they performed with a smile; again and again. We had constant a/c problems that were never fixed, broken pipes outside, a flood inside, a day without water and local plumbers in-and-out the whole week. And on top of that, we were able to pull-off a good time, enjoy the setting and relax.

In the end I would recommend the place to friends but think that a property this size would benefit from a full time staff. It is starting to show its age and needs a deep cleaning and power wash. But the setting and design are nearly perfect. Enjoy at your own risk, and try to keep one step in front of the insects!

[Gillian]

Dear John,

We were all happy to hear that you mostly only had good things to say about "Soleil", a villa that we agree has a certain mystique about it, you're right.

It was truly a pleasure to meet you and your Happy 50th Crew, as dealing with people so clearly appreciative of the elemental adventure that "Soleil" just is, makes all of our jobs so much more enjoyable & rewarding, especially when faced with external WASA problems that can not always be foreseen but that just have to be dealt with as quickly as possible, when they do happen.

Unfortunately in this case, it was like a domino effect regarding the unusually high-pressure running in the local Water Authority's lines, which subsequently caused both the water-heater flood inside and the burst line on the hill outside. Lucky for us that you were there to report right away when it happened, as there could have been more damage otherwise, had the problem occurred on a night when the villa was unoccupied.

Not so lucky for us that you let us go on assuming that the last-minute problem with the master air-con had been fixed. That replacing the fan motor had only enabled the unit to work for a short while was something you only announced to me upon departing, which is a shame, as the technician said it was just a matter of a sensor then needing to be replaced also. Very noble of you, I thought, to not want to bother us again like you said, but that is our job you know, to always try and make sure Soleil's guests are comfortable and happy! And understandably, of course, we can only know to fix something which we are told isn't working.

On behalf of the owners whose 2nd Home became your 3rdHome for your 50th, I would like to say thanks for choosing "Soleil" and hopefully doing like you promised and spreading the good words.