We, 2 couples, stayed here Jan. 2013, for 5 nights, and would definitely go back here. We had one of the studios, as well as The Green Room, and it worked out perfectly for us. The owners, Yvonne and Chris, arrived 2 days before we left so we used the kitchen and deck on the upper level until that time, although we were welcome to use it after they arrived as well.
The beds are good...we left the netting around the beds the whole time, as there were mosquitoes around....the kitchens, both up and down are well stocked with cooking utensils. There were spices and such in the upper kitchen, so just borrowed them when we needed them. Showers work good, always hot water, although we did not use an over abundance as it was always nice to have a cool shower after coming back from the beach where it was lovely and hot. No problems with the WIFI.
The deck up is nice and big, with a gorgeous view of the bay....wonderful sunset pics there ! The deck on the studio level is not as large, but still large enough for 4 to sit around the table on it. The view is not as good there, being lower, but there are lots of birds to watch in the trees there. There are so many varieties of birds here, and a bird book to help identify them. We saw more birds here than any other place we visited.
The house is up on a hill, so anyone with walking problems would probably not want to stay here, but we had no issues as it isn't too far a climb. The home is not fancy, but was perfect for us...if you are looking for 5 *, stay somewhere else.
We arranged for airport pick up through the owners, and we had someone from the same family take us over to Speyside for a day, so we never rented a car while in Castara. There are lots of restaurants to walk to from here, we had picked up groceries before we arrived there, but could get some basics in town as well. Order some bread from the ladies baking at the clay oven on Wed. and Sat., or from Hazel just up the road from Carpe Diem...she also has fruit, makes Roti as well.
We walked to the waterfall, had a swim in the natural pool there. The beach was not busy at all, especially compared to farther south...you can rent beach chairs for next to nothing, or just lie on your towel.....beach towels are NOT provided here, so be sure to bring your own. The beach was great....no weeds, not a sharp drop-off...not much for snorkeling right there though.
We really like Castara, from there we moved to Mt. Pleasant, and we all agreed that we liked the feel of Castara better...it is a nice little town...people would soon get to know you here.
Yvonne and Chris were wonderful hosts ! They came for a visit the night they arrived, even though they had had a long day of travel...and invited us to come have Happy Hour with them the following night as well. They are a wealth of knowledge about the town, the country and the people. They are both very down to earth, easy to visit with, and certainly willing to help with any plans you need to make. I can't imagine the work involved hauling all of their supplies up onto the mountain to build their home...but they did !!
I would highly recommend Carpe Diem if you like a relaxing holiday, away from hustle and bustle and lots of tourists
