behind SeaStar
Although Eleuthera has a small population, there are a lot of rental houses on the island. Almost all of these were built by nonBahamians, mostly Americans, who wanted an island place of their own, and who rent to offset some of the costs of ownership. However, recently a few houses have been built specifically for the rental market, by both Bahamians and nonBahamians. Each house and property is different, reflecting the priorities and means of the owner. Because each house was built to be enjoyed, all have merit, and the internet is a good tool for determining which house is best for you. Note that each house also has drawbacks, some peculiar to the house itself, some general to all or most houses on the island. Most properties have some form of Web presence, either listings with advertising companies such as cyberrentals.com or beachhouse.com, and/or a dedicated website, like calypsocalypso.com. Obviously all these websites tend to emphasise the positives, and downplay the negatives. Many do not even hint at the existence of sandflies on Eleuthera for example! The calypsocalypso.com website, which you are currently browsing, is not designed primarily as an advertisement for the houses at Calypso, but as a tool to enable you to decide whether this is the right rental property for you, and to give you as much information as possible so you do not need to email lists of questions (though email enquiries to padams@notes.sunysb.edu are very welcome! We would rather have a few happy renters than a lot of disgruntled ones! This is partly because the owners spend quite a bit of time (typically 5 months of the year) at the property, and feels much more comfortable knowing that guests are happy. You do not need to worry that when in residence the owner will be breathing down your neck, or in any way cramp your style: the 3 houses on the estate are all very well separated, and invisible from each other (unlike other properties with multiple units, where the units may be part of the same house, or houses that are next to each other) - for more discussion of this point see the section "do I have to worry about others also staying at Calypso?). You should be aware that many of the houses listed on the internet are built very close together, so if you like space and privacy, Calypso may be good for you. However, we do not yet have cable TV or fast internet access (though that may change).
Perhaps the key point in considering whether Calypso (or any other property) is right for you is to ask, since a beach house exists primarily for the owner's pleasure, what is the owner himself looking for from his property? Obviously every owner of a beachfront house on Eleuthera has as his number one priority access to his own section of beach. But what other factors are at play? In the case of Calypso, there are 3 main additional factors:-
1. It was highly important that the property has over 600 feet of beachfront on the Atlantic Ocean, so that residents and guests would never notice, or be affected by, neighbors. As it happens the lots to the east and west of Calypso, which were initially vacant, have been developed, but fortunately the new houses are not close to the property lines, and the new neighbours are very nice. The house to the west, Alamjo, is only occupied for a few weeks in the year, and is never rented. There are 2 very small rental cottages on the property to the east (see oceanbreeze.com) and if you want a recently built house with lots of gadgets, these would be a better choice than Calypso.
2. It was important that there are 3 relatively small well separated houses on the estate, rather than 1 big one. Partly this was because the houses had to "sit well" on the property, and not dominate it (see below), and partly so that the owners could welcome guests (and even family members) without necessarily being always cheek-by jowl. The owner's family has a great interest in beachcombing, snorkelling, fishing and diving - the immediate coast had to have good coral heads, rock pools etc.
3. The main desire was to create an extensive oceanfront tropical garden. Although the ocean provides a stunning backdrop to any garden, "oceanfront" and "garden" are to some extent contradictory terms. Calypso has a long ocean frontage, but also has many sheltered areas where gardening is possible, and at least 3 different types of soil.
If these 3 factors are also important for you, then Calypso is definitely a good choice. But even if you simply want to get away from the world, enjoy the beach and ocean in beautiful quiet surroundings, in a central part of the island that has good access to restaurants, stores and other facilities, you should also consider us. However, bear in mind that we do not provide modern luxury facilities such as jacuzzis, phones, cable TV, highspeed internet access, central airconditioning throughout, kingsize beds, designer soaps, huge refrigerators. If you need those things, choose another house (or perhaps, stay at home). (We do offer TV/DVD, limited phone and internet access, airconditioned bedrooms, queensize beds, undercounter refrigerators supplemented by a central chest freezer, hammocks, barbecues, bikes, books, classical CDs, ocean kayak and of course endless beaches, incomparable ocean colors, hundreds of palms and flowering plants, birds, trails, and profound peace.
Houses at Ocean Breeze viewed from Calypso's causeway across the lake.