Our thoughts and prayers are still with the lovely people of Green Turtle Cay as they recover and rebuild their homes and community after the devastation HD wrought upon this tiny Cay.
Especially Julie, and her family, of Island Property Management. She looks after Coral Sands Beach House for John, the owner, and by extension, whoever's staying at his home. She went above and beyond for us, patiently waiting for us at Bensen's Dock after our flight to Marsh Harbour was delayed and then after a variety of other things that went wrong there that meant we arrived much later to GTC than planned. And then, because our luggage didn't arrive with us at MHH, she literally went the extra mile/s the next day arranging for someone to pick it up at MHH, drive it to the Green Turtle Cay Ferry, boat it over to GTC, and then delivered it to us at Coral Sands. Reinforcing the sage travel advice, to always always pack your bathing suit and other assorted useful things in your carry on, that prior to this trip I didn't follow.
Not only was Julie waiting for us with a smile, there were fresh flowers and a lovely loaf of coconut bread on the counter which, along with the kahlua a previous guest left (thank you! we made sure to pay it forward) was our supper as we arrived too late to eat at any of the restaurants.
John was excellent to deal with, from our initial contact by email and then phone, as we booked through his website, and certainly is very trustworthy. There could've been an element of danger sending someone, who was essentially a stranger, the cheque (for the full payment of our week long stay) through the mail, before our trip....and he was especially helpful upon arrival at NAS when it was clear things weren't going to go as planned, acting as our go between with Julie and Lesley (of Seaside Cart Rentals).
His home is beautiful, set in the perfect location, right in the middle of the island, easy to go in whatever direction you wanted, always nice to get back "home" at the end of the day. Loved waking up to such a beautiful view from the bedroom, which only got better walking out into the living areas, with windows on all 3 sides, the ocean right there, sparkling in the sun. It's clear John's home is loved, the decor, attention to detail, their efforts at making their guests comfortable, created a very happy, welcoming energy. There's more than enough towels, the kitchen is well stocked, the bathrooms are large, as are the bedrooms - and while we were only 2 people, with the other 2 bedrooms and size of the living areas, adding in a couple more 2's would leave everyone with more than enough space. The beach out front is long, great for walks, and while I had visions of floating in the ocean out front, the waves that week were much too big, a far away weather disturbance making what is usually the right kind of floating environment not the right kind. In any case, it was still very pretty to look at and suggested we should return when the weather might be better...
It is heartwarming and awe-inspiring seeing the recovery and rebuilding efforts of the GTC community. While we were there we got the sense it was a very special place, one we knew would be neat to belong to. The resiliency, tenacity, and commitment shown to each other and their community before, during and after the destruction proves it; we can learn from their experiences and actions and emulate in our own communities. A tall order indeed. We stand with them, from far away, BahamasStrong.