GOLF CART RENTAL: The primary transportation on the island is by golf cart, which is all that one really needs to travel the short distances on Great Guana Cay itself. There are only a few small cars. (Orchid Bay Marina has small utility trucks that can help you with luggage when you arrive and when you leave, if needed.)
You can rent golf carts directly from the Orchid Bay Marina (which may be convenient if you arrive by boat) or from Donna Sands: Click Here for her website. Bicycles can also be rented on Guana. (When traveling to the main island of Abaco, there are several companies that will rent cars on the big island.)
BOAT RENTALS: You may want to rent a small or medium-sized power boat for fishing, exploring, snorkeling, diving, and visits to the many quaint and interesting islands in the area. Teaching children or grandchildren boating is a valuable life-long skill.
If you rent a boat in Marsh Harbour when you arrive, and are reasonably skilled with boating, instead of coming over on the ferry, you can make the trip from Marsh Harbour to Great Guana Cay in your own rented boat. This will allow you to follow your own schedule, to unload your luggage directly onto the house's dock, to save the cost of the ferry ride at $25 a person (round trip), to visit Green Turtle and Man O'War Cay directly (taking the ferry would require changing boats), and to go for dinner in Marsh Harbour whenever you want.
"Interlude" House has a dock on the Sea of Abaco where a boat can be tied up right at the house in fair weather.
For a group of four people, the ferry would cost $25 round trip each. You can rent a small power boat big enough for around four people for around $110 a day. So, the $100 you would save on the ferry would about pay for one day of renting a boat available on your own schedule at your own convenience.
You can rent a boat in Marsh Harbour and boat right over to the house directly, or rent a boat as needed right on Guana Cay from "Dive Guana."
HINT: If you rent a boat, make sure you also get a marine "GPS" for navigation as well as local charts for finding your way and avoiding shallow water! You can simply punch in Latitude: 26.65975 East, Longitude: -77.10366 West for "Interlude House," on Great Guana Cay, directly across from Foote Cay.
SHOPPING IN MARSH HARBOUR: When you arrive, while waiting for the ferry, you may want to have the taxi from the airport take you to "the fish house" beyond the harbor and pick up some lobster or fish. In lobster season, you may see fishermen selling live lobster right on the sidewalk at good prices. When you arrive on Guana, you can also go to MILO's kiosk and ask for him to find lobster or fish for you. You can also try Jerry at Sea Shore Villas.
While you are in Marsh Harbour, you may want to load up on groceries at "Priced Rite" or (if it ever re-opens) Maxwell's. While there is a store on Guana, you will have a wider range of choices in Marsh Harbour and the price will be a little lower. Milk sometimes sells out at Guana Grocery, and you might want to grab some milk in Marsh Harbour. The weekly shipment arrives on Thursday or Friday.
There is no problem carrying lots of luggage or shopping bags or cargo over on the ferry. People routinely carry shopping and cargo over on the Albury Ferry.
Interlude House, which is 7,354 square feet, is really two houses in one. The lower level includes two complete, separate apartments. NOTE that it is possible different parts of the house may be separately rented by different parties at the same time, unless you are renting the entire house. If this is undesirable for you call us to determine if your party will be alone at the house.
All Rentals include use of our 4-person Golf Cart, however if different renters are occupying different parts of the house, rental of the "Main House" will take priority.
All vacation rentals include use of the outdoor, large jacuzzi overlooking the waters of the Sea of Abaco (separate from the smaller water jet bath in the North Apartment), air conditioning, free washer and dryer, satellite TV with DVD player (connections are wired in every bedroom and living room), high-speed internet access (wireless), and telephone. Rentals include use of Orchid Bay's private ocean beach and picnic pavilion (about 6 minutes away by golf cart); Orchid Bay's tennis court; the Marina's small swimming pool and lounge deck; and the 40-acre nature preserve. You will want to rent a golf cart or bicycles on the island for transportation. However, we can arrange for you to be met at the ferry dock when you first arrive to get to the house.
Telephone includes a phone line with free long distance throughout the U.S. For long-term leases, you should install a separate phone line. If the island's main power is ever interrupted, the house's diesel generator automatically takes over.
All rental suites can be locked separately and individually for your privacy.
Payment by credit card, including American Express, can be handled through the Orchid Bay Marina, which manages Orchid Bay Estates development. Payment by wire transfer or deposit of a check can be made to a US bank account as well. For rentals for a week or a month period, payment is due for the entire week or month agreed even if not occupied for the entire time. Depending on availability, a week or month period can be agreed to start on any day when you arrive.
Security deposit required for long-term leases of first and last month's rent in advance.
Taxes: At the present time, rates include payment by us of all applicable taxes. Therefore, the amount quoted will be the actual amount you pay.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Obviously, we cannot rent a part of the house to someone else while we have it reserved for you. So we will lose real money if we reserve all or part of the house and later have a cancellation.
However, we want people to stay safe and not take any chances. We will accept cancellation and issue a refund if there is a hurricane in the area or hurricane posing a serious risk of entering the area (that is, the area of the Carribean North of Jamaica and South of North Carolina and East of the Gulf of Mexico (over Florida or East of Florida)) during the time of your rental. If a hurricane threat arises during the time when you are already staying at Interlude house, and you leave early, we will provide a pro-rata refund for the portion of your stay that you miss by returning early.
If severe weather delays your arrival (such as by boat), we will allow the time period of your retnal to start when you arrive, as long as the space is available. So if you rent for a week and arrive a day late, your week will start when you actually arrive, as long as there is not a scheduling conflict. However, we cannot guarantee that the space will be available. If you have concerns about boat travel or similar issues, we invite you to contact us in advance so we are aware of your travel concerns. We may be able to schedule a reasonable window for your boat travel.
NO SMOKING is allowed in any of the areas, including for fire safety, and we seek to appeal to those who will prefer a no-smoking environment. Those sensitive to smoke will appreciate that there has never been any smoking in the house at any time in the past.
Orchid Bay and Orchid Bay Marina were founded by and are overseen by an experienced, former principal of Ritz-Carlton Hotel chain headquartered in Atlanta.
The North bedroom is currently furnished with two twin beds and two "love seat" sofas, although a king-size bed can be put in place of one or both of these. The bath includes a bathtub-sized jacuzzi. It has a private entrance onto the deck overlooking the Sea of Abaco, in addition to connecting into the family room and dining area.
The South bedroom is currently furnished with a king sized bed and is self-contained, with a private entrance onto the deck overlooking the Sea of Abaco, in addition to connecting into the family room and dining area. The bedroom is big enough to add an additional small bed, such as for a child. There is a living room / sitting room with a coach, that could accomodate an extra bed as a second bedroom. We have additional beds available that could be brought in on request, with some advance notice.
The downstairs Apartments include use of washer and dryer on the lower level.
The "Brown" (Palm Tree) room at the front of the house offers a beautiful view of the Sea of Abaco despite its location at the front of the house. Full-length glass doors open out on to the upper deck along the side of the house. One can wake up and admire the Bahamian waters from the bed. This suite also offers access to a secluded staircase inside the house leading down to the lower level, allowing a renter semi-private entrance out through the golf cart garage or to join others in the lower level apartments. The secluded staircase is closed off from the rest of the upper level by decorative doors. Renters can also enter and exit through the main entrance of the upper level at the front of the house, which is shared with the rest of the upper level.
The "Blue" room closest to the Sea does not have a fully private entrance, although it opens out onto the upstairs deck, which includes an outdoors staircase down to the lower level and/or to the outside and to the street.
The "Blue" Room is joined privately to the "Brown" room along the outdoors deck running between them along the side of the house. Friends and family in these suites can join one another along this private stretch of the outdoors deck, sit together watching the sunset, etc.
From the "Blue" room, entrance would usually be through the "Great Room" (formal living room) of the upper level to either the interior staircase to the lower level (next to the "Brown" room) or out through the main front door of the upper level, or along the outdoor deck down the outdoor staircase to the lower level.
The Main house (upper level) alone is approximately 5,000 square feet with four (4) bedroom suites each with its own private bath, plus a "loft" or "dormitory with two twin beds for children or extra guests, which would share a bath.
On the main floor, there are the two bedroom suites already described in item (3) above, plus a large master bedroom occupying the other end of the house.
The main level also includes a large Great Room with cathedral ceilings, remote controlled and rain protected sky lights that open for ventilation, and multiple French doors overlooking the deck and the Sea of Abaco. And a large, sweeping, spiral staircase that provides access to the loft level. The large “open” kitchen overlooks the very large family room, the deck, and the sea of Abaco. A formal dining room is accessible from the foyer and the kitchen. A large pantry and laundry room is located off the kitchen and provides a back door entry.
A large office, complete with a computer and internet service completes the main floor. Dish network satellite TV is provided in the family room and select bedrooms. Vonage internet phone service is also provided.
A large, wide deck (half of it covered and protected from rain) provides a breathtaking view of the Sea of Abaco, and fantastic sunsets (we have even watched night time shuttle launches from the deck.) The humming birds are a delight to watch as they feed at the feeders hanging on the deck.
On the top floor / loft level there is a fourth bedroom with a queen-sized bed next to the library / sitting area, and also a dormitory "loft" just below the tower. On the “tower” level there is a large observatory room that looks out upon the Sea of Abaco to the south and across the Island to the Atlantic Ocean to the north.
Therefore, rental of the Main house on the upper level would include a total of four (4) bedrooms each with a private bath, plus the dormitory loft (without a private bath). As many as five couples or approximately 10 people can be accomodated in the upper level / Main house alone.
COMBINED Rental of BOTH the Main house (upper level) plus the lower level apartments would create a total of seven (7) bedrooms each with a private bath, plus the dormitory "loft." Thus as many as eight (8) couples or 16 people can be accomodated if both the upper level and lower level were rented.
Rental of the entire Main house requires advance notice and scheduling, because the owners will sometimes be using the Master bedroom and/or the top floor bedroom next to the library.
Or Contact our U.S. REALTORS:
Eugene and Jeannie Baur
Mizner By The Sea Luxury RE
641 Juneberry Court
Boca Raton, Florida 33486
+1 (561)391-8100
E-mail: BaurTeamSellsBoca@msn.com
