Las Tortugas is a comfortable two bedroom seafront home perched on a small, breezy hill overlooking the ocean, a network of coral reefs and the islands of the southern Grenadines.
A warm welcome at the boat dock where the house manager ‘Godfrey’ will meet you on arrival, He knows the house very well. (He helped build it!).
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The primary accommodation is in the twin master bedrooms, each with a queen size bed, fans, mosquito net and ensuite bathroom. There are blow dryers in the master bathrooms. Hot water is provided via a solar heater, an unusual luxury for Carriacou! The large patio and bedroom doors can be left open day and night, keeping the bedrooms and villa well ventilated. The loft is equipped with a wardrobe and a double bed, which is suitable for children.
In the kitchen, there is a counter top stove, a gas oven and a microwave. We also have an electric frying pan, electric kettle, food processor, blender and coffee maker. For music, there’s a boombox with CD/Cassette player and a selection of tape. A flashlight,is available for nocturnal wanderings, and for those evenings when you stay late on the beach and have to walk up the path in the dark.
There is a gas barbecue on the patio equipped with utensils and a light in the alcove above, for cooking at night. Please take advantage of the beautiful evenings by sipping your cocktails and relaxing on the patio.
A rental 2-door Suzuki jeep is included in the price of the villa. The rental will be in your name, and you will be responsible for insurance. The jeep can be collected from the rental shop a short walk from the house. Arrangements will be made for you to be met on arrival and taken into Hillsborough, the main town, to obtain a local Driver’s Permit which costs EC$30.00. You must have your valid Driver’s license (the one you use at home) with you for this purpose. All linen, bath and beach towels are provided. Beach mats are also available if required.
Downstairs is a family room with long comfy couches, satellite TV, a VCR, and a bathroom with a shower. Various channels are available via the dish, including programming for children. There is also a collection of paperbacks, some toys and board games, a picnic table. The exterior door of the family room takes you outside to the top of the stairway down to the garden gate, from which you can follow the pavers down the path to Paradise beach.
Interior
Bedrooms
The 2 large master bedrooms, opening onto the sundeck are complete with ceiling fans, built-in closets and en suite bathrooms. There is also a loft above the living room with a double bed.
Bathrooms
2
Living/Dining Room:
The open plan living area features a fully equipped kitchen, wrap-around bar, dining area, loft, laundry and powder room. Downstairs is a large recreation room with access to the beach via stairs and a paved path down the hillside.
Kitchen/Bar:
The kitchen includes a gas stove, oven and microwave, and the usual small appliances (toaster, blender etc.) Cutlery, crockery etc. are provided for eight persons
Veranda/Sundeck:
Accessed via three large arched doorways from the living area, the Verandah includes a gas barbeque, and offers alfresco dining with an incredible view of the reef, Sandy Island and the Southern Grenadines.
Recreation Room
Downstairs, the airy Recreation Room and bath, offer satellite TV in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.
Beach & Garden
Las Tortugas is located on a small hill between two beautiful beaches, each a mile or more in length, accessible by a footpath from the steps downstairs. Paradise beach on the east (airport side) is preferred for swimming and snorkeling. The west side beach offers long tranquil walks out to Point Cistern and Honeymoon Hole. The house is set on almost an acre of hillside with very pretty tropical landscaping
Restaurants
There are a number of good restaurants on the island. Our personal favourite is the “Callaloo” in Hillsborough on the beach, which offers West Indian cuisine elegantly presented in a beautiful setting, especially at sunset. Make sure to take some mosquito repellent! Good local food can also be had at Scrapers and a couple of other small restaurants along the waterfront in Harvey Vale, a picturesque little village on the beach in nearby Tyrrel Bay.
Other good, but more expensive, eating spots offering international dishes include the Silver Beach Hotel in Hillsborough, the Green Roof Inn on the road to Bogles. Please refer to the map, for other restaurant phone numbers.)
morning to look after the beach and gardens for you.
Staff
Godfrey will be on the premises to look after your needs Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., or to suit your requirements within this time frame, and will make beds, launder linen and towels, clean the bathrooms, mop the floors and wash up dishes as necessary. In the evening, if you care to leave your dishes in the sink, Godfrey will wash up the following morning and take out any garbage. He can also arrange for fish and lobster (in season) and will fillet the fish and boil the lobster for you, should you so desire. If you need help finding where to buy supplies, take Godfrey with you into Hillsborough and he will show you where things are available, where to buy vegetables etc.
Godfrey’s wife, Leslie Ann, will be happy to answer your queries regarding shopping, excursions (diving, sailing, fishing, walks and travel arrangements) if you call her at 443-6333, during the day or in the evening. Upon your arrival, Leslie Ann will provide a delicious ‘pelau’, a local dish of chicken and rice.
In case of emergency, Leslie Ann will know where we are, and will contact us if any decisions have to be made.
Rates
One week minimum rental
Rentals between December 15 and January 15 are two(2) weeks minimum
Family Rate ( max. 4 persons )
$430.00 per night
Additional guests US$25.00 per day per person
Honeymoon rate
US$ 360 per night
Arrival and Stay details
Carriacou operates on the E.C. dollar, although $US cash and major credit cards are welcome at some restaurants, hotels etc. The rate of exchange is $1.00US = $2.67EC, or for quick mental calculations, approximately 3 to 1. The commercial banks, open 9am to 3pm, will change US cash and traveler’s checks, or give you EC cash on your credit card, but personal checks are not accepted. There is now an ATM on the island, at the NCB bank in Hillsborough, which will accept Visa Cards and give you EC cash..
Electricity in Carriacou is 240V, 50Hz, but the outlets (plugs) in the villa are wired for 120V, with standard American style fittings. North American visitors will not need to bring any adapters, but our European guests should take note.
Things to Do
Diving
Carriacou Silver Dive in Hillsborough has a fully equipped dive shop, and also rents scuba and snorkeling gear, but you may wish to bring your own snorkeling stuff for convenience. Arawak Divers in Harvey Vale is also available, and is only a couple of minutes drive from the villa . Either Silver Dive or Arawak will be happy to take you diving at some truly spectacular sites or teach you to dive, should you so desire.
For those who prefer to snorkel closer to home, there are queen conchs, white sea urchins (protected by law), rays, starfish etc. hidden in the turtle grass off Paradise beach.
Boat Excursions
“Water taxis” are available for day trips to Sandy Island, Anse La Roche etc. Trips can be arranged to visit Union Island, the Tobago Keys, or to nearby Sandy Island, and we recommend White Island, just south of Carriacou, as a wonderful place to spend a day. Make sure you take the cooler with lots of ice, drinks, food, also sunblock and snorkeling gear. White Island is uninhabited and there is little on the island except sand and a lagoon. All that sun and sea tend to perk up your appetite! Larger offshore vessels can also be chartered for fishing or visiting adjacent Islands.
“Bho” at the Hardwood Bar, a short walk up Paradise beach has a small fishing boat offering jaunts across the bay for the more adventurous. The Hardwood is also a friendly and pleasant place to have a casual lunch and drinks, being right on the beach, with good bathing and a view of Sandy Island.
Fishing
The fishing around the island is generally excellent, this being one of the primary pastimes of the local residents (“Kayaks”).
Kingfish, Tuna, Mackerel, Crevalle, Barracuda, etc. are commonly caught trolling within easy reach of land, and bottom fishing yields an amazing variety of reef fish, some with local names as colorful as the fish themselves! There are “Soapfish”, “Boose”, “Caca-belly”, and “Goggleyes” to name a few.
Those interested in sportfishing, as opposed to dinner entrees, can try their hand inshore at fly fishing for Snapper, Snook, and Tarpon in the Hurricane Hole, a mangrove-rimmed lagoon within walking distance of Las Tortugas, and, for deep sea fishermen, the offshore waters hold large Tuna, Wahoo, King, Barracuda, Dorado and Billfish. Enthusiasts should bring their own gear, since the tackle available on-island, tends to be focused more on putting food on the table than the finer points of technique and sportsmanship. Rods should be collapsible for ease of travel.
Cycling or walking
For those who enjoy cycling or hiking, Carriacou offers miles of abandoned roadways, many of which offer superb views of outlying keys and the myriad of reefs that rim the island. There are ruins of plantation houses, windmills and fortifications, hidden among the trees, some still with their cannon in place. Bicycles can be rented from Cuthbert Snagg or in Harveyvale (Mountain Bikes).
The Museum
Though tiny, the Museum in Hillsborough is worth a visit, with its exhibit of Arawak and Carib pottery and artifacts, and maps and information on the unique history of Carriacou. The attendant, Clemencia, is very friendly and informative, and happens to be your neighbour at Las Tortugas.
Food Supplies & Shopping
Several small supermarkets located in Hillsborough offer a surprising variety of foodstuffs, and the market opposite the wharf at the town centre is usually a good source for fresh fruit and vegetables. Fish, (catch of the day) can also be bought at the market, or through Godfrey, who knows all the fishermen in L’Esterre. Good quality pre-packaged meat is a little hard to come by in the groceries, so you might want to bring down a couple of boxes of US prime frozen steaks in a small cooler as hand baggage.
Main street in Hillsborough houses a number of bars which never close. In fact, drinks are always close at hand in Carriacou, which is famed for having 100 Rum Shops for every Gas Station on the island. (There is only one gas station.) General stores are also available, in which hardware, items of clothing, dry goods etc. can be bought.
If you are interested in purchasing any of the spices for which Grenada is famous, Leslie Ann will be happy to arrange this for you.
Children
Children are welcome at Las Tortugas. Aside from the obvious attraction of the beaches and bay, the hillside on which Las Tortugas is located provides a wonderful setting for “adventures” such as climbing, exploring, rescuing entangled goats, searching for hermit crabs, grasshoppers, etc. Infants and very small children should, however, be closely supervised (as always). The villa is built on three levels, with interconnecting stairways. The verandah is enclosed with a concrete balustrade, but projects over a steep drop.
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