CASUARINA HOUSE- PEACEFUL - SERENE - PRIVATE. GET AWAY FROM IT ALL!

We just returned from 2 wonderful weeks at Casuarina House, and it was everything we hoped it would be. Rathr than repeat all the glowing reports, I'll just confirm that they're accurate. Here are a few more:
BIKES: My husband was delighted to discover 2 serviceable (not fancy) bikes in the shed. Being Dutch, he's convinced biking is THE way to get around. He pumped up the tires, oiled the chain (oil and pump in shed) and explored most of the island- he was able to travel on little side roads through many of the settlements, and spoke to lots of local residents, had food and drink in roadside stands, and was able to appreciate both the culture and perspectives of the local population.
COCONUTS: The yard is full of coconut palms, and we ate fresh coconuts every day. The coconut water made into ice cubes was a nice addition to evening drinks, too!
PORCH: the totally wrap-around porch was a huge plus. One could always find either shade or sun, whichever is your preference.
MASTER BEDROOM: Really comfortable beds. Sleep with the sliding door open (screen closed) and listen to the ocean all night, then wake to see that gorgeous turquoise water from the bed - amazing.
BUGS: we didn't find them bad at all, but we're used to the "friendly, in-your-face" black flies of Cape Breton. We had a steady breeze, which probably helped. There were only a few at dawn and dusk, and a little spritz of bug dope solved the problem. Some people are more attractive than others, though - we didn't use any spray, and I had only 1 bite, but my son-in-law had quite a few. So, just be prepared, but not scared.
The house is very comfortable and has pretty well anything you might want. The location is ideal, and the beach is beyond wonderful. Georgetown is a little village, but has everything you need. Some things are expensive, but vacation isn't really the time to pinch pennies on a loaf of bread. For some reason, cheese is much cheaper than here. Go figure.
In short, it's a pretty perfect place to spend a memorable vacation. We met the owners and rental agent, and spoke to the caretaker - all of whom were friendly, helpful and obliging.

We really loved our stay at Casuarina House. I know there's one bad review on here, but I have no idea what they were talking about. I thought the house was remarkably clean and well furnished. The beds were comfy and clean, nice living room and dining room, and best of all a giant wrap-around porch! The beach was gorgeous and totally deserted.

The only reason I give it 4 rather than 5 stars were the sand flies/midges/fleas (also called no-see-ums). I've heard different names for these biting insects, but we did get eaten alive by them at the house, especially around dusk while we were grilling. These are not typical mid-west no-see-ums either. Their bites itch like crazy--much worse than mosquitos. Mine were so bad that I had to get benadryl cream to stop the itch, and I had almost 50 bites on my legs. We learned to cover ourselves with deet bug spray, but even that didn't completely stop them. It made the last few days of our trip much less enjoyable, so if you go, make sure you bring bug spray and don't stay out around dusk too much.

But other than that, the house was gorgeous and perfectly located. The locals were warm and friendly, and the food we had on the island was a real treat.

Greatly enjoyed our time there once we got there. Very reasonable price for practically private beach. Owner and manager very accommodating. The beach and water is safe for young children. I swam and snorkeled out to small local reef and nearby island, barely perceptible currents during tide changes.
Things we wished we knew: Suggest bring bulk dry foods, bread, and snacks only and keep it simple, water containing foods and especially drinks and canned foods are too heavy and you will be charged for extra weight on suitcase anyway ( which we found out 50 and 75 dollars),
hard alcohol is same price as States , wine and beer more expensive.
-meat is crazy expensive, try to get local fish or go fishing yourself.
-international weight limit of suitcase is 50 pounds then drops to 40 pounds when you take bahama domestic flight transferring flight.
-House has a lot of snorkeling fins of various sizes but only two little kid masks, need to bring own mask and snorkel-- leave fins at home, too big and heavy
-Georgetown is tiny, You can see it all walking in about 2 hours. Don't expect nightlife.
Try to plan activities on first day for rest of week, very difficult to get any last minute or spontaneous activities scheduled.
-and even though lots of websites say children only need birth certificate to enter States and Bahamas, you absolutely need a passport to fly there and back no matter if child is 1 day,1 month old or 1 year old.
-Small little collection of books on site, bring one to leave there or/and trade.
-all the stereotypes of locals are true.
- nice new butcher shop close by sells rotisserie chickens that are delicious, and the red meat ( have I said this already) is crazy expensive, you might want to sneak some hotdogs in. ( officially not allowed, but watched customs for 2 hours waiting on wife to arrive and maybe one or two bags were checked. My two huge bags were not checked even though I was a guy traveling by myself at time and I didn't even use a porter.
- they say, use a porter to get through customs unmolested
-The locals hate Sandals and will appreciate you for not using them. Say something about how you like to travel locally and not use big corporate travel companies and they will love you but be prepared for long vitriol about sandals.
If you ask the price in advance for taxi trip, prices are about the same, if you get in without asking, price will go up. Its cheaper to go to house then to goback to airport.
Im just sayin
thats all