Culmer Cottage: Experience the Real Bahamas
- Maximum Guests4
- Sleeps in Beds4
- Bedroom(s)2
- Bathroom(s)2 full, 0 half
Video Tour
Description
This cottage was originally built in 1823. I saved the 18" walls and bas relief art done by artist McMillan Hughes when it was restored. It has 2 bedrooms, both fully air conditioned, and two baths. It is equipped with everything one needs to enjoy an island vacation: washing machine, bedding, towels, beach chairs,snorkel equipment, full kitchen, tv and wifi. There are beautiful views of the Caribbean from both the porch and upper deck. Grocery stores are nearby as is the fishing dock for daily catch. The settlement's citizens are friendly and welcoming. Living in a settlement gives you such a wonderful cultural experience, very different than living in a beach rental. Tarpum Bay and Culmer Cottage are special places.Because of its location in a settlement, everything is nearby and a car is NOT mandatory. It is a very safe area for long walks and beachcombing.
Owner/Manager
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About The Owner
I am a retired school teacher from Northern Michigan. Escaping our gray and stormy winters seemed like a good idea, and I searched many islands before settling on Eleuthera. If I was going to live part of the time in a different place, I did not want to duplicate my Michigan life. Eleuthera provided me with the opportunity to live within a local community where I could enjoy local residents as friends. My cottage is historical and unique. This appealed to my sense to preserve history, and it was fun to restore this cottage. I wanted a place with fabulous beaches, that was quiet, safe and easy to access. Eleuthera is all of that and more. I have loved this cottage, and those who rent love it too.
Location
| Nearest Airport | rock sound | 6 miles |
|---|---|---|
| Nearest Bar | Griffins | 5 minutes |
| Nearest Beach | Tarpum Bay | 500 feet |
| Nearest Market/Grocery Store | Bert's for the Best | 1 minutes |
| Nearest Restaurant | Barbies Snack Bar | 150 feet |
| Nearest Route/Highway | Queen's Highway | 0.5 miles |
Additional Location Information
One block east of Queen's Highway, one block up from the sea, Turn towards the large green and white Methodist Church, just past Berts for the Best grocery. Park in the vacant lot across from the church and in front of the white wall which surrounds Culmer Cottage.
Tarpum Bay is centrally located on Eleuthera with reasonable distances to the North with its Glass Window Bridge, and south to Cape Eleuthera and Lighthouse Beach.
If a guest prefers not to rent a car, Tarpum Bay is a wonderful settlement for walking, swimming, beachcombing and grocery shopping.
There are several small restaurants in the settlement: Griffins is a bar and restaurant, Barbies is a snack bar both are very close to the Cottage. The Tea Room about five miles south, is serves healthy, delicious food at reasonable prices. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is available there.
Accommodation, Features
Additional Property Information
This home was lovingly restored. It was one of the first houses built in the settlement. The bedrooms are air conditioned, downstairs is cooled by the sea breezes and has fans. Cable tv, wifi, games, books are available. It is convenient to groceries, fish dock, beaches, swimming, boating and fishing, and churches. There are restaurants nearby. While it is preferable to rent a car in order to see all of Eleuthera's magnificent beaches, it is not necessary as everything you need is available within walking distances. Life in a settlement is very different than life in a gated community or isolated beach house. You meet Bahamians as neighbors, and friendships develop. You are able to learn about a different culture. It is such a rewarding and interesting experience. Bahamian citizens are very friendly, kind and welcoming. Tarpum Bay is a VERY safe community. Experience the real Bahamas!!
Availability
- Booked
- Pending
- Available
- Unknown
Rates
| - | Nightly rate | Weekly rate | Monthly rate | Min. Stay | Change-over | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week | Weekend | |||||
| Rate summary | $140 | - | - | 3 Nights | - | |
| Standard rate 19-Aug-2020 - 20-Aug-2022 | $140 | - | - | - | 3 Nights | - |
Fees, Taxes, Deposit
| Type | Type | Price | Charge Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| cleaning fee | Required | $75 | Weekly |
Policies
The island hosts many festivals, homecomings in the various settlements feature local foods and music; junkanoo performances are at Christmas time and vary from settlement to settlement; the pineapple festival is in Gregory Town in June. All welcome visitors and are fun.
11 Reviews
My Happy Place
Staying in Eleuthera at Culmer cottage was a wonderful experience. The flight to Nassau from Phoenix, Arizona went well and was very enjoyable, with a short one-hour layover in Nassau before island hopping to Eleuthera. We ate fresh local conch salad and went snorkeling at a new location every day. The local reefs and fish are some of the last and most vibrant of their kind. Additionally, we received surfing lessons and dined on fresh locally grown coconuts, bananas, plantains, local greens and peppers. Though some of the many beaches had small amounts of beach trash, all beaches provided excellent swimming in the most beautiful clear blue water. All locals were kind and friendly, and ready to help at a moment’s notice, and the island was very clean and well cared for by the local residents of which we made many friends whom we intend to keep for years to come. Additionally, the internet access was surprisingly good. I was able to close several important deals while consulting, designing processes and performing research from the beach, swimming during breaks and drinking coconut water the whole time. The flights back to Nassau and, then, to Phoenix returned me much fitter, well-slept, more tan, happy, healthy and prosperous.
Stayed September, 2020
Closer to Lighthouse Beach than most rentals
We had a wonderful two week stay in Culmer Cottage. We loved living with the locals, and made a good friend with your caretaker, Kervin. He took us fishing and made us dinner with the catch. We walked the beach every morning and we found lots of sea glass and shells. We swam out front many times and rented a kayak and paddle board. We made it to about 20 beaches: so many more to see. We Loved seeing the Junkanoo celebration in the park at Christmas. We also took a trip with Kristal to Lighthouse Beach. It is spectacular, too bad Disney has bought it and it will soon be Mickey Mouse land.
We used the kitchen everyday and found everything we needed. Thank you for a great place to stay! Kim and Rob
Stayed December, 2019
Next time I'm staying longer
We loved our stay in Tarpum Bay in Culmer Cottage. There was one problem, though. It was too short. Tarpum Bay is a beautiful, small town on a beautiful island with wonderfully friendly and open and helpful people! Culmer Cottage itself is an old home, maybe over 100 years old that has been completely restored and remodeled by one of the great grandsons, Kervin. He has done a wonderful job! The house has personality and makes one feel at home and welcome. It has all that one needs and a bit more. It even comes with a cook and maid if one desires it. A grocery store is across the street, there are small restaurants within walking distance.
I wish we had been able to enjoy Culmer Cottage, Tarpum Bay and the whole island of Eleuthera for more than the one week we had. We do hope to be able to return someday.
Stayed April, 2018
Great views!!
My girlfriend and I stayed here for Thanksgiving week for a relaxing and yet adventurous tropical vacation.. The house was perfect. It was very clean and well appointed. It had everything needed for when we cooked, good wifi and cable (even watched Thanksgiving football), plus it is in the best location! Tarpum Bay itself is beautiful, but we loved being less than 45 minutes away from tons of beautiful beaches north or south. We ended up seeing 10 beaches over the course of our week long trip.
The house has a beautiful balcony overlooking the bay and new/comfortable furniture. One of the most helpful parts was the binder the owner has put together/. She listed restaurants, beaches, things to do. By the end of the trip, I felt like a local.
I would definately recommend staying here for an authentic Bahamian expeprience. We can't wait to go back!
Stayed November, 2018
cultural immersion experience
I spent 10 days at Culmer Cottage at the end of April 2017. My daughter and her partner joined me for half the stay in Tarpum Bay. The owner of this nicely appointed house is right about the cultural immersion experience. The house is located on a hill in the centre of the village of Tarpum Bay. It is close to everything: a small grocery store, the fishermen's dock, the post office, the medical clinic, the small Tarpum Bay beach. Barbie's with its delicious hamburgers is just a couple doors down on Lord Street. Culmer cottage was exactly what I was looking for. It offered a wonderful combination of true everyday life in a Bahamian community and easy access to deserted beaches. Good Internet access throughout the house and on the patio facing the Bight of Eleuthera. It is essential to rent a car, not only to discover the back roads of Eleuthera or go out for coffee at Da Perks in Governor's Harbour, but because some of the essential services can only be found 12 kilometers south in Rock Sound. The house is exactly as it is depicted on the website. No deception here. The two bedrooms afford a beautiful view of the bay. We appreciated the two bathrooms. Tarpum Bay people are always friendly and helpful. We enjoyed our evening strolls through the settlement, sitting at the village dock watching the green herons or sipping on a cool beverage bought at the nearby sore, Bert is for the Best. This rental is recommended for those who would like to experience a different kind of vacations in the Bahamas.
Stayed April, 2017
Last update: 12-Oct-2020 00:01
Contact the Owner
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If you notice that the calendar or rates are not current on this listing please let us know. We will contact the owner & ask them to update it.
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