Casa Conch is a beautiful home, solid (most homes in the area are made of cement), with tile floor extending all throughout the house. We didn't find a broom, but housekeeping came midweek. The washer and dryer are upstairs. (The door to the main floor laundry was locked - we could only see it through the window.) Pelican Reef supplied a pouch of laundry soap (enough for our family of 6 for a week), a bottle of dish soap, water dispenser, & five gallon water jugs. The bathrooms don’t have fans but didn’t get stinky.
Each kitchen and bedroom has a very nice air conditioner. The island shares a power grid, but the house is quite comfy with the A/C set around 24 to 27.
Stay out of the ocean when it’s dark. We saw a crocodile (down the road), some lizards, geckos, iguanas, snowy egrets, & many more birds we’d never seen before. Rays swam by the dock near dusk.
Pelicans & other birds often roosted on the solid pier (dock). A little sign at the beginning of the dock says it’s private property. Some guys cruising by in a boat were selling fresh lobster.
As expected, food is expensive on the island for anything that’s not produced locally (esp. dairy). Be careful of eggs. Fruit stands along the road have better prices but close by 5:00.
Be sure you throw stinky things or bug-attracting things away in the garbage cans out by the road.
We liked: A bakery just a block or two west of Central Park. A "Walk Mart" near the airport. The artisans’ market a little ways from Central Park.
Download WhatsApp before you go. This is how you'll communicate with Ester.
The “beach” is a yard full of sand, with a wall at the ocean side. Someone comes to rake the sand smooth each morning, and also uses a smoker around the outside to control bugs.
The alleged Mayan site, about ⅛ mile down the road, is completely an ‘enter at your own risk’ kind of area. Stagnant, very orange, & sometimes smelly water is a good home for mosquitoes & snakes. Not worth trying to see it.
We loved the island and how casual everything is there. Although, that induced a bit of stress when traveling by ferry to meet our excursion on the mainland.
Check out local vendors for excursions once you're there. We easily scheduled a snorkeling trip for the next morning, plus they picked us up at our dock on the way to Hol Chan Marine reserve!
Download WhatsApp before you go. This is how you'll communicate with Ester. She is amazing and responded quickly when we contacted her.