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We spent the holiday weekend in Great Exuma. Hotel choices are rather limited and there are no points-earning hotels on Great Exuma. There are a handful of boutique hotels and a Sandals Resort. I hate all inclusives and Sandals won’t see any of my money as they were anti-LGBTQ+ for most of the time they have been in business. With limited hotel options, We decided to rent a house. There are many homes and villas to choose from on Airbnb and we found one that was perfect for us.
Kestrel Cottage is located in a private neighborhood known as Old Hooper’s Bay. It has a private beach for residents and is conveniently located near everything you will want to do (if you can tear yourself away from the beach here).
Anthony’s Take: Kestrel Cottage was the perfect spot for us. We loved the private beach and the ten-minute walk to Hooper’s Bay Beach where we got to see and feed the turtles. The home was built in 2019 and includes all of the amenities you could want including a full kitchen, beach gear and chairs, fast Wi-Fi, and air conditioning that kept the home perfectly cool. It was just the two of us, but the home has a bonus apartment downstairs with a bedroom and full bath that can easily accommodate another couple or provide a good spot to stick the kids. The host, Dave, made the experience easy. He sent all of the information we’d need in advance and was communicative throughout the rental.
Booking
I booked the stay through Airbnb. It was an easy process and I paid $1,083 for three nights. I consider $361 a bargain for this home and would return here again. The host reached out shortly after booking, answered my questions in a timely manner, and was available throughout our stay to answer messages. The house was spotless and unlike some Airbnb owners, Dave did not have any ridiculous policies. We cleaned up the kitchen, did the dishes, put the towels in a laundry basket, and we were on our way.
Transportation to/from the Rental
We flew into Exuma International Airport (GGT) and rented a car. It was an 11-minute drive to the house and the same on the way back. The convenient location was another selling point for this property and it’s easy to hop a taxi from the airport if you’re not renting a car.
Location
The hotel is located in Old Hooper’s Bay. The private enclave offers peace and quiet. The private beach (pictured above) is gorgeous and we mostly had it to ourselves during our stay. It’s only a ten-minute drive to Georgetown. There you’ll find restaurants and grocery stores. Stock up here as there are not too many options around the island.
Check-in
We arrived on a delayed Silver Airways flight from Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FLL). I had instructions waiting for me on how to enter the house, where to find the key, the Wi-Fi password and more. We landed around 11:30 AM (which was about two hours behind schedule), but the house was not going to be ready to check in until 3:00 PM as there were guests the night before. We got our rental car, had lunch, shopped for groceries and made it to the house right on time.
Kestrel Cottage (2 Bedroom, 2 Bath)
The house was built in 2019 and features a spacious kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a carport, and a back deck.
After climbing the stairs, you enter into the open kitchen and living room. The kitchen had everything we needed including a stove/oven, microwave, coffeemaker, blender, toaster, pots and pans, dishes, silverware, spices, and more.
There is a table for four next to the kitchen.
There was a fresh floral display on the table when we arrived.
The living room was off of the kitchen (it’s one big space with high, vaulted ceilings). It had a comfy sofa, TV, and board games.
The bedroom is off of the living room. It features a king-sized bed and plenty of space. The air conditioning kept this room icy cool, which I need to sleep. A big win.
Towels were found in the bedroom. More towels were brought on our second day.
The bathroom was connected to the bedroom and living room. I did like that the bathroom included a hair dryer and some toiletries.
The water pressure and temperature were manageable, but not great.
Next to the living room there was a deck. This had several chairs, a hammock, and amazing views.
My husband spent time reading in the hammock.
Downstairs (you need to leave the main house and enter through a separate door) is an apartment. It includes a bedroom and en-suite bathroom.
We opened the door to take some pictures, but did not use this space during our stay.
The bathroom featured a shower like the one upstairs.
The carport houses a barbecue grill as well as beach chairs and an umbrella.
Overall Impression:
Kestrel Cottage was the perfect space and location for us in Great Exuma. The experience from start to finish was faultless. I can’t recommend this home enough.
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