Maison des 'Etoiles
"The House of the Stars"
Welcome to Maison des ‘Etoiles, the House of the Stars
We wish your stay to be magical and comfortable. Our staff, Mary, Pius, Natural and David, is available at the Villa to help and assist you. Therefore there are some basic facts you need to know. The Villa was built by hand without the use of power equipment and our goal is to maintain the Villa’s original vision of reliance on nature. Maison des ‘Etoiles is an experience not merely a Villa. We therefore need your help and assistance to accomplish this during your stay. It is built into the volcanic rock of the Gros Piton to help shelter the home’s east side from the elements. The Villa is Dasheen style, meaning there are only 3 walls, the fourth dimension is completely exposed to the rainforest, the Caribbean Sea and the elements. When night arrives, she slips in quietly and permeates the Villa with peaceful solitude. No matter how hard you try, you will not be able to have the same lighting as you are used to at home. We suggest that when you arrive, Mary or Pius tour with you to show you the various lights, as there are many light switches with are confusing. Sometimes reading is difficult and so we suggest battery powered reading lights if this is important for you. Otherwise, relax by watching the stars or having a wonderful conversation with your friends and/or family. And nighty-night.
Morning bursts upon the Villa with brilliance awakening all to a new day of fun in the Caribbean. Water is supplied by nature and is stored in a large cistern. Hot water is supplies by a 20 gallon electric hot water heater. Excess water usage and more than 4 people staying in the home will tax the water supply and we ask you to be conservative in your water usage. Simply stated, shorter showers and not leaving water run unnecessarily.
Mary is generally at the home from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Sunday is on your own. Either Mary or David will come in on Sunday to check on you and do a quick clean up only. Mary will cook breakfast and help with lunch, change your bedding (every 3rd day), and clean the Villa. She will also go with you to the market if you would like. If you wish her to help with dinner, please discuss this with her. Many meats are frozen when you purchase so you must plan ahead because dinner preparation may be time consuming. She may be available for additional hours, but you must compensate her for the additional time. We suggest 10 EC an hour. She may also do laundry for an additional fee of 10 EC per load to wash and 10 EC per load to dry. David and Pius will help you fix anything should it break and is also available for driving and touring for an additional charge. David or Pius will stay at night should you have the need for no additional charge. However, security issues have never been a problem at the Villa. David or Pius will stay at the home while you are out enjoying your holiday as the doors only lock from the inside.
There is a notebook available at the house (ask) listing many local restaurants and activities such as hiking trails, horse riding, scuba diving and many other adventures available on the island. The beach is 5-minute drive away at the Jalousie and you may use their pool as well. Games are available for your use during your stay. A library of reading material is available in the second floor bedroom for your enjoyment during your stay. CD’s are available also in the library and can be played on the stereo system. In addition a place to plug in you IPod is available on the Stereo. If you are having an issue with the Stereo please ask David.
Our Villa does have Free WiFi so enjoy your connection to the world.
Each morning around 9am we will be cleaning the pool. If you would like us to delay this until a later time, please let us know in advance and we will be happy to accommodate your schedule. The wind at night does get strong and we ask that you return the outside furniture to the protected part of the pool are at night.
We have provisioned the Villa with your starting supplies. We supply each toilet with one roll of toilet paper, bathroom with a soap and kitchen with a roll of paper towel and napkins. You are responsible to provision these items if you are running low. We do supply dishwashing soap, cleaning supplies and hand soap for the two bathroom sinks.