We are trying to avoid a lengthy list of ‘rules and regulations for renters or a complicated contract with all sorts of legalese so we have come up with a few simple guidelines as follows:
- IT’S NOT THE HILTON – I have been a Hilton Honors Diamond Member for many years and have enjoyed incredible service at Hampton Inns, Hilton Garden Inns and Hiltons from Abu Dhabi to Albuquerque but we are just not able to offer that level of service here. There is no 24 hour front desk, no room service or maid service. Most things are closed on Sunday (except for the restaurants); and while there are a lot of things you can get locally, some stuff is just not available. Our caretakers are great but If the toaster breaks Sunday morning, for example, there might be one available at one of the local stores but they won’t be open until Monday and if they don’t have one you are probably out of luck for the remainder of your stay. As well, the local utilities are usually very reliabile but the water and water do get shut off and the internet goes down every now and again. That’s just how it is.
- RESPECT THE HOUSE AND ITS CONTENTS LIKE IT IS YOUR OWN – That assumes, of course, that you are not a ‘Justin Bieber’ or ‘Keith Moon’ (who throw eggs or drive cars into pools). There are a couple of locked closets that are ‘off-limits’ but you are welcome to use anything that is in the house including all the appliances, snorkeling equipment, pots and pans, kayak, barbeque and so on. However, we do expect that you will treat those things with care and that if you break or lose something, you will fix or replace it. Of course, we understand that things do age and won’t hold you responsible for normal ‘wear and tear’.
- NO SMOKING in or near the house.
- BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU FLUSH – Howard Beach House uses a septic system (as do all places in Spanish Wells) so we rely on the bugs in the septic tank to do the ‘dirty work’. Basically anything that the bugs can’t digest or that would kill the bugs should not be flushed. A few of the typical things that sometimes go down the drain that should not include: bleach (or bleach based cleaning products), antibiotics, drugs, feminine hygiene products (tampons, pads, panty liners, etc.), dental floss, paper towels, diapers, baby/disposable/flushable wipes, condoms, latex gloves, anything plastic, anything fabric (ie cotton, nylon, etc.), anything metal.
- REPLACE WHAT YOU USE – You are welcome to use any of the consumables in the house like you would in your own home. We certainly don’t expect you to replace every little thing, we just ask that you be fair in replacing what you use. For example, if you used up the last of the ketchup, mustard and relish on your hot dog, it would not be fair to ask you to replace all three (because they were likely partially consumed already) but it would be reasonable to replace one of them.
- WATCH THE ELECTRICITY -The cost of electricity here is really high (about $0.42/kwh). We have done a pretty good job with getting low power consuming lights and appliances but they still use power. We certainly want you to be comfortable but we just ask that you be conscious of the electricity usage and to not run the A/C with the doors open, turn off the stove when you are not using it, keep the refrigerator doors closed, not run excessive amounts of hot water, and so on.
- READ THE WIKI PAGE – The HBH Wiki (FAQ) page has lots of great info that tends to answer most of the frequently asked questions. Perusing it will help you to uncover many of the secrets of HBH and Spanish Wells.
- RELAX AND ENJOY YOURSELF – The most important ‘rule’ is to relax and enjoy yourself. If there is something missing or impeding your ability to enjoy Spanish Wells and/or Howard Beach House, please let us know and give us a chance to try to fix it for you. We can’t promise to ‘fix’ your mother-in-law or stop the rain (actually, we might be able to because when it rains it never seems to be for very long) but we can promise to do everything we can do to help you out.