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| OWL'S HOUSE COTTAGE A Very Special Private Cottage For Long Term Rentals |
OWL'S HOUSE, a very special private cottage for long term rentals.
There is a very private piece of land back behind Flycatcher Inn that has a sort of magic to it. The land dips down to a large glade with
a small rise in the middle, and rises up to the south behind, and then up to the west and the setting sun. It is shady and cool with nice
breezes. Butterflies flit through; parrots, mot mots, and green jays sit in the trees most late afternoons. The pygmy owl hoots.
Small quail run through. Two foxes come out and sun themselves. Squirrels scamper through the trees.
It is the perfect location for two small complete cottages, unseen from the Inn, or anyone else, and largely from each other, and it is
here that we have built Owl's House to rent to those of you seeking a very special place to stay. Your nearest and only neighbor will
be Santiago and I, just over the slight hill, as we are moving out of the main house and back to this area also.
The idea behind this cottage is to satisfy the many requests we get each year from those who wish to stay longer, from five days
to one month, for vacation or further exploration of the area, or just wanting to chill out for a while. Who will be happy here?
Artists of course, and writers, archaeologists, those thinking of relocating to the Yucatan, and people in tune with nature. But it is also
ideal for a very special honeymoon, anniversary, or just time together: good friends, lovers, couples, people needing privacy and
space to work, or those who desire to just relax, cogitate, reflect, share, commune. Are you one of these people?
Owl's House is separate from Flycatcher Inn itself and set on the land behind, adjacent to the Inn. There is private road access
to this area through a gated entry, not through the Inn. The cottage is fully furnished including a full compact kitchen, and has
a separate bedroom, with washroom & tiled shower, set up with one queen and one twin pillow-top bed. A second twin bed can be
set up upon advance request. The sofa in the living room is full size length and can be used to sleep a fourth person. There are also
hammocks. The front room and dining area are combined in a "great room", with the kitchen being integrated into this area as well.
Light housekeeping is provided twice weekly. The cottage has a wide furnished terrace running the length of it, partly covered,
shielded from the hotter afternoon sun. The vegetation is as natural as possible, and we are planting flowering trees and shrubs.
Small red foxes are now playing around the new cottage when everyone leaves for the day. We have quail too. And you can also enjoy
a walk on our own nature trail.
Nearby we now have a new restaurant in town, with pool for guest's use, owned by a Canadian who is here year 'round. Also,
a large ranch sold two years ago to an American woman who now lives here year 'round. And one more woman will be joining our
small community within about a year and building also, so it is a wee bit more lively for us all than before.
For ample information about what to see and do in our area, check our Yucatan Secrets page, and to see photos of our region
click the links in our navigation bars located at the top and bottom of each page on this website.
With detailed information about the Yucatan so hard to come by from abroad, many of our guests have asked us to help take the
guesswork out of their sightseeing planning, and help them avoid the disappointment of later finding they missed something really
interesting. With that in mind, and based on our personal sightseeing favorites as well as feedback from our guests and travelers,
we suggest this sightseeing-packed two - four week itinerary to help you make the most of your time in the area.
TERMS & AMENITIES:
Long term rentals & availability: Owl's House is available to rent from three days to one month, depending on prior reservation.
Capacity: the cottage will not be rented except to adults and older children; no more than four people. There is one queen and
one twin bed, a sofa and hammocks. A second twin bed can be set up upon advance request.
Deposits in advance are mandatory; 100% for 3 night stays, 50% for longer stays. Paypal is available. Once a deposit has been
received, that rate will be honored on arrival.
Rates are listed near the bottom of our Rooms & Rates Page (click here to view).
Breakfast may be arranged on a day to day basis at Flycatcher Inn, if desired, for a separate charge; see Rooms & Rates page.
We may only be able to serve you at certain hours, depending on the occupancy of the Inn, as our dining room capacity is limited.
Air conditioning is supplied in the bedroom by a mini split unit, more than enough to cool the space. Most of the year good fans,
which are in all rooms, are sufficient and the cottage is not exposed to direct afternoon sun.
Light housekeeping service and change of towels is included twice weekly; sheets will be changed weekly. Garbage collected daily.
Dish washing is not included in the housekeeping service.
The bedroom, with washroom & tiled shower, is set up with one queen and one twin bed with Posturepedic pillow-top mattresses.
Sheets are 100% Egyptian cotton, 450 thread count. Pillows are good ones, not feather. Blankets are supplied for the cooler months.
Towels are of a reasonable quality, and will be supplied along with a washcloth, changed weekly. The bedroom has closet space
consisting of both hanging area and tiled shelves, a wood bureau, and a small desk.
The dining and living area have a table and four chairs suitable for four people, an easy chair and table, reading lamp, overhead light,
a two meter long sofa, and a coffee table. The sofa in the living room is full sized in length and could be used to sleep a fourth person.
There are also hammocks.
A small basic stereo/CD/radio is provided for your use.
The outdoor terrace area runs the length of the cottage and is 2.5 meters deep, with about 2/3 of that depth being covered. Here
there are two outdoor wrought iron chairs and a small tiled table. A small barbecue may be set up in this area on request. Charcoal is
available in the village.
The kitchen is supplied with a toaster oven, coffee maker, silverware for four, plus basic kitchen knives, peeler, cork screw, etc., and
has a small four burner stove with oven, propane gas, and nine cubic foot refrigerator with automatic defroster. No microwave. Dishware
and glassware for four is supplied, plus basic dishware to serve in as well as assorted basic pots and pans. Tea drinkers be forewarned:
bring your own teapot as I have yet to find anything suitable for a reasonable cost. As things are required, we will attempt to supply
them as available and within reason.
Basic goods such as coffee, sugar, salt, detergent, soap, toilet paper, etc., will be provided for the first few days giving you
enough time to get to the stores for more supplies. We have at least two fairly good supermarkets in the village, and a new
Chedraui grocery/department store in Ticul, which should satisfy most needs.
Propane gas is provided for your hot water and stove. We will supply this and change tanks when necessary, and this is included
in the rental price.
Electricity is supplied, and also an emergency lamp for power outages. We will contact the electricity company about any failures for you.
The Inn is connected to the same power line so anything affecting you also affects all of us.
Plug outlets are set up to receive your personal computer. Those of you from foreign countries may need to bring the appropriate
adapter and/or converter plugs.
Internet, telephone, and television services are NOT available in Owl's House cottage at this time. There are two internet sources
very close by here in our village of Santa Elena, and many in the nearby town of Ticul, some with high speed connections and some where
you may use your own personal computer. Phone service is also available close by in our village. Cable television service is not
provided because here we are limited to just three or four channels, all in Spanish (and mostly soap operas...), and satellite dishes and
service are quite expensive. The services for internet, telephone and television are constantly being expanded as to options and range,
(out of Merida), and as they reach our area we will be able to offer them.
Filtered or purified drinking water is available in five gallon bottles, and there is a receptacle for it in the kitchen. Someone is always
around to lift these bottles and fit them in this receptacle for you. Bottles are delivered to Flycatcher Inn, as are soft drinks, and can be
contracted through the Inn.
Tap water availability is sufficient but not abundant, so one will want to be a wee bit conservative here.
The garden area is therefore minimal but the grounds are well kept, with the most part left natural to encourage the various creatures
and birds that live here to continue to do so. There will be NO hunting of these creatures. We are planting various kinds of trees,
as well as flowering ones and flowering shrubs. We encourage and welcome any gardeners among you! At the Inn you can enjoy a
walk on our own nature trail.
Garbage service is provided by the village. To that end we have a large outdoor garbage container where any garbage that is not
compost material can be deposited. There is a compost area behind the Inn for compostable waste. There is also a burning area for
paper goods, but not plastic. Metal of any kind, including tin foil type products, must be disposed of in the haul away garbage.
Laundry AT TIMES can be handled by the staff at the Flycatcher Inn, depending on their work load. There are two laundry services in
Ticul at this time, both offering one day and next day service. You also have a sink large enough to wash out lighter garments and
an outside line to dry them on if you wish. It may be possible in future to contact someone in the village to do laundry for longer term
stays. For those of you that may come and rely entirely on bus transport, I will offer to take laundry to Ticul (and you can go in with me
when it is possible) when I go, about twice a week.
Activites: For ample information about what to see and do in our area, check our Yucatan Secrets page, and to see photos of our
region click the links in our navigation bars located at the top and bottom of each page on this website. With detailed information about
the Yucatan so hard to come by from abroad, many of our guests have asked us to help take the guesswork out of their sightseeing
planning, and help them avoid the disappointment of later finding they missed something really interesting. With that in mind, and
based on our personal sightseeing favorites as well as feedback from our guests and travelers, we suggest this sight-seeing packed
two - four week itinerary to help you make the most of your time in the area. Also see our Cultural Calendar for even more ideas.
Security: Entry into Owl's House property is through a gated entrance on a private and partly shared drive, with access directly to the
cottage. You will be supplied with keys to this as well as to the cottage, to be returned before leaving. The gate will be locked at night,
probably around 10 p.m., and after this time you will need to enter using your key. Security has never been a problem in this area, but
we err on the safe side by locking this gate at night.
Privacy: The only other structure on this property and on the adjoining 2.5 acres to the west is our own private cottage, barely visible
from Owl's House. Both cottages are situated on our own land, surrounded by more of our private land extending north towards the
Flycatcher Inn itself, but not visible from either direction, for more than 100 meters. To the east, it is wooded for at least 100 meters more,
as well as over 150 meters to the west, and back behind to the south for about 200 meters. This is about as private as you can get,
without removing yourself from civilization altogether!
Which means that you need to be of the fairly self sufficient type to be happy here. While back-up help will be available, we are not good at
hand holding, and you will be cohabiting land that already has "owners": squirrels, small foxes, anteaters, armadillos, birds, iguanas,
skunks, occasional small wild cats, and yes we do have snakes although they are not a real problem here. We also have ants and rodents,
however these are rarely a problem if one is careful and sensible about one's food and food storage habits. These latter are attracted by
food stuffs, so the more neat and tidy you are the less of them you will see. Critters, insects, birds, and animals all change with the
seasons, being more or less prevalent.
If anyone has any questions about items not covered, I would be happy to answer them.
Cheers, Kristine
Flycatcher Inn, Santa Elena
10 minutes southeast of Uxmal in Yucatan, Mexico
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| For reservations, more information, or if we can be of any assistance with your travel plans, please contact us by e-mail at: info@flycatcherinn.com |
| For reservations, more information, or if we can be of any assistance with your travel plans, please contact us by e-mail at: info@flycatcherinn.com |
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