We had such a nice time at Madrigal Cottage. The house was spacious and comfortable, perfect for my husband and I and our two older kids. It’s location on the North End was footsteps away from both the North End Dock as well as a public beach on the Sea of Abaco. We rented a boat from Island Marine for the week and loved the convenience of being able to dock it so close (highly recommend renting a boat during your visit and island hopping). The beach nearest the house was shallow and quiet. Perfect for kids. First day, we saw a ray swim up right where we were swimming and give us a show. We also would use the SUP from the house in the evenings as the water was so calm. A short bike ride and you can reach the Atlantic side beach if you or your kids want to crash against some waves.
The power went out several times while we were on the island but the generator kicked in seamlessly. We were SO grateful they had one! WiFi was slow but this seemed to be an island issue and not one attributed to the property (same story at all the restaurants we visited). Plus, it gave me an excuse not to be tempted to check work email.
Having the availability of the bikes was also awesome as we didn’t always feel like going through the trouble of firing up the boat to go into the settlement. We ended up renting a fourth/smaller bike from The Bike Shop for our daughter to use (she’s 10 so the adult ones provided were a little too big). The road to town is a little hilly and there are lots of potholes to dodge so it’s not really for a novice bike rider/small child but our family did fine. A golf cart would have been ideal for quicker trips but they were all taken by the time I checked on renting one (recommend doing this at the same time you rent your house... they go fast). And while restaurants will come pick you up if you call, they won’t come to the North End so you gotta make it into the settlement for the shuttles. Toughening it out on bikes “works” but once you see everyone on carts, you’re going to want one.
All in all, we had a fabulous visit. Both Lisa (owner) and Hillary (property manager) were super responsive and helpful. Despite the minor effort it takes to get into the settlement, the North End location seems head and shoulders about anywhere else on Elbow Cay. Would highly recommend and hope we can make it back one day!