A family scallop shucking
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My guiding philosophy for rental sites has two parts:
Your site should speak with a human voice and your
site needs to provide a service for your guests. You've seen the other sites and the listing service sites. You'll have to admit that they all have the same stuff: Pictures, rates, availability, who to contact, a few rules and that's about it. Your site needs that stuff too. But it's clear to me that those sites are all about a piece of property. Your site needs to be about a personal vacation experience. It needs to be about people enjoying themselves at your place.
Let's look at a few examples:
| Pets |
Pets allowed ($100 deposit required) |
Pets allowed ($100 deposit required)
We usually let Fido, our black lab, swim before 8:00 a.m. That's before most folks hit the beach and it's the traditional doggy time at Paradise Beach. Make sure you clean up any "mess." After the swim we hose Fido down at the bottom of the steps and let him dry off on the back porch. Please don't leave dog food on the back porch, the raccoons will rip through the screen to get it. |
| Sand burrs in the grass |
(nothing) |
Be careful of sand burrs (or sand spurs) if you are walking on the grass. You'd better wear shoes, those little buggers really hurt. |
| Stinging bugs |
(nothing, but you know they have bugs) |
We have mosquitoes, no-see-ums, and deer flies during the bug seasons (fill in your bug season here) If the sun is high and the wind is blowing, you won't have any trouble on the beach. At other times, well, you better keep the DEET close at hand. We use Deep Woods Off. |
| Fishing |
(nothing) |
We are amateurs but we enjoy fishing with our children with cane poles at the marina dock for tiny fish. (If adults fish, you'll need a fishing license. Get one from the Bait shop at the marina) It's a lot of fun. Captain Tony at the store will supply some cane poles and bait for about $5.00. We go in the morning before it gets too hot. |
| About the area |
Great shopping and restaurants nearby |
We shop at the Wiggly-Piggly grocery store on Beach Street but they close at 9 PM and on Sunday mornings. The closest Wal-Mart is on Highway 77 about 15 miles north of Beachtown.
Sandy's Greasy Spoon is a good, cheap place for breakfast and an occasional burger or BLT. The Giant Shrimp Restaurant is great but we usually go at lunch to beat the heat and the crowds, it's cheaper too and don't miss the key lime pie. The Fancy Fish is overpriced and you'll have to wait an hour to get a table. The food is pretty good but going there is no vacation. |
| Buying fresh fish |
(nothing) |
As we said we are very poor fisherman but we enjoy fresh fish. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, head to the dock at the end of Fish Smell Road before 9:00 am. We usually get some local shrimp and whatever fresh fish Captain Salty caught that morning. He'll clean them for you and tell you how to cook them. It doesn't get any better for fish lovers. |
| Crabbing |
(nothing) |
We have two crab traps and a crab net in the box under the deck. You'll need to buy some chicken necks. Ask at the bait shop, they'll know what you need and the best places to catch crabs. When we're finished crabbing, we rinse the chicken necks, stick them in a plastic bag, and put them in the freezer until the next day. |
| Drinking and washing water |
(nothing) |
If you've never been the beach before, you'll be surprised at the taste of the drinking water. It comes from a beachside well. It's "hard" and sulfury. You may find it awful. We think it makes good iced tea but we always bring a few jugs of drinking water. You should too.
When you take a shower you'll notice another feature of the water - that slimy, can't-rinse-off-the-soap feeling. That's just a fact of life around here. |
| Jellyfish |
(nothing, in fact there is no such thing as JellyFish) |
We do have stinging Jellyfish during the Jellyfish season. They can make your swims very unpleasant. |
| Emergencies |
(nothing) |
Property manager (if something breaks)
Police:
Fire Department:
Emergency room:
Ambulance:
Coast Guard:
Lifeguard service: |
I think you are getting the idea. Which site will your guests like? But wait a minute, we've got to talk about the pictures too.
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