Useful and/or essential notes about the property 2021 House maintenance Menorca 365 Property Services look after the property. If anything is not to your satisfaction with the house, pool or garden on arrival please contact Sue or Emily Kelly on 0034 971 372554 . Pool man: Jose Pedro Jose Pedro looks after the pool. He is Menorcan (but speaks English) and will visit twice a week to clean it. During the summer months he will have cleaned the pool and left by 7:30 am on a Tuesday and a Friday (the day may occasionally change without prior notice). Please note that wind will cause leaves to fall into the pool from time to time – this is unavoidable. Garden help: Leandro & Joaquin They look after the garden and visit once a week. We try to coordinate the visits to coincide with your day of arrival/departure so as to minimise disturbance. They usually pop into the garden in the morning or early evening for a couple of hours (work will involve tidying, sweeping, weeding, watering, checking the irrigation system etc). Please note that there is an automatic watering system that operates between midnight and 1am approximately. Feel free to water any plants that are not on the irrigation system with the watering can if you like. Plumbing & water usage The plumbing system to this very old house has been updated but nevertheless it has its limitations. Nothing other than toilet paper must be flushed down the toilets. Anything else will cause blockages. Please also note that you are now on an island on the Mediterranean and water is therefore an extremely precious resource. Please be conscious of water usage both from an environmental point of view and from a practical point of view. Calling out the sewage removal team will cause disruptions to your holiday so we do politely remind you to be very conscious of water consumption. Ideally please take it in turns when having showers and baths. Rubbish & recycling Three bins are provided. The free-standing round bin is for general household waste (non-recyclables). There are also two rectangular pull-out bins for recycling. We place paper in one and then mixed recycling in the other. We strongly recommend that you get rid of waste regularly especially during hot summer months (partly to avoid ants). There is a large black bin with a sealable top next to the car parking area. You can store rubbish/recycling in this bin as an intermediate short-term solution if you want the rubbish out of the house before depositing it in the village bins. Sliding doors to the terrace Please open the left-hand-side sliding door first and the right-hand-side second (same for both sets of sliding doors in the kitchen and living room). Close the opposite way round (i.e. right-hand-side first). Night time lighting • Upper terraces: The lighting is only for access into and out of the property whether by car or on foot. It is therefore on a 7 minute timer. It can be switched on at the switch just inside the light blue external pedestrian door, at the switch just inside the front door of the main house (first floor landing), or by pressing the fob for the automatic vehicular gate (note this will also open the gate which will eventually close itself after 7 minutes). • Main garden: All the different garden areas have subdued lighting. The switches are all to the left of the living room arch (behind the left hand curtain). Please ensure all the lights are switched off when you go to bed. There is also a duplicate switch for the terrace/façade lights located in the in the dining room. • Pool area: The switches are located to the right of the pool gates. Ants You are in the Mediterranean and ants can be a nuisance in the hot summer months. Any spills, crumbs or the like will be found by ants. Tip: If you spray them you will have a lot of dead ants to clear up. If you clean up the spills the ants will clear off on their own accord. It is very important that you clear crumbs at all times and leave surfaces free of food and drink remains to avoid ants. Dirty cutlery/crockery should be placed in the dishwater straight after use. Breakages Please notify the management team of any kitchen breakages as soon as possible so that these can be replaced for you. Sun-tan lotions etc Sun-tan lotion and other creams can stain/ruin cushions, linen and towels. Please use the beach towels on outdoor furniture and leave the indoor furniture for when you are showered and changed. Extra laundry charges or replacement costs could apply. Fake Tan Washing does NOT remove stains from fake tanning lotions. Anything that is stained with these products will need to be replaced. If you like to use fake tan, we would be very grateful if you can respect our furnishings, towels etc and perhaps take your own towels to sit/lie on. Extra laundry charges and/or replacement costs could apply. Dishwasher The water in Menorca is very hard and as a result the dishwasher uses a lot of salt. Please can you use the correct tablets or powder - we have left a few in a box to start you off and you will need to check the salt every 3 or 4 days depending on usage. Washing machine Please ensure that you always use liquid soap or tablets provided and the correct dosage. This is extremely important to avoid blocking the drainage pipes. Please also be conscious that washing machines use a large amount of water and as such we politely ask you to put on full loads to reduce frequency of use. Doors and Windows Please use the catches to secure windows, shutters and doors in the open position. The wind often picks up quickly and strongly and can cause damage to these. Electricity During thunder storms there is a possibility that the power in the area may trip village-wide and it is usually reinstated within seconds/minutes, but this may happen several times during a single storm. In the event of a power failure at the house the fuse box is in the landing of the first floor (outside the shared bathroom). There are small torches in all the bedside tables and very large and powerful torches/lamps in the side board of the living room. All have re-chargeable batteries and the appropriate re-charging units are also available in the living room side-board. Keys Blue bound key: opens the light blue external pedestrian door onto the street. Black bound key: front door of the house. Key without binding: opens 4th bedroom on the second floor (which is only accessible from the outside) Black Fob: press and hold for two seconds to operate the automated vehicular gate. The gate will automatically close after about 7 minutes. At night the fob can be used to switch on the lighting on the top terraces. Lights will remain on for 7 minutes. Some of the bedrooms have their own access to the exterior. The doors have their own keys beside them with an intentionally 'bulky' key-ring. Please ensure the keys are kept on their hooks at all times and the doors locked/closed if not in use to avoid stray cats wandering in. Geckos (wall lizards) These lizards are shy, harmless and very kindly eat mosquitoes. If you see one in the house it will probably run and hide behind a mirror and should be left alone. They are not a hazard in any way and are not to be treated as pests. Internet There is internet Wi-Fi at the property. The password for access is either: magister2012 or 12345678 Please note there is no parental control available so please manage this accordingly with your children's devices. Codes to key-boxes The code to the kay boxes is 2405 Pool padlock code: 2012 (press top and bottom parts to open and close) Barbecue A charcoal barbecue is provided. Please take care when using with children around. Please do not dispose of hot ash anywhere. Leave the hot ashes to cool completely in the metal bucket provided and then place in the rubbish bin for disposal. Never barbecue near the dry meadows beyond the garden for fear of wild-fires. Never leave a lit barbecue unattended and always have it securely covered with its own lid when not in use or when momentarily unattended. Mobile phones. Due to the thickness of the stone walls the mobile phone reception is better in the garden than inside the house. Mosquitoes We have provided some options should these be a nuisance at times: • Mosquito nets are provided for all the beds (located in the wardrobe of each room) and can be hooked up onto the beams. A bamboo cane and hook is provided beside the master wardrobe to assist raising and hooking the nets above the beds. • Ceiling fans in all the bedrooms: the most effective deterrent on the slowest setting (if it is hot enough of course). • Plug-in repellent units are provided in all the bedside tables (plug them in from dusk until dawn only). • You may wish to have repellent lotion to hand. Swimming pool The code to the padlock is 2012. If you have small children please ensure the gate is locked at all times. Broken glass cannot be seen in the pool, until it is too late. Please do not use any glass crockery in or around the pool area. There are plastic glasses and plates for use by the pool if necessary. Dark blue pool towels are provided. Please do not use the white bathroom towels outside. Please take care with wet feet on slippery stone floors. Garden padlocks If you see any gates in the garden with padlocks it is because access beyond these gates is strictly forbidden for your own safety (e.g. there may be dry-stone walls in a poor state of disrepair / unsecured drops / there may be bee hives or unsecured open bodies of water at neighbouring properties). If for any reason you require access beyond the garden (e.g. to retrieve a stray ball) the access code is also 2012. Never allow children to wander off through these gates unaccompanied and always keep the gates locked. Babies/toddlers Please be aware of the following potential hazards and manage them accordingly if you have inquisitive babies/toddlers/small children: There are stairs without stair gates | the cupboard under the kitchen sink has an array of cleaning products | there are plug-in mosquito repellents in the bedside tables and living room side-board | there are small unsecured drops around car parking area and around the solar panels | hot barbecue. Parasols The wind in Menorca springs up unexpectedly and can be very strong, please always close the parasols when you leave the property or when you go to bed at night. Tortoises These come in all sizes and are sometimes numerous. They are wild and friendly and often pop up into the garden from the wilder lower terraces (especially to drink from the irrigation system). Please enjoy their company if you see them and look after them. If you choose to feed them they are quite partial to the odd lettuce leaf. Restaurants, beaches, shopping, etc Please look at our website for general island-wide recommendations. There are a few simple local places within walking distance that we would recommend to eat: • Es Festuc: Carrero 38, Alaior (T: +34 971 37 93 82, Laura). Excellent for set menus. • Chauvoncourt: Plaza Nova, 39 Alaior (T: +34 971378610, Christophe). Good for Mediterranean platters, quiche and salads. • Can Jaumot: Carrer de Sant Joan Baptista de la Salle, 4, Alaior (T: +34 971 37 82 94). Good for take-away pizzas. • El Casino: Plaça de la Constitució, 4, Alaior (T +34 971 37 87 02). Good for take-away pizzas. They will make delicious and very reasonably priced take-away food for lunch or dinner. We walk up, have a beer and a stroll while they get our order ready and then go back to the house to enjoy. Safe: There is no safe provided at the property. TV and DVD player A 'Smart' digital TV is provided. Local channels run from 100-140 (these contain some English and other foreign language channels). If the TV requests any codes please try either 1234 or 2012. With a 'Smart' TV you should be able to download films on request if you have an account from the likes of Netflix. Some DVDs are provided for your enjoyment. Security: There is little crime on Menorca but we recommend that doors and windows are locked when you are out. Whether you are in or out please always close the gates – it also stops the tortoises escaping and getting run over. Smoking We ask that you do not smoke inside the house. Please do not dispose of cigarette butts in the garden for children to find. It is also extremely important that you are aware of the very dry wild grasslands beyond the garden. Flicking any cigarettes that are not fully extinguished WILL almost certainly cause a wild-fire. Washing machine and dryer Never use powdered detergent as this will block the drains. The washing machine door has a 2-minute time delay once the cycle has finished. For most washes we find the 40˚c setting is fine, although a manual is in the living room side-board if required. Water The water is perfectly good and indeed we use it ourselves for hot drinks and for cooking. You may prefer to use bottled water. If so we recommend Bezoya bottled drinking water. Hot water There is a very large tank of solar heated water. An eco-pump circulates the hot water around the pipework at peak morning/evening times to avoid having to run the tap for long periods whilst waiting for the hot water to arrive. Wildlife Generally The property overlooks open countryside and is blessed with an abundance of wildlife. You will see an incredible array of birds (including red kites and hoopoes which nest on our cliffs), hedgehogs, tortoises, frogs, and perhaps (although unlikely) the odd small snake (not poisonous) or weasel. Birdsong and croaking frogs will be abundant. Thank you for being patient and taking the time to read these useful notes. Have a wonderful holiday.