We are a 2 bedroom, 1 bath cottage on a peaceful cove of the Connecticut River. There is river access from the back yard and two kayaks for your use while staying with us.
Conveniently located to the Five Colleges and area attractions, yet surrounded by nature. Enjoy bird life, water views and magical sunsets in this nature lovers’ paradise.
Bright and airy, yet very cozy cottage with open floor plan. Fully furnished with a well equipped kitchen, two bedrooms, full bath with washer and dryer, dining area, and living room with TV on first floor.
Queen bed in back bedroom (closer to kitchen). Two twins in front bedroom (closer to living room area).
Living room, kitchen, dining area and loft all feature river views.
House has air conditioning and heating via 2 zone mini split heat pump with one air handler on the first floor and another in the loft.
Spiral stairway leads to loft area featuring a dedicated work space, cozy reading area and TV area with futon couch. The loft is not a bedroom. The futon couch can be used as an extra bed.
High speed internet (wi-fi) throughout.
We use keyless entry with a Nest Doorbell with camera on the front door facing the parking area and a Nest Camera on the back of the house facing the river and shed. Please do not tamper with or otherwise touch or adjust the cameras in any way. The cameras are required under our insurance policy. Any tampering/touching/adjusting of the cameras, wi-fi or internet will result in the immediate termination of the remainder of your reservation.
Wi-Fi - The modem is at the top of the circular staircase. There is also a Wi-Fi range extender or “Google point” in the living room (on the little table to the right of the cast iron stove). Please do not tamper with the Wi-fi for any reason. If there is a problem please contacts us for help.
Check-in time is 3:00pm/Check-out time is 11:00am (cleaners arrive at 11:00am) Late checkout will incur a fee of $250.
5 Guests maximum/all guests must be registered.
One dog is allowed. Please ALWAYS keep dogs leashed and cleaned up after. Cats are strictly not allowed due to host's severe cat allergy.
Events/parties are not allowed.
No smoking, vaping, e-cigarettes, etc., on the property.
No candles, confetti or glitter.
Quite time is 10:00pm to 7:00am
No commercial photography or filming.
Please take off your shoes when inside.
Heating/Cooling - There are remote controls near the mini-split wall units on the first floor and in the loft. Please make the wall units are turned off at the end of your stay. It’s okay to leave them on while you are out and about as mini-splits do much better keeping the cottage a uniform temperature. If you are staying in the winter, there are wall heaters in each bedroom (but you really shouldn't need them).
Please do not use the cast iron propane stove under any circumstances.
Please keep the windows and doors closed when using heating/cooling.
Please close all the windows and lock the doors when going out.
Please turn off all the lights when you leave for the day and when you check out.
Please park in the driveway only. If it snows or is icy we have a contractor who will plow and sand the driveway, and shovel the walkway as needed. Please move your car when they arrive so they can clear the entire driveway. There are shovels and sand in the shed if you need them.
Kitchen
We have supplied the kitchen with everything we hope you will need to cook during your stay (if you think we should offer additional items please let us know what you think we should add). There is coffee and tea for brewing and some basic condiments. Help yourself. There is no garbage grinder or composting. Please place your food waste in the trash. We would greatly appreciate it if you would clean up your dishes before checking out.
Trash/recycling
Trash/recycling pickup is every other Monday. The schedule is posted in the kitchen and the shed. The kitchen cabinet left of the sink has a trash container (front) and a recycling container (back). Please use the trash bags provided for your trash. Please put your clean glass, plastics, aluminum, paper and cardboard items in the recycling container. When a trash and/or recycling container gets full, please take it to the shed. Shed key is on plate under the gong.
There is one trash barrel and one recycling tote in the shed. Please put your trash in the light green plastic bag in the barrel. There are additional light green plastic bags in the bottom of the barrel. The Town requires all trash to be in the light green plastic bags. Put all of the recycling in the green tote. Place the barrel and the tote by the curb by 8:00am on the day of pickup. Please put the barrel and tote back in the shed after pickup.
Bathroom/Toilet
Please do not put anything other than toilet paper in the toilet. The cottage is served by a sewage pump which can easily be clogged by flushable wipes, feminine products, baby wipes, paper towels, etc. There will be a $500.00 pumping fee if the sewage pump gets clogged.
Laundry
There is a washing machine and dryer for your use.
Amenities
You will find an iron and ironing board in the utility closet in the bathroom.
There is a hairdryer in the bottom drawer of the bathroom vanity.
There is body wash/soap and shampoo as well.
There is an outdoor grill on the back porch. Please shut off the gas completely (open the door under the grill and turn the gas knob clockwise (righty-tighty) until it is tight) when you are done using it. Please put the cover back on once the lid has cooled off. We keep the grill positioned so that there is space between it and the porch railings so that the heat doesn’t damage/melt the railings.
Television
There is a television in the living room and another television in the loft. Both are connected to the WiFi. For the upstairs TV, use the smaller remote. Hold down the voice command button and you can tell the TV what you want to watch. If the TV doesn’t seem to be getting any channels, turn it off. Disconnect the power to the little xfinity box on the right side of the TV. Wait at least 30 seconds, then reconnect the power to the little box. Turn everything back on using the small remote. It may take a few minutes but the system should reboot and work again. Note – it is not a smart TV. Please remember to bring your password to access your streaming accounts.
Games
In the unlikely event you find yourselves (dare we say) bored, we have provided a selection of board games, puzzles and books in the loft. Please enjoy them while you’re here but please make sure to put everything back (and please make sure the pieces go back into the boxes they came out of--don't mix them up)!
Shed
The key for the shed is in leaf shaped dish under the gong. There are four plastic lawn chairs, a metal outdoor table and four metal chairs in the shed. Feel free to take these out and use these during your stay. Please return them to the shed when you are leaving. Please keep the shed locked at all times. During rainy periods the river may fill part of the yard before it recedes. Please make sure chairs, etc. aren’t left beyond the pine trees or they may float away.
Kayaks
The kayaks are also in the shed. These are touring kayaks so they are longer and heavier than recreational kayaks. Because they are a bit heavier they are harder to carry, however, on the water they are wonderful as they are very stable (for kayaks) and really good at staying on course with minimal effort. There are paddles and life vests. We strongly suggest water shoes as you'll have to get somewhat wet to get in and out of the kayaks. Please be aware if you go out of the cove, there is an active dam/waterfall just a little ways down stream (to the left) -- STAY WELL UPSTREAM. Please be sure to clean off the kayaks before you put them away. There is a hose on the back of the house. If the life vests are wet please hang them up so they'll dry.
Kayaking, swimming and other water front activities are voluntary and are undertaken entirely at you and/or your party's' own risk. By using the kayaks, going swimming or otherwise using the water front area you and the members of your party agree that they are aware that kayaking, swimming and water front activities involve inherent risk and they assume all such risks, both known and unknown to them, including the possibility of bodily injury or death.
Watch Your Head and Miscellaneous
Walking too close to the circular stairway can result in bumping your head. In addition, the ceilings in the loft are low and sloped and it is easy to bump your head there—especially on the beams. We suggest you plug in the fairy light strings on the circular stairway (one set) and the beams in the loft (2 sets) as doing so may help you avoid a bump.
Last but Not Least
Activities/events that will trigger extra charges/result in bad reviews include (but are not limited to) tampering with the outdoor cameras; tampering with the wifi and/or internet; smoking or vaping; unauthorized guests; more than 5 guests; use of confetti or glitter; use of tape or decorations on the walls or ceilings; use of thumb tacks, nails, etc., in the walls woodwork, ceilings, etc.; parking on the road or anywhere other than the driveway; stains/markings/drawings on furniture, walls, fixtures, etc., messes/accidents that have not been properly cleaned up including food, pet and child messes; stains on furniture, fixtures, floors, towels, linens, bedding. etc., mistreatment/damage/loss of the kayaks, life vest or paddles and/or causing the toilet to backup. This list is not meant to be exhaustive. If you have an issue with breakage or damage please let us know right away (we understand things happen and we would prefer you tell us). We reserve the right to assess additional fees for violation of any of these rules.