This large, attractive cottage is on a scenic Vermont lake, surrounded by some of Vermont's most beautiful countryside and interesting communities. In the summer, it's a lovely spot for fishing, swimming, and canoeing. The lake frontage is across a quiet country road from the cottage, and is shared with our nearby other cottage (see Fletcher Cottage # 3).
Our private lake frontage is adjacent to a small public swimming area. The water is shallow for a fairly long distance from shore, so it is a safe swimming area for young children under adult supervision. It's also a good spot for launching a small boat. We provide a canoe, rowboat, and small (one-or-two-person) sailboat for use by you and by those in our neighboring cottage. In the winter, it's a great home base for the East's best skiing, with huge savings in exchange for a driving a very short distance to the slopes. The cottage is only 13 miles from Smugglers Notch, widely regarded as one of the finest ski areas anywhere, both for skiing enthusiasts and for families. This is a way to get outstanding lodging for your ski trip for a fraction of what you would pay right at the resort. Or, if you prefer, try ice fishing or skating on the lake.
Extras available at this cottage include:
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Two-person outdoor hot tub, in back of the house, for pleasant relaxation
any time of year.
- Computer
(but we can offer only a dial-up connection).
- Use
of a small (1 or 2-person) sailboat, as well as the canoe and rowboat
(All boats shared with guests in our other cottage, Fletcher # 3.)
- For winter guests, discount adult ski passes at Smuggs
At any time of the year, the cottage is an ideal place for a relaxing retreat, a peaceful spot with space to sleep as many as six-to-eight people.
Smugglers Notch, in addition to its reputation for skiing, is becoming a four-season resort area. Horseback riding is available at a nearby stable. You can tour the local winery or corn maze in nearby Cambridge. Many of Vermont's other well-known attractions, ranging from the Ben & Jerry's factory in Waterbury to the cultural attractions of the Burlington area are within an hour's drive. Montreal is close enough to make it a convenient day-trip.
Generally, we prefer to rent the cottage on a weekly basis (Saturday afternoon until the next Saturday morning), especially during peak summer months. However, during non-peak times of the year (parts of spring, fall and winter) we often make it available for shorter periods, such as three-day weekends, or for "weeks" that begin midweek.
Available Dates
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2008
DATES AVAILABLE
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Dates
marked in red are not available at this time
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Sleeping Quarters and Living Space
The cottage blends old and new styles, combining rustic charm with modern convenience. The "tower bedroom" on the second floor has a queen-sized bed, plenty of closet space and its own private balcony. The knotty-pine paneling gives it a warm cozy feeling.
The other second-floor bedroom, in the older portion of the cottage, has a low ceiling, so it is a logical room for children but also comfortable for adults. It has two single beds with a trundle under each. Therefore, it's a fairly spacious bedroom for two, but can sleep up to four if you/they don't mind the squeeze.
The stairway is fairly typical of a cottage that was originally designed decades ago—sturdy and with a railing, but a bit steeper and narrower than one would expect in a typical modern house, and with low headroom at the top of the stairs.
For additional sleeping space, the downstairs family room—the "Murphy Room"—has a pull-out full-bed couch that's quite comfortable (as couch beds go).There are curtains to pull for creating a sense of privacy, separating it off from the living room, plus a closet for storage. During the day, the Murphy Room will be appreciated for the shelves full of games and puzzles, a reading nook, or simply as an addition to the living-room area.
The living room is a lovely space with gas fireplace and comfortable chairs. There is a television with VCR and DVD. Reception comes with a roof antenna with rotor, but only two stations (the area CBS and NBC affiliates) come in clearly. We also have on hand miscellaneous puzzles, books, games, and video tapes. We supply a small stereo set (radio with CD player).
A full bathroom, including tub with shower, is downstairs. Laundry facilities (washer and dryer) are also located in the large downstairs bathroom. A smaller half-bath, with toilet and vanity, is upstairs.
There is an attached enclosed porch, useful during relatively warm times of year, which opens out onto a deck. (We refer to this as the "sun porch," although that is not quite technically accurate because it is on the north side of the cottage.) The porch is unheated and not tight enough to hold heat in winter, although it does have a fireplace, so it can be a pleasant place to gather around the fire on a sunny winter day. During the summer, it's a pleasant place to enjoy your morning coffee, or to spend an evening protected from mosquitos. Some of our guests have found it to be a comfortable place to sleep on warm nights.
An outdoor two-person hot tub sits just in back of the house. The back yard is fairly large, and features a swing set, sandbox, and badminton net.
Cooking and Eating
For cooking, during the summer you may prefer to use the charcoal grill outside, but you'll also appreciate the full kitchen inside—with gas range, full-size refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, coffee maker, toaster, coffee grinder, etc. It is well-designed for cooking and serving—"the perfect party kitchen," said our first guest.The dining table has folding leaves, so that it can accommodate six people, yet fold down out of the way for smaller groups, or to make space during other times.
The running water comes from a deep well, so it is good to drink.
Accommodations
You can count on the same level of hospitality that the guests at our other cottages in Hinesburg and Fletcher, Vermont, have come to expect over the years. When you arrive, you'll find fresh flowers. The refrigerator and cupboards are stocked with miscellaneous food items, particularly appropriate for breakfasts, including eggs, sausages, frozen waffles, and real Vermont maple syrup as well as condiments and other basics, so that you can relax upon arrival, with no pressure to stock up with groceries right away. The cottage is completely furnished, including dishes, towels, linens, etc., and you'll find the beds already made when you get here. We won't intrude on your privacy to change the sheets or make the beds during your stay, but you'll find plenty of extra linens.A telephone is provided. The phone number is unpublished, to protect guests from unwanted calls. However, if you make reservations and want the number to give to family and friends before you leave home, we will be happy to provide it.
Pets are welcome, as long as they are kept under control by their owners. Please do not bring pets that may disturb the neighbors, either with noise or physical threats. If your pet causes damage to the property, you will be expected to assume responsibility and pay for repairs. With those caveats, this is a pet-friendly cottage in a pet-friendly neighborhood.
If you smoke, we ask that you step out onto the sun porch or deck before lighting up.
Rates, Reservations, and Cancellation
Most rentals are for a full week, at a price lower than the per-day charge. In general, we expect that rentals during the summer months and some of the other peak times of year will be by full weeks or multiples thereof. Standard prices and terms for 2007 are as follows:
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Peak periods for 2008:
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The prices include all utilities (gas, electricity and telephone, although we request reimbursement for long-distance calls), a plentiful supply of clean sheets and towels, and a small supply of food stocked in the refrigerator and cupboards. The only additional charge is the Vermont tax, which is 9 percent.
We request that you make every effort to be sure of your travel plans before you make a reservation. Please keep in mind that the time you reserve is made unavailable to anybody else, and we may turn away many others who are inquiring about that period. Because most people plan vacations well in advance, it is often difficult to re-rent with short notice. For that reason, the deposit is nonrefundable. The balance of the rental fee for the week will be excused if you cancel at least a month ahead of the scheduled date, or if we are able to re-rent.
Payments may be made by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover) or by check.
Making Credit-Card Payments
Reservations may be made by phone (802-482-2988 or 1-800-310-8320) or by exchanging e-mail with us at cottage@upperaccess.com. If you pay by credit card (as the majority of our guests do), it is usually most convenient to provide the credit-card information by telephone.If for any reason you prefer to pay your $100 deposit on-line by credit card, we have set up a secure order form for that purpose. Click here for the on-line payment page. This will charge your account right away while you are on-line, so before doing so, please be sure to confirm the reservation by phone or e-mail.
Keep in mind that our credit-card gateway is designed mainly to take book orders for our home business. Therefore, it'll ask about a shipping charge; but choose the option for rentals that avoids the shipping charge. If anything gets confusing, remember that you can always make your credit-card payment by phone, at 802-482-2988 or (from most locations) toll-free at 1-800-310-8320. The phone numbers are secure land lines to our home office, and we answer during extended hours weekdays, evenings, and weekends.
Our Other Cottages . . .
We also have additional rental cottages, both in Fletcher and near our home on Lake Iroquois in Hinesburg, Vermont, a short drive from Burlington. For more information on those cottages (which are available spring through fall, but not in the winter months at this point), click here.Additional Information . . .
Click here for answers to Frequently Asked Questions about our cottages.Click here for links to Vermont Attractions that you may want to see and experience during your stay.
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View looking toward the deck
Small
sailboat, canoe, rowboat
View of our lake frontage
A cozy retreat, a short drive from the slopes
Hot tub for two, comfortable and therapeutic in any weather
Queen-size bed in this room
The deck offers space to relax and entertain on nice days
Two twin beds, but with trundles, there's room for four
Living-room extension can be curtained off as extra bedroom
Full kitchen opens to dining area
Enjoy a fire on cool days
Another view of enclosed porch
The main living-room area
Picnic table and dock
Room to relax on lake frontage
Back yard includes play area for kids