Welcome Letter to Vermont Cottage Lake Amherst

AleciaSep 2, 20194 min read

Plymouth, Vermont 05056 ~ Lake Amherst

Hello Guests!

It's almost time for your stay at Vermont Cottage on Lake Amherst in Plymouth, Vermont. A charming antique cottage, with modern creature comforts, quirks included. We have nicknamed the cottage "The Amazing Maze" because of its quirky layout. ....that actually makes sense as it maximizes living space facing the lake to be enjoyed.

We truly hope you will have a great time. We will leave it to you to contact us if you need anything. We will email you how to access the cottage via e-mail/message platform. Sometimes access changes due to the seasons and weather conditions.

Disseminate this info to others in your group.

FLOOD LIGHTS - We will leave lights on if you advise us you will be arriving after dark, but please turn them off when you no longer need them. We have a local ordinance with that requirement. Floodlight switches are to the left of the front doors and back doors.

PLEASE DO AN INITIAL WALK-THROUGH, GET ACQUAINTED, & LET US KNOW OF ANY ISSUES RIGHT AWAY- If anything is out of order or amiss upon your arrival, please call/text us so we are able to make it right. Hopefully, we have crossed all our T’s and dotted all I’s prior to your arrival. If it’s anything less than 5 stars, we want to know about it immediately! We will fix it with a 5-star response.
Let us know about any damage immediately so we can fix it.

CHECK-IN & -OUT- Check-in is after 4 PM, and check-out is before 11 AM unless otherwise arranged. Unfortunately, during busy times, we are usually not able to accommodate early check-ins or late checkouts even though we’d love to.

PLENTY OF AMENITIES - FULLY FUNCTIONING HOME - All you really need are your own clothes and food. The home is very well equipped with most of the things you will need to be right at home. Feel free to use anything in the main parts of the home. There will be salt & pepper, condiments, spices, herbs, olive oil, vinegar, some emergency food items, etc. Feel free to use anything. We have a “take& leave” system for pantry items. It has worked well and goes like this: use it and replace it with the same or greater value. You may use salt, but, leave pepper. It's ok and all evens out in the end. If an item isn't available, you will need to buy it for yourself. We are foodies, so we probably have it. The hall has the pantry and laundry areas in it. If you have any questions about this, please contact us. Boat is at the dock. Wood (kindling) is piled by the firepit and under the spaport. Fire pits are on the front lawn. Volleyball court on back yard. Bulletin board is in the hallway. Thermostat is under bulletin board. Read how to efficiently control temps naturally.

COTTAGE LAY-OUT - You may find it quirky at first, but it will soon make sense. The living parts of the cottage (kitchen, living room, and porch) are facing the lake. The bedrooms are in the back. This enables you to keep the living areas at a comfortable temp for all because you can close off the bedrooms in the back. We like cooler sleeping and this works perfectly. We also needed to make sure there are 2 ways out of every bedroom and it may seem like a maze, but it's about safety. Bathrooms are small, efficient, and renowned in period vintage style. In 1934 the cottage was very small, but "Poppy" kept adding on and it now is what it is. The hallway was transformed to pantry and laundry to capitalize on the space.

Welcome Letter to Vermont Cottage Lake Amherst

Built in 1934. This is a 1944 photograph.

DOGS - We have a "doggie photo album" and have provided stickers, colored pens, etc. to use to do your dog page. Please bring a picture of your dog and leave it in the album. We have some really cute and fun posts in there and they are so much fun to look at. So, be a part of that if you want. There is a dog fee because we do a deeper clean with products just for pets. We also wash all linens twice just to be sure. Dog fee is $25/night per dog per night. It's $20 for a cash discount. Leave check or cash on the kitchen counter. We compared prices to our local kennel which is $45/night/dog, so we think it's a deal. Some sites don't calculate the dog fee correctly, so we will begin to require all new reservations after May 31 to pay the dog fee during the visit and not via the platform. Plus, we think VRBO and Airbnb are adding on their booking fees on top of the dog fee. Our way saves you money!

DAMAGE - If anything is damaged or gets damaged, we need to know immediately so we can fix it. We do ask guests to pay for "specialty damage" if the crock pot gets broken etc.

SECURING PROPERTY UPON DEPARTURE - Upon your departure, be sure to leave the keys on the hooks where you found them so we can find them too. Turn off lights. Turn down the heat to 50. Lock all doors. Please be sure doors to the outside are securely closed and locked when you leave. You may have to push and pull up on some doors to get them to latch. This is because the cottage moves slightly. It always has. Doors have blown open and this puts the property at risk from cold air and rodents entering. Thanks!

CHECK-OUT list is on the fridge. It's fairly simple. Please review it. Thanks.

The address is: 47 Scout Camp Road, Plymouth, Vermont 05056