This is a fabulous 4-5 bedroom 3-ba House, affectionately called Porchlandia, with spectacular views on a lush, waterfront point! Shady waterfront lawns & sunny pier, breezy open spaces, sparkling views & wildlife, hidden but close to services. Couples & groups love our wonderful, nature-filled spot, a fun, relaxing, serene retreat on the WEST shore of the Chesapeake (close proximity to D.C., Annapolis, Baltimore)! Crabbing, kayaks, fire pit on two-acre country-like spot.
Porchlandia is a slightly smaller, less expensive version of the whole house listing. This means the owner (or another individual/couple) could be in “The Flat Plus,” which is a completely separate upstairs apartment with its own entrance.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This is an incredible rental for fairly quiet parties. While you have the whole house except for the separate two-room locked-off apartment upstairs, it is still all under the same roof, so renting it means you accept that you may (or may not) hear others in the house. You also agree to be sensitive about noise levels, esp. when in kitchen and bedrooms. (Living room/Morning Room are more separate.)
Below is a more detailed description of the rooms and layout to help you see how we can accommodate your group.
Raised Ground floor:
- Bedroom 1: "Soft Swedish Carolina Light” (aka The Green Room), with a double bed, is the closest bedroom to the water, has two waterfront windows and a glass door leading out to the water. Bathroom is two steps outside your door.
- Bedroom 2: “Sweet Memories of Changzhou" (aka Jamie's Room), has a side window water view and a double bed, with the same shared bath two steps outside your door, making this & Soft Swedish Carolina Light a good option for people who want two bedrooms close together.
- Bedroom 3: "Dot's Room" (aka The Mudroom) is smaller and has a twin bed with a pull-out twin mattress underneath. Designed as a mudroom, it has its own separate French door entrance and also houses a washer and dryer in its closet. It can share the same bath at the end of the hall or, alternately, the Mermaid Bath at the top of the steps.
- Study/Optional "Bedroom 4," "The Morning Room," (a glass study off the foyer that can be converted to a bedroom), is a calm, beautiful space with a bar-height glass table and glass coffee table for relaxing in the morning sun or any time, three walls of windows for an intimate view of both creek and bay, a queen-sized sleeper sofa, and a view of the double-sided fireplace in the foyer. It also has a sliding glass door onto the screened porch that could be left open for those who like a natural sleeping space with cricket or bird songs. In the near future (supply chain issues) it will have French doors with cross-reed glass that can be closed off for greater privacy.
- An L-shaped Italian leather couch in the Great Room provides a comfortable extra sleeping space. We provide bedding (please let us know in advance if you'd like to use it).
- A small, but full, marble tile bathroom accommodates the downstairs.
- A fully-equipped "CREEK VIEW" kitchen has leathered granite countertops, bar-height stools, and all the many of the spices, etc., you'll need.
- The Great Room has 9' ceilings and a 16-foot sliding glass door that opens onto the screened porch, making it into a LANAI and almost doubling the size of the living room. This same porch opens onto the Morning Room as well, so a very large, fluid space can be created for gatherings.
- The gas fireplace in the Great Room is double-sided so it can be viewed also from the Morning Room or from the entry foyer, and has remote control for five levels of flame and heat. The 50" state-of-the-art TV above it is directly wired into the internet (no dependence on WiFi) and there are also speakers for bluetooth-controlled music.
- The dining room part of the Great Room has a large Bay view dining table for formal dining, as well as swivel chairs for casual snacks on the water. The sliding doors and windows on both sides can give the feeling of being outside while still indoor and close to the kitchen. The sliding doors also go directly onto the deck making BBQing and outdoor dining easy.
--Sliding glass door opens from the living room onto a state-of-the-art screened porch created out of white pillars with expansive, transparent screens. The porch, which has a full couch, gas firepit, rocking and dining chairs/table leads out to the deck while also opening, via glass slider, to the Morning Room.
The upstairs configuration:
- Bedroom 5: "The Sunrise Suite" Master Bedroom has a queen-sized bed, windows galore, a wet-bar kitchen, built in remote-controlled electric wall fireplace and TV, Bluetooth speakers, sitting area, and dining area, as well as outdoor lounging/dining on its balcony. It is adorned with a huge master bath with a "retro" natural teak vanity, large rain shower (w jets, bench, and grab bars) and a roomy 68” ivory soaking tub and toilet with spectacular corner-window views of the Bay (best "toilet view" ever!).
- The smaller "Mermaid Bathroom" in the hallway has a “step down” shower and is a common bath that creates a second option to accommodate downstairs guests.
While the downstairs will be very clean, some of the owner's private possessions will be present since this is also her private residence for certain times of the year. So far, folks have loved this space and were happy to agree to this special situation. :-)
We provide helpful amenities for all seasons like throw blankets for movie nights, extra towels, big floaty things for playing off the pier in summer, and other small touches that can make all the difference in creating your happy, memorable experience.
You'll enjoy gorgeous views from the screened porch, decks, and upscale sliding glass windows and doors galore....take in the moon and stars, both sunrise and sunset views, and sparkling water, especially dazzling in fall and winter.
Enjoy the gas bbq, firepit, tree swings, double hammock, English "tree gardens," outdoor recliner chairs, outdoor dining table, and the pier for stargazing, crabbing, swimming, sunning yourself, floating, kayaking, canoeing, bird watching, or just hanging out.
Five is the base number of guests -- $35 extra per night for each additional occupant up to eight without pre-approval. With owner approval, you may have up to 12 when you add the serene “Solarium/Bedroom” ($70/night more—an option when owner is living in The Flat).
Also, by request, guests can book a special discounted session with Shawn of "The Work," (of Byron Katie), an amazing and very simple form of self-inquiry for relieving stress and solving problems.
Welcome!!! Important Rule: Relax, Have FUN, and Let me Know if You need Anything!
When you arrive, park to the left nearest our big tree and walk left toward the water, and through the huge screened porch to the house's main entrance.
ABOUT SWIMMING AND BOATING
I love to swim off the pier and have done so with a passion for many years! Many guests enjoy swimming here or floating on the inflatable raft. We provide big, fun floaty things since the bottom is muddy. I swim off the pier many months of the year; however, there are some important caveats, and ALL WATER and BOATING ACTIVITIES are undertaken at your own risk. Please read the following if you are considering going in the water:
Please bring your own safety flotation devices (life jackets) for children of all ages or adults who are non-swimmers. We do provide life jackets in various sizes and thickness as the Coast Guard requires that they be with you while in watercrafts; however we cannot guarantee them, especially for children or people who cannot swim. We love that our guests seem to be very careful and use lots of common sense. YAY!
No children under 12 on the pier without life jacket or very close supervision of an adult. (Children in the yard at any time must also have adult supervision.)
The ladder can be slippery and barnacles can sometimes build up and be sharp, so you may need water shoes. You can expect the bottom to be deep "silky mud" (I like it!).
DO NOT GO IN THE WATER WITH A FRESH CUT OR SKIN LACERATION due to bacteria that is sometimes found in the Bay.
NO DIVING OFF PIER OR JUMPING OFF SIDES OF PIER!!!! Experienced swimmers may jump off the end with great care if you FIRST TEST WATER DEPTH as it can change with the tides and become very shallow (plus bottom is very muddy and could have glass in it so wear water shoes if you put your feet down).
Occasionally there are sea nettles here (mildly stinging jellyfish that show up for a few days or even a few weeks (RARE) in late summer, usually for a day or two in July or August; but they’re definitely gone by mid to late September.
Kayaks and canoes are leaning against my house and are there for you any time you want to go out - -two single closed kayaks and one double open (ocean) kayak that is a little heavier (the double can also be made into a single).
I’d love to help you get set up for kayaking if I’m home, and to know that you're going out and for how long. Feel free to text me when you're planning to go out. Most folks like to go out toward the bay if it's not windy and turn right -- there's a little sand bar/island there and another creek to paddle down, or just take a left and go into the other half of our creek. These kayaks maneuver best if you put the paddle up near the front of the kayak when you want to turn. Don't go far out into the bay.
Please drop your kayaks at the end of the pier. Hold rope and go down the ladder which can be slippery or have sharp barnacles (if that's too difficult, you can launch off of the shoreline, but that causes erosion). Be careful and wear water shoes if possible.
FIRES
:-) It is critical to not leave the fire-pit burning unattended or without the screen cover. Please douse it with water when you retire.
