Family Reunion

Guest: Amesrocks (Callaway, VA)
Date of Stay: 09/23/11 Review Submitted: 09/27/11

We stayed at the Thompson house 9/23/11 - 9/25/11. We come every year for the SML Wine Festival. We use this time as a small family reunion for my Dad's side. This was the perfect house. It accomodated all our needs. It was nice and quiet tucked away in a cove. The house is beautiful and well stocked. The only complaint I had was with the weather the first day, if only David could have controlled that for us:). I would definitely stay here again and recommend it to anyone wanting to visit the lake.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Beautiful House

Guest: Big Family (Mechanicsville, VA)
Date of Stay: 07/02/11 Review Submitted: 09/05/11

We stayed the July 4, 2011, week at the Thompson House. My husband and I, our two children and spouses and six grandchildren stayed there. There was plenty of room and my grandchildren (and children) loved the ping pong table (there were very competitive tournaments), the air hockey game, and the Playstation. The pier with equipment house (so nice to keep your floats, life jackets, etc.) was great. The kayaks and canoe was used by all and really enjoyed. We enjoyed the quiet inlet and the children could swim without fear of so many passing boats. The kitchen was well stocked and had top-of-line appliances. And all the TV's were great and very tempting on no electronic Tuesday. We enjoyed this house very much!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, families with young children, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Nice!

Guest: Kay4 (Virginia)
Date of Stay: 05/12/11 Review Submitted: 08/09/11

We stayed at the Thompson house during Va Tech's graduation ceremony weekend, and had extended family and my daughter's college friends stay with us. The house was perfect for a large gathering (plenty of sleeping room and lots of space) and had every amenity we could want. We had trailered our 18' boat to the lake, and the dock was perfect for it, as were the canoes and kayaks. There is plenty of parking, and the location is convenient to town for groceries and dining. The hot tub was also great, and being inside the screened porch, proved perfect for when it rained. The owners called us the day we moved in to ensure all was fine, and to offer to help if we had problems - a very nice touch. We intend to rent the Thompson house again, and look forward to the experience.

Recommended for:Families with young children, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Grandchildren's dream

Guest: Dede (Stone mountain, ga)
Date of Stay: 06/04/11 Review Submitted: 08/06/11

I had to comment after reading the negative review. I spent two wonderful weeks in June 2011 with my grandchildren. They have begged for a return visit to the same house. We loved the privacy of the end of the cove allowing safety to the younger grandchildren who never wanted to get out of the water. When we did come inside, we had so much to entertain them. The location was ideally suited for an easy drive to a well stocked grocery store and restaurants when we chose not to cook. We rented a pontoon boat the first week and a ski boat the second. It took little time for the boat or the automobile to reach the marina. The bedrooms were comfortable, the kitchen was well furnished, the house offered several public rooms so that we did not feel we were on top of each other. We talked so highly of our visit that my husband's siblings and families want to go back in 2012 and try to find rentals close to this home- which we have already told them we have dibs on. And early on in our visit, the owner called to ask if everything was satisfactory. I have rented homes for vacations in the past. This one ranks at the top.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with young children, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Our "home" at Smith Mountain Lake

Guest: The "W's" from VA (Portsmouth, VA)
Date of Stay: 07/16/11 Review Submitted: 08/05/11

My family , including my husband and myself, three maried daughters with spouses and a boat-load of grandchildren have been vacationing together at SML for eleven years. For the past eight years, we have rented the Thompson house and feel like we're coming "home" when we arrive there. The house is very well appointed and yet comfortable for a large, busy group. The dock provides a wonderful place for cildren and adults to swim. Since the home is located at the mouth of the cove, there is little boat traffic to contend with and we feel very safe. The water is deep and clear at the dock which is furnished with chairs and the tiki provides great storage for toys and floats. There are kayaks furnished and ample space to dock our large pontoon boat and jet ski. There is so much to do in the house with video games, ping pong and TV's galore that our kids don't even complain if we happen to have a rainy day. The hot tub is kept immaculate and checked by a professional weekly. Dave Thompson, the owner, is extremely accomodating and always willing to go the extra mile to make sure your vacation is wonderful. We'll be at the Thompson house for many years to come and suggest you give it a try.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers, tourists without a car.

Wonderful Week at SML

Guest: Frank (Lexington, KY)
Date of Stay: 07/09/11 Review Submitted: 08/05/11

My extended family has vacationed at the Outer Banks for the past 35+ years. This year, we decided to stay closer to home (Roanoke area) and try a family vacation on Smith Mountain Lake. We were delighted and very pleased that we chose the Thompson house for our summer vacation!! The location of the house on the quiet and peaceful "no wake" cove was one of the best features of this house. We thoroughly enjoyed the use of the Thompson kayaks and canoe in this quiet part of the lake. We felt safe and it was very quiet. We also utilized the docks for swimming and floating without the fear of the heavy boat traffic on the main portion of the lake. The house has a fully equipped kitchen, large dinning area, and a spacious floor plan that provided plenty of room for the entire family (ages 9 months to 90). We also utilized the dining table on the upper deck for eating and viewing the beautiful lake below. We took daily walks to the Smith Mountain Lake Community Park (about 2 miles away) and enjoyed the scenery surrounding other parts of the lake. I think that we will take bicycles next year for more exploring. The Thompson family was very helpful in answering our questions about the rental throughout the winter and spring...even giving us the opportunity to take a look at the house during our spring break. We were so pleased with this house that we have already reserved another week for the summer of 2012! I would highly recommend the Thompson house to anyone! You will enjoy this house, the quiet and beautiful lake, and your family time together.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with young children, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Family vacation week of June 18-25, 2011

Guest: Ken (Bahama NC)
Date of Stay: 06/18/11 Review Submitted: 08/04/11

My family thoroughly enjoyed this property and our week at SML. We liked the fact that it is located in a cove which cut down on the boat traffic. The dock offered a great place for the kids to play and reaching the main part of the lake with our boat was easy and only took a few minutes. The house was as advertised and very comfortable. We especially enjoyed the large family room with kitchen and dining room.

Recommended for:Families with young children.

Neglected property

Guest: Tommy (Chapel Hill)
Date of Stay: 06/20/11 Review Submitted: 07/31/11

Tucked way down a small cove with a no wake zone, takes 10 minutes to get to main part of lake. The house is at the end so the water is a little stagnant at this house. The dock has very little surface space and needs major repairs. We nailed down at least 10 nails that were sticking up and also had to kill a bee's nest that was left neglected. The deck off the house was full of leaves and weeds. Ten minutes with a blower and roundup would fix that. The stone steps going down to the dock were falling apart and are not safe. This house is NOT safe and with all the wonderful properties on SML, I recommend looking elsewhere.

Owner response:I am sorry to hear you did not enjoy your stay at our house. I have a guest book that has many family's that have enjoyed there stay at our lovely home. Every Sunday or Monday I call to ask the tenants about the house and to make sure the accommodations are acceptable or any problems with the house or anything else. I look for my renters to be my eyes to help me make sure the house and yard are kept up and if there are any problems I have always taken care of them immediately. I thank you for your input and sorry you did not enjoy your stay. I will look into this immediately and make any and all necessary corrections. I have rented for over 10 years and you are the first complain I have ever had. Sorry for your problems, wish you would have told me and or called me as my phone number is on the kitchen table and all over the house. Good luck in the future, Respectfully, David A. Thompson

Recommended for:

Family time

Guest: Joyce (Greenville, South Carolina)
Date of Stay: 10/08/10 Review Submitted: 10/12/10

We had a wonderful time this past weekend at the Thompson House. The guys rented a boat and fished on Saturday, while the girls checked out a local pumpkin patch and the VERY close county park. The 5 bedrooms accomodated the three sisters and their families as well as Nanna! The king size bed was great in the morning for all the babies to climb in with Nanna for a little snooze time for the parents. We enjoyed the huge table so that everyone could enjoy meals together. The upper deck was a great morning coffee location to soak up the quietness of the cove. The upstairs living room was a great place for the small kids to watch cartoons while the adult men watch football on the large screen tv in the downstairs family room. We hope to return again in the future for our annual family time. We would recommend the Thompson house to others.

Recommended for:Families with young children, age 55+.