Chesapeake Bay Waterfront Cottage Pier, Pool, Kayaks [#357886] | View Property
Mathews
Cottage, 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath (Sleeps 2)
$1165-$1290/wk, $200-240/nt
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Traveler Reviews (13)
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A Perfectly Relaxing Vacation
A Perfectly Relaxing Vacation
- Guest Nancy and David
- Date of stay 05/04/13
- Review Submitted 05/15/13
Thank you Karla and Dave for making our vacation a perfect one! The Crab Shack was just the right size for the two of us and it was great to have our dog stay with us. We appreciated the fully stocked bathroom and kitchen (including the cold drinks waiting for us in the fridge!) Everything was new, modern and spotlessly clean. It was very peaceful to sit on the patio and the two decks and enjoy the views of the gardens and the water. We spent most of the week exploring Mathews County and we discovered secluded beaches, interesting shops and excellent restaurants. Karla and Dave gave us advice and directions as we set off on our tours. If you're looking for a place to unwind, relax, ride a bike, paddle a kayak, go for a walk and enjoy the natural beauty of a friendly, waterfront community: go to Mathews County. Karla and Dave are friendly and gracious hosts and they made our vacation an enjoyable one!Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.
Owner response: Thank YOU for letting us introduce you to Mathews County. We were delighted that you got to experience why we fell in love with this area. We believe Mathews is a nature lover's paradise and it's always a joy to share its abundance of Mother Nature with folks. Glad Molly got to come along too...canine kids should get to go on vacation too!
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Lots of fun memories
Guest comment entered by ownerLots of fun memories
- Guest Brad, Shera, Mae, Garrett from Richmond VA
- Date of stay 08/13/12
- Review Submitted 02/13/13
Dave and Karla, As I write, I'm rocking in the hammock chair looking out the screen door. Cooler weather came in and the morning is wonderfully cooler. Today is our last morning here. Soon we'll be packing to return for reality work & back to school. We had such a good family break from all the hectic schedules. What a wonderful gift you offer people. How often can you watch the sun rise with your daughter because you both want to instead of the wary eyed parent who has had no sleep or sharing in your son's first fish preparing lesson and watching him eat it that night. We had an osprey mother protecting her nest from the four kayakers. She thought we were going to climb the tree. Lots of fun memories. Spartacus got on the dock with vanilla wafers (always my favorite). 95lb Doberman that's a chicken :) We will return for more memories! It was a well needed reality break.Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1
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Great outdoor vacation
Great outdoor vacation
- Guest Ohioans
- Date of stay 07/22/12
- Review Submitted 07/29/12
We recently stayed at Grandview Crab Shack. The home was clean and very well stocked. We had so much fun on the dock catching crabs, fishing and kayaking. The kids (6 and 9) swam in the inground pool everyday and loved the place. In fact, our six year old started calling it home. Karla and Dave were wonderful. They showed us how to crab, took us out on the boat and were so inviting. We would love to go back next year!Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.
Owner response: We are always delighted to introduce kids, of all ages, to the joys of crabbing. It’s amazing how addictive it is to keep checking the lines and pulling in crabs of all sizes. It was a pleasure to meet such a fun family and help make your vacation enjoyable. We are glad your daughters got to enjoy pool time every day. Swimming is part of what makes summer GREAT!
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A real hidden gem!
Guest comment entered by ownerA real hidden gem!
- Guest Bob & Amy from Norfolk, VA
- Date of stay 05/13/12
- Review Submitted 07/08/12
We have stayed in both the shack and the osprey nest. They are both awesome. The Scanlan's, Dave and Karla think of everything their guest could need or want. The accommodations are clean, fresh and inviting. The property is meticulously maintained yet still warm and inviting. a great get away for a week-end, but be careful, you will find yourself hating to leave. We will go back every chance we can. Posted originally on TripAdvisorDid you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1
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Wonderfully relaxing waterfront rental property with great facilities and charming owners!
Wonderfully relaxing waterfront rental property with great facilities and charming owners!
- Guest Anonymous
- Date of stay 04/28/12
- Review Submitted 05/02/12
We came from the UK to spend 3 relaxing nights by the water in southern Virginia before heading off to DC. This rental exceeded all of our expectations : it is in a lovely location, and is a a very well appointed and immaculately clean rental, in a property that has been imaginatively designed and beautifully built. The owners Karla and Dave, who live next door with their delightful and quiet Labradors , are on hand to make sure you have everything you need to make the most of your stay there. The kitchen is very well designed so we made some great meals in, rather than going out. We used the kayaks and bicycles provided , but the weather was too cool to use the swimming pool and hot tub. The views are great , made even better when you see an osprey fishing in front of you and the herons standing motionless in the water. I think this property is ideal for a couple who want peace and tranquility well away from any city.Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.
Owner response: It was a delight to have such world travelers as guests and we greatly enjoyed seeing photos from your excursions. Thanks so much for your suggestions. As chef Karla always loves ideas to make the kitchen better for other cooks, the Shack now has new kitchen tools: two smaller size sieves to go with the large colander. We also now have an iPod docking station on order similar to yours...a great idea which we hope will be enjoyed by future guests.
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Peace and quiet.
Peace and quiet.
- Guest Mike M.
- Date of stay 11/25/11
- Review Submitted 12/06/11
The Crab Shack was the perfect spot for peace, quiet and relaxation after the holiday. Other than the owners, who were very friendly and joined us for some wine on the patio, we didnt see or hear a soul all weekend. The rooftop deck was great for kicking back to watch the sunrise/sunset and the Shack itself was really put together to make it easy to relax. We're definitely going to head back and enjoy the surrounding area a bit more, but for a peaceful get-away its just outstanding.Owner response: We're so glad you had a great visit and got a chance to relax and check out the stars. We really delight in introducing others to the serenity of Mathews County and the beauty of the Chesapeake Bay (the sunsets/sunrises never get old for us!). We enjoyed meeting you and were happy that your labrador Marci got to do what labs do best...swim and retrieve the ball. We hope you'll return when it's warm and take Grandview's kayaks for a tour of the East River...whether you're just want to view it or play in it, Mathews is all about the water!
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Fun and relaxation for whole family
Fun and relaxation for whole family
- Guest Rikter
- Date of stay 10/20/11
- Review Submitted 01/07/12
What a wonderful place for a relaxing, yet fun-filled vacation! My husband, our teenage daughter, our Yorkie and I spend a beautiful October long weekend at the Crab Shack. We had high expectations based on reviews and photos posted on this site, but found the place to be even nicer, prettier and more comfortable than we expected. We came to relax after some stressful weeks, and this was the perfect place for it. We really lucked out weather-wise, so even in late October, we were able to take full advantage of the rooftop deck with its beautiful waterviews. We even ate a couple of meals there. I love to cook and have stayed in many rental properties over the year with equipped kitchens, but have never found any this well equipped. The owners directed us to a great place to buy fresh seafood, so the Jambalaya I cooked one night was delicious. We took advantage of the proximity to Williamsburg and went there on a day trip. It’s only an hour away and so worth a visit! Owners are super-friendly and so willingly share all their knowledge of the area. We will definitely be back and plan on making our reservation early in 2012 as we expect this place will quickly book up.Recommended for: Age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.
Owner response: We always enjoy introducing guests to the benefits of Mathews including a variety of fresh seafood! As a cooking enthusiast, Karla tried to stock the Crab Shack with a large assortment of kitchen tools and strives to add things as needed. 2012 Shack guests will find a new cookbook holder and several of Karla's favorite cookbooks available for use during their stay thanks to your great suggestion. We hope your family will return to enjoy them as well as the new pathway gardens completed in November.
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Great experience
Great experience
- Guest Bob 2
- Date of stay 09/28/11
- Review Submitted 11/10/11
Can you imagine a rental so thoughtfully equipped that there are a large set of kitchen knives--all of them sharp?! "The Crab Shack" is unique in design, architecture, and hospitality as well. In early October my wife and I spent 4 delightful days and nights--2 very warm and 2 very cool, but all of them very comfortable and interesting, including a fascinating hour-long tour of the river and backwaters in the owners' stylish fishing boat.Our dog romped happily with the two dogs of the owners.In all, one of our best of many gratifying VRBO experiences.Thanks to you both!Recommended for: Age 55+, families with young children, pet owners, romantic getaway.
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Waterfront Retreat for Active Family
Waterfront Retreat for Active Family
- Guest dallasgirl
- Date of stay 08/01/11
- Review Submitted 09/14/11
The Crab Shack was great for our vacation with a middle school age child and large breed dog. We enjoyed kayaking, crabbing from the pier and swimming at the pool. We especially loved the kitchen stocked with all the gadgets, pots and pans we needed to cook gourmet meals all week and having access to the gas grill on the pool deck made our evenings enjoyable. Our inkeepers offered a wealth of information on the area, taught our daughter to catch and measure her crabs and cooked her crabs for her so our family could have a crab feast. We are looking forward to seeing them again as much as we are looking forward to another trip to the crab shack. We will definitely be back.Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, girls getaway, pet owners.
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Quaint, quiet, clean, comfortable and just perfect
Quaint, quiet, clean, comfortable and just perfect
- Guest Nancy
- Date of stay 07/10/11
- Review Submitted 07/19/11
Our stay at the Crab Shack was just what we needed to get away from city life. It was quiet, clean (and I'm picky) and comfortable. The grounds were immaculate. Our hosts were great. Even though their home is just across the driveway, it really felt like we had the place to ourselves. They were so hospitable, but gave us the space we needed to enjoy our vacation time. We enjoyed having our dogs with us and the host pups were so sweet and well-behaved. The sleep number bed was fabulous. I'm actually thinking of getting one now and the view from the bedroom was beautiful. We also enjoyed drinks up on the rooftop deck. The one thing to point out is the circular staircase in the Crab Shack may prove difficult for those with very young children and any physical challenges moving about. I believe the owners mention this in the description. I have a bad knee and used the outside stairs often. It was especially challenging in the middle of the night since the bathroom was downstairs. But this was minor and wouldn't stop me from returning and referring this beautiful property to friends/family!Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, pet owners.
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Piece if Heaven
Piece if Heaven
- Guest JustMom
- Date of stay 06/27/11
- Review Submitted 07/06/11
Truly a little slice of Heaven is the best description we can give! Everything was as beautiful as advertised, in fact, much more beautiful in real life! The property was immaculate; the cottage is new and kept pristine; the owners are friendly and very hospitable; and the bay and dock offer endless possiblities. We seldom go to the same place twice but want to try again next year. (I predict it will be difficult getting reservations once the word gets out.) The whole family had a wonderful time and even our beloved dog had the time of her life swimming and chasing the Fiddler Crabs. It can't get any better!Recommended for: Pet owners, romantic getaway.
Owner response: As a new owner, it is such an incredible experience to meet new guests from all over and to introduce them to the joys of Mathews County...and remind us why we came here for a weekend, fell in love and plan to stay a lifetime. We hope all our guests will find something that delights them especially a big dose of Mother Nature and all her glories. We're so glad you guys had a great time and wish you a fantastic summer!
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What a great place on the bay to enjoy my birthday!
What a great place on the bay to enjoy my birthday!
- Guest Norma
- Date of stay 06/18/11
- Review Submitted 07/01/11
WOW! What a great place for our getaway for my birthday! We felt really lucky to have had the opportunity to stay in a great newly created space with our two golden retrievers. Crabbing on the dock, scallops procured from the Joey the local seafood guy, a boat ride around the local area, and the best view one could hope for while relaxing. Did I mention how great Dave & Karla were? Or their two dogs that ours enjoyed playing with? My husband and I own several rental properties in the Blue Ridge Mountains so we know both what makes a great space and what folks look for in their vacationing experience. These guys have done a great job in making their guests feel at home and in making a great place to relax on the bay. We've shown everyone we know the pearl we found on the bay....we look forward to coming back again! Reading Mitchner's Chesapeake while there was great for giving the local history and color to flesh in our experience. This is a must visit place...you'll enjoy it as much as we did I am sure!Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.
Owner response: We enjoyed not only the company of two ADORABLE and sweet Goldens but also the wonderful humans, Alun and Norma, that the Golden girls brought with them. As new vacation rental owners, we were delighted to have them share their stories and expertise as owners. Future guests will benefit from some of the tips Alun and Norma offered as well as a truly exquisite pair of coffee mugs that they made and gave to us (www.blueridgepottery.com). How lucky we were as owners that it was our guest Norma's birthday and we got the presents! We got the chance to share some of our fresh herbs from the Grandview garden with Norma and enjoy some fresh garlic she grew and brought us...hopefully with her advise we might have Grandview garlic in 2012!
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Guest comment entered by owner
- Guest Alla & Orlando from Arlington, VA
- Date of stay 05/28/11
- Review Submitted 06/18/11
"We are thrilled we've discovered this place! I usually don't go to the same place twice, but this I feel will be an exception. So quiet, peaceful. The hosts are very real and extremely nice people. Thank you!" --Alla & Orlando from Arlington, VADid you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1