Full of character and charm!

Guest: Family of 5 (Plainsboro, NJ)
Date of Stay: 04/15/11 Review Submitted: 04/26/11

This charming and beautiful cottage makes you feel instantly at home. Tucked away and overlooking a pond with wild flowers blooming, it was truly a fairy tale experience. The kitchen is stocked with every appliance you need, the linen closet full, and the wood stove worked like a charm for a surprisingly chilly April night. Ideally located near grocery stores, main street, and the ferry, one can still leave behind all hub bub and chaos, either secluded back at home or when walking on a nearby trail. We were pleasantly surprised to be met with a stellar book and magazine collection, a wide variety of board games, and high speed internet (for those few moments you do want to connect with the outside world!) Ben was attentive, always accessible by phone, even checking in to see how our everything was after we first arrived and reminding us to bring a flashlight. It was a truly wonderful experience, sure to be enjoyed by all. Do note however that we received almost zero cellphone reception at the cottage and other parts of the island. The land line was available for local and long distance calls, but those tethered to their blackberry's should watch out - you truly get away from it all here! We enjoyed the cottage immensely as well as its immediate surroundings and we were able to take walks and small hikes nearby. While it took us a while to find the house on Friday night when it was dark, we quickly became familiar with the area.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children.

Yum

Guest: maia (washington, dc)
Date of Stay: 07/04/10 Review Submitted: 08/26/10

We loved our stay here. The house exceeded our expectations of a beautiful and interesting old-fashioned new england cottage. (It's better than the photos, always a pleasant surprise.) The surroundings are a nature-lover's dream, especially the wisteria-covered trellises in back. How peaceful to wake up and look out at tendrils, and osprey over the pond, and to hear bull frogs at night. We adults loved it, and our children loved it with its various mysteries and nooks. It's walkable to the beach, and other nearby beaches are terrific too after hours. There are also two great swimming holes (ponds) nearby. Nearby, albeit a short drive, is the excellent State Street Restaurant, and Fiddlehead Market and Allie's General Store for food. Definitely clean. Frankly, I'd like to move the whole house to our property in Maine, sans perhaps the other outdoor structures which we didn't use. If you want old-fashioned Vineyard (with all the modern amenities), go for this.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, pet owners, age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing, people with disabilities, families with young children.

Beautiful cottage, however...

Guest: wildwood (Ohio)
Date of Stay: 07/12/10 Review Submitted: 07/21/10

The house was as described for the most part and does look like the pictures, a beautiful cottage. You can not beat the location, if you enjoy seclusion. We did enjoy exploring the island and the owner was very pleasant to deal with. The house is very private, overlooks a gorgeous pond that teams with life; water lilies, dragon flies and you will hear bull frogs at night. If you choose to stay here I would definitely recommend bringing a car to the island, the house is quite a distance off a dirt/sand road, in the woods. With that being said, some things you need to know about the house is that it does not have air conditioning and could use some cleaning and maintenance. There was some kind of fungus growing in the kitchen window screen. We found garbage outside on the deck that we cleaned up ourselves. There were ants in the kitchen. When we arrived there was hair in the sheets and we had to wash the linens. There were dirty towels stowed in the bottom of the linen closet that we also had to wash. I guess the house cleaner missed the sheets and dirty towels. It might not have been his regular cleaning person that cleaned before our visit, which may have contributed to some of our difficulties. Also, there was only one washcloth, so you may want to bring extras or you have to do laundry every day, like we did. There are two washcloths there now, as I bought one and left it there. The bathrooms were lacking toilet paper on arrival, which the owner did quickly resolved. My biggest complaint was the beds were very uncomfortable and hard, and the linens had holes in them, not quite as advertised. The owner also needs to update the information that the house includes a beach pass to Pilot Hill Beach and not Lamberts Cove. We ended up leaving a day early as our time was not comfortable there, due to the record heat and the hard beds. Most of these issues were minor bumps in the road, but in retrospect, I think I would have preferred to stay at a nice hotel in Edgartown and given up a bit of seclusion. But overall, we are glad we went, it was our first time to Martha's Vineyard and we did enjoy our time on the island.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers.

Wonderful property with tons of character

Guest: DC Family (Washington, DC)
Date of Stay: 08/02/09 Review Submitted: 08/18/09

We recently had the pleasure of staying at this wonderful property for two weeks this summer. The location is great -- you feel a world away (all the cottages are very private), but are a quick car or bike ride to town. The owner is one of the easiest people I have ever dealt with when renting a house and went above and beyond to make sure our stay was truly special. The house itself has tons of charm -- we loved all the special touches, especially the wood carvings, and it is very well thought out. The property also has flexibility if you are not sure how many will be in your party -- the owner doesn't rent out the other cottages and they are there if you need them (but you are not paying for them if you don't). We would definitely rent it again -- it is really a unique and special place.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, pet owners, adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, families with young children.

Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 04/01/09 Review Submitted: 04/19/09

Hi Ben, Your house was the perfect getaway for us teachers during the winter break. We slept late (such a luxury), ate on the back deck because it was that nice out, hung out by the fire, and took long walks on the beaches and surrounding trails. It looked magical one night when it started to softly snow. We were all around the fire playing a board game and we flicked on the light to the back deck only to notice huge snowflakes in the light. It was so peaceful! It was a perfect trip. We all appreciated the wonderful accommodations. We hope to return next winter!

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Loved every detail!!

Guest: Becky2010 (Baltimore MD)
Date of Stay: 04/05/09 Review Submitted: 04/18/09

We were lucky enough to rent the main house on this property for a few days in April at the last minute. The owner was incredibly friendly, helpful, and very responsive via email. This is an amazing house and location for anyone who wants some peace and quiet, while still being close to the action of Vineyard Haven. Set down a long winding road, it feels very isolated, yet it's just a five minute drive to downtown, and the ferry. The house itself, and the history of it, were captivating. There are such amazing details throughout that it was hard to ever want to leave! The kitchen was fantastic and totally well equipped. The bathrooms looked like they were out of a magazine with the wood walls and claw foot tubs. Beds were comfortable and the linens were great. The living room has a great wood burning stove, and very nice furnishings, and you can sit and look at the pond all day (we were there when it was cold!). The deck off of the living room looked seemed fantastic for al fresco dining when it's warmer. I am trying to figure out when we could bring our children back here, because between the pond, the rec barn, and the sleeping loft, they would love it there. It is a really beautiful property, and I can't wait to go back.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children.

Guest: S.I. (-)
Date of Stay: 09/12/06 Review Submitted: 09/12/06

Hi Ben, We're sadly home from your magical house...[the door knobs! the hidden doors! the wisteria vine! the fireplace with a heart!] We had great weather and the yard looked amazing. The gardener did a great job trimming and everything looked lovely. The house was perfect for the dinner, candle light everywhere, no bugs, warm air and lots of love floating around. The next day the breeze was out of the south and we had a wonderful sail and wedding aboard the Shenandoah. Your house provided the needed respite from the craziness and a place for the family to be together. Thanks so much. I'll forward shots of the yard as soon as I download them. It was quite beautiful. Thanks again, everyone wants to return next year.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 07/01/06 Review Submitted: 07/20/06

We stayed at the cottage for a week in mid-June and wished we had booked for longer. The setting is idyllic and even more beautiful than the photographs suggest. The deck overlooking the pond is marvellous, and even though the cottage is described as rustic, it lacks nothing. The large variety of birds to be seen around the property actually prompted me to buy a birdwatching guide - another excuse to sit on the deck. The owner could not have been more helpful, even calling us to make sure everything was in order and giving us useful tips on where to go and what to see. You could never regret choosing this beautiful cottage for your vacation.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 07/01/06 Review Submitted: 07/10/06

Our family lived on Martha's Vineyard for eight years before moving to California. We miss the island SO much, and try to return each year for a visit. For the last two years we have had the great pleasure of staying at Ben's house. I can honestly say that this homestead is a perfect Vineyard sanctuary! The house is rustic & charming and sits within a magical, natural setting . . . it is truly a special place. A perfect location for getting around the island, too. We have already marked our calendar for next year!

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 06/01/06 Review Submitted: 06/22/06

Our family just spent a week in the enchanted cottage in Tisbury. We found it hard to pack up in the afternoon and head to the beach because we were so comfortable and relaxed. You could spend the whole day sitting on the large porch facing the pond and listening to the sounds of nature.

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