Come discover old Florida at its finest! This newly renovated 2 bedroom 1 bath cottage is located on the St. John’s River near Osteen, Florida. You'll experience peaceful days on the water in this cottage located on a dead end one lane road. Large open floor plan for easy living - living room, dining room and kitchen with island. Fully equipped kitchen for those days you simply want to stay in. Public boat ramp is a short distance down the road, so bring your boat, kayak or canoe and moor it at the cottage's private dock. Perfect spot to enjoy coffee and sunrises or cocktails and sunsets from the screen porch, outside patio or dock. Central air conditioning and new full size washer/dryer to make your stay comfortable. 20 minutes from Historic Downtown Sanford and the Orlando/Sanford International Airport and 35 minutes from New Smyrna Beach
Property manager
Wayne Deming
Languages
English
Lock
Protect your payment — always book on Vrbo
If someone asks you to book through them or pay them directly before you book on Vrbo, report it.
Lower dock is for the guests boat. Covered dock is for owners boat
Important information
You need to know
This property is managed by a private host (a party not acting within their trade, business or profession). EU consumer law, including the right of withdrawal, will not apply to your booking. The cancellation policy set by the private host will cover your booking.
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has not indicated whether there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector with you on the trip
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit and a deadlock
About the area
Osteen
Located in Osteen, this holiday home is on the waterfront. Sanford Museum and Art Affair Gallery are cultural highlights, and some of the area's activities can be experienced at St. Johns Rivership and AMF Deltona Lanes. Pell's Citrus & Nursery and Fort Mellon Park are also worth visiting. Jet skiing, waterskiing and water tubing offer great chances to get out on the surrounding water, or you can seek out an adventure with horse riding nearby.
Osteen, FL
What's nearby
Seminole County Sports Complex - 25 min drive - 19.0 km
Historic Downtown Sanford - 27 min drive - 20.5 km
St. Johns Rivership - 28 min drive - 21.2 km
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens - 34 min drive - 26.1 km
University of Central Florida - 48 min drive - 46.5 km
Getting around
Sanford Station - 28 min drive
Orlando, FL (SFB-Orlando Sanford Intl.) - 26 min drive
Restaurants
McDonald's - 19 min drive
Airport Hanger Bar - 20 min drive
Osteen Diner - 15 min drive
Subway - 19 min drive
Jeremiah's Italian Ice - 20 min drive
Frequently asked questions
Is Cottage on the River pet-friendly?
No, pets are not allowed at this property.
What time is check-in at Cottage on the River?
Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.
What time is check-out at Cottage on the River?
Checkout is at 10:00 AM.
Where is Cottage on the River located?
Situated on the waterfront, this holiday home is 5.2 mi (8.4 km) from Lake Monroe Conservation Area and within 12 miles (20 km) of Pell's Citrus & Nursery and Mariner's Cove Park. Lake Jesup Conservation Area and Green Springs Park are also within 12 miles (20 km).
Reviews
10
Exceptional
Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Amazing location and such a great experience, neighbors treated us like we were residence. We really enjoyed what the area had to offer and the hospitality was beyond what expected. Great check in experience totally hands off, everything was ready when we got there, super clean and a very country atmosphere. Will be back for sure
It was our fourth time we stayed at the cottage. We look forward to another return visit.
It's a two days drive for us and worth it.
The cottage doesn't disappoint...a relaxing and peaceful place to be.
My husband and I celebrated my 55th Birthday for 5 days of relaxation. The cottage reminded me of going to Grandma's cottage , in a good way. The cottage was very comfortable.
Wayne’s place is the perfect retreat! It’s quiet and peaceful! We enjoyed the peaceful mornings and evenings just sitting on the dock watching the river. We would 100% stay again!
Enjoyed our stay on the river! Here for baseball tournament. Close drive to Boombah. Secluded location. Enjoyed fishing, fire pit, seeing wildlife, and watching sunrise/sunset. Nice cottage with everything you need but very small bathroom.
The cottage was very clean and tidy. Great communication between the host and myself. Direct access to St Johns River. Able to leave our boat at dock. Boat was down the road and great condition. Neighbors were friendly and helpful. Would definitely stay there again.
Very relaxing stay. Sunrise views across the St John’s to the wildlife preserve were incredible. Very well equipped from the kitchen to outside seating. Plenty of parking for cars and boat trailer. We’d rent again.
Great weekend get away with a group of friends for our annual Christmas girls shopping trip. Very relaxing cottage, beautifully decorated, great view and had everything that we needed for the weekend. Defiantly recommend and will be back with the group and family!
This is the second time we have stayed at the Blue Cottage. It would be more but it is so often booked up we can’t get in!! This is the third time we have rented with this host. His places are super. We will be staying here again.
The owner has thought of every little detail to make your stay here wonderful! You will not want to leave. This is definitely a place to relax and enjoy the perfect location right on the water. We will be back!
Met all our expectations. Secluded but not desolute. Lots of nice restautants in Sanford. Thanks for the coffee. Relaxing, welcoming ,cozy place to chill out along the river. We saw a manatee swim past our dock.
My husband and I absolutely loved this cottage! Quiet location on the water to relax. It was beautifully decorated and had everything we needed, including fishing poles for my husband to fish off of the dock. The kitchen had everything needed to make our dinners...better than most places we have rented.
When in the area again, we will most certainly rent this cottage. Wayne was wonderful to work with also...Thank you!
Eileen and Fred
The cabin was exactly as shown online, well with the exception of having 2 stools that were perfect and the table outback on the porch was now located beside the door. I was also very comfortable and felt safe. Will be scheduling another stay soon!
This property was everything that the picture’s represented. I would recommend this property to anyone. The whole process with check in and check out was Great as well. One more thing I did contact the owner while I was there Wayne got right back to me with the answer to my question
Third or fourth visit to the Cottage on the River. I think that says it all. Reasonable fishing this year, cracking sunrises with fresh coffee to hand, late evening flypasts of the egrets and their cousins heading to roost. Plenty of birdlife but very few gators although we may have seen some if we could have made it across to the far side of the river. The big gentle manatees pass by slowly just like life on the river. We'll be back. Cheers, Willie and Marion.
Willie M.
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2023
10/10 Excellent
Rachel T.
6 Apr 2019
Adorable and fully loaded with every convenience of home
This cottage was the perfect break from the beach and Disney - which we did most every day - the drive was a bit far but we had such a nice time cooking breakfast there and cooking dinner on the grill - we had a fire in the fire pit by the river every night! Listen to the owls hoot and fish jump. Coffee on the deck was picturesque and so peaceful. The owner had everything we could have ever wanted - all the extras!!!!!
I will say The weekend had busy busy boat traffic til late at night - also the river isn’t a good place to swim because of possible alligators. We were hoping to fish but in this particular are on the St John River the neighbors told us they never can catch anything - but we tried. It would be nice to have a boat if you rented this cottage because there is a dock right beside it - no place really for boat rental though. There is a walmart close where we ordered our groceries to be ready on arrival and there is a small diner near we didn’t make it to. We drove 30 min to New Smyrna beach on the sunny days and drove an hour to Disney two days. It was a good refuge from the business. Advice for vacationers at the cottage, pack small there isn’t room for suitcases in the bedrooms and there aren’t closets - we made due but it was super tight in the master - I put my luggage in the laundry room. There is though a wonderful washer and dryer so you can pack light and do laundry. They even supplied laundry detergent.
Away from all the busy traffic in a quiet neighborhood. Enjoyed meals on the screened porch, after cooking in a fully equipped kitchen (thank you). Morning coffee on the dock at sunrise, enjoying the peaceful river, watching the wildlife, where we also spent most of our evenings. Host was quick to respond to a small issue. Looking forward to booking this little getaway again.
Luba B.
Stayed 12 nights in Mar 2024
About the host
Hosted by Wayne Deming
It took 5 years of searching before we found this cottage. We completely remodeled the cottage .
What makes this property unique
A boat dock right out the back door with a public boat ramp available nearby.