PRISTINE WATERFRONT HOME WITH DESIGNER FINISHES & HEATED SWIMMING POOL

Hello potential guest, the standard description is below but we're adding a bit as we're changing up a few things given our experience over the last few years. So this is maybe a FAQ that will hopefully be helpful to you in finding the right house for your vacation. Thanks for reading and hope to meet some of you soon!

* We've had issues with big groups in the past, both because the house (and the pool) are built on a residential (i.e., not commercial) scale, and because of the impact on our dear neighbors. So we're going to have to be a bit tighter on groups. No more than 6 adults should be in the house (we can go a little higher with kids since they take up less space), and we really can't accommodate groups that want to rent the house next door since everyone likes to swim in our pool which overstresses the filter, leads to huge amounts of garbage, and seems to lead to algae blooms : |

* We love dogs and understand guests want to bring their pets. Mostly we're ok with this and have to trust you all that the pets are well-behaved. But PLEASE don't let your dog swim in the pool. Pool filters don't hold up well to doggy fur.

* We've learned that after doggies stay over we need to steam clean the place, so we're raising the pet fee to $100 to cover the cost of a steam vacuum cleaner.

* If you're having issues with anything please just contact us. I know some of you are super handy but others (like me) really aren't, so let's find the right people to fix things if issues arise. Same with issues like trash, let us come help rather than letting problems get out of hand. My mom lives 6 minutes away.

* If you have a large boat trailer let's please talk about storage, during scallop season lots of people park them on State Park Street, but you can also leave them at my mom's house nearby.

* Speaking of boats, the canal is about 4-5 feet deep at low tide. If your boat pushes more water than that you probably won't fit under the (one) bridge between us and the water, though it's probably 10-12 feet high. Also relevant if you have an extra tall tower.

* And if your boat is really big it's probably not a good fit for our boat lift, I had a 24' Yamaha on the lift and anything much larger than that is probably pushing the safety boundaries.

Ok, that's all for now, standard compelling and inspiring write-up below.
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Welcome to beautiful Crystal River! The pictures tell the story, but this is a peaceful, spacious, and modern waterfront pool home (with electric pool heater), built in 2005 with three bedrooms, two baths, and an oversize garage, as well as a beautiful shaded lanai and a fantastic covered dock with fish cleaning stations, and a 12,000 pound boat lift.

Description of the house.

Between the king bed in the master, the queen bed in the second bedroom, the trundle beds in the third bedroom, and the sleeper sofa in the formal living room, this home easily sleeps eight, including some kiddos in the third bedroom. The formal dining room also has a large, beautiful table with plenty of seating for your entire group. All of the furniture is modern and new, hand-picked to complement the design and flow of this beautiful Florida home.

The home also has a beautiful, open kitchen which overlooks the main living room and the swimming pool, with views down the canal. The swimming pool and shaded lanai blend into the living room and also open into the master bedroom. The home come equipped with an alarm system to keep little ones safe from the pool. There is also a very large garage and sizeable driveway that should be able to accommodate most RVs or other large campers. There’s a large washer and dryer combo in the laundry room just off of the kitchen.

Amenities.

The best amenity is of course the waterfront location and access to beautiful Crystal River. But to help you enjoy the local area, we’ve provided (at least) two stand-up paddleboards, three kayaks, three bicycles, and a large dock with a floating dock (making launching paddleboards and kayaks a piece of cake). There is a new, large UHD TV in living room for unwinding after hours and watching your favorite shows, as well as WiFi. We’ve also left a pack ‘n play for those traveling with infants.

Location.

The house is just off of Highway 19, a very easy and quick drive to the Crystal River Mall as well as the many shops, bars, and restaurants in downtown Crystal River. For example, it’s a 2.8 mile drive to Norton’s Sports Pub on Citrus Ave, a 2.6 mile drive to Charlie’s Fish House and Cracker’s, and only 3.5 miles to the local grocery stores. There are multiple boat launches less than 1 mile from the house, and the house is largely surrounded by state parks and undeveloped park land.

The waterway.

The home is on a quiet and peaceful canal system that feeds directly into the main branch of the Crystal River. Once you get to the main river, you can go left to head into the bay and explore the spring systems, or go right and head out to the mouth of the Crystal River, with excellent fishing, millions of scallops, hundreds of small islands, and wildlife galore. The canal system allows for peaceful exploration via paddleboard and kayak, one of the best parts of the location.

There are many very large boats in the area. The canal is well over 10 feet deep at high tide and around 5-6 feet deep at low tide, enough to accommodate most midsize-to-large boats. If you are drafting more than four feet you’ll want to pay attention to the tide chart, however, just to be safe: There is a bridge between the house and the open water but it is very high (around 20 feet) and will only be an issue for those with large towers.

The local fishing grounds.

Many of you looking at this home will already know this, but Crystal River is a fisherman’s paradise. I grew up catching reds among the small islands in the mouth of the river, a 20-30 minute boat ride from the house. The area is also known for tarpon, sea trout, and grouper. There are lots of great write ups of the type of fish you can catch and the best seasons (February - April for trout, August - September for reds, May - June for tarpon, October - November for grouper). I recommend googling an article by sportfishingmag titled “Crystal River offers saltwater fishing bonanza.”

More on the wildlife, and of course the manatees.

Despite the great fishing, the area is most famous for a different water-dwelling creature: manatees. I’d say the scallops take a close second. The best time to see manatees is in the cooler months; in late December and January they’ll be packed into the nearby Three Sisters Springs area like commuters on a NYC subway car. You’ll often be able to see manatees right outside on the dock, as they love to explore the canals off the main river. If you are taking your boat out please please please be mindful of our friendly neighbors in the water and always respect the no wake zones.

Scallop season is also fantastic, and generally takes place from the last Saturday in June to the last Saturday in September. If you’ve never been, scalloping is great fun, you’ll need only a mesh bag, a snorkel and some fins, and a boat to take you out on the bay. If you don’t have a boat there are lots of local companies that will take you out to the prime scalloping grounds. Please pay attention to the daily catch limits; you can find more information on the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation website.

The area also has great bird watching, and in fact there are wonderful bird watching trails less than a mile from the house.

Rates.

The rates table below spells out our general rates on a seasonal basis. Please feel free to contact me directly to arrange longer term stays.

Keywords.

House, home, pool, swimming pool, boat dock, boatlift, vacation, swimming, scuba, manatee, springs, nature coast, fishing, snorkeling, diving, boat lift, wildlife, scalloping, waterfront, west coast, recreation, birds, off shore fishing, biking, trails, beach