RENTAL COTTAGES - INFORMATION |
**PLEASE READ THIS PAGE, EVEN IF YOU HAVE RENTED FROM US BEFORE** SOME THINGS HAVE CHANGED RECENTLY. There is a lot of information here, but it is all necessary for you to understand.. WHEN TO BOOK Because the cottages we rent are owned by our customers, we must wait until approximately the first week in February of each year before we can book around the dates the owners themselves will be using. Once you have decided which cottage(s) appeal to you, simply check the booking calendar link for that cottage to check availability for your dates (note that the booking calendars block out the NIGHTS that are booked. So, if you rent from Sat to Sat, the nights that will be blocked out for you will show Sat thru FRIDAY nights.) Next, just send an e-mail requesting your dates, and asking the next step. We take reservations on a first-come, first-served basis, and accept them ONLY via e-mail. If your dates show as already booked, please keep checking back, as we do occasionally have cancellations. We try to keep up with those that want to be on waiting lists, but it is basically up to you. Please note that occasionally a date will show on the calendar as open, but someone else may have just booked it. We record bookings as soon as possible, but there could be a time lag until it gets put up on the calendar site. We book from Saturday to Saturday ONLY in July and August, and can take shorter bookings during other months. All cottages are closed for the winter Oct 15 thru May 15; the only way to contact us during this time is E-MAIL. WHAT TO BRING All are fully furnished housekeeping cottages, with electricity and indoor plumbing (except for Bulford Island, which runs stove & refrigerator on propane, with oil & kerosene lamps). The only things you must bring are linens (sheets, pillow cases), towels, washcloths, dish cloths, garbage bags, and of course personal items and clothing. Cottages have coffee pots, microwaves, stoves, refrigs, fans, radios, barbeque grills. For cottages that are equipped with 5 gallon (blue) drinking water dispensers, there will be ONE FREE 5 gal bottle for each week rented. Additional water may be purchased with the return empty, at $5.95 (no tax) at Kelsey's Marina. Tap water at these cottages may be used for cooking, dishes and bathing. All other cottages have potable/filtered/tested drinking water from wells or filtering appliances. If you don't see a blue water bottle dispenser, you are OK to drink the water. BOATS There are no bridges to the islands, and the cottages do not come with a boat, as most people have their own. If you need one, we have several rentals that would be available either by the week or by the day. Taxi service is also available from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. CHECK OUT AND ARRIVAL TIMES- Please check in and out at Kelsey's Marina. You may check in at any time, but occupancy cannot be before 2:00 pm on the Saturday of a weekly rental. Check-out is by 10:00 am on the Saturday that ends your week. Please note that if you plan to arrive after 5:00pm on your start date, you must either have your own boat and directions as to how to get to the cottage, or you must arrange with Kelsey's for someone to wait for you and taxi you to the island. There will be a minimum of a $50 charge for this, depending on the time you arrive and the number of trips needed to get you to the cottage. This is quite inconvenient and we discourage it. We MUST be notified if you expect to be late, otherwise, no one will be there to let you in, and there will be no refunds. PARKING There is parking on the streets of the village for cars; off-street parking in our boat shed or consignment area is available, especially for your boat trailers. The charge is $40 for the week per vehicle/trailer/combo ($10/day for day-trippers). You must obtain from Kelsey's Marina, a ticket to display on each vehicle to avoid towing. FOOD and GARBAGE Please remove all food/drink that you brought with you. You may either take your garbage home with you, or submit to a marina personnel at the marina prior to check-out, and will be assessed $4/bag/box, including beer and soda pop bottles. Dump is open only on Saturday, the only day we accept bags. If any garbage is found at the cottages by our people or the next renters, a MINIMUM of $25 will be assigned to your credit card. CLEANLINESS and FOOD Again, please take ALL your food/drinks home with you, wipe out fridge, stove, microwave, coffeepots, all sinks, tub/showers (please do not leave HAIR in drains), and sweep or vacuum before you leave. The more we have to clean, the higher the rental rates will be, next year. We expect you to leave your cottage as clean or cleaner than when you arrived. Occasionally, previous renters might leave things in the fridge for the next renters to use because they didn't want to throw out good food or condiments. Please do not get upset if they left you something. If there is something you absolutely don't want, just bring it to the marina by the Monday of your stay, and there will be no charge for it as garbage. There will be a charge of $25 minimum for any cleanup needed by either our people or the next renters. Any problems or accidents should be reported to Kelsey's Marina immediately. PETS One small pet is allowed at Bull, Bulford, Hen, & Long Islands, as well as Clair de Loon and Cliff House. PLEASE pick up after them; if anything is found from your stay, there will be a MINIMUM of $25 cleanup charged to your credit card. If any damage has been caused by your pet, please let us know. PETS ARE NOT ALLOWED ON THE FURNITURE. If your pets are used to using human furniture, please bring sheets or coverings to protect our owners' homes. Pets should not be allowed to roam freely while you are gone from the cottage. If they wander or start swimming after you, it could be very dangerous. Any damages caused by pets will be assessed to your credit card. QUIET This lake is a lot of fun, but after dark we ask that you keep radios and boom boxes down low, as the sound carries across the water and may disturb others. Quiet time is from 10:00 pm until 8:00 am; if we get ANY neighbor complaints about noise or discourteous behavior, there will be a minimum of $250 charged to your credit card. BUGS Each cottage will be professionally fumigated at the beginning of each season, however, as the season progresses and gets busier, it is difficult to find a time that is convenient to do this between renters. Thankfully, as we head into August, there are fewer and fewer flying bugs such as mosquitos, but we still may see spiders, and in some cottages that are closer to nature, there might be wood bugs/roaches. These are sometimes called "cockroaches" but are not the type that are attributable to filth. These are native bugs to the outdoor, woodsey environments in Canada, they do not hurt anything, and do not bite. They are fast and can startle you, but they will do you NO HARM. The cottages don't have an infestation problem, but we can't say that you won't see any. And, spiders are very fast at spinning new webs, so be prepared to knock down some webs yourself, during your stay. These are all woodsey environments, and you should reconsider your stays if you expect a lot of concrete, and no bugs. INTERNET ACCESS: Athens Computers offers internet access at reasonable rates; 613-924-9994 - tell them we referred you!! SEPTIC SYSTEMS All properties are on delicate septic systems, one of the reasons the rental rates go up every year. And, one of the reasons we have had to impose an extra fee of $10/night per "extra people" of any age except babes in arms. Please use water, showers, toilets sparingly, treat it as your own, and do not put grease, paper products, sanitary products, cigarette butts or other non-natural solids into toilets or sinks. These systems are no doubt more delicate than your own home. ALL COTTAGE RENTAL PAYMENTS MUST BE IN CANADIAN CASH AT TIME OF CHECK-IN. We do not accept credit cards for property rentals. Americans MUST get their cash changed, either at a bank or at Duty Free (US/Canada Border). (FYI, the only reason we take your credit card number is for unauthorized phone calls, damages, required cleanup after pets and people, cancellation fees, etc. They are not intended for use in paying for cottages. Please feel free to use your card for any other purchases at the marina, however.) In lieu of a DEPOSIT REQUIRED, we have decided to make "deposits" easier on everybody, and simply do away with them! We will not require a deposit, HOWEVER, there WILL be a cancellation fee of $250 charged to the credit card you provided (this would be what we would have required as a deposit) if you renig on your reservation less than sixty days prior to your scheduled check-in time and we are not able to re-rent it. CHARLESTON HEiGHTS cottages do require deposits; see Reservation Forms for each. ACTS OF GOD Please unplug whatever electrical items possible during storms. There will be no refunds due to acts of God (electrical outages, etc) Check out our cottages, and get ready for a beautiful vacation on Charleston Lake!
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