PLEASE READ "OTHER THINGS TO NOTE" BEFORE BOOKING. Our "Happy Place" feels far, but is close to everything! Tucked in the woods in a small lake community, our tiny cottage is bright and cozy. Our fully appointed cottage has everything you need to be comfortable; heat, A/C, cotton linens, fluffy towels, BBQ, fire pit... even an outside shower. There's a hammock for naps, kayaks for paddling, beach chairs in the shed and a short walk leads to your spot in the sand and cool water. Plenty of windows let in the light, vaulted ceilings give an open feel and the decor is bright, cheery and casual. Enjoy the morning visits from bright yellow finches and relax by a nightly fire among the fireflies. Fall asleep to the sound of the loons and the owls... and the occasional turkey! The entire house is yours, feel free to make yourself at home! Originally from NH, the owners lived in Miami for almost 30 years, summering on Cobbetts Pond. Last year, when the last of the kids went off to college, they built a house across the street and now live there full-time, allowing others to enjoy their "Happy Place". The owners are literally across the street and available for any and all needs, questions or requests. "Petite Maison" is at the top of a hill on a private (albeit bumpy) dirt road. We are surrounded by trees and flowers... and wonderful neighbors. The cottage is less than ten minutes from Shaws, a gourmet wine shop, hair/nail salons, restaurants and shopping. We are less than 10 minutes from Route 93 (off Exit 3 in Windham, NH), 40 minutes from Hampton Beach, 30 miles from Boston, 90 minutes from the heart of the White Mountains and 60 minutes from Lake Winnipesaukee. Chunky's is 15 minutes away in the next town (www.Chunkys.com) and we are also about 10 minutes from Canobie Lake Park (www.Canobie.com)! Lastly, we're less than an hour from Salem, MA, Newburyport, Portsmouth and 20 minutes from a dozen farm to table restaurants, bars, clubs and music venues in Manchester NH. Everything around us is easily drivable. There are many hiking trails mere feet from our house, but they lead into the woods and that's about it! We are, however, a 10 minute drive to Windham Junction where one can pickup the Rail Trail. ***OTHER THINGS TO NOTE*** Occupancy: Four A clean, cozy cottage for a couple (or two!) Or maybe a family of four But that is the limit our cottage will hold: Four people (or less), but not more! So, if you are thinking of having more people Because you are friendly and sociable Remember our terms and conditions are firm And not for one minute, negotiable Our "four" is not five and our "four" is not six And it's clearly not seven or eight So please do not ask us to make an exception Because it's not up for debate! ***NOTE: We love to share our “Happy Place” with people who appreciate it. It is a tiny oasis; cute, cozy and comfortable. It’s a quiet escape from the real world. When you stay, the entire place is yours to enjoy. However, we have certain rules on which we are not flexible. We hate that we have to be very upfront on these rules, but past guests have tested the limits of hospitality and truthfulness. As such, it has become necessary to be very clear on the “deal breakers”. The cottage, property and beach have a maximum capacity of FOUR PEOPLE. Whether sleeping overnight or “just dropping by”, there are to be no more than four people at the cottage, on the property or at the beach. If we find you have more than four people, even if just for a short visit, we charge a hefty $100 per person, per day resort fee. We understand this charge is very high. This fee is excessive by design as to discourage guests from entertaining. If you are looking to invite friends, this is really not the cottage for you. The cottage has a single parking space for one car. We can arrange for the parking of a second car with notice. There can be no more than two cars as there is no space for additional parking. We love animals. Our daughter is a veterinarian and we have a crazy, lovable chocolate lab... but we have a strict no pet policy. While we understand you love your pets like family, as we do... others do not. Some are allergic and others don't want to sit or sleep where animals have been. It is impossible to remove all signs of a dog or cat between guests. As cleanliness is very important to us, we do not allow any pets. Sorry. There is a fire pit in the yard for your use. Wood and kindling can be purchased at Shaw’s in town, or Howie Glynn’s convenience store just down the road. There is NO SMOKING allowed in the house and the fire pit is not an ashtray. Please extinguish your butts and put them in the outside trash. SMOKING: There is NO SMOKING inside the cottage. If you smoke inside, there will be a $350 charge for a ServePro steam cleaning of the cottage and furniture. BLINDS: Unfortunately, we have not had the best luck with guests and our window blinds, so please read the instructions we leave for you before attempting to adjust the blinds. We make sure all blinds are unbroken and in perfect working order before every check-in, and our cleaner makes sure they are all still working on check out. Broken blinds for the large kitchen window will result in a $160 replacement charge. All other broken blinds are $74 to replace if broken. SHEETS: We supply very high quality, soft cotton sheets for your comfort. They are much more expensive than microfiber sheets, which we feel are like sleeping on plastic garbage bags. Please do not go to bed with lotions, potions, self tanners, sunblocks, conditioners, etc... anything that can stain the sheets. Stained sheets that cannot be cleaned will be billed to you. The queen bed sheets are $150 and the twin beds are $80 per bed. We have decorated the cottage with various items from New England and various travels. Nothing is precious!… so feel free to pickup and hold anything you like. However, please refrain from moving indoor or outdoor furniture and furnishings. Items have been damaged and when heavy furniture is moved, it is too heavy for our cleaner to move back. If you use the outdoor grill, please remember to turn off the gas valve and clean the grill and grill utensils. If we have to clean it, there will be a $25.00 charge. The beds are for sleeping, the couches are not. If your party can’t sleep on the two twin beds and one queen bed, this is not a rental for you. The cleaning fee covers the costs of a turnover when you leave. You will be provided with 4 bath towels, 4 beach towels, dish towels and clean sheets/linens. Depending on the length of your stay, you might want additional cleaning or linen services. Please let us know at the time of your booking if this is the case so we can bill you for whatever additional services you require. Also, if you have children that have issues with bed wetting, please come prepared. We do have mattress pads on the beds, but we are not a hotel with 24/7 housekeeping. Soiled linens mid-stay will require an additional visit from our cleaners and will incur an additional charge. If guests wish to handle their own additional laundry needs, we highly recommend Sunshine Cleaners in Salem NH. They have wash/dry/fold services, do a great job and have reasonable pricing. They even have a pickup and delivery service. In short, this is an ideal place to get away with a couple of friends or a small family for some R&R. It’s the perfect place to relax, read, sleep late, swim, day drink, hike, kayak, grill some steaks and sit by the fire at the end of the day with a nice cocktail. It is not, however, a place for large groups or get togethers. As you can tell if you read our reviews, this is a wonderful place and we are very chill, very hands off hosts. The reasons for the bluntness of the above rules are as a result of past guests who have found and exploited any loopholes or omissions of rules. We love our guests, we just need to make sure they're a good fit for us... and that we are a good fit for them. We hope to see you soon!