The Writer's Retreat: A Sweetwater Stay

Located on the shore of Tully Pond, The Writers Retreat is a newly designed 325sqft lake side cottage with breathtaking views of Tully Mountain. This 4-season cottage is built with salvaged barn wood; up-cycled maple floors and custom built furniture and lighting. It's the little sister to The Fishing Cottage. You'll find this intimate home has everything you need to relax, write the next Great American Novel, connect with a lover, or just plain chill. The space Enjoy your morning coffee and stunning sunsets on the back deck with views ofTully Mountain. The master bedroom has a custom built queen size bed and small desk and a smart TV for all your apps. We use Enhanced Cleaning procedures on all of our listings. The common area is a open Living Room and Kitchen with modern appliances. All dishes, cups, pots and pans utensils are provided as well as staple items like salt, pepper, oil, sugar, coffee etc. The living room features a custom couch and table for 2. In the bathroom, there’s all the conveniences of home including a walk-in shower and dual washer/dryer laundry machine. Tully Pond is a nature pond and is relatively shallow and weedy. The water is very clean, but for swimming enthusiasts we recommend visiting nearby Tully Lake. Guest access As a guest you agree to the following: Guest agrees and understands that water and lake activities such as swimming, wading, boating, kayaking, canoeing, hydro-biking, or stand-up paddle boarding (collectively, “Activity”) can be can be hazardous and can involve the risk of physical injury and/or death. Guest further acknowledges and understands that the risks identified above are not comprehensive, and that participating in the Activity, whether or not described, may be dangerous and may also include risks which are inherent and/or which cannot be reasonably avoided. By entering the water, Guest recognizes that personal injury, serious injury, death, and property loss are all possible while participating in the Activity. RECOGNIZING THE RISKS AND DANGERS, GUEST UNDERSTANDS THE NATURE OF THE ACTIVITY AND VOLUNTARILY CHOOSES TO PARTICIPATE IN AND EXPRESSLY ASSUME ALL RISKS AND DANGERS OF THE ACTIVITY, WHETHER OR NOT DESCRIBED ABOVE, KNOWN OR UNKNOWN, INHERENT OR OTHERWISE. GUEST HEREBY RELEASES ANY RIGHT TO ASSERT A CLAIM OR FILE A LAWSUIT AGAINST A RELEASED PARTY. FURTHER, GUEST SHALL HOLD HARMLESS AND RELEASE EACH AND EVERY RELEASED PARTY FROM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY and/or claims for injury or death to persons or damage to property arising from the Activity, including, but not limited to, those claims based on any Released Party’s alleged or actual NEGLIGENCE or BREACH of any CONTRACT and/or express or implied WARRANTY, if any. Other things to note Fire Wood Firewood is available at the local Tractor Supply in Orange. Guests can burn any sticks or fallen branches on the property as well. Tiny House: This home is a tiny house. Tall people may hit their heads on things. It is designed to be small, and for some it may be uncomfortable. Due to drought conditions the State government has banned all outdoor fires until sometime in 2025. Even though our home is equipped with a fire pit, please check local laws before beginning. Mattresses: We use firm mattresses in all of our listings. Early/Late Check In/Out are available depending on our cleaning schedule. There is a $25 additional fee if possible. Tully Pond No motorboats are allowed and there is a YMCA children's day camp on the pond in July and August, Mondays thru Fridays. You will hear the sound of children frolicking from time to time during the day. Tully Pond is a public pond, that the general public can and does use. There are other homes on the pond that people do use and enjoy. Tully Pond is in a nature area and insects, bugs, ants, mice and small animals are all around and may enter the house. Please let me know if there is a problem so that I can try and fix it. Swimming Guest agrees and understands that water and lake activities such as swimming, wading, boating, kayaking, canoeing, hydro-biking, or stand-up paddle boarding (collectively, “Activity”) can be can be hazardous and can involve the risk of physical injury and/or death. Guest further acknowledges and understands that the risks identified above are not comprehensive, and that participating in the Activity, whether or not described, may be dangerous and may also include risks which are inherent and/or which cannot be reasonably avoided. By entering the water, Guest recognizes that personal injury, serious injury, death, and property loss are all possible while participating in the Activity. RECOGNIZING THE RISKS AND DANGERS, GUEST UNDERSTANDS THE NATURE OF THE ACTIVITY AND VOLUNTARILY CHOOSES TO PARTICIPATE IN AND EXPRESSLY ASSUME ALL RISKS AND DANGERS OF THE ACTIVITY, WHETHER OR NOT DESCRIBED ABOVE, KNOWN OR UNKNOWN, INHERENT OR OTHERWISE. GUEST HEREBY RELEASES ANY RIGHT TO ASSERT A CLAIM OR FILE A LAWSUIT AGAINST A RELEASED PARTY. FURTHER, GUEST SHALL HOLD HARMLESS AND RELEASE EACH AND EVERY RELEASED PARTY FROM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY and/or claims for injury or death to persons or damage to property arising from the Activity, including, but not limited to, those claims based on any Released Party’s alleged or actual NEGLIGENCE or BREACH of any CONTRACT and/or express or implied WARRANTY, if any. Boats EFFECTIVE JUNE 2025 Our insurance companies have required us to remove boats from our properties. If you plan on engaging in water recreation please bring your own boat and life jacket. Over the coming weeks/month we will be removing all remaining boats, ors, and life vests from our Stays. We share in the disappointment of this new circumstance, however this was the only way to keep our stays affordable for our customers. Steps/Stairs/Thresholds/Rugs This home has steps, stairs, thresholds and rugs. Please familiarize yourself with all of them and use caution during your stay so that you do not injure yourself. Cell Service/Internet Cell Service may be spotty, depending on your carrier. It is best to download your welcome message before you come to the home. The internet is provided by Spectrum is reliable except in severe weather conditions. Location This home shares the same lot as the photographer's hut about 100 feet away. The pond is a nature pond, so it has weeds, but is perfectly clean and safe. For serious swimming use the nearby Tully Lake. Cleaning Fees Please understand that I believe in paying a living wage and fairly compensating my team. The team works hard to provide our guests with a clean and covid safe space to stay in. Please remember that this home is in a nature area and is only a few feet from the pond and things like "cobwebs" and dead bugs may occur even if we have cleaned the home in the past day or two. Pets Well behaved pets are welcome, but we do ask that you include the pet fee for stays under four days. For stays for five days or more, we ask that you add the pet as an extra guest which is an extra fee. Pets are not to be left unattended in the space unless placed in a guest provided crate or something similar. Guests are also asked to bring coverings for our furniture to keep pet dander off of our soft goods, bedding and furniture. Our properties do not have fences. Please keep your dog leashed at all times during your stay. Town of Orange General Legislation Chapter 150, Section 115-4 states, “No person owning or keeping a dog in the Town of Orange shall permit such dog to be kept at large in the Town of Orange. The owner or keeper of a dog in the Town of Orange shall restrain by a suitable means such dog.” When your dog is off leash on our property it is at large. Please pick up any animal waste and use poop bags with the regular trash. Fire Extinguisher The fire extinguisher is for emergencies only, if you are putting out a fire in your fire pit please use water from the pond or the hose at the side of the house. A replacement fee of $50 will be charged if the fire extinguisher is used in non-emergency situations. Essential Oils Please do not use of essential oils, candles, fireworks, or outdoor torches (i.e. tiki torches) Garbage During your stay and when you check out, put your filled garbage bags into the Gelinas dumpster located next to the Airstream at 35-37 Mayo Road. Blankets Blankets found in the house must remain in the house, if you bring any quilt, sheet, linen, etc. outside and the item is damaged you will be charged the replacement value. Keys Keys to the cottages can be found in the lock boxes adjacent to the entryway. The key should be returned to the lock box every time you use it, do not take the keys off the property. If a key is lost during your stay you will be charged $50. Airstream The Airstream is not for guests. Please do not enter. Kitchen Please let us know upon your departure if you have gone through all the cooking oil, salt, pepper, coffee, etc. It helps us maintain good service to all of our guests! Water Usage Our cabins are water front and we have a shared responsibility to the environment to use and conserve water. Please take short showers and conserve on toilet flushes. When cleaning or doing dishes use water conservation methods please. The beavers and wildlife thank you. Tully Pond is part of the watershed for the entire city of Boston, we hope our guests understand that. Grill The grills run on propane. When you finish using it please remember to turn the propane tank off as well. If you run out of gas, please inform us through the Airbnb App and we will bring you a replacement tank as soon as possible. Expendables and Toiletries For stays longer than five days, guest will be expected to supply their own toilet paper, tissues, soap, shampoo, coffee, spices etc. Check in: It is always best to use best efforts to check in when there is daylight. Checkout Checkout is at 11AM. Late checkouts are not permissible, for each hour you remain on the property after the 11AM checkout time you will be charged $25. Feel free to pile used towels and linens on the floor so they can be easily identified and picked up. Items Left Behind Please remember to take all of your personal belongings including electronics with you upon checkout. We are not responsible for any items left behind under any circumstances and while we will use best efforts to get them back to you we offer no promises or guarantees. You will be charged the respective shipping fee for any items left behind in addition to $25 for our time in finding, packaging and shipping. Please, no weapons, especially firearms of any kind are allowed at our properties without the Host’s express written consent. Guests who do not disclose weapons shall face a $500 fine among other repercussions. Cancellations We recommend in the event a guest needs to cancel, that before they do, they move their reservation to new dates. We maintain a strict no cancellation policy. But because unforeseen things can and do happen, from weather events to sickness, we strongly recommend guests purchase travel insurance either through Airbnb's partner Generali, or a third party of your choice. It is affordable option that can prevent any hardships for both parties. Please make sure you purchase the Cancel for any Reason option. Thanks!- Patti