Honeymoon Cottage

We wanted to stay at the Honeymoon Cottage for the week of our wedding anniversary and my husband’s birthday. Unfortunately, it was not available the entire week but Ester and Ira offered us to stay at their other property, “the carriage house” for part of the week until the Honeymoon Cottage became available. By staying in both places we got to experience more of the area and had a wonderful time. Some of our favorite things we did were hiking at Merck Family Farm and along the Appalachian Trail, shopping in Manchester Center and at the Vermont Country Store, and all the delicious farm fresh eggs, produce and baked goodies from Dutton Berry Farm Stand. We had a wonderful trip and hope to return to the area in the future.

We came to the honeymoon cottage for our actual honeymoon, and it was just about as perfect as we imagined. The location is close enough to Manchester that it's a simple matter to duck into town for groceries or a dinner out. At the same time, the place is isolated enough (down a very private unnamed dirt road) to feel like a genuine getaway. The cottage itself is perfect for two--an open ground floor with a well-equipped kitchen and a sitting area that gets great sunlight in the afternoon, plus a downstairs bedroom suite with the most comfortable day bed in the world. We lucked out and had tremendous weather, but almost wished it would rain so we'd have an excuse to curl up indoors.

Ester and Skip keep the place very clean and in great shape--their taste in decoration is vintage and comfortable, making this the kind of place you can move into and instantly feel at home. Down the (private) road about 50 yards is a small pond that's a dog-owner's dream. Our Golden had a blast swimming around, and we spent some relaxing hours out on the canoe that lives down at the landing.

We're already thinking about coming back, and it's a steal for the price.

Let's start with flies in the ointment. As to me the biggest problem here is the bedroom has no sun-light protection and it's on the south side. It is inconvenient even during cloudy days in the fall if you are not an early riser. A trip to the nearest Rite Aid helped me find a temp solution worth of $20 and I wasn't definitely the first one who had developed this.

The other minuses are: the stairs are a bit slippery and uneven so move slow, especially downstairs while being loaded with firewoods; the fireplace upstairs is a little smoky sometimes; and a water heater could be bigger to match the jacuzzi volume, but it is still doing its job. No microwave or A/C (who needs A/C while staying in a cabin though?).

The best thing about the cottage is its location + it's fully equipped (a kitchen equipment, towels, washer/dryer etc). One can spend here many days not having to see anyone if enough supplies were had. On the other hand, the nearest restaurant is only a couple of away and Manchester is in 6 miles that has Shaw's, Price Chopper, Rite Aid, even more restaurants, and several small shops. The nature is beautiful and tranquil. The pond is a bit plant-filled but there is plenty of space for boating (I can see 2 paddle boats at the pond). Some trails start a 2 minutes walk from the cottage. Rate is very affordable and it's not that far from Boston like many other places.

Other pros: - The jacuzzi fits 2 adults - There is an open deck with an outdoor grill - Heating works just great, should be for the winter - There is a bed for a kid to about 10 y.o.

Things to keep in mind: - You'd better think about your first food in advance. If coming late, consider bringing something eatable. - There is wireless Internet but it's 512Kbps, it's OK for web browsing, email, and so on, but forget about streaming video. MMORPG's and MMO's may not work good enough either. - ATT has no coverage here at all. My Verizon phone could work somewhere and could not somewhere else. The cottage has a land line so consider forwarding incoming calls there.

My favorite restaurant is "The Perfect Wife". If you'd like something fancy, try "Bistro Henry" (it's European-style so dishes there are rather petite). "Bob's diner" is a budget one but not that bad.