Information Packet for Maquam Bay Cottage
Address
64 Maquam Shore Road
Swanton, VT 05488
Web address: https://www.vrassist.com/maquam-bay-cottage
Map of the area: https://goo.gl/maps/cqBXbp4GmwFxmQdU7
Contact information
In case of emergency if you cannot reach Valerie (property manager) or if there is a maintenance issue with the property please contact the owner of the property directly.
Valerie, Manager
Cell: (720) 202-4432
Evan Stein, Owner
Cell: (201) 736-7222
Groceries
These are the closest grocery stores to the location of the cottage:
Hannaford Supermarket (3.0 miles)
139 1st St, Swanton, VT 05488
+18028682637
Walmart (8.0 miles)
700 Tuckers Way, St. Albans Town, VT 05478
+18025284110
Check-In Information
CHECK-IN TIME IS AFTER 3 P.M. Eastern Time. NO Early Check-ins.
Getting into the cottage
Access Code: The door code for your stay will be sent via email to you 10 days in advance of your arrival. If you don't see that email in your INBOX please check your JUNK or SPAM folders.
NOTE: The bunk house has its own key which will be waiting for you on a hook near the front door.
Upon arrival please take a look around and notify us immediately if anything is not up to your expectations. We take great pride in providing quality accommodations for our guests and would appreciate the opportunity to amend anything that does not meet your approval.
Please also let us know immediately if anything should stop working (such as the TV cable or Internet) or become broken during your stay so that we can schedule repairs or replacements. We need your help so that things like this don’t also impact our next guest’s stay. Thank you for your cooperation!
Enjoy our home – everything there is for your use. Please help yourself! The shed is the only exception – that is where we keep our maintenance and personal items.
While you are there, we would appreciate your cooperation with the following:
- Please do NOT sit on the couches with wet bathing suits or with suntan lotion or oil on your skin. Thanks for helping us to keep the furniture looking nice!
- We do not provide beach towels. Please do not take our bath towels, blankets or quilts out of the cottage, with the exception of the blankets in the ottoman in the living room – these are for your use outdoors on our property.
- There is a storage box on the patio by the lake. Inside are seat cushions and child/youth life jackets for your use. Please return them to the bin to keep them dry when not in use.
- If you use the bunkhouse please make sure the lights are turned off at night and/or the blinds are closed.
In Case of Emergency
Call 911. This cottage does not provide a landline telephone. We require all guests to have a cell phone in case of an emergency. The address of the cottage is: 64 Maquam Shore Road, Swanton, VT 05488.
Northwestern Medical Center (10.5 miles)
133 Fairfield St, St Albans City, VT 05478
+18025245911
Northwestern Urgent Care (10.7 miles)
133 Fairfield St, St Albans City, VT 05478
+18025248911
UVM Medical Center (Hospital) (39.4 miles)
1 S Prospect St., Burlington, VT 05401
+18028475769
Wireless Internet Settings
Network (SSID): 64 Maquam
Password: Sunset64
We discovered that the wifi wasn’t reaching the bunk house reliably, so we installed a wireless extender. If you can’t reliably access those networks from the bunk house, you can connect to the networks 64e Maquam_2GEXT or 64 Maquam_5GEXT. Those passwords are also Sunset64.
Smart TVs
The cottage has 3 TVs: one in the living room, one in the master bedroom and one in the bunk house. There is no cable TV package but all three SmartTVs have streaming capabilities.
To use a paid service such as Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, etc.) you must have an account with the service provider. DO NOT FORGET TO LOG OUT OF YOUR PAID ACCOUNTS! We cannot be held responsible if you fail to do so and your accounts are used by others.
Grill & Fire Pits
There is a propane grill at the cottage. There are instructions on how to light the propane grill in the Guest Guide that you'll find in the cottage. If you run out of propane, there is an extra propane tank next to the bunkhouse. Put the empty tank where the extra one is.
There is also one wood-burning fire pit. A starter set of firewood may be provided (but is not guaranteed).
Help yourself to the firewood stacked by the fence. If it runs out, there are several places nearby where you can get it easily. We use Charlie, in St. Albans. He’s at 1505 Brigham Rd in St. Albans. Bins (which is about a quarter of a decent sized pickup truck’s bed) are $20 each. Put the cash in the box.
Please douse the fire-pit with water if it’s still glowing when you leave it.
No Smoking Reminder
No smoking is permitted inside of the cottage. If extra cleaning is necessary to clean carpets/upholstery to remove cigarette odor after your departure, the cost of that cleaning will be the responsibility of the guest. Thanks very much for your cooperation.
Pets
Please do not to let the dogs into the cottage if/while they are wet. We had a guest do that before and it took a long time for the "wet dog" smell to go away. We don't want a repeat of that situation.
Please pick up your pet's waste and dispose of it properly. Our housekeeper will charge an extra cleaning fee if she has to pick up pet waste after your departure. That extra cleaning fee will be passed to you, so we appreciate you being responsible pet owners and guests and picking up after your pets.
There is a dog blanket in the grey ottoman in front of the love seat that you can use to cover the furniture if your dog is going to be laying on it. You can't miss it: it is the blanket covered in pictures of dogs. :-) Thank you for your help in keeping our furniture clean.
Check-out Procedures
CHECK OUT TIME IS NO LATER THAN 11 A.M. Eastern Time. NO Late Check-Outs without prior permission. (Be careful because your door access code will expire and you will not be able to get back into the unit after it does.)
Please follow this process when checking out:
- Wash and put away your dishes. Please don't leave dirty dishes/pots & pans for our housekeeper to wash....extra cleaning fees may be charged if the housekeeper has to wash your dishes.
- Please clean out all food items from the refrigerator & freezer, including condiments. Please do not leave any food behind.
- Put used towels in the bathtub. This helps the housekeeper determine which have been used. Be sure that all towels are accounted for. You will be charged for lost/damaged/excessively dirty towels or linens.
- If you’ve moved any furniture around, please return to its original position.
- Please return dry life jackets and seat cushions to the bin. If they are wet, please leave them on the back deck to dry. Please close and latch the gates – both the one to the water and the one to the driveway.
- All trash must bagged up and put in the receptacles between the bunk house and shed.
- Please check all drawers in the bedrooms, the kitchen and bathroom cabinets for personal belongings. We are not responsible for any items left behind. If you leave anything behind, we will return it if possible, but if the housekeepers say they didn’t find something, unfortunately there’s nothing we can do about it.
- TURN OFF ALL THE LIGHTS & close and lock all windows. Check that all doors are locked (bunk house, and back and side doors of main house).
- If you depart before 11:00 AM on your departure day please make sure to pull the door firmly shut & lock it as you leave (by pressing the lock's logo button on the top of the lock). This will make sure the cottage is locked until your code expires.
- Your door code will expire at 11:00 AM. Please have all your personal belongings outside before check-out time to avoid problems. You’ll be locked out at 11:01am.
- Please be sure to leave the key for the bunk house on the hook by the front door. If you’ve used the key from the lockbox, please return in to the lockbox.
OUTSIDE:
- Bring the kayak up on to the grass.
- Put the cushions for the lakeside table and dry life jackets back into the bin.
- Put the lawn games back into the bin, except cornhole which you can just lean against the house.
DIRECTIONS
If coming from the south (up Route I89), GPS often directs you to get off at the Swanton exit 21, we recommend getting off exit 20 in St. Albans. It takes about the same amount of time but a much prettier drive. GPS will auto-correct as you take the exit.
Wifi Network64 MaquamWifi PasswordSunset64Internet Info______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ABOUT THE AREA
There is so much to see and do in the area! Our cottage is on the Lake Champlain Bikeway and near the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail. Within bilking or driving distance you'll be able to enjoy shopping at antique stores, apple picking in local orchards, visits to wineries and nature preserves all along the Champlain Islands. Enjoy local coffee houses and restaurants and of course don't forget the leaf tours in the autumn!
If you decide to venture out from the peace and privacy of the cottage why not check out some of these local activities and attractions:
- Beaches:
- Hog Island Market (9 miles): Stop by this quaint local market to pick up some fishing equipment, bait, fishing license, ice, beer, wine, and groceries
- Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center (7.7 miles): Wildlife refugee offering hiking trails, boating, and robust visitor center.
- Campbell's Bay Campground (8 mi): Pontoon, boat, or canoe rentals
- St. Alban’s Bay Marina (8.9 miles)
- West Swanton Orchard (7 mi): A great stop for apples, soft ice cream and souvenirs.
- Green Mountain Stables (9 mi): Summer camps, private horseback lessons, birthday parties
- Champlain Country Club (6.8 miles)
Ice fishing is also very popular in the winter!
The list below is mostly from things we have done, with a few of them suggested by others. If you find something good that’s not on here, let us know and we’ll add it.
Lake Champlain – obviously :-) Swim, paddle, boat, tube, waterski…
Historic St. Albans – great downtown area with restaurants, parks and shopping
Sunset Drive-In – Traditional, 4 screen drive-in movie theater in Colchester www.sunsetdrivein.com
Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail – 26-mile trail, dog friendly, running through fields and forests. It starts in St. Albans and ends in Richford.
Church Street – in Burlington, which is about 45 minutes away. Church Street is a great pedestrian walk with excellent restaurants, good music, and a great vibe.
Burlington Waterfront
St. Albans Bay Park
Farmer’s Market – seasonal, from mid-May to mid-October on Saturdays in Taylor Park in St. Albans
Hiking – I recommend the AllTrails app. Vermont has great hiking at all levels.
Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge
Skiing – Jay Peak, Smugglers Notch and Stowe all about 45 minutes to 1 hour away
Hard’ack Recreational Area –skiing, snowboarding, hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country
Restaurants, Bars, Breweries, and Music
We’re just getting to know Swanton and St. Albans, but here’s what we’ve found so far
Mill River Brewing BBQ & Smokehouse – Good beer and good BBQ. Trivia nights on Thursdays. Music on the weekends.
Twiggs – An American Gastropub connected to a cool 1920’s speakeasy. Love their burgers. Live music outside on most weekends.
Kathmandu Restaurant – Indian & Nepalese. They said the plates were appetizer sized, so we ordered extra…and ate for 2 days.
Pie In The Sky – Pizza. What more can you say?
Graziers – We haven’t eaten at the one near here yet but we do like the one in Williston.
Tatro’s – Soup and sandwich shop. Great for lunch.