Magical Lake Home 9 mins to MOA and MSP Airport

Summary:
Your 4,700 sq.ft. executive home on nearly 1.5 acres awaits. Enjoy the pool (open June through September; possibly longer dependent on weather), 7 person hot tub, electric dry sauna, screened in porch, firepit with unlimited firewood included, deck, patio, Weber propane grill, walking trail, canoe, kayaks, and paddleboards (with life jackets), movie room and more! There is a 16 person maximum and tons of space for all your guests to enjoy. This home was designed for you and your group to create memories to remember for years to come!

Enjoy easy access to everything from this centrally located home. Just 9 minutes to MSP Airport and 10 minutes to the Mall of America, this accomodation makes a great home base to visit all of the hot spots in the Twin Cities area. Downtown Minneapolis and St Paul are a 15-20 minute drive.

Important Note: Before booking this beautiful lake home retreat, please read over ALL my house rules before booking my home by going to the House Rules section; below you will find the most important notes that I want to make you aware of. After 10 years of being a superhost, I have learned the following rules are 100% necessary. The general idea behind my rules is, "respect my neighbors, no rowdy parties, no noise after 10pm...this is a nice, quiet neighborhood...there will be serious consequences to ignoring my house rules so book elsewhere if you don't trust your group to follow rules." That's the general idea. Friend groups that are gathering for birthday, bachelor, or bachelorette parties will be accepted on a case by case basis. I am only able to rent to respectful groups who follow rules. If your group is planning to do a lot of binge drinking and partying with loud music, please find another location. This neighborhood is a family-friendly environment and I want to keep it that way.

The Space:
I have everything you need here: clean linens, towels, washcloths, and some basic kitchen items like olive oil, salt, pepper, flour and sugar. I supply a Ninja drip coffee maker (with filter), a French press, a Keurig coffee maker (with reusable pods) and Folgers coffee is supplied.

There is direct access to the lake from the backyard. There are 2 kayaks, 2 paddleboards, a canoe, paddles, and life jackets available for your use. The lake and surrounding area is teeming with wildlife including tree frogs, turtles, fish, a variety of bird species (eagles, blue jays, cardinals, woodpeckers). You may even see one of the resident bald eagles!

Guest Access:

Check-in: 3pm
Check-out: 10am

PARKING and ADDRESS
There is NO STREET PARKING allowed for short term rentals. The garage holds 2 cars and the driveway holds a maximum of 4 cars. This is a new city ordinance with short term rentals- this rule must be followed. Please make arrangements to carpool or use Ubers if the car total is going to be over 6. You will have access to the entire property. There is a keypad code for the garages that is provided upon booking. The whole house and surrounding wooded areas are yours to explore and enjoy.

After you reserve the property, you will be provided the location of the house.

I can offer early check-in or late check-out for $100/hour if it's available. Please let me know you're interested in advance so we can plan accordingly.

Please note that there are cameras that are only focused on the entrances to the house and NOT inside the house in any way. Inviting more people to the house that are not listed may result in immediate cancellation of the booking without refund.

A $1,500 security deposit is required for all groups renting this home to enforce 5 house rules:

HOUSE RULES:
1) Quiet Hours: 10pm to 8am – Enforced by the City of Mendota Heights
City ordinance requires complete quiet around the home starting at 10pm. This means all outdoor activity and socializing must be brought inside by that time—no exceptions. My neighbors are extremely important to me, and I have a zero-tolerance policy on this rule. After 10pm, no music or conversation should be audible outside—including to neighbors, outdoor cameras, or the noise-monitoring system on-site. Guests walking to and from the house to get things from the car can either be totally silent or if they need to talk, they must only speak at hushed levels. Please avoid any unnecessary outdoor noise, and do not use car remotes that cause the horn to beep—lock manually instead. As you appreciate peace and quiet at your own home, please extend the same courtesy to my neighbors so I can continue offering this space to guests like you. 10pm is the magic hour and everyone in group must be aware of this time.

Violation of this rule may result in a fine of up to $1500 deducted from your security deposit. VRBO’s Community Disturbance Policy also prohibits disruptive gatherings or excessive noise at any time of day.

2) NO SMOKING INDOORS: this includes but is not limited to cigarettes, cigars, marijuana, and e-cigs/vapes. Smoking must be away from open doors and windows. You must pick up any cigarette butts or other smoking debris when smoking outside. No smoking in the garage or screened in porch.

If I find any evidence of smoking inside, a $1500 fee will be taken from your security deposit plus the cost to remove the smoke smell.

3) GUEST LIST
Guest list must be provided 2 weeks before your stay must match your actual guests and any changes to guest list must be approved before guest is allowed on property. Please send first and last names in the message thread. Guests over what you selected when making your reservation are $50 per person per day extra. To prevent any miscommunication, a "guest" is defined as anyone that sets foots on the property during your stay (only exceptions are Uber/Lyft drivers and delivery people). Day guests and night guests are counted the same for fee purposes. Please understand an open guest list party is NOT ALLOWED and will result in an immediate cancellation of your reservation and any guests over the amount listed when booking will be charged at $50/guest/day. I have a zero-tolerance policy toward unauthorized guests on the property and in the event of a noise complaint, IDs will be checked and anyone left off the guest list can result in immediate cancellation of your reservation.

4) NO STREET PARKING + 4 CAR MAXIMUM IN DRIVEWAY
There is enough parking for 6 total cars at the house— 2 must be in the garage and up to 4 in the driveway. This is a city ordinance with short term rentals and must be followed. Street parking of any kind for any amount of time is prohibited with short term rentals. Please make carpool arrangements and utilize Uber / Lyft if needed. There will be a fine of $500 per car if you fail to follow these rules.

5) POOL & HOT TUB
The hot tub and pool are available from 8 AM to 10 PM. During quiet hours (10pm to 8am), we allow up to 2 people maximum for people that will follow quiet hours--using only hushed library level voices after 10pm but voices and sounds must be inaudible to noise monitoring devices. The same quiet hours apply in the pool and hot tub.
• All kids must be supervised by an adult when using the pool / hot tub. Kids under 10 years old are not allowed in the hot tub.
• No glass allowed in or near the pool/hot tub. No smoking in the hot tub as debris/ash causes damage to the hot tub components.
• Use at your own risk.

I request a $1,500 security deposit to ensure these 5 rules are followed. If all 5 rules are followed, the security deposit is released within 48 hours of checkout time. Depending on the severity of the offense, either partial or full security deposit will be withheld. It is your responsibility as the renter to communicate these rules to your guests.

Through VRBO, the security deposit is not a charge, just a hold. It is automatically held on the first day of your stay and will show up as a pending charge on your bank statement and is released 48hrs after your stay as long as the house rules are followed.

I do not enjoy being so strict and requiring this security deposit but past experiences have made these steps necessary. I greatly appreciate your understanding.

Dogs are allowed at a rate of $150/dog/stay.
We have a 2 dog limit and these rules must be followed:
1. No dogs on furniture. If your dog is used to that at home, please bring blankets or covers from home to cover furniture.
2. Kennel your dog when away from the house.
3. Give frequent potty breaks to avoid accidents in the home. If there is an accident inside, please do your best to clean it up and let me know.
4. Must pick up after your dog in the yard
5. Please don't leave your dog unattended on the deck so that it barks.
You are responsible for any damage to the property caused by your dog. Thank you for understanding.
Cats are not allowed due to their scratching and marking nature. Thanks for your understanding.

I encourage you to purchase travel insurance so that in the unlikely yet possible event that something happens and you need to cancel your trip after the refund deadline, you can receive some of your costs back for eligible cancellations.
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INTERACTION WITH GUESTS
There is a keypad on the main door for entry. You will be given the code the morning of check-in. You will have the entire place to yourself. If you need something, just message through the app and I'm usually only 15 minutes away and can help with anything you need.