"clean and comfortable"
5 of 5
We stayed at Tall Pines on the advise of a friend. She said it was small, but nice.The house is all we needed as a family of four. The queen bedroom was bright and airy. The mattress was a bit low to the floor for my tastes, but it was adequately comfortable. There was a large dresser and closet, and a night stand on each side of the bed.The second bedroom had a bunk bed - my two teens shared it. The lower bunk a double and the upper bunk a single. The room was also bright and cheerful and had a dresser and closet. This closet had a vacuum cleaner in it - nice to use mid-week.The house says it sleeps six and there are six pillows in the house. Bring extra if you need them. We were four people, and we managed with six pillows.We did not use the sleeper sofa for sleeping. The sofa was a bit beat up on the arms, and they had a furniture cover over it. The furniture cover was clean, and it did not bother us.There is one TV, in the living room. It is a newer flat screen TV. Not super large, but sized right for the room.There is no wall-to-wall carpet in the entire house - a plus to me! Hardwood floors with area rugs.The kitchen had all the appliances you need - dishwasher, coffee maker, toaster, microwave. All appliances were newer. The flat top stove was very easy to cook with. The flooring was definitely older in the kitchen, but it was clean and did not look worn. It was the style and color that gave away it's age. The closet containing the washer and dryer also had broom, dustpan, etc.The large screen porch was a high-light of the house. Two rocking chairs, comfortable cushioned love-seat and chairs and a picnic table. I would wish that there was more weather stripping around the screen door, as there was about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch gap from the floor, and it didn't seat against the door jam very well. We didn't have too many bug problems, and I had citronella candles on the porch, but persistent bugs do have a way in to the screen porch.The full bathroom was a standard size and layout for a bathroom of that era. The tub was "harvest gold" in color, and it was clean. The toilet and sink are newer and were clean.The half bath was hysterically cute. It is VERY tiny, if you are a large person, you will not fit! There is a toilet and a small pedestal sink. It gets the job done when someone is in the main bathroom. We have no complaints about it. Leave the door open tho when not in use, there is no a/c vents in the half bath - it gets stuffy.Lighting - sometimes in a rental, lighting is a challenge. Each room had an overhead light fixture and adequate lamps to always have the proper lighting. The light switches were even labeled for convenience!The house has central air, even tho the photos show a window unit. The yard was large and shady. We never got the feeling that we could "shake hands" with the neighbors, the was some places squash houses in. There was adequate parking. Oak Drive is paved partway to the house, and then it is gravel.The access to the bridge to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge was a high-light of this house. Piney Island area is the best place to stay if you want to bike to the Refuge and/or beach without fighting vehicular traffic. We were on the bridge in seconds on our bikes and minutes when walking.One of my observations about the Piney Island area. The older cottages like this one seem to be getting bought up and either knocked down or remodeled to larger homes. Some of these "Outer Banks" style homes look out of place in this quaint neighborhood.I would certainly recommend Chincoteague Island, Piney Island Neighborhood, and Tall Pines house to a friend.
-Toots123 on 06/21/2017
"We would return!"
5 of 5
Pros: Nestled in pine forest, well shaded so that AC was not necessary for most of our 2 week stay (esp when we could borrow fans from the management company). Very quiet neighborhood. Just a couple of blocks from the Chincoteague circle, so very convenient to the beach. The photos are representative of the house (which now has central air, nice when needed). The beds (even the queen sleeper sofa) were sufficiently comfortable and the house was spotless and smelled clean when we moved in. The kitchen is sufficient and well-stocked with pots, pans, and tableware.The screened in porch with ceiling fans is the best part of the house. Cons: I don't know if it's because we're in a pine forest or if it's just a bad year for them, but the mosquitoes are occasionally epic, to the point when we had to slather ourselves with bug spray just to go to the car. Warmer, more humid weather = worse mosquitoes. The full bath is a little dated but perfectly functional. Usually we'd use the outdoor shower for our post-beach shower, but reference the mosquito comment above.The dog pen isn't really useful. You can't just open the porch door and send your dogs out into a fenced-in area. You'd be better off bringing a retractable lead so your dog can do his/her business in the large but not fenced yard.Tips: If you don't bring food with you but plan on cooking for yourselves, do your major shopping at the Walmart in Pocomoke City. It's only about 20 min away, but worth it. Any fill-in stuff can be gotten at the Food Lion near Rt 13, and emergencies (milk, beer) can be taken care of at the Island Grocery.
-KimDobson on 08/29/2015