Reviews by Kimberly C.

My husband and I have been renting Gingerbread Cottages every summer since 1996. We should own one at this point, and will, as that is our plan! Renting different ones is fun because we love the history and story each one tells. Summer of 2016 was a busy one and we could not rent an entire week due to a new job I started. By late summer we were craving our island time and so I searched for a place. I came upon La Sirena, a beautiful cottage based on the pictures, and contacted the owner, Ezia "Z" Leach to see if she would rent it for shorter than the normal full week. Right from the start, Z was just so gracious and accommodating. Lucky us, she agreed to rent from Wed 8/31 to Mon 9/5 (our girls were back to school on Tuesday 9/6.) Z went on line to look at Ferry schedules for us and helped guide us on arranging to take our car over on the island as well. WE were thrilled! We were in awe of every detail found in this beautiful cottage. The exterior is painted in soothing colors. The porch beckons you to sit and stay to enjoy the gentle island breezes - to enjoy simple porch life - and we did! This by far is our favorite house to stay in. It is a large gingerbread in comparison to some we have stayed at inside the MVCMA site (all lovely in their own right) but this is our favorite. It has more of an open floor plan in dining room and kitchen - which is well equipped with everything you will need. Getting back to entering the cottage...you step into the living room which is comfortably furnished and makes a beautiful transition from porch to interior. From there you enter a hallway that leads to the a bedroom on the left and into dining room/open kitchen. The house has an ell in which another first floor bedroom is located and bathroom with shower. It is full of charm, extremely well kept and clean, comfortable and beautifully decorated to fit the cottage name La Sirena. There are mystical mermaids tastefully placed - along with historical photographs - highlighting the 150-year history of this tastefully preserved Gingerbread Cottage. Upstairs we found an adorable bathroom, and two additional bedrooms which offered streams of natural light to shine through. The ceiling fans provide a comfortable breeze while sleeping. When we completed our tour of the interior, we went back downstairs to the outside area of the cottage to find an adorable sitting area with two chairs (perfect for morning coffee) and a ground level patio with table, chairs and umbrella to sit and enjoy a home cooked meal and/or beverages outside. The best part of the outside area is the outdoor shower! Clean and an absolute must! There is no need to shower inside with the amount of privacy yard offers and the overall feeling an outdoor shower provides - it is a highlight of staying at La Sirena whether you are a mermaid or a merman! When we went back inside to start unpacking, we noticed a gift on the table from Z and Martin. They had left us a welcoming gift which I have never in my 21 year renting history, ever been given. Such a thoughtful touch. Everything was just perfect!

Then HURRICANE warnings...ugh!! Long story short, we had to leave the island on Saturday 9/3, 2 days short because Steamship Authority was stopping ferry service. We were so sad! There is a happy ending. Z and Martin Leach reached out to us and offered us to come back for 2 nights in 2017 and stay the 2 nights we lost due to our early departure in Sept. We were so taken aback by their kind offer. We took them up on it the weekend of 6/16/17 for my 50th birthday - the only place to be when you turn 50! Guess what was in the fridge when we arrived on 6/16? A beautiful birthday cake for me AND Z graced us with her "presence" and decorated my two daughters hands with beautiful henna tattoos. We had so much fun. Z and Martin are truly amazing people. I highly recommend staying at this beautiful cottage and experience all the magic that happeshow moreshow less