FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions of Long Beach Cottage Rentals

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions of Long Beach Cottage Rentals

Long Beach Cottage Rental Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQs)

If you have any questions, please email us (through our contact page) and we’ll do our best to answer all your concerns.   These FAQ are in no particular order and may be searched either from the menu bar or a “find” function.  But we encourage you to paw through, many questions are answered here.  If you feel there should be an addition to this page, a quick email will get it there.  Please note none of these FAQ’s are meant to be legally binding, some are (intendedly) humorous, most are informal but informational, and all are offered with the most wholesome & helpful  intentions.

Q: What is Wainfleet’s new Short Term Rental Bylaw?
A: Let me preface: I am not educated in such legal and technical writings… but, in short – it’s a licensing program which targets any rental period less than 31 days in the Township.  Here is a link to the Township webpage: 
https://www.wainfleet.ca/en/build-and-invest/short-term-rentals.aspx

Q: What is “half season” or “full season rental”?
A: I offer Cottages in Long Beach in a variety of different durations.  “Long Beach Cottages” is a loose family hybrid of community and loving people coming together to enjoy the beautiful sand & sun.  Generally speaking a “half-season” is May, June, & July OR August, September and October. A full season is May until October. Weather and availability permitting, of course.

Q: Why stay long term?
A: Currently 31 day rentals, or longer, are permissible.  By enjoying a longer stay you enjoy many benefits including:
         Savings: Longer stays are less expensive per night
         Weather: With longer stays you are less dependent on the ever changing environmental and weather patterns
          Community: By increasing your stay length you become part of the community – developing relationships with other “locals” and family members.
          Tans & Vitamin D intake: I’m no doctor, but isn’t a sunburn really just an overdose of Vitamin D?  My doctor is always saying “work less, drink more gravy, get more sun”.

Q: Can I work at Long Beach Cottages?
A:
Do you mean work for? or work at?  I definitely support the local community by hiring all sorts of local folks.  Reach out to me if you have something to offer. If you would like to work while staying here – and what better way to enjoy a long term stay – I offer excellent interweb connectivity on your computer and other electric smart devices.  It allows web stuff and movies and video calling and other such distractions from the sand and sun.

Q: Are all Cottages available all the time?
A: Easy answer: Nope. Out of laziness or inability I don’t update my website with every change.  In no way does the picture or inclusion of a Cottage on my website mean it’s available, was available, will be available… it just means I had a picture of it on the day I edited the website and hope someone in the interwebsphere would enjoy it.  Please see: Q: Why don’t you post your availability on your website? further down this FAQ.

Q: Why “Long Beach Cottages” and not “Long Beach Cabins”?
A: Semantics. My grandparents built cottages on Great Lake Erie. Cabins are in woods, or on ski hills.  This is a beautiful sand beach and cottages fit beautifully.

Q: Why “Long Beach Cottages” and not “Long Beach Resort”?
A: Well, that name is taken for one.  But also we’re not a Resort.  Yes, we have a private beach.  Yes, we’re friendly.  No, we do not have a spa.  Yes, we have coffee makers.  No, we do not have espresso makers.

Q: Where are you located?
A: There’s another menu tab for that (Find Long Beach Cottage Rentals), but it’s 12369 Lakeshore Road, Wainfleet, Ontario, Canada. We’re in the “Long Beach” area of Wainfleet, on the Northern edge of Lake Erie — lucky enough to be on a beautiful sand beach. 

Q: Where are your cottages on the property, or in relationship to the beach?
A: 
There is an overview map (thank you Google maps) on our About Long Beach Cottage Rental pages which answers this visually.  Using words: Our cottages sit on over 2 acres of quiet property. The North section is bordered by Lakeshore Road and an ample Meadow Area which provides a beautiful buffer.  The South is the sandy beach which Long Beach is so famous for. The East is our sand boat lunch with a wooden fence, and the West is a chain link fence.
Our cottages are in two rows parallel to the breakwall/beach/lake edge. Cottages 1 to 6 are closest to the breakwall while cottages 7 to 10 are in the North row.
There’s quite a bit of buffer between Lakeshore Road and the Cottages.  Even some out-buildings.

Q: What’s different about your cottages?
A:
We understand there are lots of places to enjoy your well-deserved and too-rare time off and hope we can help you enjoy it at the beach.  We have a great cottage/guest/green/beach ratio — the smallest amount of cottages on the largest plot of land — giving the most open space around you.  We also have the smallest number of guests per square foot of beautiful sand beach. **
If we’re not the right fit, that’s okay.  We’re understanding.  The important thing is that you enjoy your well-deserved and too-rare time off! 

Q: How old are your cottages?
A: Older than us.
At least one goes back to the 1920’s I’m told. The majority were 40’s and 50’s. They’ve all been updated, renovated, maintained, and well loved over the years.  They all have strong foundations, good windows, and steel roofs. If there’s anything you’d like to see done, let us know — we love building projects and are very proud to take care of our property.

Q: What’s your phone number?
A: Oh. Flirty.  Nice! It’s 905-899-1856

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Q: Can we drink the water/is the water safe/how safe is the water/water, water everywhere, is there a drop to drink/can I swim/boat/bathe?
A:
The easy answer to drinkability is “no”. But kinda. It’s complicated.
The domestic water comes from Lake Erie, but is treated to municipal standards. Toronto, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Hamilton all can (more or less) say the same thing, but are all downstream of us too.  Meanwhile plastic water bottles fill landfills, don’t have stringent standards to meet, and nobody’s taxes ever seem to decline. There are 5 gallon / 20 liter water jugs available for all guests. This water is purchased from a local manufacture of Reverse Osmosis water and is largely considered very safe and flavourless.

Lake Erie is truly a Great Lake in every sense. If you are not familiar with it, it does demand respect. Swimming, playing, and generally enjoying the Lake off our sandy beach is plenty safe with proper adult supervision and common sense.

Being the southernmost and shallowest Great Lake, Erie is also credited with being the warmest — averaging in the 70’s (degrees Fahrenheit) and not unusual to be 80*f plus by the shore mid July through August. However, shallow can mean waves when there’s wind.

Wavy days can have some dangerous undertows (dragging unsuspecting swimmers out deeper). Our section of the bay is not nearly as bad as when you get closer to the points, especially the East (Augustine/Greybiel Point) end of Long Beach.

We do not have a lifeguard but regularly enjoy the Lake ourselves and highly recommend trying it yourself.

The Region of Niagara (where Wainfleet/Long Beach resides) posts water test results for different spots along Long Beach (and other local waterways) on their website. We tend to be in an area which “cleans out” and doesn’t stagnate and have been fortunate not to have hazardous water conditions posted in the past.

I wouldn’t drink directly from the Lake, we’re downstream of Detroit.

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Q: Do you allow pets?
A: We do.  We strongly believe that pets are members of families which keep us happy and sane. We allow well behaved pups, kittens, and other small domestic pets. (“Small”, key word … if you really must travel with a “large” domestic pet like horse or pig please contact us and we’ll see what we can do. You might be surprised.)
We ask that you keep an eye on your small loved one, leash when appropriate, and (of course, like all responsible pet owners) pick up after your pet.
We remind you that some pet actions you consider acceptable (or even adorable) may not be around others (eg, any humping) and ask that you remain open to suggestions — making everyone’s stay an enjoyable one.

Pet Policy 
Only approved pets are welcome.  Pet fees are non-negotiable.
To be approved your pet must be altered and up to date on vaccinations. Please provide proof of vaccinations upon check in.
Visitors are not permitted to bring pets.
Unaltered animals are not permitted
Heavily shedding animals are not welcome.
(if you’re unfamiliar with the “altered” part of this conversation, perhaps we’re just not the best fit. No hard feelin’s)

Please remember to help control the pet population

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Q: Why do you ask how many people we have?
A: 
Our cottages aren’t young, being gentle on aging (or “experienced”) things is a nice way to make sure they’re around a long time.  People wear on buildings, contents, property, septic (oh, septic, welcome to rural Ontario), and each others’ nerves. 
Keeping the right number of guests to bedrooms and bathrooms is easier on the property (and buildings, and contents, and septic) so we may all enjoy it for years to come, but also keeps the family / friendly / safe feeling that we strive for that much more in reach. Please be honest when talking about numbers in your group; we’re excellent counters and won’t take kindly to extra unexpected guests. Extra guests will be removed at your expense and their pain.

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Q: May I have guests?
A:
Sure, within reason. No more guests than agreed upon when you rented.  Absolutely no overnight guests.  Day guests may park immediately to the left (East fence line) as you pull in.
Don’t be that family who didn’t realize how many friends they had until they rented a beach cottage. Be the family who had fun on the beach while respecting the property, cottages, beach, and landlords. Karma is important.

Too many guests will get them removed.  And potentially you also.

Q: When do you rent cottages?
A: 
Summer mostly, a little in the Spring.  Sometimes in the Fall or Autumn but pretty much never in the Winter.

Q: Okay, but seriously, when do you rent cottages?
A: Long story, pull up a chair and get comfortable.
We start booking our rentals in the Fall of the previous year by speaking with previous tenants. We try our best to call or email everybody we’ve helped create a wonderful family vacation for throughout the end of the year/holiday season/into stupid cold months.
By March we usually have confirmation and deposits on a huge amount of our availability and start returning calls for the upcoming season.

Q: I think I meant what months or days do you rent cottages?
A: We rent from Victoria Day or Memorial Day -ish (end of May) through to the first couple weeks of October – all weather dependent. The end of June to the end of August is super busy.  When weather permits having guests out until October isn’t unheard of.  Thanksgiving on the Beach anyone

Q: Do you rent weekends?
A: 
Nope.  Please see the fist Question on this FAQ.

Q: Do you rent for the week?
A: 
Nope.  Please see the fist FAQ answer.

Q: So you never ever rent for weekends or single nights?
A:
Nope.  Please see the second Question on this FAQ.

Q: Should we 80/20 some of that?
A:
Maybe?

Q: Can I rent this Friday and Saturday night?
A: 
No, we don’t rent in the winter (it’s winter when I’m writing this).. but seriously, No. We don’t rent by the night. 

What does Long Beach look like in the winter time? Beautiful!
What does Long Beach look like in the winter time?
Beautiful! (but cold)

Q: What are your prices?
A:
That depends on many variables and varies greatly.  We have cottages with 1, 2, and 3 bedrooms; cottages with different proximity to the beach; rental duration … . . Call us and we’ll let you know what we have available and the pricing for that.  Longer stays are less expensive per night and we use a formula that also offers pre and post season discounts.

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Q: Why don’t you post your availability on your website?
A: We don’t see a need to. We’re good, honest and friendly people to talk to, give us a call / email and we’ll help put together a great family memory.
Plus updating a website never seems as important as doing just about anything else.

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Q: Why do you take a down-payment deposit, is it refundable?
A: We take deposits as a down-payment because someone (not you) will not take their family fun Long Beach Vacation seriously if we don’t take one.  That person (not you) will forget about the wonderful and beautiful cottage they’ve “rented” (marks of quotation sarcastically inserted for clarity of not really rented) and instead work that week and be miserable.
While miserably forgetting the relaxation and fun of the cottage they “rented”, you won’t be able to come either, because they took your spot!
Your Down-Payment Deposit is 100% removed from your balance owing of your cottage week – providing you come enjoy the week you rented.
These Down-Payment Deposits may be refundable up to one month before your rental. 
Depending on circumstances we can explore applying the deposit to another time-frame/cottage/year/some-other-event (for a fee) but nothing is expressly promised or implied.  In the event that a down-payment deposit is refunded there is a 25% administration fee removed from your deposit or a minimum $100.
If you’re not sure, it’s safer not to leave a deposit. But without a deposit, you risk being the miserable person who only “rented” from us and didn’t actually stay as our welcome guest and enjoy the beautiful fresh Lake water, clean sandy beach, and wonderful time making sandcastles and family memories.

TL.DR: When booking there’s a 50% Down-payment Deposit.  Cancellations can be made up to one month before your booked time for a charge of 25% of your deposit (or minimum $100): this fee will be removed from your refunded Down-payment Deposit. There are no Cancellation refunds within a month of your scheduled stay.

There’s a policy and pricing page devoted to this also.

Q: When is my deposit due? When is my balance due?
A: Deposits are due at time of booking.
    Balances are due one month before arrival.

Q: Why do you collect a Damage Deposit or Pet Deposit, is it refundable?
A: We take damage deposits because someone (not you) doesn’t treat our property with the gentle care and handling that we insist on.  Like damage deposits that other adults have run across ours are 100% refundable — providing that the cottage is in as nice of shape as you found it.  50 year old wood tongue and groove wood walls are irreplaceable even with damage deposits 1000 times higher than ours.  A kindness to our buildings goes much further than any deposit we could collect.

Q: Is this the same as a cleaning or pet fee?
A: Nope. If a cleaning fee or pet fee is assessed it is an additional component of your rental fee and non refundable.

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Q: Why didn’t you return my phone call/email?
A: 
We’re sorry, that wasn’t our intention.  We work too much and have a lot of demand and sometimes calls or emails slip through.  Sometimes the answering machine eats the message or refuses to offer a complete phone number (just offering garbled burps that sound nothing like numbers). Don’t be shy to call or email again, but please don’t be offended if we simply cannot accommodate you. 
We give first choice to previous and returning guests.

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Q: Are you the only cottage rentals in Long Beach?
A: 
Nope, there are other smaller and larger cottages for rent through a variety of friendly landlords. We know several well, and haven’t met one we don’t recommend. We strive to offer a clean, safe, quiet, family friendly experience for everyone we are able to accommodate.

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Q: What else does the Greater Long Beach area of Wainfleet have?
A: A short walk away is the downtown Long Beach Business area which offers 3 different eating options (one specializing in ice cream!), a fun and somewhat challenging mini-golf experience, a grocery store, and a big-boy toy rental place (including jet skis and such).
A longer walk to the west gives you another small shopping option with another food truck option.
There’s a 9 hole golf course (Long Beach Country Club) to the West and an 18 (Port Colborne Country Club) to the East.
Casinos, theaters, grapes, blueberries, and most other things are within a 40 (or less) minute drive.
Short country drives take you East to Port Colborne (a kinda real city, minus the movie theater) or West to Dunnville (another city, boasting a hospital but still no theater). There’s a small marina with a good fried/grilled food stand a short drive (or medium bicycle) West into Lowbanks. Port Colborne has a city boat ramp (for a fee).
If you got this far on the interwebs, you can probably use Google to find what you’re looking for.  If you’re looking for a little insider hints on where to go, find one of the locals or us and we’d love to talk to you about the best place to pick your own blueberries.  

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Q: What do your cottages have?
A: All cottages include 3 piece indoor bathrooms with showers, kitchens equipped with microwave, refrigerator, gas stove, pots, pans, plates, utensils, and all basic cooking tools. Every cottage also has its own natural gas BBQ.
Every cottage has a modern flat screen television and BluRay and/or DVD player, and some level of basic Wifi/internet access (welcome to rural Ontario).
Bedrooms have beds (mostly Queen size) with mattress covers and pillows.
All our cottages have enough indoor seating and tables to accommodate the reasonable number of people expected and basic outdoor seating (including picnic tables). 
We sometimes have wood available for beach fires, depending on maintenance and over all use. There are several local places to buy campfire wood.
We provide cleaning supplies, mops, brooms, and vacuums, and ask that you use them to return your cottage rental to the appearance you found it in.

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Q: What should we bring?
A:
Linens, bedding, towels, toiletries and paper products, basics to clean up after yourself, food (grillables!) and (potentially adult?) beverages, sunscreen. Wood if you’re planning a fire. Your favourite beach chair and sand toys. Inflatables. Smiles! 

Q: Potentially Adult”?
A:
 Yes.  Alcohol is legal in Ontario for 19 (or greater) year old adults.  So is Cannabis. (Marijuana. Mary Jane. Grass. Hemp. Ganja. the Weed. Jive. Boo. Mootah. Wacky t’backy. Sticky. Stinky. Reefer. Rope smoke. Bhang. Kef. Kif. Sinsemilla. the Cheech.  the Chong. Dope. Herb. Sativa. Sweet Lucy. Bob Marley. the kind.  Medicine.) Yup, honest, it is.  It’s a neat conversation.
If you’d like more information on government rules (and there’s no shortage of them) concerning adult-only things please consult websites that end in “.on.gc” and the like. 
Our rules are largely based on the family-friendly mantra repeated so often on this website. 
Excess of anything is unhealthy (even oxygen, weird eh?), and we encourage guests not to over indulge on anything “adult” and legislated by government types.  We also ask some level of discretion and maintained decorum when  enjoying adult-only things. 

Q: Does the above free-form brain-storming thesaurus exercise imply you endorse drug use?
A: Nope. But talking about politics or religion or if the toilet paper roll goes over or under leads to unnecessary strife.Al Yankovic quote: If you want to avoid heated arguments ...

Nancy Reagan Say No To Drugs Rap - YouTube

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Q: What activities can we do on the beach?
A: Build Sandcastles!
Long Beach is a largely private beach.  We own the sand in front of our cottages, and as such you are welcome to have safe and contained fires, enjoy yummy adult-only things (see passage above about such things), and generally enjoy any activity which does not infringe on others’ enjoyment. Frisbee is fun.  So is playing in waves! Having a nice sit in the sun while showing off your literacy or having a snooze is great too.
There is a wonderful “share shed” (or “share shack” when I misspeak) right by the miniature pickleball court. I was taught to share and continue that learnin’ by sharing with any guest.  Please enjoy!

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Q: Is there parking for more than one car?
A: Yup. We reserve one parking spot for each cottage pretty close to the cottage. You may park additional cars or trailers along the East fence line – to your left as you pull in. We have room, but sometimes seems like not enough. Please let us know if you’re bringing/driving something giant and we’ll help arrange some better parking solution.

Long Beach Cottage Rental FAQ’s Top of Page

Q: Boats?
A:
A surprisingly big topic in 5 letters. We generally like boats, big or little. With special arrangement we can help you launch up to medium (19 foot inboard/outboard?) sized boats.  There are several boat ramps not too far away, we have a sand boat ramp that we’ll share but generally find that kayaks and SUPs and such are happiest there.
We have mixed feelings about jet skis (or perhaps some of their operators) and remind folks that Ontario has some very strict boater operator laws including drinking and operating. Please be very conscious and conscientious of swimmers and beach enjoyers when operating any boat.

Long Beach Cottage Rental FAQ’s Top of Page

Q: What rules do you have?
A: First and foremost, we’re about safe family fun.  That means different things to different people, but as long as we are all enjoying the beach and beautiful Summer everybody is happy.
• We are completely intolerant of damage to our or others’ property.
• We don’t allow smoking inside our cottages. Please, pick up your cigarette garbage and properly dispose of it.
• We’re not thrilled with fireworks, but are understanding of special circumstances
• We don’t allow tent or any other forms of camping
• We allow altered pets, please look above for our pet policy
• We ask tenants for quiet from 10pm to 8am, reminding people that on quiet nights voices carry surprisingly well on soft summer breezes. And keep the fun to a reasonable volume at all times of the day. One person’s idea of fun may be much too loud for another’s relaxation.
• We remind people that respect gets respect. There are sometimes many people enjoying beautiful Long Beach and we need to all respect each other so we may all enjoy our quality vacation time. Respect the beach, the Lake, the buildings and property, and most importantly please respect each other.
• These are housekeeping cottages, meaning they are clean when you come in, and we ask that they are clean when you leave.
• Recycle!  The Niagara Region has an impressive waste collection program and we provide details to every tenant about it. The green bin (organic waste) program is incredible! We work hard to collect and sort garbage, recycling, and organics and every little bit you do to help is very appreciated. We only are given one Earth.

Q: What’s this 80/20 reference back up a ways?
A:
In its presented scenario I’m suggesting there’s no absolute.  Using 80 and 20 as percentages I’m offering a mindful exercise in acceptance that I don’t know 100%. There’s other 80/20 principles that are also fascinating but I wasn’t exploring at the moment. Do I know 100% of anything? Hmm. Can I truly open-mindedly listen to another’s thoughts to learn and discuss if I don’t enter the conversation without at least some room to grow? If a traveler needs a bed for one night wouldn’t I rather help than stick to a 100% rule? Can two sides ever meet in the middle if neither (or either, or both) are unwilling to compromise even 20%? This world needs more compromise & love.

Q: Are you a hippie?
A: 
Can you imagine?

Nature at Peace

 

Q: You use lots of hyphens and funny words — sometimes wrong, sometimes made up.
A: 
That’s a statement (kinda judgey at that) — and not a question.

Whew.
And please (email: https://longbeachcottagerentals.com/long-beach-cottage-rentals-contact-us) ask if you have any questions not covered here, or you’d like addressed in our FAQ page. Thank you for reading about Long Beach Cottage Rentals.

** Some facts above may be generalized for clarity or to make us look good. None are meant to be malicious misrepresentations.  Some answers are tongue-in-cheek or satirical; none are intentionally harmful. [insert smiley face emoji here] Any fact-checking corrections may be directed to the webmaster.  If you are a litigious sort of individual and scouring my FAQ looking to entrap me, please consider another hobby.

Long Beach Cottage Rentals are located in Long Beach — Wainfleet, Ontario, Canada.  On the sandy shores of Great Lake Erie.

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