We had four adults and four kids (ages 10-14) stay at Cathy's house and we all LOVED it. There was plenty of space for us all to spread out both inside and out. The kitchen was well stocked, and the new grill was a hit! We absolutely loved the double decker dock! The views are to die for! We also really enjoyed having those views but also being in a private area. We also made great use out of all the kayaks, canoe, and paddle boards. We would HIGHLY recommend this property as it was perfect and Cathy was so great to work with!

House was lovely-kitchen well stocked, lots of board games and entertainment, beautiful dock. Owner was very friendly and considerate. Overall wonderful property!

Cathy’s home is absolutely stellar. Our family of seven stayed for a five day graduation celebration and we only had to come with our food and our clothing. We have been renting all over the world for years and have never had such a well-stocked, well organized home. The property itself is incredibly green and peaceful with lots of lovely nature. The dock and available recreational equipment was in perfect condition and such a great place for the family together and bond. The lake was one of the most beautiful we have seen. Cathy was incredibly responsive, informative and patient. We highly recommend this home, and hopefully will have an opportunity to stay here again soon!

Great space! Loved the screened in porch. Beautiful dock access. Quality pool table family had fun playing!

The house was great! The location and the lake were terrific! The boathouse with the upper deck was spectacular ! And Cathy our host could not have been nicer or more responsive !!!

This place is perfect. The owner goes above and beyond creating the perfect oasis on the lake. She is also always accessible and responds to any issue immediately. Wish I could give more stars!

We loved this house and it’s location on lake in a very private cove. The house was very clean. Cathy was very easy to work with and responded immediately to our questions. House layout worked great for our family (brothers with spouses and 2 kids each). Our only “surprise” was you don’t really have a big view of the lake from the house because of the way it’s situated and the dock isn’t visible from the house at all. Compared to other places we’ve stayed at SML we LOVED that this house didn’t have stairs to get to the dock and so ultimately it worked out fine but was just not what we expected at first. Highly recommend this house! We’d definitely rent it again.

Our host offered helpful guidance with nearly every aspect of our stay. We were given great advice on boat rentals, fishing, restaurants, groceries, etc. She really went out of her way to make our stay pleasant and enjoyable. Be aware that the water level of the lake does rise and fall. So if you dock a boat on the fixed dock, take care when securing it (consider leaving some slack in the ropes). And the house has a really nice kitchen, so you can easily cook meals in it if you don't care to drive to restaurants.

We had a good time, and the property was really great. The owner was very helpful and attentive. The property is setup better than most places we have stayed. We would definitely stay here again in the future.

As described (in detail). Would definately return.

Everything was great!! We loved the openness of the house to hang out together, and spent all day on the dock and in the water! Bonus points for the couches, umbrellas and fans for the upper dock!! Cathy was great to work with, extremely helpful, and really made our vacation easy and enjoyable. The little extras go a long way, and we’re super appreciated! Thanks for a great stay and sharing your home with us!

This home was absolutely perfect for our family! We had two kiddos graduating a week apart from nearby colleges so this home became our home for 10 days. It was truly delightful to have such a beautiful place to have our family all together and to celebrate some big accomplishments! So many wonderful features to this home: spacious, extra clean, very functional kitchen, coffee bar, screened in porch, piano, games galore, pool table, beautiful dock, kayaks and paddle boards and so much more! Cathy, the owner/host, was wonderful in providing all required info for check in and just overall great communication! We had an amazing stay and can’t wait to go back!!

We have been vacationing at SML for years and have never had an experience like this! The house is perfect, the dock is amazing, and the owner is so helpful, friendly, and invested in this home! We are definitely returning!

Great home has everything you need which makes you feel at home. Beautiful views down by the lake. Great and peaceful vacation spot come check it out.

Lake Effects was perfect for our long weekend getaway, but would have been great for a whole week as well. We just wanted a place to relax and unwind at the lake with 3 college-weary young adult children on fall break, and this was great. The house is in a very nice part of the lake, in a quiet neighborhood right across from the State Park, just off the main channel on a side bay, so it is quiet, but super convenient to everything. The boat dock is great, with a 2nd story, albeit just down the yard a bit from the house, but it's great for the water-friendly family that wants to enjoy the canoe, kayaks and paddle boat that were provided by the host family. Cathy and her family thought of everything, and we didn't need or lack for one thing. The house is large, so all of us had our own space, out of each other's way, and it is well appointed, so we literally did not need anything but our clothes and food/drinks. It has an AWESOME coffee bar, and she even provided pods for the Keurig machine, but we brought our own as well. If you are looking for a nice retreat for up to 6-8 comfortably, this is a great choice, but 8 is the max, so don't even think about more. The County sets the rules on that, which is actually nice, because you know there won't be giant wild crowds. The neighborhood was VERY nice and quiet and there was a resident deer family that walked around everyone's yard, which was nice to see. There is an afternoon or evening sunset view from the house and boat dock and that is really nice. All in all, we highly recommend LAKE EFFECTS, because the host Cathy, is a Super Host, and she really takes good care of the house and her guests with excellent communication and supplies. ENJOY!

Would you like a relaxing, peaceful stay at a lovely, well-appointed home with every kind of amenity available to make your stay special? This is the home. We had such a very nice time!

First of all, Cathy is a gracious, understanding and responsive host. Everything about Lake Effects 2 ensures a relaxing and enjoyable experience. The kitchen has everything that an accomplished cook needs. The water toys and dock ensure total enjoyment of the lake. Even if bad weather is experienced, there are plenty of activities in the house to pass the time. We saw deer every morning and evening of our visit. This is the location to relax and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Everything was perfect! The house is extremely nice and spacious. Super comfortable and relaxing. Beautiful views from every level. The lake is a short walk away with an upper deck perfect for spending the days and viewing the sunsets. The water is clean and clear. Great for swimming. Definitely take advantage of the canoes and kayaks provided. You won't be disappointed. This was my first visit to Smith Mountain Lake and it definitely won't be my last. I loved this house and its location. It really is a private oasis for making special memories. Thank you so much for allowing us to use your home, its is sincerely appreciated. We had a wonderful time!

We loved our stay! We booked this to come with another couple but they were not able to come. So it was a nice little get away for my husband and I. House was extremely spacious, very clean, and all the amenities of home! Cathy, the host, was wonderful. We chatted via text leading up to the trip, she texted to make sure we arrived okay, and even texted final instructions the night before checkout. I loved reading her story and the story of the house! The neighborhood was excellent as well. Plenty of places to run/walk and not a lot of traffic. A great get away! We will definitely be back!

Location was perfect being in a cove and quiet yet great for skiing and tubing. Extremely kid friendly property with lots of water toys and games. Overall a excellent experience

This house is located in the best spot on the lake -- quiet cove yet close to the main channel, across from the State Park so a lovely view, and there is only a very gentle incline to the lake (it was easy for the 85 year olds in the group to walk). The house is stocked with everything you need on vacation -- from games, to movies, to a complete kitchen. Cathy the owner is lovely to work with. We had a very special week.

We loved this property because of all that was in it and around it, but most of all because of the responsive owner who was quick with a reply to help or explain or just try to take care of us. My family especially enjoyed the piano, the many games, the pool table and foosball, and all of the outdoor extras. Would definitely rent again given the opportunity.

Cathy was a wonderful host and very quick to respond to our questions. The property was beautiful and we enjoyed the dock most of all. Would love to stay there again.

Nice house and great location on the lake.

Amazing location for a relaxing vacation w/family

This place was perfect for decompressing and a week of quiet relaxation. We spent every day on the dock and in the lake. It's located in an area right near a state park which was great for all the novice kayakers in tour family. It was easy to navigate without feeling you were in the was of the boats. The wildlife around was fun to watch from the baby deer in the yard and surrounding areas to the mother duck with her 5 ducklings. The house has everything you need (which for our kids is their own room) and more. The lovely screened in porch is perfect for meals and morning coffee. There is a great selection of books in the loft are and a comfortable chair for reading. along with lots of games and entertainment for kids. Also, there are a lot of great restaurants within 30 minutes. The owners are engaged and quick to answer questions. Thank you for sharing your home with us. We wouldn't hesitate to visit again.

We really enjoyed our 2+ week stay. The house is very nice, and is on a quiet cove where we tubed, kayaked and canoed. All the amenities were great, and we took advantage of the puzzles, outdoor spaces and boats. We enjoyed the sunset views from the dock. We found mooring a boat at the dock more challenging than we anticipated as there was not space on the floater and the lake level was constantly changing. We also found the reservation process more involved than we are used to with the requirement to fill out a long separate rental agreement that was different than the one on the Vrbo listing.

We had a wonderful time spent mostly outside on the deck it by the lake. The shallow water was great for the kids and fishing from the dock was good as well. We would return.

This is a great rental house. The manager is awesome to deal with. We will be back.

Wonderful house, beautiful weather, fun lake for the kids. Overall a great experience. I would highly recommend this rental far anyone looking for a lake vacation.

This property is in a great neighborhood with wonderful neighbors. I would highly recommend this property.

We had the absolute best time celebrating Thanksgiving 2020 hidden away at Cathy's home. We we're lucky with weather for sure, but there were so many things to keep us busy inside and outside the house. The dock and water toys were a favorite of all of us. We were able to head out onto the lake all but one of the days. The view from the deck was spectacular. The view from the porch was just saw nice especially because there were no leaves on the trees! The house was spacious and gave us plenty of room to gather as a family or spread out for some alone time. All kids of games, pool table, wii, karaoke and puzzles. The kitchen had EVERYTHING we needed to make Thanksgiving dinner for our party of 5. A Food Lion is only about 20 mins away and well stocked for all we needed. The White House Store was even closer for those items we forgot or a last minute ice cream run! Cathy was wonderful to work with, she kept us up to date when a huge rain storm dropped a ton of rain just before our visit and assured us the house would be ready for us. She even left us a celebratory gift for our holiday! We couldn't have been happier to spend our vacation on Smith Mountain Lake! Don't hesitate to stay here!