The house is so well equipped, especially for families. Winter or Summer, there is plenty to do in any season! The location is fantastic and the lake views amazing. We will definitely be back! Anne M.

Everything was good as expected, except the kitchen utensils! The hosts were very accommodating, and easy to get in touch with. We however were very disappointed in the kitchen utensils! Not on par with the overall home and property. Lacking even the basics, like measuring cups, measuring spoons, proper bakeware. What was available was pretty nasty, and seriously needs replaced! Thus being our only complaints.

We had a great stay at "The Castle". Nice place, lots of space and rooms. The elevator was especially helpful for my 89 year old father in law. Great game room. Spacious kitchen and dining so works well for big group. Lots of time spent at the dock utilizing the kayaks and paddle board. The deck with it's view of the lake was a great gathering place at the end of the day.

The Castle is a great house loaded with solid amenities. There is plenty of space for everyone. The dock equipped with 3 kayaks and a stand up paddle board is loads of fun. The location makes it easy and safe for kids to swim and enjoy the lake. Docking the rental pontoon boat is easy too. The hosts are exceptional and respond immediately to any questions. This is highly recommended, and we would stay there again. Thanks for a fun, memorable and Epic Lake Week!

It was a very nice family vacation. We would stay there again

We thoroughly enjoyed staying here on Smith Mountain Lake! Our family included toddlers all the way up to the elderly and there was something for everyone's interests. The kitchen is well equipped for large groups and meals, there is plenty of space for families to spread out, and lots of games/toys to keep everyone entertained. The hosts were very responsive and helpful with anything we needed before, during and after our stay. Thank you so much! We hope to return.

Overall we had a wonderful stay at the Castle. The views were amazing! With 5 days of rain, we really appreciated the extra space to spread out, watching movies in the theater room, working on puzzles, playing games and billiards. We also loved the big tub in the evening. We enjoyed the bikes but there were only 2 adult bikes so we had to take turns. We also loved having the kayaks and SUP as well. One recommendation is to remove some of the deck furniture so there’s more room to sit and relax without feeling cramped. The kitchen was very nice but we missed having measuring cups for baking and there wasn’t a lot of room in the cabinets to store food. Overall we had a wonderful time and the home was beautiful.

The house is awesome. All bedrooms were comfortable. All bathrooms well equipped. The elevator made access to all the floors easy. The host has bikes, SUP and kayaks available but our family chose to rent a boat to make the lake vacation complete. Beautiful neighborhood and scenery all around.

Fantastic Location and overall experience

Home is well located being lake-front and in the Water's Edge Country Club neighborhood. Home is beautifully decorated and cavernous in size. Activities and possibilities abound. Be sure to bring your own iron/board if looking to iron clothing.

The house was amazing - great place to relax with family.

Unfortunately the weekend we booked was the tail end of hurricane Ian so the weather was rough except for the last day. The good news is this house has so many nice amenities that the time flew by and everyone had a great time even though we didn’t get to utilize the lake very much. Highly recommend!

WOW!! Just in case you didn’t understand that word from the title, but that was the first thing I thought when we drove up to “The Castle”. It was also the first thing we all said when we walked into the house. There were 6 adult men staying for 3 nights & not one time did any of us feel like we didn’t have space to stretch out or we were sitting on top of each other. The only room that wasn’t used by us was the attic. The guy that stayed in the 2nd floor master bedroom said he felt like he was staying in a VERY NICE hotel room. If you are reading this review, just stop reading here. Go ahead & book this house for your dates. When you arrive, carry something inside with you to go ahead & claim that bedroom!! You won’t regret it I promise!! The kitchen is unreal!! Let me just go ahead & say this; pictures do this house no justice. When you see the house in person, you will agree with me. Cooking in this kitchen was so easy & they have so many utensils on hand!! You shouldn’t need to bring anything with you. The 2 fridges in the garage were very necessary as well!! And let me tell you, when you sit down to eat at the beautiful table they have you can almost close your eyes & see yourself wanting to be there with all of your family for Thanksgiving. It’s HUGE!! I loved the deck on the main level as well. It’s a very nice spot to hang out overlooking the cove, not to mention the gas grill available for use!! The elevator is an amazing thing in this house as well. Follow the specific instructions given & you will NOT go wrong!! I slept in the downstairs bedroom which was very secluded away from the rest of the house. It’s located below the main floor master bedroom so you aren’t hearing any noise from above you unless someone is in that room. If you have a large crowd staying at the house I would put the late night sleep in people in that room. It’s adjacent to all the fun things to do in the basement & also the lower level deck which leads out to the boathouse & dock. Everyone else slept on the 2nd floor. They all slept very nicely & said the beds were comfortable. Having linen & towels to use in the house was a HUGE plus!! That made things nice by not having to carry everything with you when you need room for important things such as beer & wine!! We loved “The Castle” & we look forward to going back again!! The hosts are top notch people that helped me right away if I had a question about anything!! Thank you so much!!

Great house and property. For the 12 family members that came we had lots of room and lots of fun. The property also has good access to the lake which we enjoyed as well.

We thoroughly enjoyed this lake home. We had three families come for a reunion and it was a great spot for a large gathering. While much of the home is well-decorated and well acquainted, I would say we had a few disappointments in that there were several things that need updating given the very steep rental price. These items include the dock lounge chairs, tables and chairs outdoors on the basement deck patio, pots and pans, the blender, other kitchen utensils, some of the bedding,etc. Additionally, the internet was sporadic at best and all televisions are connected through the internet making the stormy days a little frustrating for those of us who wanted a movie day. Finally, the air condition was not working upstairs and the exterior windows need cleaning. Otherwise, a great visit and beautiful home.

Accommodations were great! Kitchen well stocked. Spacious and well kept. Bonus room was enormous. We had a wonderful time!

My husband and I and another couple stayed here for a week and it was amazing! The pictures and description pale in comparison to the real thing. We loved having a private dock for the boat and jet ski we rented. We have found our new favorite place!

Relax, reconnect and refresh! We managed to do that all in one week. The house had EVERYTHING we needed to have the perfect family vacation.

It was good. We did have ants in the kitchen. Also, if you are going to advertise that you have fishing gear, you need to have some. There was very little usable fishing equipment.

We were two extended families of good friends, our kids, and their significant others. With the group being 12 adults, it was perfect for 6 couples. The picture in the VRBO app was accurate as it is a lovely house. The property is well maintained and like most lots on the lake there is a steep hill down to the functional dock. The kayaks were fun to use but the weather this weekend was not great for doing much on the water. Some in our group took advantage of the 10 bicycles on the hilly roads in the neighborhood. We all enjoyed a family vs family cornhole tournament with the new set that is there. We took pleasure in playing pool and ping pong, as well as having a spirited game of Texas Hold ‘‘em with the poker set that is provided and poker table. The kitchen had plenty of room for several chefs and though we experienced a couple of hiccups with some missing kitchen items, the owner was very quick to remedy those issues quickly. All the adult bedrooms were very comfortable and the HVAC system handled the changing weather. There is plenty of outdoor deck area facing the lake, and the lush trees provide a surprising feeling of privacy in the inlet of the lake where it is located. Not being able to see the dock was not a problem for our group, but if you have children make a point to have an adult attend to any dockside activities. The nearest grocery stores are about 20-30 minutes away, but the extra 2 full size refrigerators in the garage allow for a large purchase to be handled with ease. The neighborhood is beautiful and provides a safe walking or bike riding venue without having to go onto the main street. There is a nice elevator that reaches the 3 main floors but you have to find the staircase to the 4th floor play room.

Had a beautiful weekend celebrating our daughters 19th birthday as well as Easter. CR Infused Catering handled ALL of our meals (for 15 people) from Thursday thru Sunday. And they were fabulous and very easy to work with. The owners of this beautiful home was extremely helpful and easy to work with as well. Nice large kitchen, plenty of room for everyone…..none of us felt cramped up in any way. Had a great time playing games in the front yard, rode bikes, kayaked….and just hung out on the deck. Game room was very much enjoyed by everyone. Overall …..outstanding vacation. Will def be returning!

Fantastic home on a quiet cove on Smith Lake. Plenty of room for 10 adults, 3 children, and 1 baby. The lower level game room was setup for late night parties - gaming table, ping pong table, pool table, and refrigerator/bar area. First floor great room included kitchen (two dishwashers), two dining tables, and living room. Second floor included 4 bedrooms. Third floor kids enjoyed the stage while young adults played video games. The house included two and a half refrigerators in the garage, one in the kitchen, and one in lower level - ample room for a weeks groceries. We skipped rocks from the dock and did some kayaking. This property is not near restaurants and supermarkets so plan ahead to avoid long drives for groceries.

Our group of 9 guys came to Smith Mountain Lake to wake surf, kayak, boat, and enjoy all the boat-accessible businesses. SML had everything we were looking for! The water is perfect for water sports. There are plenty of restaurants and bars and activities to choose from and all accessible by boat. We only needed to drive our car to go to the grocery store. This house was perfect for our group! It is built very well and has a great floor plan for entertaining and spending time with friends and family. The house came stocked to meet all our kitchen needs… all we had to do was bring food. The house also came with a game room, fishing poles & tackle boxes, bikes & scooters, and kayaks & a SUP. We had plenty of activities to keep ourselves busy during our stay. The Owners did a great job putting together a welcome packet which included their recommendations for restaurants, bars, and activities which came in handy since this was our 1st time visiting SML. We definitely recommend this place for your group and hope to come back ourselves sometime in the future!

Beautiful home. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Beautiful Property. Code to unlock front door on arrival did not work. Cleaning people were still there and got us in the house with a different code that we used all week. Main bedroom shower drain clogged up and I took cover off and cleaned out hairy mess. Shower for room with bunk beds could not get hot water - faucet did not work properly. All fishing gear at house was messed up but we brought our own. Walk from house to dock is steeper than anticipated. We had a good time because we are a family who just enjoys being together and we rented a pontoon boat and lake is beautiful. Thought furniture in main living room was worn out and carpet is stained dirty. Overall the rental was not up to what I expected for the price I paid. Also property is so remote that there is not anything within a handy distance.

Our stay at The Castle in June was great. The house is as advertised on the VRBO site. Plenty of space for our family get together. Our favorites were the kitchen, the second level deck, the game room and the dock. Kitchen was large and well stocked and roomy enough for too many cooks not to run into each other all the time. We enjoyed the deck all week - coffee in the AM, meals, happy hours and winding down at night. We used the gas grill on the deck all week and it was nice to have a direct gas line from the house so we did not have to worry about running out when cooking. The game room was a big hit with everyone, especially the ping pong table. And of course hanging out on the dock by the water looking out at Smith Mountain was great. We also took advantage of the paddle board, kayaks, fishing poles and bikes. Was nice not to have to pack "toys" like that on a trip for a change. We were able to tie up our boat easily to the floating dock all week. Loved the ice makers and extra refrigerators to help us keep everything cold. A couple of bedrooms could have used dressers for clothes storage, but very minor nit-pick considering everything else the house has to offer. The homeowners were excellent to deal with. Prompt responses to questions, easy check in and check out process (including local greeter when we arrived), reset the WiFi modem when we were having trouble with signals in the house (and it fixed the issue!), etc. Entire process was very smooth. Would not hesitate to rent The Castle from them again if we venture to SML for another vacation in the future. Thanks for a great stay!!

Callands-Gretna Castle in Penhook is a beautiful home with all the amenities you can ask for. Had a great time with friends and family. Made use of the Kayaks and bikes.

Relaxing break with family and friends, had all we needed, just like advertised. Thank you for sharing your house with us.

We really enjoyed our stay! The house was perfect for us - 2 families (all adults), spacious kitchen (we cook a lot) that is well-equipped and has two ice makers. There is lots of space in the house to hangout and the walk to the dock is short. Docking a rental boat was easy and we had fun with the kayaks and paddle board. We also rode the bikes. We took full-advantage of everything the house/dock had to offer and it was a great week!

We had a great time. Top floor playroom with stage was great. Boat house very good with wide swimming area, shade, and furniture. Kayaks and paddle board included were great! Lots of kitchen space. A couple appliances and kitchen cabinets could use a refresh.

Wonderful place to stay for our family vacation. Grand kids ages 5-8 loved it. We barely left the water.

Beautiful house. Wonderful week.