Gwynn’s Island Cottage on the Chesapeake Bay

Gwynn’s Island Cottage is a charmed waterfront cottage with panoramic views of the water and its own private beach on the Chesapeake Bay. Located in quaint Mathews County, Virginia, our modest Cottage sleeps 4 guests in 2 bedrooms. With expansive views of the water from inside the Cottage, the deck, lawn or beach, guests have easy access to the water, bird life, boating activity, and best of all, sunsets over the water.
Just a few steps down from the Cottage is our small, private beach: it is entirely on our property (not shared or community). Guests can swim, fish, crab, paddle board, kayak, float on a raft, lounge or just enjoy an adult beverage. We have beach chairs, kayaks, a stand up paddleboard, crab nets and pot, floats and rafts, and more free for our guests. Hills Bay is clean, shallow, sandy-bottomed, with little current or tow like the ocean, so it’s perfect for children and explorers alike. Guests can fish from the beach or from kayaks and catch drum, trout, rockfish, croaker, spot and flounder. The crab pot or the long handled nets allow guests to catch crabs when they are in season. After a quick rinse in the outdoor shower after your day on the beach, guests can use the charcoal grill for cooking up the day’s catch or fresh seafood from the nearby market. And then to enjoy that sunset…
In our Shed for our guests to use: 2 kayaks (single and double), stand up paddleboard, paddles, life preservers of all sizes, beach chairs, rafts and noodles, a crab pot and 3 nets, Weber grill, grilling utensils and charcoal, Solo stove, croquet set, camp chairs and table, a pup tent, and a tree hammock. There is also 3 bikes, a bike pump, bike helmet and combo lock so guests can explore Gwynn’s Island on bikes.
Gwynn’s Island is not only quaint and historic, but a nature refuge. Guests spot dolphins, blue herons, bald eagles, white tundra swans, marsh hawks, ducks including buffleheads, loons, osprey, seagulls, sandpipers and more, depending on the season.
We are a pet-friendly! Our pup guests enjoy the beach with its shallow, clean water. Our outdoor shower and the hose help them to rinse off after some water play; we also provide doggie towels. We own the small woods next door where our four legged guests can be walked and “get their sniffs on.”