The Coolest Airbnb in Connecticut (Conde Nast Traveler 2021) The barn is a perfect retreat. Ideal for those looking to take a break from city life or those working remotely. Would also make for a lovely place to call home while you are selling or renovating your own home. Couples, two good friends, singles, or a family with an older child will enjoy the configuration. It will also make for a lovely getaway for a couple with a newborn. Welcome to the River Barn in Essex, Connecticut: A Small Town Where History Lives On (NYT July 2019). Follow us at @riverbarnct for exciting updates and promotions! The fabulous post and beam historic barn has been converted into a chic living space. Gorgeous wide plank floors throughout. It offers 2 bedrooms (one of which can be used as an office for those working remotely), 2 full baths, dreamy fireplace, eat in kitchen and a first floor laundry room. Wonderful private level yard once a pasture with wood railed fence surrounding it. There is also a brand new deck off of the lower level for outdoor lounging & dining. We are not your typical Airbnb - we offer all of our guests premium products to use during their stay including organic hair & body products by Meraki, organic tea selection by Big Heart Tea, local coffee by Deep River Roasters, room sprays and reed diffusers by P.F. Candle Company and much, much more! WORKING REMOTELY - the barn can be configured as a 1 bedroom & home office with a comfortable writers desk and chair. The office door shuts allowing for a quiet place to take calls. We also have high speed internet that will support video conferencing. Come work a few days or stay a month taking advantage of your new remote office! COOKING CONNOISSEURS - this barn is for you! As a trained chef, we've taken pride in stocking the kitchen with cooking equipment that you'll enjoy using. We also have a BBQ and Breeo firepit in the backyard that can be used for outdoor cooking & grilling. Here is some additional information about what you can look forward to working with in the kitchen during your stay: - Thomas Keller Signature Collection by Cangshan Knives - Nostalgia Microwave - Toaster - 4 qt & 7 qt Dutch Oven - All-Clad Pans - Ninja Food Processor & Blender - Krups Waffle Maker - Bodum Tea Kettle - Bodum French Press & Coffee Grinder - Nespresso Espresso - Laguiole Flatwear - Pottery Barn Dishes - Bread Pans - Serving Platters & Bowls - Various Sized Baking Sheets - Various Sized Cutting Boards - Hand Mixer - Large Roasting Pan - Full Spice Rack - Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper Please note for all guest: we are happy to arrange for the refrigerator and pantry to be stocked during your stay for an additional fee. We are also can receive deliveries via Instacart. Interested parties, please inquire during your request to book. CELEBRATIONS / WEDDINGS We are believers in celebrating life! We welcome anyone that is celebrating a special occasion at the River Barn (limited to 10 people, note: only 4 overnight guests allowed) and can lend a hand in making suggestions or arrangements for unique gifts, balloons, decor, floral arrangements or speciality desserts through our local relationships. We have a non-refundable $500 event fee that will be charged upon booking (this includes bridal parties using the space to get ready in). Please inquire for more information. OTHER THINGS TO NOTE Please thoroughly review our House Rules. LOCATION The barn sits right next to Route 154, a busy road with a speed limit of 30 mph. This does not affect the privacy you will experience at the barn but we want to make sure all visitors are aware of the location before booking and know there will be car noise with windows open or while outside. CHILDREN The stair railings and railings along the second floor are not suitable for small children. Non-crawling infants or children over the age of 6 are welcome. SPRING /SUMMER MAINTENANCE If you are booked to stay spring - fall please know that our landscaping crew will be tending to the lawn (typically on Fridays but dependent on weather) so please plan accordingly. FIREWOOD The fireplace, fire pit & grill are provided for those that are comfortable operating and experienced in doing so. For the convenience of our guests we have provided firewood & starters onsite for purchase. Your first fire is on us! TRASH & RECYCLING Long term guests only: trash & recycling cans will need to be taken to end of driveway on Wednesday evenings for weekly trash/recycling pickup, please plan accordingly. PETS We will make the occasional exception for dogs. If you have a registered support animal please let us know. To be considered, we will want to know that your pet is very seasoned at traveling and you have the reviews to support it. No long term stays with pets please. Note: we charge an additional non-refundable pet fee of $250 per reservation. BIKES We currently do not have bikes available but you are welcome to bring your own. We have a shed with a keyed lock that they can be stored in. EV CHARGING We currently do not have EV charging available at the barn. There are chargers located behind the post office in the Village of Essex. COVID PROTOCOL We are vigilant in our cleanliness standards and send Covid related mandatory rules with check-in details. Between each guest stay the house will be deep cleaned and contactless entry is available via a keypad. If you have additional concerns or questions related to Covid please message us and we'd be happy to discuss in more detail. To learn more about the River Barn visit our website or follow us at @riverbarnct. You will have access to the entire property including the fenced in backyard. We live nearby and are always happy to help you navigate your trip. Please view our website or follow us at @riverbarnct for more suggestions and ideas on activities in the area. The barn is a short walk (.8 Miles/15 Minutes) or very quick bike ride to the Main Street in Essex Village. The village offers shops and restaurants, including our favorite, Olive Oyls and the well-known Griswold Inn. Other nearby attractions include the Essex Steam Train and Riverboat in Centerbrook and the Connecticut River Museum. The barn is also conveniently located to other attractions such as East Haddam's Gillette Castle, Old Saybrook's Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, downtown Chester and Ivoryton Playhouse. There are several nearby beaches including Harvey's, Clinton, Madison, Hammonasett & Rocky Neck State Parks. Please visit our website for more information on some of our personal favorites. The Barn sits on Route 154, a popular route for cyclists and is a short walk (.8 Miles/15 Minutes) to the charming village of Essex. 2 hours to Boston/NYC. NEW YORK The Amtrak train from neighboring town of Old Saybrook (8 minutes) to Penn Station in Manhattan takes about two hours and 15 minutes. Shore Line East trains run regularly from Old Saybrook and Westbrook to New Haven, where you can catch Metro-North to Grand Central. The ride takes two to three hours; depending on the time of travel. Driving the roughly 110 miles to Manhattan on Interstate 95 can take up to three hours, depending on traffic. BOSTON Boston is approximately 124 miles or 2 hours driving time depending on time of day and traffic. Absolutely NO parties or smoking allowed. Guests will be subjected to a $500 fine if house rules are violated. The River Barn does have a Nest video camera which is located on the front side of the barn facing the entry and driveway. This camera is a motion sensitive recording device and operational 24/7/365. The host has access to the camera and the video recordings at all times via the Nest app. There are no cameras inside the home.