Bella Vista Holiday Family Gatherings in Coastal Maryland!

This is the best VRBO rental I’ve ever stayed at. The house is clean, beautifully decorated and totaled stocked with all the essentials. We loved sitting by the gorgeous, heated pool or soaking in the hot tub. And the view of the river was amazing. The outdoor space gave us so many seating areas to enjoy the sunset over the Elk River. Gretchen, our host couldn’t have been kinder or more accommodating. Everything was in good condition and working. We had 8 people in our group and we all had enough space, plus the kitchen worked beautifully for our meal prep with every appliance we needed. Loved it and will definitely return.

What a beautiful house and incredible location. Some of the best sunsets I have seen. Check in was easy and communication was quick and helpful. We will definitely return.

Loved the property. The views are amazing - so much light! Very well stocked and well equipped for a family gathering. We appreciated the multiple en suite rooms and enjoyed the hot tub. Our only issue was the 3 upstairs sleeping areas - they’d be great for kids, but the ceilings were low for our tall adults, and the 3rd area up there with the 2 twin beds is a hallway, not a proper room. The photos are accurate, we just didn’t quite take it in when we booked. In the end we made it work and had a great stay!

Beautiful location! Everything we needed was in the house. Plenty of space to spread out as well as lots of options to have a family dinner together. You can’t beat watching the sunsets from the deck!

Our second stay at Bella Vista and we're already thinking about our third! The property is like a mini-resort, and other than going for groceries or a couple of dinners out in Chesapeake City, we spent all our time watching the boats and the beautiful sunsets, swimming in the pool, and relaxing. Gretchen is a gracious and responsive host, and she has stocked the house with everything you need.

This is the third time we have stayed at Bella Vista and it continues to be my family's favorite vacation/reunion venue. The house is perfect for us - plenty of space. The deck over looking the Elk River is perfect for the gorgeous sunsets. And the pool meets everyone's needs. But the host -- Gretchen Koch -- is fantastic. She has thought of everything one could need or want. She makes sure the house is in move in and start living condition. She is an extraordinary host. We love Bella Vista.

This is the second time we have stayed at Bellavista. This time, however, it was the week between Christmas and New Years and we enjoyed staying at Bellavista just as much if not more than our initial July 2024 visit. Gretchen Koch is a phenomenal host to work with. She makes sure everything is perfect. How she managed to arrange for the stunning sunsets at Bellavista is beyond me. We look forward to staying at Bellavista again this summer.

We had a relaxing, much-needed vacation at Bella Vista and couldn't have asked for a better location or house. Gretchen was wonderful keeping us informed of local events, but we were happy to just enjoy the house and pool and the amazing views of the river. The house was very well provisioned and included all the basics (and extra stars for the ice maker!). We are looking forward to staying again next summer.

My family just finished a week in this one of a kind home on the Elk River. The property was everything and more than we expected. The pool kept the little ones busy and the sunsets on the deck kept the grownups happy. We had plenty of room to spread out in this fully equipped gorgeous home. Gretchen Koch was great to work with. There should be a category higher than Premier Host for Gretchen. We hope to return next summer!

My family and I recently stayed at this beautiful home. It was exactly what I was looking for...a beautiful, large, comfortable home on the water where my husband and I could spend time with our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughters. It was so nice to disconnect from our busy home lives (& devices) and embrace being together. We spent the majority of our time swimming in the beautiful pool, fishing from the dock, relaxing in the hot tub and watching the boats go by. The sunsets were some of the most beautiful we had ever seen. Chesapeake City was a short drive away and we enjoyed visiting some of the quaint shops and had some delicious meals. The owner, Gretchen, is a lovely person who provided so much information before we even arrived. She met us when we arrived and showed us around. I thought that was so nice, had never had owner/host do that. It was such a personal touch. Cannot wait till we can return to visit this peace of paradise on the Elk River. Thank you Gretchen 💗