Entire home

4 bedroom luxury home on a quiet canal on St Johns River

Photo gallery for 4 bedroom luxury home on a quiet canal on St Johns River

Living area
Covered boathouse. A great place to spend time on a rainy day.
Property grounds
Interior
Terrace/patio

Reviews

9.6 out of 10
Exceptional
4 bedrooms2 bathroomsSleeps 10223.0 sq m

Popular amenities

  • Parking available
  • Dryer
  • Fireplace
  • Kitchen
  • Washer
  • Barbecue grill

Explore the area

Map
Welaka, FL
  • Welaka Spring
    ‪14 min walk‬
  • 40 Acre Park
    ‪7 min drive‬
  • Dunns Creek State Park
    ‪13 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

4 bedrooms (sleeps 10)

Bedroom 1

1 King Bed

Bedroom 2

1 Queen Bed

Bedroom 3

1 Queen Bed

Bedroom 4

2 Single Beds

2 bathrooms

Bathroom 4

Owners suite bathroom

Towels provided · Toilet · Jetted bathtub · Hair dryer

Spaces

Deck or patio
Porch or lanai
Kitchen
Separate dining area
Outdoor play area
Garden
Dining area

About this property

4 bedroom luxury home on a quiet canal on St Johns River

A great home for a multitude of purposes, such as wedding parties, fishing groups, family reunions, two couples vacationing together, and many more. Why do you ask? This private home is unique because it has a huge master bedroom suite and because of its location it is accessible by water to the St. Johns River, Glen Springs, Welaka Springs, water-front docking dining, fishing, boat slips, fish-cleaning station, covered boat house with outside lounge/sun/shade areas; and not to mention the space that all can enjoy comfortably inside as well.
I have a concierge on-site in the guest house to answer all your questions and remedy any problems.

Location by Boat
Location is about one thousand feet of canal travel to direct access to the St. John's River, which is about 3 minutes from the river. Then, it is 5 minutes to Welaka Springs, 10 minutes to Ocklawaha River, 30-45 minutes to Glen Springs, and 15 minutes from the riverfront dining Renegade's. Rent my pontoon boat for $150 per day or bring your own boat. There is parking for 4 boats. There is also parking for 3-4 boat trailers.

Location by Walking
Across the street is a small park to walk your pets and see a beautiful sunset over the St. John's River.

Location by Driving
Free ice at 223 Sportsman Drive, 1-minute drive.
Restaurants & Bars: "Shrimps R Us" and "Log Cabin", 3 minutes, "Renegade's" on the water. All three usually have live entertainment on weekends, 4-10 minutes on Highway 309.

Fishing
Catch fish off the dock as most people catch more fish from the dock than they catch from the boat. You can clean your fresh caught fish in the fish cleaning station equipped with a sink and running water.

Boat Slips
You can bring up to two twenty-four-foot boats to dock in your backyard.

Outside Area
There is an outside private 12'x50' waterfront dock with lots of seating and a large sunshade and dining area. The 12'x30' screened porch has two comfortable Tommy Bahama wicker chairs and a Tommy Bahama comfortable wicker couch. There is a glass dining table that seats four. The water view and easy access to the backyard and dock area make for a great social gathering.

Private Parking
The driveway can park nine cars. Trailers are allowed.

Inside the Separate Owner's Guest House Suite


Inside the Main House
16 years ago, this home was custom-built as a vacation home for a multi-millionaire, and its true quality shows. Guests are sure to enjoy a memorable vacation in this fully furnished, four-bedroom/2-bath home.

Bedrooms
The main/master bedroom has a king-sized bed, while the remaining two rooms are each furnished with queen-sized beds, dressers, chests, and nightstands and are comfortable for two people in each bedroom. The fourth bedroom has two twin beds.

Living Room
The large living room is furnished with extremely comfortable furniture. I have just replaced the couch and loveseat with ones that have four reclining seats. An excellent setting to watch a 72-inch big-screen TV with Amazon Prime and Netflix.
Board games and an assortment of reading materials are available for book exchange.

The Kitchen
The kitchen is equipped with luxury appliances, dishes, accessories, gadgets, pots, and pans that a gourmet chef could ask for. The kitchen is perfect for informal dining with a four-person breakfast bar and high-top chairs. There is a semi-formal dining room that seats eight or more when you add leaves to the table.
There is a gas and charcoal grill that will please the most particular griller.

Property manager

James Koestering
Premier Host

Languages

English

Add dates for prices

Amenities

Kitchen
Washer
Dryer
Pet-friendly
Free WiFi
Air conditioning

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House Rules

Check in after 4:00 PM
Check out before 11:00 AM
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Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17
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Events

Events allowed: family gatherings, birthday parties, weddings
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Pets

Pets allowed: less than 23 kg per pet (limit 2 pets total)
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Smoking

Smoking allowed: in designated areas
Smoking allowed outside only.
If you use the fish cleaning sink, you clean the fish cleaning sink and area, Do not throw fish guts in the canal, put them in the river
It is discouraged to allow pets to be left alone in house or in yard.
If you must leave a pet alone, the pet must be put in your cage or my cage which is in the laundry room, There is a radio to play music for the pet,

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Parties and events (including family gatherings, birthday parties and weddings) are allowed on site. Maximum attendees: 25
Long-term renters welcome
This property uses solar energy
Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit and a deadlock

We should mention

A car is required for transport to and from this property

About the area

Welaka

Located in Welaka, this holiday home is on the waterfront. Ravine Gardens State Park and Palatka Municipal Golf Course are worth checking out if an activity is on the agenda, while those looking for area attractions can visit Welaka National Fish Hatchery Aquarium and Willard Hazen Ball Park. Discover the area's water adventures with scuba diving, snorkelling and waterskiing nearby, or enjoy the great outdoors with horse riding.
Map
Welaka, FL

What's nearby

  • Welaka Spring - 14 min walk - 1.2 km
  • Welaka Town Hall - 3 min drive - 1.7 km
  • 40 Acre Park - 7 min drive - 4.0 km
  • Dunns Creek State Park - 13 min drive - 12.6 km
  • Silver Glen Springs Recreation - 53 min drive - 39.1 km

Getting around

  • Palatka Station - 27 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Log Cabin Bar & Package - ‬19 min walk
  • ‪River Pub Italian Grill - ‬11 min drive
  • ‪Subway - ‬13 min drive
  • ‪Mema's Family Restaurant - ‬11 min drive
  • ‪Pomona Park Pizza - ‬13 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is 4 bedroom luxury home on a quiet canal on St Johns River pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows pets (limit 2 total) with a maximum weight of up to 23 kg per pet.

What time is check-in at 4 bedroom luxury home on a quiet canal on St Johns River?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at 4 bedroom luxury home on a quiet canal on St Johns River?

Checkout is at 11:00 AM.

Where is 4 bedroom luxury home on a quiet canal on St Johns River located?

This family-friendly Welaka holiday home is located on the waterfront, within 1 mi (2 km) of Welaka Spring and Welaka Town Hall. Welaka National Fish Hatchery Aquarium and Ocala National Forest are also within 3 miles (5 km).

Reviews

9.6

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 146 out of 173 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 21 out of 173 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 2 out of 173 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 3 out of 173 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 173 reviews

9.4/10

Cleanliness

9.8/10

Check-in

9.8/10

Communication

9.8/10

Location

9.6/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Laura R.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great rental

Thanks for everything!
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Johnette M.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Serene getaway

This house is truly a home away from home. The jacuzzi bathtub was awesome!! So relaxing, I got it in once but my husband got in twice! This place is huge with 4 really nice size bedrooms. And the dock is very spacious as well. I will definitely come back here with more family next time and rent the available pontoon boat. Loved, loved, loved this place!
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Mary Z.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

What a gem

Great property in a quiet neighborhood. On site concierge was awesome. Even had a pontoon boat on site for our use. Will definitely be back again.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Robert R.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Relaxing

Went down three weeks to go the daytona 500 and bike week, Great riding in the area.Came back to relax and nice setting on the St Johns River Canal.
Stayed 21 nights in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Deborah B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Nice rural location

The property was as described, and very comfortable. Close neighbors, so need to be cognizant of excessive noise . Had a great two weeks there.
Stayed 13 nights in Feb 2025

8/10 Good

Tim A.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Good place

Great location to explore
Stayed 5 nights in Jan 2025

10/10 Excellent

Alena C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Fishing Stay

Property was conveniently located for our fishing tournament.
Stayed 5 nights in Dec 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jerri M.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Nice weekend getaway!

This home worked well for our group. We ended up renting a pontoon boat elsewhere because the one onsite had no bimini top to shade us from the sun, but we thoroughly enjoyed fishing from the dock at the property. Easy access to St. John's River
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2024

10/10 Excellent

Stephanie P.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Shrimpcation

The place was perfect for our family. We loved our little oasis away from home. We will definitely be coming back
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2024

10/10 Excellent

Janet A.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great weekend getaway for a group!

We did a group fishing trip with 8 friends. Didn’t catch any fish but had a great time. Well stocked kitchen, plenty of room, nice outdoor area with grill.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2024

8/10 Good

Cindy D.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location

No hot tub

Overall our stay was enjoyable but we were disappointed when we arrived and the hot tub they advertised was the jacuzzi tub in the master bath. There are a few things that need to be updated.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2024

8/10 Good

Heather K.

Liked: Check-in, location, listing accuracy

Friend stay

T
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Nicole B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great stay on the water

We loved this place so much. It is great for group venue. It is very clean and very spacious. We will stay there again for sure!!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Chris G.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great getaway

We had a fantastic time - house was great, very nice location and everything made it feel very comfortable and homey for us. Thank you!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jessica G.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great area

We stay in this area a lot. This house was very nice and set up great. My only recommendation is that the lawn be cut before arrival (I know it’s hard being in Florida and grass growing so quickly) but it was high and scary for snakes. Overall great stay!
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Mark D F.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful relaxing weekend

More amenities than expected. Wish we had more time to enjoy all that is available. Even extras that we wouldn't need like high chair and kids games and movies. Wish there were small steps to get to the dock for elders. Surprise suggestion to 4th of July golf cart water gun parade. Glad we were prepared. Will have to return with more time and maybe cooler weather.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

jeremy g.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Fathers day trip

Easy to get to by water, with deep water canal. 20 mile ride by boat to glenn springs. Large driveway with plenty of room for boat trailers. We had a 21 foot and 27 foot boat and both fit fine.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Amy H.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Short stay

Overall the property was very nice. Beds were comfortable, kitchen had everything you need to cook and then some. Dock was very nice and relaxing. Our kids fished off the dock and loved all the games there was for them to play. Only thing i would say that could have been better is house keeping needs to clean bathroom cabinets and drawers there was hair in bottom of master cabinet. Wasn't that big of a deal for us because we didn't store anything in there but just a suggestion since you may get picker guest who it would bother. Thnaks for sharing your place we enjoyed our stay while we visited with our family in Palatka.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jill M.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Very nice

We enjoyed the property very much! We had a few minor issues The TV is not user friendly, the free apps that you have posted are no where on the TV There was a cookie sheet with old molded food on it in the oven Your concierge came home drunk as hell one night and could barely get her golf cart into the garage without my boys help! Thank you for the use of your house!
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2024

8/10 Good

jeff g.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful

Property was awesome. Great price for the location. There was a person renting the cottage on the same property ,she called herself the concierge Was not told about her (karen ,for sure) Was in our business as soon as one of the guests arived. She was very demanding that we do what she said ,where to park and put our trailers ,( this house is on the ST Johns River) So we had brought our Jet skis. She was bitter from the get go. I meet up with friends for different areas and had 4 cars and she diddent like it.(o well) I hope the owner reads this and adress it so other renters dont have to put up with her like we did. We ignored her for the most part. We paid for an extra day but left early anyway.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Samantha N.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Memorial Weekend

We had yet another great stay for Memorial weekend. Second year in a row!
Stayed 4 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Hayley K.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Good

Good
Stayed 3 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Scott S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Perfect for a large family.

My family stayed at this property for a wedding. It held the 10 of us comfortably, and was in a perfect spot to get around town quickly. It’s near the restaurants and dollar general so quick runs for forgotten items were easily taken care of.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Laresa B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Family Fishing trip

Overall the property was good. The grass needed cutting because it was high but other than that we were fine with it. The house met all our needs and we had ample room for everyone. We will rent the property again if it’s available on the dates we return. We were able to pull our boats up to the dock and use for easy access to the river. Check in and check out was easy. If all our party showed up as expected, parking would have been an issue with the trucks and trailers but it wasn’t. Two trucks with two trailers was ok. But if we had had the other two trucks and trailers, we would have had to regroup on the parking situation.
Stayed 6 nights in Apr 2024

4/10 Poor

Nell B.

Liked: Communication, listing accuracy
Disliked: Cleanliness, check-in

Not ready

The house was not cleaned when we arrived after check in time. The owner was going to send someone over. But after about an hour or so, we were feeling uncomfortable so I called the owner and told him we weren’t staying. Our charges were returned and it worked out for the best! It looked to be a perfect place for fishing and a boys trip!
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023

About the host

Hosted by James Koestering

Host profile image
I am 71 years old and recently divorced. I have been a custom home builder in Minneapolis for the past 38 years and retired to Florida in October 2016. I bought this house and another smaller house. I travel the world a lot, My last trip before the vires was a 1-month trip traveling in Madagascar followed by a 75-day safari traveling 1500 kilometers' thru Africa, Tent camping on the plains with the wild animals' It was an epic adventure of a lifetime. My next trip will be traveling the Amazon River. For many years I had a vacation house on the Mississippi River that I rented weekly on HomeAway, we always had a 5-star rating. You will find that this home has a 5 star rating when you get here. I enjoy fishing and traveling, I have a large woodworking shop that I like to putter in.
I now have a girlfriend, Donna, and she helps me with my VRBO.

Why they chose this property

When we lived in Minneapolis my wife and I took vacations to many areas of Texas, California, Arizona, Alabama, and Florida looking for a perfect blend of nature viewing, snorkeling and sport fishing. We found it here. When the shrimp are running you can net them right in the backyard. The backyard faces east so you have the morning sun rather than the hot afternoon sun in the backyard. There is a large grass yard on the side yard to play games. I also have a croquet set and other sports equipment that you can use. You will find more things to do than you will have time to do them so, stay for a longer time.

What makes this property unique

We are next to the Welaka Springs and occasionally get manatees right at the dock. A while ago I came out to the dock and there was a manatee floating next to the dock, I thought it had died so I went over and touched it and it rolled over and a baby popped up. I left so she could nurse in peace. You get the morning sunrise in the back of the house and the sunset over the river and the park in front of the house. You are just a 4–5-minute canal ride and you are in the St Johns River. It is a very quiet location as one neighbor is in their 90's and the other is in a nursing home. The house was an extra wide double wide mobile home, but it is the finest quality made. It was originally built as a summer home for a multi-millionaire. There is a covered boat house and when it rains it's a great place to fish and listen to the rain on the metal roof. The canal is 8-9 foot deep so it's great for fishing right off the dock. You do not need a fishing license to fish off the dock in Florida. There is a huge sunshade on the dock, so you can fish in the shade. There is a screened-in porch in the back of the entire house that is in the shade after 11:00AM.

Languages:

English

Premier Host

They consistently provide great experiences for their guests