The Resort

Vacation Rental Home Policies

These policies were created to meet the needs of both our vacationing guests and Coves owners. We thank you for taking the time to read, respect and understand our policies, we take great pride in providing you with clean, comfortable, well maintained, and well stocked homes for your enjoyment.

In order to ensure the continued quality of our homes, we ask that you print and read the rental agreement form link below, sign it, and mail, fax or email it back to us prior to your stay. You can also find this form in our Policy & Procedure Notebook located in each house. If you have any questions or concerns please contact us.

PDFPrintable Rental Agreement Form

Reservation Deposit: The Reservation Deposit is equal to one night's stay plus taxes in the house you have chosen and will be charged at the time of your booking. A valid credit card number will be kept on file to secure your reservation, security/cleaning deposits, tax, additional night's stay, any loss or damages, and beyond normal cleaning fees.

All remaining balances are due 30 days in advance of occupancy or immediately if the reservation is made within that time period. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express and Cash.

Cancellation Policy: Your reservation deposit is refundable, less a $50.00 cancellation fee, if canceled within 30 days prior to your scheduled arrival. No refunds are given if cancelled less than 30 days, unless we re-rent the home for the dates confirmed to you. If the home is re-rented, your deposit, less the $50.00 cancellation fee, will be returned to you. No refunds will be given for early departure.

Cleaning Fee: Cleaning fees are included in your rental rate. We reserve the right to charge you a full cleaning expense if you leave the home in a condition that requires a substantial amount of effort to get it back to top quality.

In order to prevent an additional cleaning fee, we ask that you care for our home as if it was your own. We ask you for the courtesy of striping the beds before you leave, gather all used towels with the sheets and place on a tile floor in the bathroom (please do not leave on wooden floors), remove all trash from under the sinks and bathroom (you can leave the trash at the public receptacle located near caretaker's office or inside the fenced propane tank area if staying at the Bluff House or River Condos). We would also appreciate it if you run a load in the dishwasher. We have left containers for recyclable materials.

Other cleaning fees may include a non-refundable pet deposit of $70 for in houses that allow pets. Any damages or loss to the property, by guests or pets, will be subject to the full retail price of the item being charged to your card.

Tax: Tax charges for Hotels, Vacation Rentals and RV Parks are 9% in Skamania County.

Check In/Out: Check in time to any of our homes is 4:00pm or later. Check out time is at 11:00am. Exceptions can be made depending on the rental schedule of the house you are in.

PLEASE NOTE: We require all guests to check in with our on-site caretaker; this is for our records as well as for your safety, so we know at all times who is on our property. If you have company visiting you during your stay, please either be sure to let our caretaker know when they will be arriving and the car they will be driving, or tell them to check in at the on-site office when they arrive. The office is located to the left as you enter the property.

Occupancy Limits: We currently have four homes that are available for renting, each home has a maximum amount of tenants allowed to stay in them:

  • The Riverhouse sleeps 4
  • The River View Condo West sleeps 6
  • The River View Condo East sleeps 6
  • The Bluff House sleeps 6

When signing the rental agreement, you agree to the limit of tenants in each home. If this limit is not respected, we have the right to cancel this agreement and any money paid by the tenant will be forfeited. There is to be no tents, campers, tent trailers or motor homes at the homes sites. We do have an RV park and guests are welcome to reserve space there if needed.

Liability: By signing this agreement form, you, the tenant, agree that The Resort at Skamania Coves is free and harmless from any liability for any claims, loss, damage or expenses arising by reason of any injury, death or property damage sustained by any person including yourself, your family, friends, and/or your guest where such injury, death, or property damage is caused by negligent or an intentional act.

The Resort at Skamania Coves is not and cannot be responsible for lost or stolen items. A $15 service charge and C.O.D. is required if you would like us to pick-up and mail any items left in the unit after you check out.

Use of Premises

Age Requirement: All tenants renting any of our homes, MUST be 25 year of age or older. There is no exception.

Security Codes for Gates and Houses: We give you the security code to access our property and our houses, although we change them after you check out, we trust that you will not share these numbers with others to ensure the safety of our property, our guests and yourself.

Smoking: There is NO Smoking in any of our houses. There is no exception. We ask if you must smoke that you do so in a respectful way to keep property clean and litter free, considerate of fire safety, and the comfort for all guests. There will be a $250 charge if someone smokes in the houses.

Noise Control: We respectfully ask that while staying in the Bluff House or either of the Condos that you keep late night noise to minimum to not interfere with other guests. Quiet time at The Coves is between 10:00am and 9:00pm, we would appreciate that all noise be moved inside during these hours. Outdoor music should only be played at a level that you can hear. Tenants are subject to immediate eviction and removal from the rental for the following infractions: 1) Smoking inside rental, 2) Unruly pets, 3) Number of occupants exceeds the number of contracted guests, 4) Complaints of noise, loud music, foul language, or otherwise disturbing of the peace. The entire amount of the rent and security/damage deposit fee will be forfeited if eviction occurs.

Fire Places and Pits:

  • The Riverhouse has an open, wood burning fire pit. Please use at your discretion and be considerate of property, fire safety and safety to others. All burning material MUST remain inside the stone walls of the fire pit, no exceptions. There are times when there is a no outside burning allowed in the gorge due to wind and dryness. A hose is nearby to be used when needed. There is a wood burning fireplace inside, please ONLY use Presto type logs - these burn clean, leave little ash, and are much safer for the old chimney to take.
  • The Bluff House and River View Condos have gas fireplaces, which are controlled by a remote. A gas operated fire pit is located in the lower SE section of the gravel drive. This is a shared pit, for all houses to use and share. It can only be turned on and off by the caretaker of the property.

Access to the Coves and Woods: The bonus for staying at The Resort at Skamania Coves, is the Coves! All tenants have access to the use of all the beach front coves along our property, with exception to the private beach front at the Riverhouse. Please note that unless prearranged, the Coves are to be shared by all tenants at all times. The Coves include:

  • The Side Cove - what you first see when you head down to the Coves. This is a long narrow, usually shaded Cove. It is perfect for multiple family use.
  • The Private Cove - with a tiny secluded beach and sitting area, this is great spot for a small family, or close friends.
  • The Main Cove - with a large lawn excellent for family gatherings and games, bring your Frisbees, beach balls, bad mitten net, etc.

There are a wood burning fire pits along each Cove, please keep all burnable materials in the pit. During the dry hot time of year and during very windy days/nights fires are not allowed. Note, a fine of $150 will be charge for all inappropriate use of any of the fire pits.

There are five acres of woods to explore. We are in the process of building trails, and would recommend that you not venture into the woods until this is complete. If you must be one with nature, the trees, ferns, and trillium flowers, please be warned that poison oak is alive a well everywhere.

Amenities & Damages: Each of our houses are stocked full with things you need to help make your stay feel like home. We have taken an inventory of all items; this includes utensils, games, linens, furniture and artwork. If anything should go missing or get broken or damaged during your stay, we have the right to charge your credit card the full retail value of that item. We understand that mistakes do happen; please advise as as soon as possible of any issues.

Pets: Pets are only allowed in the Riverhouse and only if they are well behaved, potty trained, treated for fleas, and the owners promise they will not bother other guests. All pet waste will be picked up and disposed of properly. No pets are allowed to roam off leash for their safety as well as other guests.

There is a $70 non-refundable pet fee. If you pet damages any property inside or outside, you will be charged full retail for replacement.

Children: Please be extra diligent with your children. There are many potentially dangerous spots on our property, such as the train crossing, the highway, poison oak in the woods, swimming, riverbanks, and steep slippery rocks. We want this to be a safe and memorable vacation for you and your family, so please DO NOT let your children cross the railroad track, or swim, or hike, without you.

If you have small children who still wet the bed, please come prepared with a waterproof pad. If there is an accident, please let us know so we can take extra care in cleaning and sanitizing for the next guest. DO NOT allow your child to eat or drink anywhere other than the kitchen table. Clean up all spills of juice and crumbs immediately.

Report Repairs: We make every effort to make sure all equipment and appliances are in working order prior to your arrival. In the event that something has been overlooked and you find a malfunction with an appliance or anything else inside or outside the home, please inform our caretaker immediately and we will do what we can to fix the problem. In doing so, please be advised that we will need to enter our rental home for the purpose of making the repairs or replacing the item.

Railroad Crossing: There are few places along the Columbia River Gorge, either on the Washington or Oregon side where you can avoid the train. It is just part of the culture of the Gorge, so enjoy it as you can.

The Railroad has strict restrictions to their crossings and there is no exception to these at The Coves either. We DO NOT have a crossing gate, so the only way you know a train is coming is to LOOK both ways! DO NOT try to beat the train across the track in your car or by running across. They move very fast and they CANNOT stop!

Also, the trains use this section to pass each other, this means the train may stop, and sometimes may block access to and from the Coves. This doesn't last long, so DO NOT try to attempt to climb through the cars. This is incredibly dangerous and you will be fined by the railroad if they catch you.

We reserve the right to refuse the stay of any guest or visitor without giving a reason.