House: Beautifully restored as an elegant Vacation Beach retreat, this river-front, river-view home for eight consists of two flats, each with two bedrooms and one bathroom. Both units are elegantly decorated, featuring recessed lighting, hardwood floors, and many designer touches. The two units are completely comparable to one another, very comfortable for four adult couples. Each unit has its own eat-in gourmet kitchen with stainless steel appliances. The lower dining set seats eight comfortably; the upper seats four. The kitchen is open to the living room which has comfortable upholstered seating and a 27" cable TV with plug & play compatibility and DVD. Each of the four bedrooms has a queen bed with gorgeous luxury linens. Both bathrooms have a shower only and wonderful custom tilework. The upper unit has a river view and front deck with wicker dining set for two. The lower unit has a front deck with dining set for two and rear fenced deck with dining set for eight and charcoal grill. These flats do not have any internal connection and thus provide maximum privacy from one another, but are also designed to make communal dining and socializing easy. One flat is accessed by a path and stairs to the bridge shown in the photo; the other is accessed from the driveway. This home has high-speed wireless Internet access.

      Please note that although dogs are welcome, there is an absolute limit of ONE DOG PER UNIT (two dogs in one unit, zero in the other is not okay). There is a securely fenced deck for dogs, but please do not leave them alone if they will bark. Also, please do not allow dogs to run into adjoining unfenced properties.

      Also, one of the two units can sometimes be rented separately; please call to inquire.

      Grounds: On half an acre of sunny, park-like, river-front grounds with beautiful mature landscaping, large lawn and sandy beach, Fisherman's Map Retreat offers a fabulous outdoor experience. Just outside the home, a six-person hot tub sits in a gazebo under an apple tree in the rose garden. The beautiful, manicured grounds include shade trees, a hammock, a large grassy lawn with two picnic tables which seat twelve and overlook the river, a charcoal grill, loungers, and volleyball set. A cabana provides a convenient outdoor shower, bathroom, and washer/dryer; a single kayak, large canoe and inner tubes are also stored here. A wide, easy path leads to the beach (water 3 ft. deep at the shore) which features loungers and umbrellas.

      History: This retreat has a history to match its beauty. Ludmilla fled the Bolsheviks and came to Vacation Beach and built Fisherman's Map Retreat in 1946. This was the era of the big bands with dancing along the Russian River, then known as the California Riviera. Ludmilla, aka Ludi, served banquets to her guests who then danced the night away in the dance hall. And the fisherman's maps of the 1940's show this beach named Lucky Bend as one of the best fishing spots in the area. When you have breakfast at Pat's old fashioned diner on Main Street in Guerneville, look up over the fountain to see the Fisherman's map for Lucky Bend! Another historical tidbit: Natalie Wood lived in nearby Santa Rosa as a young girl, and she and her mother were summer guests at Fisherman's Map.