Melissa
Fishtales Restaurant at Hideaway Bay
OK, so I live near Hideaway Bay Marina (formerly Starboard Marina) and I keep my boat there as well. The past year has brought so many changes with the lake levels rising 14 feet, Hideaway Bay dredging the entire marina (and changing their name…why’d they do that anyway?), and a change in restaurant ownership.
The restaurant has been an unstable part of the marina for the last few years since Up the Creek went under. I personally have been waiting for a stable restaurant with good food to move into the space. The owners that took over last year really had some good food, but the place just never really took off so to speak. I’m not sure if it’s because people on the lake weren’t aware of it’s existence or if there wasn’t enough marketing of the new venue. Either way, it is not here this season….Fishtales Restaurant is.
Before it officially opened, there was a lot of buzz about the owners being previous managers of Up the Creek. Well, that is really apparent when you eat there. It seems like the identical menu. That’s not really a positive thing for me, because I never really cared for the food at Up the Creek. Most of the food is heavy and fried. Hey, I don’t have a problem with fried food, but can one restaurant on the lake give us something other than this routine menu (Big Creek…this excludes you….you rock)? I was hoping a cool tapas restaurant (like with baby sliders or something like that) or pizza joint would move in. Why doesn’t anyone try something different? I am sure they will do fine there as it seems they are busy most of the time, but I don’t think I’ll be frequenting the joint, unfortunately. Oh, well…there’s always hope for next season 
Lake Lanier Dock Permits and Homes
We’re well into summer and everyone that enjoys Lake Lanier is just grateful to see the lake levels finally near full pool. It’s been a long couple of years for those of us that live and play on Lake Lanier. Now that we’re out of the drought period, real estate is looking good for those homes that currently have docks on the lake and those homes that will be getting dock permits in the upcoming months. The Corp of Engineers just recently announced it is holding a lottery for those homes on the shore of Lake Lanier that want a dock permit. There are only 174 dock permits remaining of the 10,615 allowed. What a fantastic opportunity for those who own a home here to increase their selling value! I encourage any of you that are in this situation to really consider applying. You have until October 13th, 2009 to submit your application. You can contact me for additional information.
Chateau Elan Homes
One of the most well known communities in Georgia is the prestigious Chateau Elan in Braselton GA. Although it is not on Lake Lanier, it is only about a 20 minute drive, so it is still pretty close to hop over too. Chateau Elan is very well known for their winery and luxury hotel, which I have done the winery tour a couple of times and although it’s a pretty cool tour, the wine itself is not so great. Anyway, I am not wine connoisseur by any means but I do know Real Estate and that is one thing that Chateau Elan delivers is high quality homes.
The homes at Chateau Elan consist of over 2000 homes and is broken up into groups which is determined by their location to the private and public golf courses and the style of home. The first group of homes are called The Legends at Chateau Elan, which these homes typically overlook the private golf course. The pricing at The Legends is higher than the other homes since it overlooks the course and most of the homes do include membership to the golf course. For homes at The Legends at Chateau Elan, the pricing will start at 1.2 million and up, however, there are couple of foreclosures right now so there are couple of homes that are available for right at 1 million!! The next set of homes is the Woodlands at Chateau Elan which are situated on the Woodlands golf course. Pricing for the Woodlands will start at $500,000 and up. An additional set of homes is Oxley Village, which personally is my favorite style of homes.
Chateau Elan Home
The homes at Oxley Village Chateau Elan were designed and built to look like an Old World Village. There are also a few new upcoming phases which will be on a smaller scale of homes, one section will have just 29 homes and another with just 42 homes.
There are also plenty of other amenities at Chateau Elan which don’t get much attention like the golf courses, but should. The Sports Club is a multi million facility which consists of a fully equipped gym, indoor basketball courts, tennis courts, indoor walking track, and activities for adults and kids. There is also an ADULT LAP POOL!!! HOLLER!
There is also an Equestrian Center, 6 restaurants on site and plenty of walking trails.
If you have been thinking about buying a Chateau Elan home, now is the time to seriously think about it. Currently, there are 16 FORECLOSURES AVAILABLE, priced between $399k to $1.9 million. Most of them fall between $500k to $800k.
Lake Lanier Luxury Homes
If you are looking for a luxury home on Lake Lanier there are plenty of homes to choose from. Personally, I have always been a big fan of the “cabin” look in a luxury home. If you like lake living then I would think a lot of people would like it to, however, it is actually pretty rare to find a luxury log cabin or features that remind of you cabin on Lake Lanier.
Lake Lanier Luxury Home
There is one particular listing that I found while searching the MLS system that has some exquisite “cabin” features and it is truly a Lake Lanier Luxury Home. This 5 bedroom home is located in the Cumberland on Lanier subdivision, which is in Gainesville off Browns Bridge Road. What kind of hardwood floors would you expect to find in a home like this?? Antique Pine Floors, of course! I love the look of pine floors, it really brings that old look feel to a home! It also has a floor to ceiling stone fireplace, vaulted wood ceilings, Gourmet Kitchen with farm sink , a pet shower in the laundry room, hammered copper sinks in all the baths, and a heated gunite pool. But what really makes a luxury home?? The outdoor space! This home has a very large screened in porch with fireplace, 2 outdoor decks and a stoned path leading down to the 900 sq.ft boat dock. All this for just 2.6 million!
What to take a video tour of this home? Click here to view!
Don’t like the cabin feel look, no problem. How about a luxury home with lofts of amenities? 
Like a private tennis court and a private beach? Well, you’re in luck! There is another listing in Gainesville with 5 bedrooms that has all these amenities and it is very secluded! Just take a look at the picture! This home definitely has more a traditional look on the inside but if you like to entertain, this might be the perfect home!
We also compiled a list of additoinal Lake Lanier Luxury homes which can be found by clicking here.
If you still need help with your search for a Lake Lanier home, please feel free to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 404-579.9307 - Nesa Kleinheksel - Real Estate Broker - 9 Mile Trolley Realty
- Luxury Home with private beach and tennis court!
Lake Lanier Rentals
Due to the slow housing market right now a plethora of owners are now renting their homes out instead of selling. Looking at the home rental inventory in Hall county there are over 100 homes for rent that are either on or near Lake Lanier. These are long term rentals(1 year lease) and not short term vacation rentals. Typical rental ranges are from $1,200 up to $6,000 per month. If you are looking to rent a home as a long term rental we have compiled a list of available homes to rent on or near Lake Lanier.
Most of these rentals are located in Hall County including Buford, Flowery Branch, Oakwood and Gainesville. To see the complete list of Lake Lanier Rentals please click the following link. Lake Lanier Rentals . If you need assistance with finding Flowery Branch Home Rentals, Gainesville Ga Home Rentals, Buford GA home Rentals or Lake Lanier Rentals, please feel free to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 404-579-9307. Nesa Kleinheksel
What to do in Buford GA
Historic Buford is located on Main street which is composed of old authentic buildings. I have sold plenty of old authentic lofts in Atlanta and am always impressed with older buildings….so I already knew historic Buford was going to be pretty cool. As I drove down Main Street I saw a handful of cute restaurants, art galleries and salons and little farther down some really cool antique shops.
Over a couple weeks span I ate at all the restaurants that Historic Buford offers and let me just say they were all very wonderful. My first stop was at Aqua Terra Bistro, which I immediately liked because it was a casual atmosphere so I could wear jeans! The food was good but what I crave there is the bread and dipping sauce. The dipping sauce must be liked by most people because they actually sell it by the jar! So I bought one and it just took me a week to devour it all! My next stop was 37 Main Restaurant. Again, I was pretty excited that it was a casual atmosphere but the best part was is that they serve tapas. I adore tapas because I love a variety of food when I go out. Their fried green tomatoes are wonderful and most of the other tapas are very good as well. I couldn’t believe it when I heard a band start playing in the back and found out through the waitress that they always have local artists and bands playing. It totally reminded me of Eddie’s Attic in Decatur. The following week I decided to go for broke when I dined at Sperata. Sperata was definitely worth my $29 over the limit fee that my credit card charged me after I ate there! I can’t say enough about their food, it was spectacular! The newest addition to Main street is Picasso Café Wine and Bar. The night I went I was the only one there, so the service was impeccable and the food was delicious too. Plus, I found out that it was the same owner as Sperata so they had similiar things on their menu….but it was cheaper! What a clever idea, having an upscale restaurant and right next door have another restaurant with reasonable prices!
That was my experience in historic Buford, I frequently visit their restaurants and I await more restaurants to open up soon! (hint - a upscale Sushi place would be nice!)
If you want to go where the locals eat at, head on over to Big Creek Tavern. As you know most restaurants don’t allow smoking anymore, but at Big Creek you can smoke until your heart gives out! Big Creek is a cool little dive but amazingly they have really good food. I probably eat there at least once every couple of weeks and every single time their food is wonderful! I usually get either the fried pork chop or the crab legs but they usually have a special going on so I often opt for that selection. Plus, their hashbrown casserole is a must have! If you would like to go to Big Creek via a boat, you can! They have a 4- slip dock in the back! FYI - they don’t serve alcohol on Sunday’s. (Sad Face)
Another restaurant to mention is Third Coast Grille. I used to go there a lot until they moved down the road from their old location. I went once to their new location and probably won’t go back. The old place that they had was pretty cool because it was a big ol’ dive, but now they have a brand new building with pretty cheesy decorations. It totally reminded of a kids playhouse so it seems like it has become a family restaurant. Too bad for me and all the other 30 something’s without kids!!
