Property History
The Laughing King sits on sixty acres of waterfront farmland on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, where the Chesapeake Bay meets a USDA-certified organic farm. There's a private beach, a saltwater pool, historic barns, a fig orchard, and water views that have a way of making everything else feel far away.
The property has been in continuous operation since 2000, conceived and built by MJ and Suzanne Golibart as a place where couples could find real privacy, genuine hospitality, and something they couldn't get anywhere else on the Shore.
About the Golibart Family
Suzanne and MJ Golibart have been married since 1990. Together with their three children — Sarah, Jake, and Tommy — they established The Laughing King in June of 2000.
MJ is the self-appointed Chief Entertainment Officer of The Laughing King, a title he has earned many times over. For 10 years, Suzanne owned and operated Periwinkles, a ladies boutique in Cape Charles. You can now find Suzanne selling jewelry at the award winning shop, Moonrise Jewelry.
They designed this place because they love travel, good food, love meeting interesting people, and believe that the best experiences happen when you have privacy and great company in equal measure. Every detail of the property reflects that philosophy.
The Laughing King welcomes couples of all races, creeds, colors, genders, and orientations. They believe in the golden rule (treat others the way you wish to be treated). It's nice to be nice.
Who Was the Laughing King?
Prior to colonization, the lower Eastern Shore of Virginia was home to a community called the Nussawattocks, led by a man named Debdeavon — though that may not have been his real name. The people native to the lower Eastern Shore believed it was bad medicine to speak your name to anyone outside your circle, so they often used aliases. History has given him several spellings and at least as many legends.
What we do know is this: Debdeavon was a big man with a big heart, a wide smile, and a laugh so enormous that the English settlers began calling him The Laughing King. He presided over a people who were, by most accounts, doing quite well. The Eastern Shore was abundant — rich farmland, endless seafood, mountains of clam and oyster shells along the shore. Debdeavon traded surplus food with the struggling settlers at Jamestown in exchange for metal tools and English goods.
The people of the Eastern Shore loved Debdeavon so much that they erected a monument to him on the green of the Northampton County Court Seat. It reads:
"Laughing King of Accomacke, Emperor of the Easterne Shoare, King of the Great Nussawattocks. A gallant warrior and a loyal friend to the early settlers of the Eastern Shore. His timely warning to the colonists of an intended uprising in 1621 saved them from annihilation in the massacre of 1622."
We named this retreat in his honor, on land he once called home. He ate well, laughed big, and was a good friend to everyone he met. We think that's worth remembering.
Is The Laughing King Right For You?
The Laughing King was designed for a specific kind of guest — someone who wants privacy and beautiful surroundings, but also enjoys the energy of other like-minded couples nearby. If that sounds like you, we'd love to have you.
If it doesn't, no worries at all. We didn't design it for everyone. We hope you visit the Eastern Shore and have the time of your life — and if you happen to run into us at Deadrise, Gull Hummock, the Shanty, The Oyster Farm, Donny V's, or Yuk Yuk’s, please say hello.