Not what we were expecting
Review Submitted: June 22, 2009
Date of Stay: June 2009
Let's start with the good points. The location was excellent - just as described. The beds were very comfortable, the kitchen well stocked with everything you would need and the handyman was great (more on him later).
However - this is not a 5 bedroom cottage. This is a 5 sleeping area cottage - 1 real bedroom, 1 large room upstairs with partitions and curtains to provide 2 sleeping spaces and 2 porches, 1 as part of the downstairs dining / sitting area. Luckily we were not planning to sleep 12.
Anyone with small children or older guests should be aware that the staircase to the second floor is extremely steep and narrow.
The cottage does indeed have a washer and drier, but they are not installed. You can drag the washer across the room and attach the hot water hose to the faucet (but not cold), but take your toolkit just in case as the faucet was sending up a fountain when we used it. The drier blows fine, but cold air only.
The handyman was excellent - he came 3 times over the course of our visit to get the hot water heater working properly - once he did there was plenty.
Overall the cottage was not what we were expecting from the photos and description - think more step up from an RV rather than step down from a hotel - but given decent enough weather to be able to use the sleeping porches so you can fill it up it is fair value for money.
Recommended for:
Sightseeing
Owner's Response: The cottage does not have nor do we advertise a washer / dryer for use by renters. A washer and dryer were recently purchased by the owners - for the owners exclusive use - and were not even installed yet when the washer was dragged across the floor and attempted to be hooked up to a standard sink faucet. Of course the result is not going to be good when you try to run a washer this way. Unfortunately the thermostat on the hot water heater failed during these guests stay and caused our handyman to make a few trips to diagnose what was wrong with the hot water. The issue has been resolved.
There are two "walled" bedrooms, both upstairs. One is a sleeping porching that is totally separate from the rest of the cottage. The other is a standard walled bedroom with three beds. The other two sleeping areas have 3/4 walls and are part of the original cottage and its "character".
The cottage is a Victorian lake cottage that has been "modernized" with a focus on retaining many of its unique characteristics. Many Victorian era lake cottages have steep, narrow stairs. There is a great sleeping era on the first floor with a nearby full bath which is perfect for elderly guests.
The cottage is perfect for families, big and small, looking to have a nice, relaxing vacation in a beautiful spot on one of America's most picturesque lakes. It is not a five star hotel but it provides very comfortable accomodations just 20 steps from Lake Champlain.
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Helpful votes: 7/9
