Hinsdale Vacation Rental

My review combines comments on the house and the location. First the house: The owners have built a modern, well-appointed house and comfortable house that provided a great refuge in the morning and in the evening after a day visiting the surrounding area. They even welcomed us to share their water equipment. The new structure stands in contrast to some of the other older, warn cabins. One minor complaint was the sporadic Internet and cell phone connections. But if being away from the world is what you are seeking, this is not a problem.

Second, working my way out from the house, close proximity to the lake was great. It is most beautiful in the morning and at dusk. The small public beach--in walking distance--is OK, with a patch of sand and grass area for sitting and for kids to run around. The BIG problem is geese poop all over the place. The community association needs a "poop patrol" to ensure a clean beach. The cloudy, rainy weather limited beach time, but we did find Lake Onota in Pittsfield a better place to swim and sit on the beach. Watch out for the rocks under foot, however.

We found the location of the house to be a bit isolated from our normal visitations north and south along Route 7. (It is not too far from Route 8 heading north to North Adams and Williamstown). At minimum it was 10-15 miles to get to Pittsfield and much longer to Lenox and points north. This proved to be the most frustrating aspect of our visit. I did enjoy a few morning runs from the house to Twisty's Ice Cream stand about 2.5 miles away and back. The hills made for a challenging run. If you wish to be ensconced on the property, close to the beauty of Lake Ashmere and removed from most others, this property is for you. (I marveled at a family across the way who never left their small cottage the entire week!)

Over all, my review reflects our particular expectations and objectives for a Berkshires trip. The property owners are conscientious and made our stay comfortable and enjoyable. They have made significant investments in the property and should be commended for this. My refund check arrived on the promised day. My minor "complaints" are independent of the owners' management--location, connectivity, distance from the "heart of the Berkshires"--but we found these to be minor at best (Geese have to poop, I suppose, but why only on that small plot of beach?).

This property made for a very nice winter get-away. Its proximity to beach and dock would make a great summer retreat as well. The house was comfortable and roomy for 6 people and all appliances were nice. The house was very clean. The area is quiet. The management was prompt in having the snow removed which was nice so we could get out and enjoy the snow! We did not find any good restaurants close by but there was a terrific grocery store nearby in Pittsfield so we made our own delicious dinner one night. It was a bit of a drive to skiing/hiking, museums and to bigger towns with nice restaurants but not too bad if you plan it right.