We rented this cottage for a September weekend with four couples, and were so glad we did! The owners were a delight to work with, and the pictures of the cottage doesn't do it justice. As a previous reviewer mentioned, it's much bigger inside than it initially appears. The cottage was beautifully decorated, and was cozy and homey. We especially appreciated the fireplace to cuddle up around, as we chose a bit of a chilly weekend to visit!

Everything required for the cottage weekend (linens, towels, kitchen supplies, dry firewood, etc.) was provided and in great shape, and the owners had left it spotless for us. Very clear directions, tips and tricks were provided, which was appreciated.

Unfortunately, we didn't spend as much time on the lake as we would have liked because it rained and was quite cold the whole weekend, but the little we were out was lovely! The cottage is on a private section away from numerous other cottages, and canoeing the lake in the mist was quite an otherworldly experience. The owners allowed our dog to join us, and she had a blast swimming in the lake and exploring - cold and rain not withstanding!

All in all, this is one of the best cottages I've stayed at, and we were so glad to have found this hidden gem! The group consensus was unanimous - we'd love to return! Thanks for the perfect weekend retreat.

This is a wonderful place for a family vacation. My husband and I with my daughter and son-in-law spent a week at this serene, private retreat.

The cottage is much larger than it appears on the outside. This beautiful cottage, built in the early 1920/30's, is situated on a large, private property with lawns around the house, faces one part of the lake and has a small beach.The whole property and the lake itself are surrounded by lovely mixed forest. So there was always a cooling breeze - important since we chose the hottest week of the summer.

The cottage is divided into two parts, the old rustic wood structure as you enter, and the new addition which houses several bedrooms. We chose the upper and lower "master" bedrooms in the new part which faced the lake. You could easily sleep 14-16 people if you really wanted to as there are several bedrooms in the old wing upstairs, and both great room couches are sofabeds. Great if you want to share with a large family and/or friends. The bedrooms in the older wing are hotter than the in the new wing, but ceiling fans throughout and night breezes off the lake really helped.

It has to be the best equipped cottage we've experienced. The kitchen is open to the dining room and great room, and there is a smaller dining area that's part of the great room as well - the fireplace can make it all cozy if needed -- we didn't! There's both a food and beverage fridge, and the kitchen and dining areas are fully equipped - no need to bring anything from home. We were also pleased that we didn't have to bring bedding or towels - just beach towels and our favourite pillows if we wanted them. The owners also allowed us to bring our pets, and we were very careful not to leave any traces behind :)

My favourite part of the day (I'm the early riser in the family) was sitting on the screened in veranda that runs the whole lakeside of the cottage with walkout to a deck, also overlooking the lake. That's where I'd greet the day with my coffee and my book, although I was often distracted by blue jays, kingfishers, gaggles of geese, and flocks of ducks starting their day as well. We even sighted a beaver swimming across the lake at dusk.

Both veranda and deck are fully furnished. We enjoyed putting up the three turquoise deck umbrellas at noon and eating our lunch there. We felt like wealthy tourists on the Riviera! After lunch, we often sat on the lawn beds under the trees to the side of the house to catch the lovely breeze, kibitz about our adventures during the past few months, and just have a fabulous family visit.

Our stay was always punctuated by fun activities morning, afternoon and evening: we brought 2 kayaks and our canoe. Although the cottage has a canoe and paddle boat, we had just purchased our canoe and wanted to try it out. The lake fronting the cottage opens through idyllic channels into 3-4 other larger bays sprouting cottages on one side. We suspect that the other perimeters are crown land, but not sure. As you enter one of the larger parts of the lake, there is a nice stretch of sandy beach which is part of camp that boasts cabins for rent and well marked hiking trails. We didn't feel the need to use another facilities.

The lake is beautiful to swim in, too, and we certainly did our fair share. I raked the small beach in front of the cottage just to clean up the sand if geese had visited. So I waded in, and the water always felt wonderful with refreshing cold and surprising hot spots that made for a fun time. I would have liked to have swum across the lake, but we ran out of time:)

We took the only cool day to show my daughter and son-in-law Mt. Tremblant and Montebello - both are only 20-30 minutes away. So we drove to Montebello for lunch; returned to the cottage for a relaxed afternoon, then went to Tremblant for dinner.

Well, now I've written an epistle, but I did want to share the best family vacation week we've had - spent in a small paradise just 1 hour 15 minutes north of Ottawa (Orleans).