Best Vacation Close to Home

Guest: Cheryl and Dan (Horseheads, NY)
Date of Stay: 06/02/08 Review Submitted: 08/01/08

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in this beautiful and clean cottage with a perfect view of Seneca Lake. We brought our dog and he also loved it! We had a relaxing time and enjoyed the many books they keep available for visitors. It is a very quiet location and the lake is right outside the door and down the steps. We highly recommend this cottage and would absolutely love to visit again.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, pet owners, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Girls Weekend Getaway!

Guest: Jennifer B.
Date of Stay: 11/04/11 Review Submitted: 11/07/11

Our party was a group of seven 30-something women in need of a relaxing weekend getaway. We booked the hour massage and wine tour package along with our weekend stay at the cottage. We had a terrific time. We had 2 perfect fall days to enjoy at the lake. The cottage was very clean with more than enough pillows, towels and blankets provided. The kitchen and bathroom were also very clean and stocked with all of the essentials. We slept very comfortably and had plenty of room to socialize. The gas fireplace in the living room was the perfect touch on the fall nights as we drank wine and shared lots of laughs! The location is perfect if you're looking to go on a wine tour. All in all we were 7 very happy women!

Recommended for:

watch out!!

Guest: unhappy renter (leominster, ma)
Date of Stay: 07/17/10 Review Submitted: 02/28/11

this was not at all what the ad says and we had a awful experience. the photos are not at all a fare representation of the place. to describe it i would use the following words, run down, musty, smells, dirty, and the property the cottage sits on is overgrown un kept, and just unpleasant. if you go pack as if you are going camping in a tent out in the woods cause you will need to bring everything including toilet paper. don't plan on bringing a swimsuit you can't go into the water, like the neighbors on either side of you are. they rake the weeds in the water this owner of this cottage does not. and don't plan to go onto the dock in the photo, it is unsafe and ready to fall apart it is BAD. don't even think of eating at the table on the dock HAAA HAAA holy cow the chairs are covered with scaly barnacles it is GROSS! thats is if you don't kill yourself walking to the dock on the multi level stairs leading to the water they are rotted and run down so be careful walking on them. and bring your own grill, cause the grill that's there is absolutely disgusting, the steaks i brought were worth more money than the grill i am pretty sure it has never been cleaned and the burner is rotted out so one side is low and the other section is a giant yellow flame so you can't cook anything with out standing there watching it every second. and oh yeah don't plan on sitting on the porch awith out putting a hat on the bugs/cobwebs/dirt/paint chips/ect... will creep you out if you look at them. and you will look up cause the 1960's table and chairs haven't been cleaned so you will want to look up at what else isn't cleaned. and bring a set of golf shoes so you can tackle the mossy covered stairs off the deck otherwise you will fall and break your neck. oh and the a/c HAAA HAAA HAAA! yeah that doesn't work you will sweat like a pig if you try to use it. and its no wonder when you look at it. bring a couple of movies cause the cable doesn't work in the summer. bring something to sit on cause the 2 love seats are gross. and oh yeah most importantly bring some money to go get a hotel room so you can take a shower cause the water doesn't have any pressure. NOT LOW pressure its NO pressure, don't let the owner kid you with his "that's how all the lake houses are" explanation that is NOT true at all. he doesn't want to put a decent water pump in and real filter set up in fact if the filter he has gets clogged he will come rinse it out for you. this was the biggest rip off ever!

Owner response:We feel our consistently great reviews over a period of 3 years speak for themselves. Also - we are at a loss as to why this guest waited about 8 months to provide this review. This guest came to us during their stay with a list of a few concerns - nothing like the list in this review - some of which we felt were overstated. All guests are advised up front that once the water filter begins to fill up, the system will lose pressure - and when that happens to please call us right away and we will quickly replace it - within 15 minutes - not wash it as this person stated. This guest waited until the filter was completely blocked. We have since replaced the filter with a much bigger one, which lasts a lot longer. Our water pressure is excellent. The dock is 3 1/2 years old, and was structurally "overbuilt" to handle large groups of people. It is far from the condition described by the guest. One of the chairs that go with the table on the end of the dock, fell in the lake during the winter and was unretrieveable for about 6 months. Once we pulled it out of the lake, we set it aside so it wouldn't be used by the guests until we could replace it. Apparently someone chose to use it. The steps to the beach are strong and safe - not as the guest described. We live by a lake and bugs can be plentiful. We routinely remove cob webs, etc, but they come back pretty readily. This is the first we have heard about the gas grill. No other guest has mentioned this, even though there were at least 25 different rentals after this one. As for consumables like toilet paper, we advise our guests at the time of reservation, that anything consumable is their responsibility. Upon arrival, we always see that there is toilet paper for our guests. Our impression was that the real purpose of this guest was actually to get some sort of a refund on the money they had paid us, because that was the first thing they requested. It was so evident, we could only assume that these guests probably routinely used this sort of tactic to get the cost of their vacation stays reduced. Even though we didn't agree with their complaints - and later determined that some were groundless - we did give them a partial and sizeable refund. They expressed their appreciation and we heard nothing more from them until this review. We have 4 cottages that we list on this site, and they all consistently have 5-star ratings/reviews. In retrospect, we wouldn't do anything differently in this instance.

Recommended for:

Great location

Guest: Paula & Gary (Hatboro, PA)
Date of Stay: 07/24/10 Review Submitted: 08/18/10

This was our first time in the Finger Lakes and we thought the central location of the cottage was perfect. There is so much to do in the area and we loved the state parks, the wineries and exploring the area, which included a day trip to Niagara Falls. The cottage was very comfortable and clean. We spent many hours on the porch, enjoying the beautiful view of the lake. I must admit, I was very nervous after reading “Mary’s July 8th" review, but most of what was written, seemed to be exaggerated. I believe the steps to the lake are common for these types of cottages and we did not have any trouble navigating them. As a matter of fact, we fished off the dock every day. We also found the cottage to be very clean, with no smell of mildew (and I have asthma). Our only negative comment would be the low water pressure, which we are told is typical for homes that get their water from the lake. It was a wonderful week vacation and we look forward to returning in the future.

Recommended for:

Very rustic-Many items were missing or misleading

Guest: Mary (Baltimore, Maryland)
Date of Stay: 06/26/10 Review Submitted: 07/08/10

This home was 22 steps from the lake- not the few stated in the ad. Very dangerous decent to the lake. Don't worry- the furniture found there was so moldy and without an umbrella that you won't want to go down the windy staircase to get there. I sat on the front porch, and paint chips fell into my glass of wine. The home had no sofa but just 2 love seats making relaxing a bit difficult. The mildew smell was overwhelming and the water pressure terrible. Bottled water was provided since the cabin uses filtered lake water through the pipes. We never found the bikes, the restaurant guide, the activity guide, ceiling fans, fax machine, coffee grinder, ice maker, or the beach for children. The microwave and alarm clock didn't work. The bed was very comfortable, the cabin was very clean, and the view was beautiful, but for the price, we were expecting more than the basics covered. The owners invited renters on the welcome paper to a Sat. evening cookout and outdoor movie at their local B and B, which would have been a great chance to learn about the area since the activity and restaurant guides were not present. However, the check in time was 4 PM and the RSVP time was 10 AM. We left the cabin a day early since we couldn't handle the smell and lack of comfortable seating, decent TV (18 inch with very poor satellite service with no local channels) and easy access to the lake. I gave the owners a chance to change their Home Away ad and to respond to my concerns, but I haven’t heard from them. We did love our time exploring the Finger Lake area, but none of our joy came from this house.

Owner response:This review is obviously completely contrary to every other review for the last 2 1/2 years. By lake standards, 22 steps to the beach is very few, compared to cottages with 200 or more steps, and sometimes elevators. The cottage is well maintained and exceptionally clean, and has never had any mold. It is a cottage, nevertheless, and while it is modern by anyone's estimate, it is a lake front cottage and does not have city water - which is true of nearly all cottages. The renters are advised up front that when the filter begins to clog, we will gladly replace it in short order. This renter did not ask us to replace the filter. We offer bikes for rent - not complementary with the cottage - nor do we advertise having a fax machine, coffee grinder, or ice maker [because the water line comes from the lake]. Seneca Lake does not have 'beaches', as it is a glacier formed lake with shale shoreline. All of our children and grandchildren have learned to swim here without difficulty. In order for guests to be included in our complementary cookouts, we need to know early in the day if they are coming, in order to know how much food to buy. Guests are aware before they come that there is a cookout, and for a guest to wait until around 500pm the day of the cookout to advise us of same, is a bit unreasonable [the food is purchased around midday].The cottage is provided with information about local restaurants that we find of good value, along with thorough instructions about things guests need to know about staying at the cottage, because it is so different from living in a normal residence in the city. Most guests do not watch much TV, and the one provided is fine for all previous guests - but once the foliage comes out in late spring, we lose contact with the satellite that carries local programming. There is nothing we can do about this. Unlike just about any other cottage rental, we provide quite an assortment of books to read, which most guests have told us is unexpected and enjoyed - and is more of use then the TV. Generally, guests rave about their stay here, comment on how well the cottage is decorated, how peaceful and private and convenient it is.This guest, contrary to her comments, did talk with me on the phone about the above concerns, and because we do not believe our ad is misleading [no other guest has found it so - in fact they usually say that it is even nicer than the ad and photos], we feel no need to change it. All our reviews support my comments.

Recommended for:Pet owners.

cozy, relaxing

Guest: bobnkaren (West Seneca, N.Y.)
Date of Stay: 11/20/09 Review Submitted: 01/19/10

My husband and I and another couple, "our best friends" participated in our third annual "deck the halls" weekend in november and staying at Arrowhead made it the best ever! It was so nice to enjoy the wineries and then come back to this beautiful cottage with its awesome views. The first night we went out for dinner, thank you Pat and Brenda, for the excellant recomendations, and the second night we were able to cook a great meal at the cottage. It was nice to know we had every thing we needed. Thanks again, Karen P.S. You should have a guest book at the cottage, we would love to leave you a note. God willing, we'll be back this November.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+.

Ideal Weekend

Guest: Lisa and Dean - Neptune, NJ (-)
Date of Stay: 09/08/09 Review Submitted: 01/15/10

I stumbled upon your site when searching for a weekend getaway. I thought the pictures of the Arrowhead Cottage were gorgeous. Of course, we were skeptical because we’d been burned by internet pictures in the past. But we decided to take a chance. Well, we couldn’t have been more pleased. The cottage was exactly what we wanted. The shabby chic décor was artfully executed, the colors and fabrics so soothing. I wouldn’t change a thing. The setting was even more breathtaking than the pictures. It was the ideal weekend for us. We sat on the porch gazing at the water for hours (and we’re from the Jersey Shore )! It was hard to leave the cottage. Thanks for an amazing adventure.

Recommended for:

Cozy Cottage on Wine Trail

Guest: Donna and Jeff Heller (-)
Date of Stay: 08/30/09 Review Submitted: 01/15/10

Donna and I loved your cozy cottage on the edge of the lake. Lucy, our Labradoodle puppy, really enjoyed the freedom of the fenced yard and laying on the deck while Donna and I ate meals and had morning coffee. The neighbors were very nice on the north side but we never saw anyone on the south side. The location was central to our wine tour, and if we had a boat, it would have been great for lake fishing. We will be calling you again when our vacation cycle returns to the lake region.

Recommended for:

Great Weekend Get-away

Guest: Tom and Darla (Pennsylvania)
Date of Stay: 03/06/09 Review Submitted: 05/18/09

We(four adults) stayed for a long weekend at this cozy cottage in the beginning of March, to visit the wineries. The weather was warm enough on our first night there allowing us to sit on the deck with a glass of wine and listen to night sounds of the lake.The view of the lake was very calming as we sat with our coffee in the morning. Nicely decorated and comfortable with all that we needed. We are already planning to return sometime in the fall. Pat and Brenda were very accomodating, from booking the cottage up through our stay. We highly recommend this cottage to anyone looking for a relaxing, get away from it all time.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, girls getaway, age 55+.

Wonderful Experience of Seneca Lake

Guest: Brandon & Molly (Lock Haven, PA)
Date of Stay: 05/01/09 Review Submitted: 05/18/09

My husband and another couple stayed at this home during the first weekend in May. The home was very clean and pleasant. We enjoyed the breathtaking view of the lake over coffee in the morning. There is a nice dock right on the lake so if you enjoy fishing - bring your gear. There are some steps to get to the dock that can be a little steep but if you use caution while going down, they are not a problem at all. You could sunbathe on the dock or take a canoe/kayak/boat out on to the lake. It was a little chilly in early May so I would like to go back when the weather is warmer and we can make more use of the lake. As far as the home goes, it's very nice. The kitchen is a little small but has all the amenities you would need as far as cookware, dishes, etc. There is a refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, coffee maker (everything you would need). There are two bedrooms that are nice and roomy. The beds were very comfortable. The living room/dining room is nice and open. You can easily fit 6 people around the dining room table. The deck on the back over-looking the lake was our favorite part. There is a table and chairs that could accommodate up to 6 people. There is a nice patio off of the deck that has a big gas grill. The bugs got bad a couple of times but we lit the citronella candles and then it was fine. We spent the day on Saturday visiting local wineries. There are several wineries within a short drive of the home, so we didn't have to venture too far. We brought all of our groceries with us and stayed in to cook dinner both nights we were there, so unfortunately I cannot offer any information about local stores or restaurants. We didn't go to any.. I would recommend this home to anyone looking for a house with lake access. The lake is very clear - we could see the rocks on the bottom clearly from the house.. The dock had a ladder so it would be a nice place to swim or boat.. Seneca lake is beautiful! Thanks to Pat and Brenda for sharing their beautiful home!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, pet owners, adventure seekers.