A Vacation to Remember thanks to Lakeside Cottage!!!

Guest: Snowboarders from Hawaii !!! (Kailua-Kona, Hawaii )
Date of Stay: 03/09/11 Review Submitted: 03/27/11

Our stay at the Lakeside Cottage was in the Spring from March 9th, through March 16th, 2011. My family of five had a great time from our arrival with fresh fallen snow and entering the clean and cozy Cottage with a full panoramic view of the beautiful lake and mountains. It was a sight that took our breath away, especially coming from Hawaii with Sun & Surf, it was amazing!!! Kathy & Ben Owners of the property were very accommodating and if we needed any assistance they were available on a call. We went Snowboarding every day, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, North Star all of the ski resorts are within 15 to 30 minutes away which made the Cottage a perfect location. Ben the Owner suggested Smokey's the restaurant was a few minutes away from the Cottage to eat. My family and I dined there and the food was great, the kids loved the garlic fries. Our family vacation was extraordinary with the help of Kathy and Ben allowing us to stay at their home at Lakeside Cottage, thank you for helping us create a memory !!! A great place to visit for any vacation!!! We''ll be back, Mahalo and Aloha from the Hawaiian Snowboarders.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, pet owners, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Great family rental

Guest: Clara (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 08/24/10 Review Submitted: 01/02/11

We stayed here at the end of the summer and loved both the house and the location. Great for the price. The lake is across the street, where there are skinny public docks (claim early). But the best spot is a park at the west end of the lake, about 1/2 walk (or drive), where there's a sandy, kid-friendly beach and playground(s) where you can rent paddleboats and kayaks. The house was clean and well stocked. In the sleep loft, there's a queen sized bed and a futon. At least one of the couches on the main floor is a pull out. There's a bunk room in basement which is a bit of a challenge to climb down to (duck!), but great for kids of I'd say six and up (provided door is fixed, see below), though my 39 yo, 6ft brother managed. The deck has a barbecue and awesome views--including of trains in hills across the lake. There's a fireplace, and some games and books on site. One suitable bathroom and laundry. A highchair in storage closet next to front door. There's parking both on the street above the back of the house (dedicated) and below along the lake (public). Both require stair negotiations. Also, they're building a house behind this house, and how that will affect things unclear. There's not a ton of privacy, so chose accordingly. Not the place for, say, two romantic couples. One caveat: we had five in our party, including a toddler and a 5 year old, which presented somewhat of safety issue. There's a circular staircase to the loft above, which of course the toddler wants to scale. Kathy provided gates that helped fence that off. However the hatch to the bunk room in basement (one bunk bed, and chilly) was extremely precarious to both open and keep propped open safely. The door was being held on by literally one screw of one hinge and were it to slam shut on someone's head or fingers.... I brought this to Kathy's attention and she said she'd have it fixed immediately. If that's so, and if there are older kids or adults in the bunk room, all should be fine. Would prefer if they had wireless rather than Ethernet. Martha's Kitchen mexican joint on lake very good. Nearby Truckee has some good restaurants and train viewings/museum, a good coffee shop, grocery stores. And a old-time jail museum, which was never open :). Short drive to Tahoe and resorts. We'll be back.

Owner response:Thank you for your nice review Clara! I am so glad your family enjoyed Truckee. Just to clarify for those who may read the review. The bunk room has two bunk beds, and an electric heater on the wall. Also, there is a couch upstairs in the Loft, not a futon on which to sleep. In response to "privacy" I appreciate a different view. There are no full time neighbors, the windows on the house face south (lakeview) and north and all have blinds. We have had many couples stay at the house who have loved their experience and have returned. We love going to the house and enjoying the peace and quiet and taking advantage of the proximity to the lake.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, pet owners, romantic getaway, families with teenagers.

Guest: Crowe Family (-)
Date of Stay: 03/15/10 Review Submitted: 03/15/10

The house was clean and very comfortable. The view was amazing. We truly enjoyed our stay and look forward to visiting soon again.

Recommended for:

Guest: Tucker and Colleen (Oakland, CA)
Date of Stay: 12/16/08 Review Submitted: 12/16/08

Comment Text: We had a very enjoyable weekend at the house with our dog. The view couldn't have been better for watching the snow fall as we sat near the fireplace. We hit the slopes at Northstar, which was merely 20 min away (in bad weather). The house was cozy and right on the lake--highly recommended!

Owner response:Thank you so much! Ben and Kathy

Recommended for:

Guest: Shaunna easton (Elk Grove, CA)
Date of Stay: 03/17/08 Review Submitted: 03/17/08

Once again we had another great weekend at the Lakeshore Getaway. Winter is just as spectacular and fun as summer. Instead of sitting on the deck we watched the snow fall from the huge windows in the living room, it was great. Our 2 year old loved playing in the snow and our 4 month old watched the snow from inside. Thanks for a great time at your house!!!

Recommended for:

Guest: Tessa Debold (Reno, NV)
Date of Stay: 07/06/07 Review Submitted: 07/06/07

We just loved you house for our mini-vacation. It was very welcoming and had everything we needed...and the views were spectacular! Can't wait to visit again.

Recommended for:

Guest: Jo Ann Webber (Lafayette, CA)
Date of Stay: 09/06/06 Review Submitted: 09/06/06

Kathy, Your Lakeshore House was perfect for our vacation. The Living space is so spacious and we had a beautiful view of the lake from both outside on the deck and inside. A very comfortable Cabin. And we are planning on coming back!!

Recommended for:

Guest: Heather Pimental (-)
Date of Stay: 08/07/06 Review Submitted: 08/07/06

Hi Kathy, I just wanted to thank you for renting the Donner cabin to us for our vacation! We all had a very nice time and found the accommodations to be just perfect for our family. The setting was just lovely and we all were able to relax which is just what we needed. Please feel free to use us as a reference any time.

Recommended for:

Guest: Patrick and Shaunna Easton (-)
Date of Stay: 07/03/06 Review Submitted: 07/03/06

This is a great place for a nice relaxing vacation. The home is well equiped with everything and has a great deck to sit and enjoy the view of Donner Lake. This was our first visit to Donner Lake with our 3 month old son and we will definately be returning and hopefully renting this house again.

Recommended for: