The property itself was just as described: an older home right on the lake with a lot of charm and great views. We enjoyed the generous dining room and sunny living spaces with different areas for our family to eat, read, play games, make art, etc. The beds were incredibly comfy, and all the appliances (fridge, microwave, washer, dryer) were newer and worked great. No dishwasher though. The TV was also pretty basic and didn't have any kids channels, even though they were listed. And wifi was not great, and it was hard to make calls or even text. But that was fine - we were there to disconnect from screens, after all. We enjoyed canoeing on the lake and fishing on the dock, even though it was chilly. Fortunately, the heat in the house worked fine.
What was less fine was not to be able to drink or cook with the brown water that came out of the pipes for the first few days of our stay. This was due to the torrential rains from a few days prior overflowing into the well water. Jack kindly sent gallons of bottled water for us to drink, so we weathered that adventure.
Jack was a very responsive and kind host, but unfortunately, he was not able to fully address another major problem. The kitchen, while fully equipped with dishes, utensils, etc was not clean and the lower drawers, cabinets, and counters were covered in mouse droppings. I imagine that since we were there in early May, the house was vacant for the winter and we were the first tenants? We had to clean everything we wanted to use first. When reported to Jack, traps were set. In due course, we discovered a dead mouse and needed to dispose of it. My kids thought this was all part of the adventure, but I was not as amused.
We made the best of it - we ordered in (pizza is decent) and also took day trips to the nearby state parks. Moon Lake is beautiful and Ricketts Glen is not to be missed! The ice cream shop in Shickshinny "Udder Delites" was amazing too.
The area is truly gorgeous, and in spite of our misadventures we really loved Lily Lake and the house, which is just the kind of place we would like to own someday.
A few improvements we might suggest are: clarification of check in and check out procedures prior to our visit, as well as a having a listing of recommended restaurants and things to do in the area.