First those who've never been to the Lake Willoughby area, it's absolutely lovely. The lake itself is clear, clean and quite undeveloped, making it a perfect place to hear loons, hike and get away from it all. A few small towns in the area provide a few places for groceries, gift items, gas and a few pubs and restaurants but not much, which in my opinion is fine. Its surrounded by gorgeous country scenery, green mountains, farms, more lakes and wildlife. Dont miss the nearby blueberry farm! Gorgeous! A high point for us was all the locals we met were very friendly, low-key, and genuinely appreciative of our business. An example: a waitress at the Willoughby Inn who happens to also be a postal worker takes my postcards to mail at 6 am the next day so I don't have to drive out to a post office.

And now the cottage. First, the not-so-good. You must park at the bottom of a fairly short but extremely steep gravel driveway each time you come. When we arrived we were able to park a little higher up temporarily and were offered a cart for our luggage, but it seemed hardly worth it. We are around 60 years old and the daily hike wasn't too bad once we got used to it, but those who are older or have hip, knee or other problems might have difficulty.

My only other complaint was the closeness of the other cottages. One side of the cottage is wooded with no house but the other side has a cottage just a few yards away. A shade on their front deck and trees give visual privacy, but noise could be an issue. There are also two other places close but not overly so. While we were there they were all mostly uninhabited except for next door a few nights. I should say that even with small children they were quiet and very friendly. I believe they are family members of the owners and I don't think the place is inhabited frequently, but I do need to mention.

The cottage itself is fairly small and rustic but charming and more than adequate. The deck and screened in porch are the best features. There's a tiny TV, WiFi and a small wood burning stove, all the kitchen amenities including coffeemaker, microwave and all the necessary cooking utensils. The living room screams for a nice ceiling fan, but 2 small fans are provided and in general nights are reasonably cool and heat is not an issue in this area. The owner, Karen, is very nice and lives nearby if there are any issues.

All in all this cottage is not a bad deal. We loved our vacation and would stay again!