In this age of covid-19, you couldn't ask for a better place to be. That's not to say this wouldn't be a great place any other time--it would. But we looked for a place off the beaten path to get away from people and hunker down for the week. We looked specifically at lake houses with kayaks, and we happened upon this place.
Starting with the communication with Rick, the owner.... He was great! I sent a few messages through VRBO before our trip, and he always got back to me right away. There were 2 single kayaks included with the property, so I asked if there was a place to rent another, perhaps a double kayak. He replied that he would arrange for another kayak to be there, as there really is no place to rent anything nearby. He did this, and we had kayak space for all (2 singles and a double)! When we arrived at the property, Rick showed up moments later, greeted us, told us a few things about the home, and wished us a happy vacation. A bit later, he texted me to make sure I had his number in case of emergency.
A note about where this house is.... This town is RURAL! 1218 residents according to the 2010 census, and it's a 10 minute drive to the nearest main road. At that main road, there is really not much in the way of a town. For us, this was perfect--maybe a bit more off the beaten path than we were looking for, but it suited us just fine. Note: there is a small general store (Pratt's) about a 12 minute drive from the house. They are super nice there, and they have whatever you may need--groceries, snacks, hardware, etc.
One negative, though not enough of a negative to reduce the rating... the waterfront at the property is very weedy. Rick used a water rake to pull the weeds away from the dock, and we could have used it more to create a swimming area. But if you're looking for a swimmable beach, this may not be the place for you. No worries for us... we just took the kayaks out a bit and flopped ourselves into Lake Champlain!
The house itself is excellent! Great layout (we were in the loft upstairs, kids were in bedrooms in the basement, and we spent time on the main floor and the TV room in the basement). Views are awesome--back of the house faces north, so you won't really see a sunrise or sunset unless you crane your neck. But you'll still see the colors as the sun sets or rises, and it's great. The deck was also a great place to hang out, read, and sip coffee. Full size air hockey table was a hit with our hockey-playing boys.