Cottage Place on Squam Lake

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1132 US Route 3, Holderness, NH 03245-5640

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About

4.5

Excellent

219 reviews

#1 of 2 cottages in Holderness

Location

Cleanliness

Service

Value

Cottage Place on Squam Lake offers 16 rentals, 7 cottages of various sizes, a 6 bedroom Lodge for large family gatherings, and 8 family apartments referred to as Cottage Suites. Our frontage on Squam Lake offers a 140 feet of sandy beach and easy access to swimming, floating, or paddling. We have dock space available if you would like to bring your boat or rent one from one of the three marinas on Squam Lake. The property is landscaped with vintage gardens and stonewalls. We specialize in cottage living with a cozy 1950s style where every day ends with sitting around the outside fire pit under the star laden sky. It is simple and relaxing.

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Property amenities

Free parking

Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)

Wifi

Beach

Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)

Pets Allowed ( Dog / Pet Friendly )

Gift shop

Non-smoking hotel

Room features

Air conditioning

Private beach

Fireplace

Kitchenette

Microwave

Refrigerator

Flatscreen TV

Room types

Non-smoking rooms

Suites

Family rooms

Good to know

HOTEL STYLE

Lake View

Hidden Gem

Location

1132 US Route 3, Holderness, NH 03245-5640

Getting there

Lebanon Regional Airport57 kmSee all flights

Manchester Municipal Airport90 kmSee all flights

See all nearby hotels

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219Reviews3Q+A61Room tips

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Voyage16870313558 wrote a review Oct 2023

2 contributions

My Happy Place

I have been going both to Cottage Place multiple times a year for an amount of years and probably my family is one of the higher yearly spend to this wonderful place near the edge of the White Mtns but still in the Lakes Region, including prior to when it was under former ownership/name. To be clear, is it the Ritz Carlton?-no, but it never pretended to be. It is a wonderful rustic cottages/suites in a cove in the smaller lake of two connected lakes that is quite honestly the best use of my money to become relaxed and at one with the world. It is just on the edge of having near zero cell service, which allows me to truly disconnect. Both the cottages and suites are taken care of, and if there are any issues(let's be real, all places can and will have issues at some point) the staff will more than attend to things. My direct family goes up at least twice a year(including a week with a large amount of extended family/friends), and Nathalie knows many times if I've had a not great week I've called/emailed and came up last minute for the weekend certain times of the year. …

Date of stay: September 2023

Value

Location

Service

Trip type: Traveled with family

Room Tip: Any questions or clarifications needed, please call or email prior. The owner/managers are some...

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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Helpful

Response from Susan Smith, Owner at Cottage Place on Squam Lake

Responded Oct 15, 2023

Thank you so much your honest and complimentary review of our sweet property with it's magical location. We absolutely love hosting the people/families who understand that we take great pride in our business and our special vintage buildings. We are rustic, simple but our very small team works hard to keep the cottages, suites, our Lodge (82 person capacity) and our frontage, gardens and property well maintained. We so appreciate the repeat customers who become an extension of our family. We are experiencing our 22nd year of ownership and the 4th family to have the pleasure of living and working (owning) this very special place on beautiful Squam Lake. Many guests, including this wonderful reviewer have experienced all seasons and many decades of different ownerships, so reviews like this mean so much to us. We hope that this review will attract more people like this treasured guest.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Laurel S wrote a review Aug 2023

1 contribution

Terrible - do not stay here

I've traveled all over the world and stayed at a lot of different hostels and budget hotels, and this has to be among the very worst, especially for the price. Forget quaint- this place is rundown and gross. We stayed in one of the "cottage suites" in the main lodge. The bathroom smells like sewage, there is mold growing on the ceiling, and paint peeling everywhere. There are not enough working outlets in the room to charge your phone overnight- we had to unplug some lamps in order to charge our devices. The beds and pillows are very old and uncomfortable and the comforters and bedspreads did not seem clean. The view from the beach is beautiful but there is constant traffic noise (including semi-trucks). The listing makes it sound like there are kayaks and paddle boards available for use but it turns out you have to pay extra to use them. The hotel also doesn't provide beach towels but asks that you don't use their bath towels on the beach- not sure how that is supposed to work. I wish we'd paid attention to the other bad reviews and found somewhere else to stay- this place was terrible.…

Date of stay: August 2023

Value

Location

Service

Trip type: Traveled with family

Room Tip: Avoid this place- a terrible experience and definitely not worth the price.

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Helpful

Response from Susan Smith, Owner at Cottage Place on Squam Lake

Responded Aug 19, 2023

This review is obviously upsetting to our small, but very hard working management team. Our 82 person capacity lodging property was built in 1957 and purchased in 2002 by a single mother of three children (4,6,9). Over the last 22 years, there has been 1.6 million dollars invested back into this beautifully located property. With the pandemic of 2020, it has been very difficult to find enough staffing and resources (financial and material) to attend to every little detail of maintenance, so those prone to notice only the things that are lacking rather than the things that have been newly attended to, will be able to create reviews like this one. Anyone living in the Northeast will attest to the extraordinary amount of rain we have experienced this summer (25 days of rain out of the 30 days in June). With that kind of humidity and wetness, we do find keeping up with fast growing moisture molds a challenge. This kind of moisture and being extraordinarily booked for the summer season makes it very difficult to touch up paint between guests. While there are valid points made by this reviewer, I would like to ask potential guests to question exaggerated words like rundown, gross, sewage (we installed a brand new septic system in 2015), paint peeling everywhere, old, uncomfortable and terrible. On behalf of all small to medium property owners of vintage nature who are still recovering from the affects of Covid-19 and conscientiously making improvements as they can afford - both with personnel challenges and with building material costs, I would like to ask the travelling public to choose their destinations with more care. Please take responsibility that you may not be the right match for the property you have chosen, sometimes online without a conversation with our front desk that could have accurately reflected our kayak and white bath towel protection policy. Also, our website is designed to accurately reflect our age, amenities, policies, location of the beach across the road - so when we are not the right match, we feel we have provided as much information as possible to avoid the exaggerated the negative words used in this review.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Rick P wrote a review Nov 2022

1 contribution

Extremely poor accommodations given the premium pricing placed on the retal

We were visiting on Parent's weekend in October of 2022-the room we stayed in was filthy with leaking sinks, and bathtub in addition to rotting floors around the toilet, kitchen sink, and bathtube. It is a Great Location, but no cleaning services for the room and the rooms we stayed in are probably the worst condition of any hotel, motel, or other facility I ever stayed at, and I traveled for over 20 years throughout all of New England and upstate New York. I am surprised that the State of New Hampshire does not regulate these facilities. I would not recommend staying here unless your review the accommodations in person to see what you are paying for. The owners have obviously never have maintained the place and take no pride or responsibility in their business.

Date of stay: October 2022

Value

Location

Service

Room Tip: DO not choose this

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Helpful

Response from Susan Smith, Owner at Cottage Place on Squam Lake

Responded Nov 22, 2022

Extreme reviews like this are always disheartening. Our property was built in 1957 and we purposely decorate with vintage furniture. We have a dedicated housekeeping staff that cleans thoroughly in between each guests - we do not offer cleaning services to guests while they are there. That expectation for that level of service indicates that we were not a good choice for these guests. Most lodging properties discontinued any kind of daily housekeeping services during the pandemic of 2020. We take great pride in our 21 years of serving the Squam Lake area as a lodging option for visitors. These comments are shocking and harsh as we have spent over $100000 a year making improvements not only in the infrastructure, but for linens, furniture, decor and landscape costs. Our rates are driven by our operating expenses and owning frontage on Squam Lake comes with a very heavy property tax. The rental being described here is a Cottage Suite which we refer to as a two room family apartment with a full kitchen and sleeping capacity for 5 people (double bed + queen bed + twin bed) and has a wonderful view of our Squam Lake frontage so our rates are appropriate and competitive for our area. We have been chosen many, many times as a primary lodging option for NH officials, members of local Chamber of Commerce, Plymouth State University officials, Holderness School special events, Squam Lake Association Board members, Squam Lake Natural Science Center presenters, as well as our 1200 repeat customers that visit every summer. We have also hosted 10 to 15 family reunions and over 20 weddings a year. So, as owners, we have had to maintain our special vintage property and we are a proud, hard working and responsible family. We hope that those who read this review will understand that we may not be the right property for everyone, but we aspire to be the right property for you.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Colleen D wrote a review Jun 2021

Hyannis, Massachusetts1 contribution

This place is a laid back place, allows dogs. People so nice

The office staff where so pleasant on the phone every time I called. When we arrived we needed a A/C unit because of a heat wave. They put us right away into an A/c unit. No problem. Any other place would have said sorry we cant help you. Very accommodating. It made my stay to see my sisters so special . Thank you Cottage Place. The girl , never got her name was so friendly and nice. Staying here again in November... Cant wait. Great Place. Colleen

Date of stay: June 2021

Rooms

Location

Service

Helpful

Response from Susan Smith, Owner at Cottage Place on Squam Lake

Responded Jul 1, 2021

Dear Colleen - your review is so important to us. Glad we could accommodate your needs and we are so grateful for return business. We are open year round and have lots of specialty weekends in our off season. We have a great FB page Cottage Place on Squam Lake so hope you and others reading this response will "like" our page so we can keep you up on all of our great property events as well as the great offerings in our Squam Lakes area of New Hampshire! Thanks again for taking the time to write a review.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Kathy wrote a review Jun 2021

1 contribution

Amazing place

So I do not normally do reviews but I absolutely loves staying at the cottage place on Squam it’s so beautiful and I had the most amazing service from Nathalie and Nicole I spoke with Nicole mostly but both lady’s were so attentive to my needs and giving me the information I asked for and also exceptionally knowledgeable. I was very cozy and I loved our stay there was so much to do and my kids had a blast also. The only thing that I did not like is when leaving I could not find either of the two women that helped us during our stay I believe they were not on Work shift at the time we left, so we had to deal with another women named Bridgette and she was not very inthusiastic about being there she also was very snappy towards us so I asked for both Nicole and Nathalie because I wanted to thank them and give them a tip but we were told we had to deal with Bridgette and we were also advised by her that she takes care of everything and she would take the tip and I hope she did not I specifically left a note in our cottage for Nicole and Nathalie so I hope you lady’s got it. We will be back for sure in the future thank you again for helping us so much. You will be our number one go to.…

Date of stay: June 2021Trip type: Traveled with family

Helpful

Response from Susan Smith, Owner at Cottage Place on Squam Lake

Responded Jul 1, 2021

Thank you for leaving us this review. We are a very family run, small staff business and we do need to know when our employees disappoint our customers. Our small staff is trained and expected to meet the needs of all of our customers. We will spend some more time with Bridget to be sure she is properly trained in the way we like to run our business. Thank you for your kind words and your constructive criticism of our staff. Nathalie and Nicole are very invested in making sure that Cottage Place on Squam Lake is a favorite place to stay on Squam Lake.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

steven e wrote a review Jan 2021

Springfield, Virginia3 contributions6 helpful votes

Not what we thought

We loved the reviews, but had the complete opposite. I would say over priced by $100 a night. We loved the location but that was it. The cottage came with 2 gallans of water and TOLD NOT TO DRINK THE TAP WATER. The new well will be coming in October, this is December 2020. Tha bathroom comes with 4 bars of soap, but NO SHAMPOO or CONDITIONER. We had to take our own trash to the dumpster. We did have a coffee maker and filters but NO COFFEE. We did order and got I think 3 bundles of wood one for each night. We got one fire starter but we needed 2 more one for each of the other 2 night. The rooms were not what I would call clean and we found a DE-CON MOUSE TRAY in a pet friendly room. Dust and dirt under the bed and couch, the rug needs a good washing or better yet for the price paid a NEW RUG. Other items that we were looking for and told we would have were not there, like paper towels and disinfectant wipes.…

Date of stay: January 2021Trip type: Traveled as a couple

1 Helpful vote

Helpful

Response from Susan Smith, Owner at Cottage Place on Squam Lake

Responded Jan 5, 2021

We never like to hear that we were not what people thought we would be......our website indicates we were built in 1957 and our photos are accurate - we value our vintage heritage and some of our guests confuse vintage with unclean. We indicate on the website that you will have to bring all of your own personal hygiene necessities and groceries - we also describe what our guests can expect in regards to services. We do ask that guests take their own trash and do their own dishes. The model of hospitality for NH lakefront cottages is usually designed for independent travellers who have researched and accepted that NH rustic is an experience that one is seeking. This time of year it is necessary to use mouse deterrent - we use non-toxic and try to keep it in places that are discreet and away from any common areas - looking under the bed and couch for dust and dirt would most likely result in seeing this treatment. All of NH homes and lodging properties (luxurious or modest) need to use treatment to ward off north woodland animals seeking a warmer place to live in the late fall and winter. Our new well was installed the first week in November and the State of NH recommends several submissions of samples of the new well, before allowing the public to drink it, therefore, we need to provide bottled water for drinking until the State of NH is comfortable with the quality of our new well. This usually takes several weeks and we are abiding by their strict rules. They have indicated that our water is completely safe for bathing and cooking, and all of our Fall and early Winter samples have tested to be safe to drink - but we are following NH protocol. Our rates are determined by our operating expenses and owning frontage on Squam Lake is a huge liability, operating an 82 person cottage colony year round dictates costs (heat, electricity, cable, wifi, plowing, waste management, etc). We have owned this very special vintage property for nearly 20 years and pride ourselves in the number of improvements we have made while still trying to stay consistent with the "step back in time and relax". We have thousands of happy return customers a year who depend on enjoying all that this very special location and property offers - we describe ourselves accurately. We hope future visitors will do the market research and learn that our rates are completely in line with other lodging properties in our immediate area - many of whom do not have direct access to Squam Lake - we own 140 feet of lake frontage with a beautiful sandy beach and dock access for boating. The cottage that was rented was a two bedroom cottage with full kitchen + living room with fireplace and a 5 person capacity. Covid-19 has forever changed the way we can host in the lodging industry. We are a small family run operation which has been struggling like all industries to try to keep our doors open and the public safe and satisfied. The disappointments listed above would have been the same even without all of the stress, anxiety, uncertainty of this pandemic. We were not the right choice for these folks, which makes us very sorry, but does not diminish our pride in our property and the experience we offer when we are the right choice. We only want the travelling public to research their choices properly. We are very different than the chain hotels and motels that offer coffee, shampoo and conditioner. We offer clear night skies, outside fire pits, inside fireplaces, full kitchens, lake views, fishing, swimming, hiking, the White Mountains and fabulous area restaurants. We will strive to be the best we can be and reviews like this always help us with that goal although we know we cannot be everything to everybody. In the Covid-19 environment, none of the more fancy hospitality properties are taking trash or providing housekeeping services for their guests. There are no large chain luxury motels on Squam Lake, so we hope that if you choose our property that you will understand what we have to offer. Happy New Year to everyone.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Lee S wrote a review Oct 2020

2 contributions

Nice get away with a much needed simpler time feel

A true NH treasure on a beautiful lake, with mountains and the ocean all within few minutes to few hours away. Bring your bikes, skies kayaks! and much more! Host was friendly helpful. Rooms clean well stocked and large.

Date of stay: October 2020

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Helpful

Response from Susan Smith, Owner at Cottage Place on Squam Lake

Responded Jan 6, 2021

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review. We are glad we matched your vacation expectations. We look forward to your return.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

traveling_with_kathy wrote a review Oct 2020

Lake Stevens, Washington1172 contributions463 helpful votes

Great Retro Cottage

Stayed a couple nights in my own cabin #5. You can’t beat the location. Right across the road is a private sandy beach on Little Squam Lake. There’s a dock for boats. In addition, there were a dozen anirondack chairs, SUP board, canoes, etc. The property is an older one with a retro charm. Each cabin had a charcoal grill, a porch with a couple chairs. My cabin was a 1-bedroom, 1-bath, an extra bed in the living room area, a bath/tub combo and a little kitchen. I didn’t have a fireplace or wood stoves, but it sounded like other cabins may have one. I loved my stay.

Date of stay: October 2020Trip type: Traveled solo

Helpful

Response from Susan Smith, Owner at Cottage Place on Squam Lake

Responded Oct 22, 2020

Thank you so much for taking the time to write a review. We were built in 1957 and we always want to honor our heritage. We are simple, clean and an excellent, excellent location. Our rentals do have vintage charm by design. WE do have modern appliances, new bathrooms, internet and cable - so put yesteryear and modern conveniences in a bag and mix it all up and that's what you get here at the Cottage Place on Squam Lake. We love it when we meet or exceed a traveller's expectations.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Deborah G wrote a review Oct 2020

1 contribution

Great get away spot

we came here in October. It was a good spot to unwind. Yes they were doing construction, but it didn't bother us. The private beach across the street would be much fun in the summer months. This place is like an old fashioned time machine, if you want to slow down your life. The host made a great outdoor fire for us, and the indoor fireplace is a great touch. Overall its simple but a good simple.

Date of stay: October 2020

Location

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Sleep Quality

Helpful

Response from Susan Smith, Owner at Cottage Place on Squam Lake

Responded Oct 17, 2020

We so appreciate your time in creating this review. We are simple by choice and strive to create an environment that is relaxing with a beautiful view of Squam Lake. Thank you for you understanding as we had to replace one of our roofs on the cottages. Luckily it was all done in one day and 1/2 - not starting too early and not working on it too late - as not to disturb our guests. We appreciate that you like us the way we are and hope you will return.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

disgusted wrote a review Aug 2020

Port Jefferson, New York3 contributions6 helpful votes

Not recommended

This cottage is badly in need of attention... my husband and I rented cottage #1. When I first went in I was very surprised to see holes in the wood bathroom floor where water had rotted it. It was too late to change anything and we were looking forward to a hot shower (since we had been camping for 3 days prior) anyhow so we disregarded the holes. However when we went to take a shower the water would not adjust... it was scalding and we couldn’t get in. My husband, who is handy, tried to fix it with his leatherman to no avail. We went to the office and no one was there. We left a message, hoping someone would fix it but no one got in touch with us. The next day I called the office and they said there wasn’t time to fix it. I asked for a partial refund but the owner said no. Bad business practice if you ask me!!! Not to mention the very lumpy bed. I will not be going back there and certainly don’t recommend it to anyone!…

Date of stay: July 2020

Cleanliness

Service

Sleep Quality

Room Tip: Don’t go! Holes in floor, shower not working, lumpy bed

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1 Helpful vote

Helpful

Response from Susan Smith, Owner at Cottage Place on Squam Lake

Responded Sep 25, 2020

As always there is two sides to every situation. Our property was built in 1957 and yes, there is a long list of improvements that can be made. The floor in Cottage #1 is on the list this Fall. Cottage #1 is our least expensive and smallest rental so it is booked back to back throughout the summer and difficult to make improvements especially a floor replacement. No one else has been bothered by the very small signs of disrepair. Due to Covid-19, we are operating our office from 9 to 6 pm and we are available on site for all of our guests. There was a note left late at night on the front desk saying that the shower was broken. We open at 9 am so I did not want to go down too early to check on the shower - waited until 10 am which is check out time to go down and they had already left as it was check out time. I went immediately to the shower and turned it on - there was absolutely nothing wrong with it - I could adjust it both ways - it was a circular fixture which these folks may not have been used to - it was only three years old - and it was working - it has been working ever since they left with no complaints. This summer was very difficult with the Covid-19 pandemic and the responsibility to sterilize, accommodate a very difficult crowd of people from other States. This bad review may deter others from booking with us, however, please spend time reading the other nicer and more accurate reviews before you make up your mind to believe this one. Some people arrive unhappy and stay that way.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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