This comfortable, fully equipped cottage is on a scenic Vermont lake, surrounded by some of Vermont's most beautiful countryside and interesting communities. It's a lovely spot for fishing, swimming, and canoeing. The lake frontage is across a quiet country road from the cottage, and is shared with another cottage (Fletcher Cottage #1). The water is shallow for a fairly long distance from shore, so it is a safe swimming area for young children under adult supervision. It's also a good spot for launching a small boat. We provide a rowboat, canoe, kayak, and paddleboat for use by you and the guests at the other cottage. Each cottage has its own small dock.

The cottage is comfortable throughout spring, summer, and fall. If you wish to visit in winter (and perhaps enjoy great skiing at nearby Smugglers Notch) please check out Fletcher Cottage #1, right next door.

The cottage has sleeping space for several people. How many? Technically a fairly large number, but we prefer to describe the premises in detail so that you can decide whether there is enough space for your family or group. (The short answer is that there are four full-size beds and a single daybed.)

For area attractions, you may enjoy the local winery or the corn maze in nearby Cambridge, ride a horse from the nearby stable, or visit Smugglers Notch in Jeffersonville. Or, you can take longer scenic drives to Waterbury to tour Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory, or Burlington, a college town with many cultural attractions (about 30 miles). Additional sources of information on Vermont attractions can be found at our "Vermont Links" page.

Generally, we prefer to rent the cottage on a weekly basis (Saturday afternoon until the next Saturday morning). Shorter durations are often possible during non-peak times of the spring and fall, or if there is a last-minute vacancy.

Would you like to be notified if any specific date opens up because of a cancellation? Please e-mail us with your request.

Dates marked in red are not available at this time.

The cottage is a blend of old and the new styles, combining rustic charm with modern convenience. The two bedrooms are both on the second floor, laid out comfortably although the ceilings are low. The "master bedroom" has a full-size bed, with plenty of closet space and a very nice view of the lake.

The other bedroom is larger, a sort of dormitory-style room with three full-size beds. Curtains are hung to provide some element of privacy. The beds vary in firmness of the mattresses.

The stairway is fairly typical of a cottage that was originally designed decades ago—sturdy and with a railing, but a bit steeper and narrower than one would expect in a typical modern house, and with low headroom at the top of the stairs.

If a member of your party has difficulty climbing stairs, or if you just feel like relaxing during the day, there's a comfortable single-size day bed in the living room.

The living room is a comfortable spot to relax, with windows that look out across the narrow road onto the lake. We provide a television with a DVD player. The TV reception is by satellite dish; nothing special, but about 50 stations in all..

The main bathroom is downstairs, and has a shower but no tub. Another small bathroom is upstairs, with just a toilet and sink. Laundry facilities (washer and dryer) are in a small separate building in the back yard.

Outside is a small but convenient deck, with a charcoal grill, chairs, and a table. Also, on the lake front, there are chairs, a bench-type swing, a picnic table, and a pit for bonfires.

For cooking, on days when you don't feel like using the grill outside, you'll appreciate the full kitchen inside—with gas range, full-size refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, coffee maker, toaster, coffee grinder, etc. It is well-designed for cooking and serving—an island counter with stools is good for a casual snack, and the room opens up into an area with dining table and chairs.

The table is round, and can easily accommodate up to six people for dinner or socializing. The running water comes from a deep well, so it is good to drink.

You can count on the same level of hospitality that the guests at our other cottages, in Fletcher and in Hinesburg, Vermont, have come to expect over the years. When you arrive, you'll find fresh flowers. The refrigerator and cupboards are stocked with miscellaneous food items, particularly appropriate for breakfasts, including eggs, sausages, frozen waffles, and real Vermont maple syrup as well as condiments and other basics, so that you can relax upon arrival, with no pressure to stock up with groceries right away. The cottage is completely furnished, including dishes, towels, linens, etc., and you'll find the beds already made when you get here. We won't intrude on your privacy to change the sheets or make the beds during your stay, but you'll find plenty of extra linens. A washer and dryer are in a separate building in the back yard for your convenience.

A telephone is provided. The phone number is unpublished, to protect guests from unwanted calls. However, if you make reservations and want the number to give to family and friends before you leave home, we will be happy to provide it. (Cell phone reception is not good in this area, so you may wish to share the cottage phone number with others in case of emergency.)

Pets are welcome, as long as they are kept under control by their owners. Please do not bring pets that may disturb the neighbors, either with noise or physical threats. If your pet causes damage to the property, you will be expected to assume responsibility and pay for repairs. With those caveats, this is a pet-friendly cottage in a pet-friendly neighborhood.

If you smoke, we ask that you step out onto the deck, yard, or lakefront before lighting up.

The videos below are prepared for Windows Media Player, one of several free players. If you don't see the two TV screens with a "Play" button below, then you might have to install the player or a plug-in to your Web browser. But don't bother to do this just to see these movies, which definitely will never win academy awards.

Most rentals are for a full week, Saturday to Saturday. In general, we expect that rentals during the summer months and some of the other peak times of year will be by full weeks or multiples thereof. Standard prices and terms are as follows:

We request that you make every effort to be sure of your travel plans before you make a reservation. Please keep in mind that the time you reserve is made unavailable to anybody else, and we may turn away many others who are inquiring about that period. Because most people plan vacations well in advance, it is often difficult to re-rent with short notice. For that reason, the deposit is nonrefundable. The balance of the rental fee for the week will be excused if you cancel at least a month ahead of the scheduled date, or if we are able to re-rent.

Payments may be made by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover) or by check.

Reservations may be made by phone (802-482-2988 or 1-800-310-8320) or by exchanging e-mail with us at cottage (at) upperaccess.com. If you pay by credit card (as the majority of our guests do), it is usually most convenient to provide the credit-card information by telephone.

If you prefer to pay your $100 deposit on-line by credit card, we have set up a secure order form for that purpose. Click here for the on-line payment page. This will charge your account right away while you are on-line, so before doing so, please be sure to confirm the reservation by phone or e-mail.

Keep in mind that our credit-card gateway is designed mainly to take book orders for our home business. Therefore, it'll ask about a shipping charge; but choose the option for rentals that avoids the shipping charge. If anything gets confusing, remember that you can always make your credit-card payment by phone, at 802-482-2988 or (from most locations) toll-free at 1-800-310-8320. The phone numbers are secure land lines to our home office, and we answer during extended hours weekdays, evenings, and weekends.

We also have additional rental cottages, both in Fletcher and near our home on Lake Iroquois in Hinesburg, Vermont, a short drive from Burlington. For more information on those cottages click here.

Photo taken by a guest on
a calm day at our lake
front (courtesy Robert Strey)

View of cottage from lake
(road hardly visible)

View from upstairs
bedroom window

The lake is good for small
boats. We provide a rowboat
and a canoe.

Playground equipment in
side yard

Private bedroom

Dorm-style bedroom

Dining table & counter

Dining area

Living room with gas
fireplace and door to deck

Lake frontage includes
swing, picnic tabe,
& fire pit

A guest shows off her catch
(courtesy Lorien Young)

Picnic table by dock

Steve or Lisa Carlson
85 Upper Access Road
Hinesburg, VT 05461

Click to Email
800-310-8320
802-482-2988