For more information, see our:
Rates and Availability Calendar
Amenities
Full kitchen w/ service for 12, microwave, wide-mouthed toaster, blender, coffee-maker and coffee packets, all pots and pans and cooking implements, lobster pot, wine glasses and corkscrew, staple goods and spices, basic groceries like bread, milk, eggs, cereal, and juice for your first night and morning (groceries for weekly rentals only). (There is
no dish-washer.)
a king-sized bed, six twin beds, and pull-out couches. (The twin beds can be attached to make additional king-sized beds.)
a selection of cards, toys, games, and board games for all ages
books and magazines
a library of family-friendly DVD's with an LCD screen w/ computer. Video input for your video games. (No cable or Internet)
baby equipment including a high chair, port-a-crib, plastic cups and bowls, safety gate and outlet covers
linens: sheets, pillowcases, blankets, bath towels and washcloths
phone (local calls only), alarm clocks, blow-dryer, iron, several fans
shampoo, conditioner, bath gel, hand soap, hand lotion, razors and other emergency toiletries
toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, napkins, sponges, kitchen towels, dishwashing liquid
bottled water for drinking. (The tap water from the lake is perfectly fine for cooking, washing fruit and vegetables, and brushing teeth.)
Two large binders of local attractions, maps and directions, plus many books about the area
First-aid kit and directions to the local hospital
Washer and dryer: Weekly rentals are welcome to use the washer once, please, to help conserve our septic system. You can use the dryer any time.
Firewood and starter sticks
Shale beach
a large picnic table seating 8, a patio dining table and chairs seating 6 with umbrella, and several lounge chairs
gas barbeque grill with fuel, and grill for cooking over the fire circle
fire circle on the beach
new 12 ft. wooden rowboat
two canoes (one can use oars) and an inflatable boat
basic fishing gear for casting and trolling; filet knife
7 life jackets in adult sizes medium, large and X-large; 2 small children’s life jackets
badminton and volleyball set; ping pong table (outside)
long wooden swing on a tree, croquet, swingball, and other recreational equipment.
Green products:
We try to provide organic products whenever possible, including soap, shampoo, dish detergent, laundry detergent, and cleaning products--for your health, and the health of the septic system and lake.
Restrictions
The Size of your Group: Because of the limitations of the septic system, the size of the living room and kitchen, and out of consideration of the neighbors, we limit overnight guests to eight in the summer and six in the fall.
Age: You must be 25 years of age or older to sign the rental agreement. Young adults under the age of 25 must have someone 25 or older staying with them at the cottage.
Smoking: No smoking is allowed either inside the cottage or within 20 feet of the cottage.
Pets: Well-behaved dogs (see below) are allowed. No cats or other animals are allowed.
Quiet Hours
We ask that for the sake of the neighbors that you please observe quiet hours between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. The neighbors are not that close, compared to some cottages, but we'd like to continue the informal tradition along our stretch of the lake of respecting each other's need for quiet.
Children (click here for more information) Children love the lake and are always welcome. The two bedrooms upstairs, with three twin beds in each, are perfect for children and teens.
Pets
We allow well-behaved dogs who are not barkers, are leashed at all times when outside, are cleaned up afterward, and are always kept off the furniture. If you or your dog are not a good match for those requests, please arrange to board your dog at home. 
No cats, please, as Martha is allergic, and no other pets are allowed.
An additional fee of $25 per day or $150 weekly will be charged for 1 or 2 dogs.
Handicapped Accessibility
Unfortunately the cottage is not accessible for people in wheelchairs, or for people with limited mobility. There is a drawbridge to negotiate over the creek, stairs leading to the front door, and the second floor is accessible only by climbing sturdy but steep drop-down stairs (making the second floor ideal for children and limber adults).
Laundry
The cottage includes a washer and dryer. Because we use a septic system, we ask that you use the washer only once during your stay if you are here for a week, and not at all during shorter stays. (The cleaning crew will use it quite a lot after you leave, so we don't want to overload the system.) The dryer can be used at any time.
Fireplace
There is wood and kindling outside the cottage for the fireplace, and starter sticks inside. You must use only seasoned wood in the fireplace, as unseasoned wood contains creosote that can coat the chimney and cause a chimney fire.
Sleeping Accommodations
The cottage has a bedroom downstairs with a king-sized bed and two larger bedrooms upstairs with 3 twin beds in each. The twin beds upstairs may be attached to make 2 king beds plus 2 twins, if requested ahead of time.
All of the beds, sheets, pillowcases, blankets, and pillows are new. The mattresses are firm.
The couch and chairs in the living room may also be pulled out into beds.
Please note that the upstairs bedrooms are best used for children, teens, and limber adults, as the stairway is of the pull-down variety. Older adults or those unable to negotiate the pull-down stairway should plan on using the king bed downstairs.
A porta-crib is available.
Linens
Bed linens, blankets, towels, and facecloths are provided.
Please bring your own beach towels for swimming.
Kitchen
The kitchen is a full kitchen, with stove, oven, microwave, refrigerator and freezer, coffee-maker, blender, toaster, pots and pans. It also includes:
service for 12
spices, sugar, flour, and other basic supplies for cooking and
baking (stored in the freezer for freshness)
dining room table with chandelier
basic groceries for your first night and morning (coffee,
bread, milk, cereal, etc.), accommodating any dietary
restrictions.
The kitchen does not have a dishwasher at this time.
Bathroom
The cottage has one small bathroom downstairs with a shower, no tub. We have a septic system, so please take short showers.
Trash
Please separate recyclables (paper, cans and bottles). We will take care of removing your trash after you leave.
The Creek and drawbridge
We named Red Creek Cottage for the mysterious red moss that grows on the large pieces of shale in the streambed. In dryer weather, go for a walk way up the streambed through the woods (just watch out for heavy rain storms--the streambed can fill quickly with water).
Originally the cottage had a solid railroad tie bridge that could be driven over. But one year, when Martha was 14, heavy rains in the middle of the night pushed so much shale down the streambed that the old bridge plugged up with shale and the water was forced over the lawn, even over the front steps. Huge rocks were left all over the yard, like a moonscape. After the lawn was repaired, the railroad ties were replaced with the drawbridge, which can be raised in case of rain.
The drawbridge must be raised completely at the end of your rental, and whenever there is a chance of heavy rain.
Swimming
Seneca Lake is very deep (over 600 feet) and does not warm up for comfortable swimming until late July and early August. Our kids do go in the water in June but it's definitely cold.
We have a large shale beach, made even bigger lately by shale pushed out into the lake by the stream. Shale is flat rocks of various sizes, and can be slippery, or sharp if they are turned on their side. Because of that, and the zebra mussels, we recommend swim shoes.
The shale from the streambed has, over time, created a large shallow area for wading and little kids' swimming that extends about 50 feet out into the lake.
Like nearly every cottage in the Finger Lakes, we do have Asian millfoil , a non-native water weed, growing in the deeper water in front of the cottage July through the fall, which makes swimming in the deeper water more unpleasant. We pull as much as we can out of the water to make deeper areas for swimming but unfortunately it's a problem in all the lakes at this time. All of our renters have enjoyed the lake and the water, however, and kids can get plenty wet in the shallow areas without the weeds. Older kids can also take an inflatable boat beyond the weeds and swim off of that.
Fishing
We have the basics for casting off of the beach or the rowboat and for trolling out a bit deeper: a variety of rods, some especially for kids, lures, hooks, bobbers, sinkers, net, etc.
Fishing License
If you are over 14 and even just fish off of our railroad tie breakwall, you must have your own local fishing license, which you can pick up at $25 for 7 days at a marina supply store in downtown Watkins Glen (12 miles south) and at the Starkey Town Hall in Dundee . The fine for not having a license is considerable. Renters must have their own license and cannot use the property owners'.
Floor Plan and More Photos
Map of Where We are Located
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