We really enjoyed everything about this stay. The owners were very helpful with anything we needed. The location was so peaceful and stress free. The lake is beautiful and having access to everything(paddle boats, canoes..) you need to have fun on the lake was a great bonus. We had no problems with the villa we stayed in and the enclosed porch was very nice also. We would recommend this place.
Wonderful place for a relaxing and fun family vacation
We loved our vacation at Crystal Acres! We found the cottage to be exactly as described. It was comfortable and very well equipped and maintained. All five of us, and our dog, had a great time. It was just steps from the cottage to a beautiful sandy beach. We had lots of fun swimming and kayaking, relaxing in the sun, and also just taking in the amazingly beautiful views of Crystal Lake. Sue and Art were very friendly and helpful. We just came back home, but are already looking forward to returning to Crystal Acres!
My family has stayed at Crystal Acres every summer for years and years. The beachfront is perfect for young kids--shallow, sandy water--and for older kids--a raft, and a variety of fun boats. We love the shuffle board too. The cabins are great with lovely porches. We've spent many a night playing cards and telling stories. Crystal Acres is close enough for day trips to local water parks or day hikes or movies, but mostly we love to stay on site and relax. Sue and Art are friendly and welcoming. Truly a lovely vacation spot.
Ideal family vacation in an absolutely idyllic setting
Our family had the most wonderful week staying in the "Villa" at Crystal Acres. The cottage itself was so cozy - the bathtub, laundry and TV with Netflix were a huge bonus for a family with three small children! The kids loved running around the property with Sue's (the owner's) grandchildren, jumping off of the piers, playing shuffleboard, digging moats in the sand with the large collection of sand toys, making s'mores in the fire pit, and touring the beautiful lake in the canoes, paddle boat, kayaks, various inflatable floats, and especially the kids kayak! Sue and her family were absolutely lovely, and we loved hearing about the history of the lake and the property - what a special place!! We felt like the cottage was just the right mix of being in a secluded, quiet location, while being within driving distance of civilization for grocery stores and little trips out to dinner or ice cream around the bigger lakes (we went to Weirs Beach, Wolfboro, to the Speedway in Loudon, and for a hike up Mount Major). Sue and her family have a wealth of knowledge and great recommendations for tucked away spots to check out around the area too. We can't wait for our stay on Crystal Lake next summer!
The cottage was spotlessly clean and just as described. The entire property is well-maintained and probably the best location and beach on the lake. The beach is sandy, clean, serene, has three little docks, and is shared with guests from the other cottages, so be prepared to socialize. Dogs are welcome and must be on leash at all times. We had to leave after two nights due to a medical situation so weren't able to enjoy the property as planned, so didn't swim.
We had a wonderful time staying in the Villa. It was clean and comfortable. The lake was clean and warm and the provided kayaks gave us plenty to do. Thank you!
This was a wonderful getaway that felt safe for our family during Covid. We chose this location to have access to the White Mountains with a lake front place to relax after hikes and on non-hiking days. It ended up that we werenât able to hike as much as planned, so we were so glad to have such a wonderful lakefront place to be. Crystal Lake is clean and deep, perfect for long swims or playing at the dock and raft. They provide kayaks and canoes along with plenty of life jackets in many sizes. This was a perfect place for our dogs, as they were welcome on the beach with us and there were many other dogs. Darcy and Dave helped is right away to tell us the personalities of different dogs so that we were all able to manage peaceful intermingling. One consideration is that the cabins are close and no sound proofed so if you have dogs that bar at every little thing, youâll have to manage that. We do so we kept them with us, but we know that about our guys. The cabin was clean and very well equipped. It had a washer and drier in the bathroom, and plenty of cleaning products and paper goods. The owners were extremely hospitable, all greeting us and going above and beyond to make us feel comfortable. Art is a great source of knowledge about hiking. We considered an indoor fire one night due to rain before we realized it would get too hot and Dave chopped kindling for us and brought it to our door. We had a lovely evening with everyone around a fire with cocktails and sâmores. You are sharing this property with a couple of other guests and Sue and Artâs family, but they are lovely people who go out of their way to take care of their guests and allow them their own space too.
My wife and our two boys, aged 2 and 4 were looking for a place close to a lake, but far enough away that our boys couldnât simply run into the water. We didnât want to be on top of a steep rock wall to get to the lake either. We wanted a place we could bring our family dog. We wanted a place that we could enjoy a good old fashioned family vacation. This place checked all the boxes. We had been to Winnipesaukee before and loved all it had to offer, but had found it hard to find a house to rent that offered all of the things we wanted while being in our price range. Not to mention that we wanted to have a nice beach on a lake. The beach at Crystal Acres is perfect for the children to play, the dog to enjoy and for my wife and I to go and sit in one of the Adirondack chairs and watch the kids in the refreshing lake against the most beautiful backdrop of the Belknap mountains. Both the Cloutmanâs and other guests are respectful of others while being warm and appreciative that you chose their place to stay. They provide paddle boats, row boats, and life vests amongst other things for you to enjoy the lake. We donât get as much time with our kids as we would like and I was so grateful to have taken my older one for a row boat ride onto the lake. It was the definition of family and/of father son bonding.
There are 2-3 cabins/homes on the property so you will most likely see others on the property throughout the week. Everyone is very friendly while also being polite and respectful that everyone else is there for the same reason...their own vacation. We were lucky enough to have been there when the Cloutmanâs had there daughter, son in law and 2 grandchildren there. They couldnât have been a more accommodating family. Our children played together and we enjoyed their company, but they were also so attentive to letting us enjoy our family time. From the property we made regular trips to Alton bay, weirs beach, Harts, and to Storyland, and felt as if we were both in a secluded beachfront lake spot in a beautiful clean refreshing lake while being minutes away from all that Winnipesaukee offered. Our family is so grateful to have found this property and these hosts to have enjoyed our summer vacations the past 2 years. Time seems to slow down when youâre there. For a family thatâs always on the move and doesnât get to enjoy our own time together much, Crystal Acres gives us exactly what we need.
Beautiful beach, kid friendly,family vacation spot
We use home away quite often and we rely on the reviews before renting a property. When I write a review I try to be very honest so there are no surprises.
First of all the lake is beautiful, the best beach on the lake! Sue & Art are kind enough to allow use of all the kayaks, boats, floats ect. which we took advantage of. The cottage was clean, and well stocked for cooking. The cottages are as described and have a very authentic feel to them.
There are tons of nearby activities, other lakes, places to eat ect. close by.
Sue & Art are very nice, and right there to help should you require anything.
That being said you should understand this is for families with kids . The owners are very close to the cottages which gives no sense of privacy.You REALLY need to be quiet after 10pm. 90%of the time it was just my husband & I. We did have friends up (4 people) all 40 yrs and older a couple of times. We were playing cards on the back porch laughing and talking , not "whooping" it up and were all in bed by 11pm on a Friday night. The next day we were told we had to keep it down because voices carry in the woods. We were very put off by this since we are very respectful of other people and were not playing music or being loud and obnoxious. After that we felt like we had to be very quiet and worry that we were disturbing others.
There are NO locks on the doors. I inquired about this and Sue said "nothing has ever happened". We were not comfortable with this as no-one can keep an eye on things at all times , especially at night. We also locked our computers ect in the car when we left the cottage and feel that locks are a must in today's society unfortunately. We understand the owners want to keep the old fashioned feel of the place, but we felt this needed mentioning.
An under the sink water filter is a must. The odor of the water is really terrible. We honestly were disgusted by the smell. We know it's safe to drink , but you surely wouldn't want to!
Spiders! If you have a phobia you will have an issue big time! Giant spiders are outside the screens at night. One of our friends was completely freaked out. A regular perimeter cleaning and bug spraying needs to be done on a regular basis.
Overall I would recommend this HIGHLY to families with children for the reasons stated.
Had other renters mentioned the issues we had, I would have looked for something more private.
We had a wonderful vacation at Crystal Acres this summer! We have 2 kids (under a year and 4 yo) and it was just a perfect spot to bring them to. The villa is just steps away from the lake, without the need to cross the street which was great for our daughter, we felt very safe. There are tons of sand toys and floaties on the beach which was a cherry on top! The beach is very kid friendly: shallow entrance, docks, clean sand, clean water. There are kayaks, a canoe, a pedal boat - everything you might want on a lake (life jackets are also provided)! We had a few nice walks (very stroller friendly) around the lake. The villa itself is very cozy, we loved the fireplace and the porch especially! We had a few rainy days, and we used them to explore the area around (the Weirs beach with the arcades was quite fun and Tilton was a good shopping experience). Sue, Art and their entire family were so welcoming and such nice people, it was really great having them closely! We can't wait to come back! Thank you so much for the wonderful week!
We just spent a wonderful week with family and friends at Crystal Acres. The atmosphere is homey and totally relaxing, and the beautiful sand beach and truly crystal water are just steps from the cabins. We stayed in the Villa which is well-equipped, clean and just as described. There was ample space for four adults and two small children. The kind hosts are on site and available and responsive to any need. Besides swimming, we enjoyed biking and running in the area, with a few outings for mini-golf and to the nearby Shaker Village. On top of all that, the loon calls in the evening - we hope to return and would certainly recommend this special place.
We stayed in the Villa at Crystal Acres from 6/28-7/5. What a place!! One of the most relaxing vacations we've had.
Crystal Acres is set on the most beautiful stretch of sandy beach, with a gradual entry. This was perfect for me and my two young girls, ages 4 & 6. The water was clean and clear. There were plenty of toys for the girls on the beach, along with a kayaks and canoes for adults.
The owners, Sue and Art, along with their family were wonderful. Kind, attentive to our needs, and great people to chat with. My girls really loved playing with their grandchildren on the beach!
The cottage had everything we needed for the week. It was basic, but clean. The kitchen was well-stocked. I especially loved the washer and dryer in this unit.
We will definitely be returning next year!
All the lakeside fun of an iconic New England "camp" or cottage. Owners Sue and Art nearby to immediately attend to any need. We two and our daughter and husband and 2 children found the accommodations, beach & boats, and points of interest delightful. A good time had by all.
Our first stay at Crystal Acres. Four friends enjoying drinks, barbecues, campfires, singing and great times on Bike Week 2011.
The rides to Weirs Beach were beautiful, the weather was perfect. What wonderful memories we are taking home.
Sue and Art, thanks for putting up with our music and loud pipes. You have a wonderful spot here. Thanks so much. We hope to come back again.
Tina Nova Scotia
We just spent the most fantastic family vacation at Crystal Acres. We have 2 children, Patrick 9 1/2 and Ainsley 4 3/4, and everything about staying at Crystal Lake was absolutely as described . The lake is so beautiful and clear. The beach front is spectacular- the sand is perfect and the gentle slope is perfect for all ages. Playing on the docks was so much fun. Art and Sue are so very freindly and helpful. The hiking in the area is great and you're just close enough to pop over to Alton Bay and Weirs Beach (both on Weinipisaukee) for that summer vacation stuff- Mini golf, creamies, penny arcades, boat rentals ect.) We are already looking forward to next summer.
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Our family has owned this property since 1898! For generations we have loved summering here, and we love introducing it to new people and seeing old friends return year after year. There are 5 homes at Crystal Acres: 3 are for our guests each summer, 1 is shared by Darcy and Kristi and their respective families, and 1 is a year-round house for Sue and Art. We proudly say that we have the best beach on the lake, with 200 linear feet of natural sand and an impressive mountain view.
This is a very unique spot with lots of history and of stories which, given a chance, Art will tell you in great detail! It is quiet and serene, with a view of the Belknap Mountain Range. The lake is exceptionally clean and clear, with a gradual drop-off that is great for kids. It's rewarding to see parents who came here as children now returning with their children and even their grandchildren!
Parents often tell us it's the most relaxing vacation they've ever had because there is so much for the kids to do without having to leave. There's a shuffleboard court, yard games (you can bring your own or borrow ours) and the beach which provides hours of fun. Families and fishermen all love the row boat, canoes, paddleboat, and kayaks. We provide life preservers. In the evening you can watch the sunset or bring your fishing rod and fish off the dock. When the stars come out make s'mores by a fire.