THE LAKE ODESSA BEACH COTTAGE

It is not officially ADA compliant, but it is quite accessible. From the street, it’s just a step over the curb to the sidewalk, and even that step can be avoided by continuing through the street one house over, where the sidewalk begins and lies flush with the ground. Once on the sidewalk, it’s completely level to the front door, through the cottage, and out to and through the full backyard, and all doors are over 32 inches wide. The first floor bathroom has a walk-in shower, and a spa bench adjacent. In short, barring the second story, and direct lake access, which involves a short run of steps to the dock, and several more steps down the swim ladder into the water, it should be able to accommodate the elderly, and others with compromised mobility.

There are plenty of features and activities children would love, but as with any lakefront property, they must be very closely supervised. On site you’ll find a gate for the stairs, a Pack-N-Play, and a high chair.

Dogs are welcome at the Lake Odessa Beach Cottage! Do please give us a heads-up at booking, so we are prepared for extra cleaning protocol at checkout, but there is no fee or deposit. And please clean up after your pooch with the plastic pet waste bags stored in the laundry room cabinets, to avoid unpleasant surprises for the cleaning crew or next guests.

Just the backyard is fenced, and not fully, as there is no gate blocking the steps down to the dock. Also, the fencing, so as not to block the views, is somewhat short, with metal cable spanning the wood support beams. In short, the fencing is mainly to establish property lines and provide some sense of containment, but it is not meant to corral safely children or pets. Supervision is in order for those who need it!

The downstairs bedroom has a door to close for privacy and is oversize, L-shape, with a queen bed, a desk, and a closet. The upstairs east bedroom has five beds, one queen and four extra long twin, and also has a door. The upstairs west bedroom is open to the stairwell (no door to close for privacy) and has one queen bed.

All parking is free of charge and steps away. From April 1 to October 31, parking is allowed 24/7 on the street in front of the house. Please park directly in front of the cottage, and not in front of the neighbors’ homes, if at all possible. From November 1 to March 30, street parking is not allowed between the hours of 2 and 6 a.m.; overnight parking is available in a public lot directly across the street.

Check-in is 4 p.m. or later. Check-out is 10 a.m. or earlier. Regretfully, we cannot offer flexibility on either end.

There are seasonal limitations for select amenities; see related question, below. Generally speaking, we always strive to have everything available at all times. Unfortunately, potentially, something could be damaged by previous guests, or simply break down, and if there is a tight turnover window, you might encounter upon arrival out-of-service watercraft, hot tub, grill, or appliances or electronics. We will do everything possible to restore those amenities as quickly as possible, and with minimal disruption, if any, to you.

April 1-November 1, the entire backyard, from the sliders at the back of the cottage to the lake, is fully operational, as is shown in the high season photos. The full 30 feet of dock is in the water and the cottage watercraft (kayaks, paddle boards, with paddles) are on site, ready for use. All patio furniture is available, including loungers and the bar height bistro table/chair set on the deck overhang, and the shade sail is stretched over the pergola. November 2-March 31, the backyard is in off-season set-up. The fire pit benches remain, and the picnic tables and plastic patio chairs as well. The propane grill still stands ready for use, and the fire pit is accessible as well. The bistro set and the loungers are being stored indoors, as well as the pergola shade sail. A single 8 foot long dock section allows lake access, for fishing or photography. (There is no ladder for swimmers to enter or leave the lake safely. And there is no docking of boats possible, as (1) with such a short dock run, boats would be too close to the seawall and the deck overhang, jeopardizing the boats and the property, and (2) the water level has been lowered for the season, and large boats would likely not clear the lake bottom.) Each year, we strive to beat the April 1 opening, and push back the November 2 closing, but there are no guarantees, as the dates are largely weather dependent. We would rather be conservative with our estimates, which makes for happy surprises, than fall short of expectations and disappoint our guests.

The floating dock system at the municipal beach, which is three houses down the street, is pulled in the fall, and its components are stacked on shore and roped off for visitor safety. The system is reinstalled each spring. The town does not adhere to strict opening and closing dates, but, generally speaking, they tend to fall a bit short of the cottage’s “open water season.” The local pontoon outfitter on Jordan Lake temporarily halts his rental business. Like the town, his dates are not precise, but he strives to be open by Memorial Day weekend in May, and to stay open through the end of September. Buddy’s on the Beach, the restaurant / bowling alley at the beach, closes its lower outdoor patio for the low season, and its upper Tiki bar balcony as well. The public restrooms at the municipal beach, and at the village park, are shut down during the coldest months of the year, as plumbing is not winterized.