The Edge of Esson Lake

We had an awesome time at the Edge. The space is so well equipped for hosting large groups (we had 15 people). The lake is gorgeous. The games room is SO fun. We loved the hot tub and grassy area for games too. Be ready for some stairs!

We stayed at the cottage during Christmas 2022.
When we arrived the cottage was clean and well-stocked. The owners also provided a Christmas tree with decorations!

All snow was removed in the driveway and at the front. It was a great idea, that snow was intact behind the cottage, it gave us an opportunity to play and have fun like little kids.

The cottage is well-equipped, the internet is smooth and no issues with streaming. All TV's have access to popular streaming platforms.

The owners were thoughtful and promptly answered all of our questions.
The owners provided the cottage guide, with all instructions in any case or emergency.

The location is amazing, on a hill above the lake, surrounded by forest; it gives you privacy, and the opportunity to relax.

Dan, thank you for everything

Aneta & Mariusz

The views were absolutely beautiful from the huge living room windows. The game room was well curated. The property was big enough to accommodate 11 of us comfortably. And the hot tub was the cherry on top! We loved our stay and will definitely return!

We stayed here over a winter weekend with a group of friends and had a great time. The common area is nice and open to spend time together, the games room in the basement was perfect for some competitive activities, and the big windows and lake view are so beautiful. Made me think I should visit again in the summer to enjoy all the deck space and foliage.

What an amazing find!
My family and I stayed at The Edge in October, and what a great time we had. The fall colours were incredible, but they were unmatched by this cottage.
We were a group of 9 which included a 3 and 5 year old, teenagers, and adults. The cottage was so clean and organized, and the layout was perfect. There was something for everyone. The game room got a ton of use as did the hot tub. And our littles will hold the memories of feeding the birds out of their hand forever.
The space inside the cottage was great and the water was beautiful. No one minded doing the stairs to go on a nice canoe or paddle boat ride.
100% plan to get back here in the fall.

AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL COTTAGE!
The cottage is well maintained, spacious and extremely comfortable. The cottage sits on a hill above the lake so you wake up to a beautiful view every morning. The owners were thoughtful and promptly answered all of our questions. We really enjoyed the hot tub and the game room. It was a perfect cottage to stay in winter. I'd love to go back.

Loved our stay here! Games room and hot tub were perfect for a winter cottage trip, and I can imagine summer being even more amazing.

We stayed here in the winter as a group of 12 friends for a weekend and had a great time. The place was clean and had a nice view of Esson Lake. Per the name, it's also close to the lake and I enjoyed quiet mornings before everyone else woke up. We spent a lot of time in the downstairs games room playing table tennis and pool. The rooms were fairly spacious, though I think a couple of the beds (doubles) are on the small side for two people. Not that it's a surprise, but for accommodating large groups I think upgrading those to queen size would be nice. Each bedroom (or, at least our room) had it's own temperature control, which was great for someone like me who easily gets too warm. And people loved the outdoor hot tub. I would come back again for a longer stay.

I joined my family here in November for a few days, and it was a comfortable, wonderful stay. My spacious room had a private balcony with a lovely view of the lake through the trees. The stairs to the water were a nice workout, the kitchen was a pleasure to use, and the wifi was great.

I echo all the positive comments from recent reviewers. The new owners have done an excellent job upgrading the place.

Excellent stay while under new management! Brand new BBQ, with lots of fun for the whole family (canoe, fishing from dock & a games room for when it rains).

Very well maintained & don't let the photos of the stairs to the water fool you, it's not that long of a climb & totally worth it for the swimming fun. That's not to mention the beautiful sunrise you can view by the water just by venturing to the docks.

This was our first time staying at the Edge and we had a great time! The new owners Dan & Diana were wonderful hosts and very responsive. When we arrived the cottage was clean, well-stocked and we were welcomed with a nice basket with coffee, tea, bird seeds (to feed the chickadees) and other treats.

The view from the lake was so beautiful! The kids enjoyed swimming and exploring the area in the canoe. The hot tub was perfect for chilly evenings and the games room was great for the days when it rained.

The kids didn't want to leave the cottage at the end of the week and insisted we come back so we are looking forward to coming back in the fall.

We were there in mid-August. It was a great time, Daniel was in contact to see how things were going during our stay. The neighbours were friendly. The cottage was stocked with everything you will need, from salad spinners to spices. The pace was huge and the rooms were a very spacious. It was great that the dock had PWC docking spots, when you head to the water remember to take everything down, I climbed 143 flights of stairs the week we were there. Our family had a great time, we would love to book again next summer, we'll be in touch.

Just spent a week at The Edge. We booked under the previous owners and ended up renting from the new ones. The updated website really shows off this beautiful cottage. It seemed to be freshly painted and over all quite clean. The kitchen was very well appointed with ample cutlery, plates, and good quality cookware. Even the knives were sharp! The cottage was huge and our large family could easily spread out. We really appreciated the detergents, soap and even shampoos that were provided. The outdoor shower was delightful, very convenient for using after the hot tub. Evening ambience was very pretty with the Edison lights! The games room was a hit on a rainy day, everything was supplied for a game of pool or ping pong, and the extra fridge in the basement was very helpful. The stairs to the dock were a daily work out! This place is super private, you can hardly see it from the lake! The lake was amazing for swimming, the water is refreshing and clean. For anyone interested in fishing, they were literally jumping out of the water! We could tell these new owners are committed to making their cottage a holiday destination for many families going forward. Communcation was never an issue; questions were always answered quickly. We had a great time, thank you!

Excellent cottage for large families or groups. We had a great time during Labour Day weekend. Dan was very responsive and accommodating. Cottage was very clean and well maintained. Would definitely return in the future.

We stayed here as a group of of 13 of us over the August long weekend+. Part of my family stayed for the full week. I feel my grandparents got taken advantage of with this and were sold by this rental company without taking into consideration the clients they were selling to. My grandparents, 85 years old, found this place by going for a day drive from Kingston and saw the place and considering they dont use the internet for research I feel they were pressured and sold on the spot. This was not the best property for their needs/age. It was a struggle for them going up and down to the water and there was no view from the cottage itself making it a bit of a bummer overall especially when stuck inside from the rain.
The good: Beautiful lake, serene surroundings, close to Haliburton town where you can get all the essentials, beautiful area and driving area, cottage has potential to be great, huge size, perfect amount of bathrooms and entry ways. Driveway was able to fit our 5 separate vehicles we came in. Cool photos and artifacts although all needing serious dusting (hello allergies!)

The bad: CLEANLINESS was subpart at best. Gross slime film all over the floors and furniture, window screens all had rips or cracks letting in the mosquitos and moths, unclean washrooms, common areas and overall furniture and fixtures. Very musty and no circulation. Considering they dont allow you to use the air conditioning it would be nice if they would at least provide a fan in every room for the guests.
Last minute changes to the contract as others noted about linens.
ZERO water left over for use upon arrival in the dispenser
The stairs are slanted, slippery, unlit, moss covered in areas and potential for some serious injuries. It rained the entire time we were there and the week after we left. Some sort of traction grip should be put down to save guests and themselves.
The basement was so incredibly dirty feeling like walking into a basement of a frat house. The couches were absolutely not something we wanted to sit on, the pool table had no balls for playing. Curtains or some sort of window coverings could not only aid in better sleeps but also help with temperature regulation considering said lack of air conditioning. Said they had working TV and cable, this was not the case. Fridge in the basement was broken and useless to all the stocked food brought. No tissue, toilet paper, dish cloths or gloves, or paper towel upon arrival, hand sanitizer or any sanitary wipes that would have been expected in times of COVID especially and considering some people may not come top the cottage completely prepared and wanting to hit town to get the essentials.
I messaged the rental company that owns this property about my concerns about COVID especially with my grandparents being the primaries and to find out how they were to handle the process to ensure cleanliness from the previous guests and I wanted to ensure the property was to be cleaned PROFESSIONALLY between guests. They said it was up to the previous guests to clean. VERY concerning. Considering they are a rental company, you would think they especially would be able to afford to have a professional cleaner working the property to keep it up to par and safety standards but this was not the case. When I asked if they are cleaning the hot tub water from previous guests they said they would if they could find the time (there is a day between guests and I own a hot tub and know the water can easily be changed within the timelines). They said they would keep me updated. The day we were to arrive I asked them for an update and they said the hot tub was closed now. They simply didn't want to put in the extra effort to clean. They didn't put any effort into cleaning the property. Bathrooms dying for cleaning which was so unfortunate. Last thing we wanted to do was clean a place upon arriving to a "vacation". None of the outdoor areas were cleaned or even swept or made to look presentable and inviting so they all went to waste.

Cancelled a deal to book in summer 2021 because I requested 1 more day to print the contract and transfer funds smoothly. When they asked for references, I managed to make sure to call them over the weekend to hand it in a speedy manner, not even 2 days after getting the application. They approved Sunday Sept. 13th around 8: 00pm it hit my inbox. They then send you a written contract (with changed conditions) of any information that was on their website or application. They then only gave me 24 hours, or Tuesday at noon to sign and transfer the funds.

I requested a day to make sure I could print the contract to sign it, have it over looked and make sure transfer would go smoothly. I can cut and paste my response to prove I wasn't rude in my request and that I simply point out that they refuse to offer concessions after altering the deal by stating I risk losing my spot if I don't make payment within that time frame AND sign the contract. I get that's how business can be done, doesn't mean that's how it should be done in a covid world.

Because we were having another family join us for a birthday but still under 10 guests I had to make sure everyone understood those amended rules before signing that contract. By refusing to allow extra time to reach my contacts, get things signed and transferred in a professional quick manner - they proved they can't be trusted and wasted my time as well as theirs and my references. Shame because this place does look lovely and reviews scored well despite that and it must be hard to find tenants that will actually respect a dwelling as nice as The Edge.

The changed conditions were: (Now not only do you have to supply your own linen for all beds you will need to use, but also your own towels, comforters and pillows due to covid). I hope they update their website page to address this so that others aren't trapped needing to work out finer details that would cut from their ludicrous give me half payment in 1 day or forfeit stipulation.

Money was not the factor, we had the cash - we decided to book another cabin who was on our wait list that understood our request and had no issues with waiting.

We stayed for a week at The Edge in October 2020. We have been cottage renters for 13 years. We love trying new places and we are pretty selective. The Edge was fantastic in every way.

Barb was a gem to communicate with. She was responsive. Very informative; organized and helpful. Always professional; kind and courteous.

The cottage itself was amazing. Enormous, clean and well furnished. The decor was so interesting! We had everything we could possibly need and more. We felt that the price was very fair as well.

Highlights that made this trip extra special include a beautiful welcome bottle of wine and card. The birds that greet you outside and land right on you! The hot tub. The jacuzzi tub in the master. The indoor wood burning fireplace. The games room was a fabulous space for all kids and adults to spend time together. The lake, dock and watercraft. And I must mention the breathtaking scenery, particularly the stunning fall colours.

Barb; we can't thank you and your cleaning staff enough for going above and beyond to provide your renters with this wonderful cottage experience. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend The Edge and we would love to return in the future.

Sincerely,
Kim Batstone

We’ve stayed here three times now and still love it. Barb is very kind and helpful and Cindy does such a great job keeping the cottage very clean and inviting. We really enjoy seeing the pictures of Paul’s travels from around the world. Perfect spot for friends to get together, relax and enjoy the area. We hope to come back soon.
Thanks again Barb, Paul and Cindy. We had a great trip!
Marc and Laurie Gibson & friends.