The Hatch - your family lakehouse retreat in Muskoka w/ Sauna & Hot Tub

We had a great stay at the Hatch. The host was quick to communicate when I had questions and the location of this place is incredible. A great place for cottage getaway.

Very very beautiful place. Already missing it and planning the next visit. Recommended.

Let me start off with the positives. Overall the stay was ok , the location is beautiful! Host answered promptly, HOWEVER , it wasn’t until 2 days before we were going to arrive we got a list of “Rules” from the host all with ways of how you would lose a 800 deposit . I think that should be disclosed prior to however they waited until you couldn’t get a refund . Next the only reason I booked this place was for the hot tub and sauna . The hot tub didn’t have enough water to reach the top jets , the message was showing check your ph level and we found 9 chlorine pucks in the bottom of the tub. Needless to say it was unusable . Next the sauna the main attraction. Clearly has zero up keep . There was stagnant water on the bottom with mud and gunk all where your feet are supposed to be , the drain was clearly clogged and like I said never been up kept . So the two main reasons I would spend the 3000 dollars for a weekend were highly disappointing. Next absolutely no water pressure. If someone flushes the toilet the sink stops working, the shower shuts off, have no idea how they run a dishwasher and laundry unit . SO BRING WATER BOTTLES . They are drawing water from the lake and if there Uv system is anything like there sauna and hot tub I wouldn’t recommend drinking it . Lastly the main railing on the upper deck is a law suit waiting to happen . Thank god my kids weren’t there because I would never let them near it as it was wobbly , installed poorly! Be weary of renting!

The location and amenities of this rental are great. However, there were a number of safety concerns that prevent me from recommending the rental at this time. Those safety concerns include: - The railing of the outside porch needs to be replaced or reinforced, it is shaky and you should not put any weight on the railing. - The deck also needs to be reinforced; when you look at the bottom of the deck there are beams that are out of place, one beam no longer connected and is dangling etc. It seems like a matter of time before a major accident will occur. - The path down to the dock is dangerous, especially for seniors or individuals with knee issues. There are rocks that are unstable, no railings and part of the stairs leading down are not reinforced or attached to anything. I think this is a good example of why there should be a requirement for short-term rental owners to be licensed. I do not believe this property meets Ontario Building Code standards.

Property was nice and cottage was nice. The walkway from the cottage to the hot tub/dock could be improved as it was very rocky, sloped and not very wide due to weeds growing. Could have easily slipped and fell there. The dock was very nice although the ladder to get in/out of the water was unusable as 3 out of 4 bolts had rotted out of the wood. We had to get in and out of the water climbing on the rocks which were a bit slick so that wasn’t ideal. Overall the property was nice and the location was great. Very quiet lake with the smoothest water which made our canoeing and paddle boarding great!

Overall terrific cottage. Wish we had snow. Will need to come back in the summer.

We stayed at this property in September. We arrived to a broken key pad and had to contact the owner to find the manual key. Walked in to the cottage a complete disaster! It had not been turned over, sheets messed on beds, towels everywhere, even a rogue Tylenol just lying on the dirty floor. We contacted owner who did not know this was the case, he would get in touch with the cleaners and get back to us. I’m the meantime we found a broom and swept the floors and unpacked into the fridge. The cleaners had not come, there was a “miscommunication”. That’s fine, but we have 9 adults and a baby going to be there for 3 days and all travelling from over 2 hrs away. We were told that an emergency cleaning crew was going to come and we could either stay or leave. We chose to strip the beds, wash the towels, and tidy up. When the cleaners came they cleaned the bathrooms. After this we all went to relax in the hot tub. It was 11pm, and we were approached by a screaming neighbour who had called the police and bylaw on us for “being idiots” when we are sitting there quietly talking over the jets in the tub. Over the course of the weekend we found so many dangerous things at this place it was comical. The deck is in MAJOR need of repair, the glass railings are loose and we were nervous to even touch them. The boards on the stairs are sagging, and in need of immediate repair. Overall the issues were rectified but still not a place I would ever recommend. It’s lipstick on a pig

We had a very BAD experience with what we think as a price hike SCAM by the owner and lack of protection from VRBO. We booked and paid full in April for 3 nights stay in October (6-9). On Oct. 6, we got email with VRBO logo/letterhead, asking for a 'damage deposit' to be paid in order to get access to the cottage. I approved the payment knowing it's through VRBO who guarantees 'book with confidence'. Oct. 10: according to cleaner, septic was leaking back because pump got jammed with foreign object. They will call plumber.(how did they know foreign object when plumber was not called yet?) Oct. 12: owner said: INCREDIBLE AMOUNT of tampons, baby wipes, sanitary napkins were flushed down the toilet. Facts/ arguments, we escalated to VRBO: - We are group of 5 couples (5 women + 5 men) + 1 adult daughter who didn't have the period during our stay. What they didn't know, the ladies in our group are all in the phase where tampons, sanitary napkins are not needed anymore. So where did those come from? It must have been there before our stay, and that proved that the septic tank condition was not ready to handle biowaste of 11 people over 4 days/3 nights at the cottage - There was a charge for damage already of $400 to my credit card on OCt. 6, while the plumber verdict/ accusation of clogged toilets were made on Oct. 12. That's on top of $800 damage deposit I paid on Oct. 6. - I escalated to VRBO, after 12 days, they are still investigating. This should serve as warning to other

First off, I have to say I have never been so frustrated and disappointed with a rental experience in all my life. We booked a rental at the hatch to spend our family Christmas with my terminally ill father. The host knew we had a 5+ hour drive to get to the rental location. We loaded up our family, kids and all, and drove all the way to Huntsville with our luggage, food, Christmas presents In tow the night before we were to check in so that we would avoid a winter storm. The MORNING OF our rental check in the host msgs me to inform us that the cottage is “uninhabitable” and sends us photos of failed renovations and multiple messes on the property. We ended up being stuck 5+ hours away from home with no where to stay or go. Our family Christmas was destroyed. What was suppose to be a very special family time with my sick father ended up being a Christmas nightmare. The host had ZERO compassion for the situation he put us in. He was not honest about the renovations or mess of the cottage prior to our departure. We booked this cottage in September to stay from Dec 23-27. The host had ample amount of time to ensure the property was ready, and chose not to do renovations until the night before we were to arrive. Our family Christmas was shattered, we had ten people, including young children, crammed into a tiny hotel room for Christmas because of this. Stress, tears, and extreme disappointment can’t even begin to describe how we all felt. I will never book another rental again.

We arrived to a cottage - not exactly an executive cottage - but nicely laid out. The furnace was not working. The owner said there is a broken part and it was supposed to be fixed. He had space heaters for us to use but they are not safe for 24 hour use. He promised us a discount which never appeared. Unfortunately I cannot recommend renting this property as I do not trust the owner has any integrity.

Great place with beautiful vistas. Very accommodating host. Well equipped; would come again.