Holderness, New Hampshire
Very Large Rental on Big Squam Lake - 8 Bedrooms-
Main house has 4 bedrooms, large fireplace, full kitchen and large porch. 'School House' has 5 bedrooms, shower bath, washer and dryer upstairs. 'School House' first floor has pool table, darts, fitness equipment, fireplace and sitting area.
Southern exposure - Full sun on dock from 9am through 8 pm.
Swim Raft
Two-person kayak, single kayaks, canoe, paddle board/windsurfer, row boat, etc available.
Main house beds
#1 Queen
#2 Twin over Full bunk bed
#3 Two Twins
#4 Queen
School house beds
#1 Full
#2 Full
#3 Two twins
#4 Two twins
#5 Two twins
Keywords: Big Squam, Southern exposure, swim raft, Squam Lake, Waterfront
Timeless camp like a place out of time. We stayed with 3 children and an infant, were joined by cousins and grandparents, and everyone had a splendid time. The house and schoolhouse gave us plenty of space. We loved evening fires in the fireplaces. Kids loved jumping off the dock and swimming to the raft. It was a wonderful way to clear our heads and enjoy the lake.
We throughly enjoyed our stay. We an issue arose, Tom (handyman) responded when in minutes. I would stay again, my wife won't because. Spiders and cobwebs everywhere in and out. Spiders on covered porch where quite large. My thoughts were that was why there were so few mosquitoes. No shower in main house even an outdoor shower would have been nice. For me I
Our family had a wonderful week at Camp Penowee! The very best thing was to be right on pristine Squam Lake. Having access to a raft, kayaks and a canoe added to the fun. We also very much appreciated the huge porch where we ate all our meals. There are no houses nearby and having two buildings available gives a sense of space and privacy. (We certainly made use of the pool table and games in the school house.) I had been concerned before we arrived that the kitchen might be pretty small for cooking for so many. But the kitchen is bigger than it looks in the picture online. And it is stocked with everything you need. I was really happy to see that there was a second refrigerator in the school house. The property manager was extremely helpful answering emails right away. I felt very free to ask all kinds of questions beforehand. Keep in mind that this is a rustic old style camp. If you require up to date, spa-resort type facilities, this is not for you. But if you like history, privacy, natural beauty and proximity to one of the most beautiful lakes anywhere consider this camp in Holderness.
Rustic camp right on the water with lots of great spaces inside, a fantastic main room, with a fireplace that we used several times (was one of the coldest, wettest weeks in July that NH had seen in a long time). Owner was great about getting back to me whenever I had questions, and dispatching help as needed. I am hopeful to return next year and that the grill will be working a bit better (handyman did a major effort trying to revive) or I will resort to charcoal. Loved the canoe as well, a vintage Gruman in fantastic shape. The paddles were all in pretty poor shape, but did not have a chance to mention that to the owner since we only got good canoe weather the last day. Sunfish was broken so that was too bad, especially since it might not be possible to get parts before even next year (rest of the boat looked in great shape). Owner was great about arranging linens and house towels for us. We fly in from across the country, so bringing linens/towls/etc would be pretty awkward. Definitely helped to have those sitting there waiting for us when we arrived.
The property was lovely - house and lakefront. The history within the house added to the experience. Squam Lake is truly special. The owner couldn't have been easier to ask questions of and responded with answers very quickly. Our family made many new memories. There was no need to leave the property all week.
Classic large Squam camp which can easily accommodate large family. Private with much room for children and family dog. Great exposure with sun on the dock most of the day. Good fishing in Shadbush cove and frequent bird sightings, eagles, egrets, duck families and herons. Family had a wonderful time.
My family had a wonderful time in big Squam lake and especially in Camp Penowee. The harkens back to a simpler time. Every inch a piece of history! We had plenty of room to spread out and relax. Evenings were perfect sitting out on the deck, listening for the loons. Great camp, beautiful spot!
Penowee is one of the original, authentic Squam Lake camps built around the turn of the century. Since it was constructed as a summer camp for a private school, the main lodge is located directly on Big Squam waterfront, literally ten feet from the lake. In addition to the main lodge, which has three bedrooms, a large living room, a kitchen, bathroom and a beautiful front porch, the property also includes a schoolhouse with many bedrooms upstairs (including a full bathroom with shower) and a large game room downstairs, which is perfect for guests and for teenage kids who enjoy having their own space, etc. Given its age, Penowee is in very good condition, and while rustic, it is very comfortable and includes all of the basic amenities for a summer stay on the lake. The owners are very helpful and there is a caretaker for the property who is readily available in case of any issues. The setting is pretty private, on a very nice cove for swimming, fishing, and other water sports. The location is close enough to town to be convenient, and far enough away to be a bit out in the woods, with full sun during most of the day. The property is set back enough to be shady on a warm summer day and we spent a great deal of time on the amazing porch for meals and family time together. The main house and schoolhouse can accommodate a large group or family easily and is perfect for a family reunion or family vacation with the kids and grandparents. This property is also dog friendly, and we were able to bring our dogs, which was a great plus and a rare thing on Squam, where many properties are not pet friendly. The kitchen includes all of the basic amenities, wide variety of cooking gear, and the largest frying pan you will ever see. There are two bathrooms in the property, including one in the main house and one in the schoolhouse that includes a shower--hot water was plentiful and there is also a washer/dryer. The dock out front is great and very convenient for swimming, sunning, or just reading or chilling by the water. There is a float with at diving ladder as well, and we docked our rental motorboat there with no issues. Fishing on the cove is very good and kids can catch fish from the dock. The owners were a pleasure to deal with. Good place to go for a real On Golden Pond experience where you can disconnect from the real world and really take advantage of what Squam Lake has to offer. We enjoyed our week long stay and hope to return.
This house has so much potential. Squam lake is beautiful and quiet and this house is in a great spot. The water is crystal clear. Our family had 5 adults & 4 kids stay here. We enjoyed sitting on the dock and the kids had a great time swimming. We also liked the big porch on back overlooking the lake. We brought kayaks and enjoyed going out and seeing loon families. Our biggest concern with this house is that the school house where we planned to have the kids sleep only has one smoke alarm at top of stairs on second floor and those stairs are only way to get out if there's a fire unless you jump out a window. There are old mattresses, rugs and furniture stored there as well and because it's an old building, seemed very unsafe. Several mattresses in school house were also replaced upon our request because they had critters living in them. We also hammered in a bunch of nails that were sticking out on swim dock which could use some TLC. An earlier review stated the house needs a good cleaning and we agree. The cleaning person who has a few hours to clean between check out and check in of next guests did a great job of main areas like bathrooms. However blankets and pillows were old and did not seem clean. We had sleeping bags and did not use. There is a lot of dust and dirt under and behind furniture with clothes and other items that were clearly dropped by other guests and never found. It appears that the house just isn't ever given a really good cleaning each year and it's much more than one cleaning person could do in a few hours. I believe there was only one smoke alarm in main house as well but 2 doors and windows on ground floor to climb out if necessary.
Camp Penowee is very large with a separate 'schoolhouse' where three grandsons (16, 14 and 12) stayed. They enjoyed the independence and the pool table, darts and other games. The large covered porch is ideal for family dining and the rockers and hammocks for relaxing and enjoying the view of the lake. The cove is very quiet and we were thrilled to have several bald eagle sightings and many photo ops with loons and their baby chicks. The boys made good use of the swim/dive platform as well as the kayak. We had family movie night almost every night, along with chess matches and cribbage games. All three generations had a wonderful family vacation with plenty of room to spare at this traditional lake camp.
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Includes taxes and fees