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Dean Lake House:"Historic Seneca Lake Home"

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Photo gallery for Dean Lake House:"Historic Seneca Lake Home"

Fridge, microwave, oven, stovetop
Outdoor dining
Exterior
Smart TV, DVD player
Interior

Reviews

8.6 out of 10
Excellent

Entire home

4 bedrooms3 bathroomsSleeps 10217 sq m

Popular amenities

  • Hot tub
  • Dryer
  • Parking available
  • Washer
  • Kitchen
  • Barbecue grill

Explore the area

View in a map
Reading, NY
  • Place, Seneca Harbor
    ‪13 min walk‬
  • Place, The Tasting Room
    ‪14 min walk‬
  • Place, Watkins Glen State Park
    ‪17 min walk‬
  • Airport, Ithaca, NY (ITH-Tompkins Regional)
    ‪48 min drive‬

Room options

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  • Washer
  • Dryer
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About this property

Entire place

You'll have the entire home to yourself and will only share it with other guests in your party.

Dean Lake House:"Historic Seneca Lake Home"

Welcome to Dean Lake House, a unique historic getaway built in 1850, perfectly located right on Seneca Lake with over 300 feet of beautiful natural lakefront. Whether you're here to explore the Finger Lakes wine trail or simply unwind with your family, this charming vacation home offers the perfect blend of old-world character and modern comfort.

Step inside and be greeted by large bay windows that flood the home with light and stunning lake views. The main floor features a cozy living room and a separate sitting area, perfect for relaxing with loved ones. You'll love the spacious kitchen with plenty of counter space and a breakfast nook overlooking the water—ideal for morning coffee or casual meals.

This vacation home comfortably sleeps multiple guests, with a queen bedroom on the main floor complete with a private bathroom featuring a Jacuzzi tub and shower combo. Upstairs, you'll find a king bedroom with a full dressing room, another bedroom with a double bed, and a full bathroom. The partially finished basement adds extra space, including a bedroom with a queen sleeper sofa and a half bath, plus an enclosed area great for serving buffet-style meals.

Outside, the long covered veranda is the perfect spot to gather and enjoy the lake breeze. Spend your days on the permanent dock swimming, fishing, or soaking up the sun. The mostly level natural lakefront makes access easy for everyone.

Dean Lake House is just a mile from downtown Watkins Glen, where you'll find quaint shops, restaurants, and groceries, plus easy access to Watkins Glen State Park and Seneca Lake wineries.

Book now for an unforgettable Finger Lakes vacation filled with lakefront views, historic character, and plenty of space for friends and family.

Note: A slow moving freight train passes by daily and crosses below the house.

Occupancy: This property is closely monitored for responsible renting. The maximum occupancy of each home is the number of guests allowed on the premises at any given time. This includes both day and overnight guests.

Note:
1. Smoking is not allowed in any rental property. This includes vaping and e-cigarettes.
2. Homes are not handicap accessible, unless stated in the description.
3. Air conditioning is not available unless listed as an amenity. If available, air conditioning is considered a seasonal amenity and is only available May 15 - October 15.
4. Where pets are allowed it is indicated. Otherwise, pets are not allowed. Homes are not guaranteed allergen-free, even those that do not allow pets.
5. Docking capabilities may vary based on current water levels. Docking is not guaranteed if water levels are low and/or high due to seasonal weather and climate changes.
6. Outdoor amenities, including furniture, watercraft and firepit are not available between October 15 - May 15.
During your stay at this cottage, you'll be within walking distance of Watkins Glen State Park. Enjoy features like 1 hot tub and laundry facilities. A kitchen and 2.5 bathrooms are available in the cottage.
  • Air-conditioned cottage with kitchen, washing machine and 2.5 bathrooms
  • Amenities include laundry facilities and a car charging station
  • Within a 15-minute walk of The Tasting Room and Seneca Harbor
Dean Lake House:"Historic Seneca Lake Home" offers its guests a hot tub, barbecue grills, and laundry facilities. The front desk is open around the clock.

This Watkins Glen cottage is smoke free.

Property amenities

Pool/Spa

  • Hot tub

Internet

  • Available in the cottage: Internet access

Parking and transport

  • Electric car charging station on site
  • Parking on site

Kitchen

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Cookware, dishware, and utensils
  • Dishwasher
  • Hob
  • Microwave
  • Oven
  • Refrigerator
  • Toaster

Bedrooms

  • 4 bedrooms
  • Bedsheets provided
  • Sofa bed

Bathroom

  • 2.5 bathrooms
  • Bathtub or shower
  • Towels provided

Living spaces

  • Separate sitting area

Entertainment

  • DVD player
  • Smart TV

Outdoor areas

  • Balcony
  • Barbecue grill
  • Dock
  • Outdoor entertainment area

Laundry

  • Laundry facilities
  • Washing machine

Comfort

  • Air conditioning

Pets

  • No pets allowed

Suitability/Accessibility

  • Smoke-free property

Services and conveniences

  • Iron/ironing board

Location highlights

  • On a lake
  • On the waterfront

Things to do

  • Kayak

Safety features

  • Carbon monoxide detector (host has indicated there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property)
  • Smoke detector (host has indicated there is a smoke detector on the property)
  • Fire extinguisher

General

  • Electric car charging station
  • Unit size: 2,332 square feet

Policies

Check-in

Check-in time starts at 4:00 PM
Minimum check-in age - 25

Check-out

Check-out before 10:00 AM

Special check-in instructions

You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions

Rules

FLPP requires a verbal confirmation within 48 hours of booking and a representative will reach out to you within 48 hours to review the reservation.

Pets

  • No pets allowed

Children and extra beds

  • Children are welcome.

Events

No events allowed

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Important information

You need to know

This property is managed by a professional host. The provision of housing is linked to their trade, business or profession.
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher
This property is managed through our partner, Vrbo. You will receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account, where you can change or cancel your reservation
You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions. You will also receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account, which will enable you to manage your booking.
If you cancel your booking, you'll be subject to the host's cancellation policy. In accordance with EU regulations about consumer rights, property booking services are not subject to the right of withdrawal.

Property is also known as

Dean Lake House "historic Seneca Lake Home" Reading
Dean Lake "historic Seneca Lake Home" Reading
an "historic Seneca " Reading
Dean Lake House:"historic Seneca Lake Home" Cottage
Dean Lake House:"historic Seneca Lake Home" Reading
Dean Lake House:"historic Seneca Lake Home" Cottage Reading
367843

Dean Lake House:"Historic Seneca Lake Home" Reviews

Reviews

8.6

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 18 out of 34 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 9 out of 34 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 5 out of 34 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 34 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 34 reviews

9.0/10

Cleanliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Joshua B.

Liked: Cleanliness
Provided and exceeded our groups needs. Couldn’t ask for a better time to be on the lake at this time of year either. The hot tub was also a sweet addition. Can’t wait to see what they do with the place next, I would love to come back!
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2025

10/10 Excellent

Stephanie A.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great place and great views!! Perfect for what we needed!
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2025

6/10 Okay

Megan F.

Liked: Cleanliness
The house was beautiful although very outdated for the price , clean and also very close to downtown Watkins Glen and other places on the lake as well. However.... The details for the house are not correct... it states in one place there are 5 bedrooms then in another place it says 4 bedrooms. There are ONLY 3. So keep that in mind when looking for somewhere to stay and its all adults !!!! The two fold out couches and the bed in the first floor room was extremely uncomfortable . Based on what we were looking for and the way the property was described in the post , I do not think we will book this property again for what we needed.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

6/10 Okay

Jolene R.

Liked: Cleanliness
It was a nice location and a beautiful view. The house was outdated and there was only one small TV in the entire house. The AC was not stong enough for the whole house. The only area that was cool was the downstairs.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Michael C.

Liked: Cleanliness

Dean Lake House

This is a great location. The house was clean and the view was spectacular.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Lisa P.

Liked: Cleanliness

Dean house rental

Location was amazing, house was clean and roomy. The only bad thing was the parking garage . It’s not too close to house and instructions to open it were never conveyed through the email . We had to contact maintenance to see how to work the garage doors . They did answer promptly. Overall it was a pretty view and relaxing atmosphere.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Denise D.

Liked: Cleanliness

great view

enjoyed
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Kara K.

Liked: Cleanliness

Great spot for a girls trip! 🍷

X
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Donna H.

Liked: Cleanliness

Dean lake house

Great spot. Needs a few updates. Parking is an issue for this house.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

4/10 Poor

denis b.

Liked: Cleanliness

Not a Pretty Picture

Unfortunately, due to our age, we could not navigate the narrow staircase and couldn’t take advantage of the upstairs king bed. Taking luggage upstairs is challenging. The bedrooms and bathrooms are small. The house is in area close to a salt factory. Semi trucks drive past the house. Walking over the railroad tracks to get to the dock is difficult. The water next to the dock is littered with debris. The landscaping is weed invested and overgrown, and the outdoor furniture is shabby rusted.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness

Perfect Girl’s Weekend

This house was exactly what we were looking for. It was spacious and had a large property to be able to spread out. It’s also within walking distance to downtown/the pier. Beautiful stay!
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Teresa K.

Liked: Cleanliness

Friends weekend

The location was fantastic. Right on the water, 1/2 Mile walk to town. The kitchen was out fitted with just about everything anyone would need. The train coming by was really no big deal. Actually kind of exciting. Parking was a little different, garage was just past the house, plus you cannot park in front of the house. But other then that it was great to have a garage to park in. The bedroom upstairs with the King Bed, was really nice and comfy, the other two bedrooms not so much, a bit firmer of a matress then expected. It could use a pillow topper, could help that problem.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2022

8/10 Good

Rebecca T.

Liked: Cleanliness

Great Location

The house is in a great location! Since it's right on the bottom of the lake it's walkable to Watkins Glen. It had stunning views and is very quiet. The house is big enough to accommodate 10 people but there are only 3 true bedrooms and 2 pull out couches that weren't very comfortable. Luckily, my family is in the area and I was able to borrow an air mattress from them. If I was to stay here again I'd probably want a smaller group so we could all have a bedroom. Everything else was lovely.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2022

8/10 Good

Sheryl M.

Liked: Cleanliness

Great location, could use a little TLC

It was a nice property right on the lake, the train did go past twice on Sat. AM. The carpet could use a good cleaning, several stains. There were no coffee filters for the coffee maker, the tea kettle had a hole in it so we tossed that out after having all of the water leak all over the stove. The garage was not apparent to us for the parking, it is to the left beyond some hedges along the road but not easy to notice unless you look for it. Also, the battery was taken out of the key code pin pad for the garage so we could not park in the garage. (We did not let the rental co. know that) The master bedroom mattress was very soft. The pillows with shams on them had no pillowcases?? The recyclables apparently were not picked up from the last rental? There was a large outside garbage can overflowing and a large box of recyclables along the front walkway. As VRBO rental owners ourselves maybe we notice more of these things? Overall a nice location, easy to walk to town, nice enough property, but for the nightly cost we felt it could use a little TLC and some updated furniture
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Karly M., Burlington, VT

Liked: Cleanliness

Great locatkon

The location is fantastic and super close to downtown Watkins Glen and is right on the lake. You do have to cross railroad tracks to get to the water though. The large house felt spacious even with a group of 10 -Clean and comfortable -Located directly on the lake
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2022

8/10 Good

Donna P., Huntingdon PA

Liked: Cleanliness

Great Lakefront Home on Seneca Lake

Great property to rent located just 1 mile north of downtown Watkins Glen. Older charming lakefront home. Kitchen was very well stocked, views of the lake were stunning.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2021

6/10 Okay

Rudolph C.

Liked: Cleanliness

Mixed reviews

The property agency should have listed all fees before you book. (Bill increased 33%). Also, we reported a problem maintenance issue which was never fixed. No info given to open garage. House itself had shabby furnishings with stained carpet. One TV was tiny and one not working. No control over house temperature. Main positive was the house view of the lake.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2021

10/10 Excellent

John P.

Liked: Cleanliness

Great Family Getaway in the Finger Lakes

This is a wonderful house for a fun family vacation. It’s highly recommended.

8/10 Good

Jackie T.

Liked: Cleanliness

Great views of the lake!

This property is set up for perfect viewing of Seneca Lake. Close to town and wineries. Also close to the park, Watkins Glen Gorge. Very peaceful stay. The train only went by 2 times and it was a treat to see. Not a speeding Amtrak but a slow cargo type of train that lasted maybe 3 mins. The road and parking was tricky since this house is right on a main road and there is constant traffic/trucks. But we spent most of our time in the back of the house, (deck & dock) so not a big negative. The downstairs was tolerable for the teenagers but tricky since it was very cold due to AC and not cold enough upstairs on 2nd floor bedrooms. But overall, everyone enjoyed our trip!
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

David M.

Liked: Cleanliness

Very happy

Very nice place
Stayed 3 nights in May 2021

8/10 Good

Jennifer G.

Liked: Cleanliness

Beautiful views. Old house.

The location and view of the lake is absolutely fantastic. The house itself is ok, clean and functional, but it is very old. The furniture is aging, but not terrible. The place is good for a couple who like to read and relax, not for anyone with small kids who want to watch tv since there is one tv that only has a few channels. The kitchen is very well stocked with cooking utensils. The rental company was great.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2021

6/10 Okay

veronica c.

Liked: Cleanliness

Beautiful

The location was perfect. They need to get new blinds and washing machine. It could have been cleaner. Washing machine had a crack in it so water leaked. If you go during winter months, bring a heater for the basement.
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2020

10/10 Excellent

Mark R.

Liked: Cleanliness

Great Location to Watkins Glen

Our family stayed at the Dean House for a long weekend and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The short drive to Watkins Glen was nice. Would love to return in the summer months when we can enjoy the expansive deck and dock more.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2020

10/10 Excellent

BHARAT P.

Liked: Cleanliness

Great views of the lake, clean, very comfortable. Excellent location, easy to get around.

Really enjoyed the time here. Would definitely come back again. Only negative thing was Master bedroom TV did not work. Family room TV in cabinet worked with limited channels. Washing machine was jammed by previous renters, which we notified the maintenance. But we didn't need to use, so didn't matter to us. We felt safe here with hygiene precautions taken here due to Covid-19. Thanks to the cleaning lady!. Overall, very comfortable 😃
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2020

6/10 Okay

Donna S.

Disliked: Cleanliness

Needs some TLC

House wasn’t as clean as expected. Some lights not working. The house needs a good deep clean. The location was great and easy walk into town. And although the owner was quick to respond we didn’t expect to have to share the kitchen with mice.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2020