Our kids (aged 8 and 11) are obsessed with the water—they'd swim and dive all day if they could—and we sought out a rental specifically for that purpose. We wanted to find a comfortable house with easy access to a lake that was nice to swim in, and the Loj fit the bill perfectly! Our family spent a very restful week there, which is another way of saying the four of us were all feeling pretty lazy by the end of the summer, and we did very little other than swim, check out local eateries, and play board games. You might view our laziness + willingness to just stay put at the Loj as a testament to its many charms.
The view from the cabin toward the lake really is lovely. I'd never been to the Adirondacks before and wasn't sure if the lack of A/C in the cabin would be a problem—it wasn't, you don't need it. The weather cooperated for us; during the day it was warm enough to get in the water and enjoy it, and at night cool enough to keep the cabin comfortable all day as long as we opened windows at the right time. We only had one really rainy day, so every other day we had both morning and afternoon swim time. The big screened-in porch facing the lake was our favorite spot. My husband drank coffee there every morning, watching the fog clear and the mountains come out. I read and wrote there all week, and the kids played games and did art projects at the table when they weren't in the lake. (It's a really nice lake for swimming, especially for younger kids/beginning swimmers due to how shallow it is, but thanks to the hosts for recommending water shoes; the bottom of the lake was a little muddy.)
Marjie and Jim are wonderful and responsive hosts who really go the extra mile to answer any questions and help you feel at home. They were also kind enough to stock the fridge with a few basics before we arrived—we greatly enjoyed the fresh-baked scones, eggs and bacon our first morning! When I couldn't find a teakettle, Marjie brought one over from where she and Jim were staying (they also own the neighboring property; they aren't there all the time, though). And though we did our best to pack up and clear out, we did manage to leave a few items behind (including my daughter's tooth, which she lost while we were there!), and Marjie found and kindly mailed them all to us.
This was really the perfect vacation for us. We wanted to find a place where we could find a lot of activities if we wanted them, but pretty and peaceful enough where we could also choose