Charleston Lakeside Retreat

Our family has stayed twice now at Charleston Lakeside Retreat and had not been disappointed. The site has quick access to great local sites like Blue Mountain and the provincial park.The cabins are rustic and charming and the sunrise over Charleston Lake is amazing! Collin and Angela are incredibly welcoming as are all the local business owners and it makes for a very relaxing experience.It is an excellent spot for a quiet family vacation and offers canoes and kayaks to go out on the water. Both times we stayed the fishing was excellent and the kids had a blast. Thanks for the great stay!

Spent 3 nights here on a long weekend and was very happy with the experience. The owners are sooo friendly!! The only bad reviews they have are from people who thought they could party late into the night…if that’s what you’re looking for, this is probably not the place for you. But if you want a relaxing time outside of the city where you can peacefully enjoy the outdoors, this is a great option. I will definitely be coming back.

We spent a week in the Lazy Maple Cabin. We received a nice welcome, and the cottage was clean and well stocked. We had our children come for a couple days and there was plenty of room for all of us. This cottage is secluded from the others. There is a swimming dock, however none of our group would have been comfortable swimming from it. It is still weedy. We had a boat and did our swimming out in the lake. Overall a very enjoyable week away.

The hosts were good and understanding. We don’t know who entered in our cottage before we arrived there and there was a lot of mud on the floor. Except for that everything was wonderful.

We have visited Charleston Lakeside Retreat a few times & have never been disappointed. Have stayed in separate cabins & found them to be CLEAN, & COZY & TASTEFULLY DECORATED. The owners Colin & Angela are very helpful with local knowledge & always ready to help with your needs. DEFINATELY WILL RETURN!

Discrepancy between website description and reality. This review reflects experience of our 6 night stay at Outlook 2. Positive points at end of review.After check-in, walked toward hilltop bearing 2 vintage cabins. Noticed unkempt grounds on that part of property, weeds, dirty plastic chairs and mat. Patio window frames and windows grimy, soiled pillow on bench. Beautiful view of lake marred by web of electric cables across from Outlook 2 balcony. Interior : dismal, not the bright atmosphere in pix. A ray of sun revealed dust on wood table. Bathroom in dire need of refurbishment. Kitchen skinless than spotless, had to scour blackened pots and pans, mostly aluminum. Not sure dish towel was fresh. Humming fridge at night. 2 tiny rooms, one mobile radiator only. ( radiator in kitchen cannot be moved)Who wants to sleep with back against cold wall? So hubby spent night in other room with no comforter! We brought our bed linen but 1 comforter per room should have been there.Want to sleep in? NO blinds in one room and thin bamboo blind in other room. Sunlight floods room at dawn and in any case, you hear vehicles up and down County Road 3 and some boats leave dock earlier than 7 AM from Wiltse Creek, both located behind the hilltop. Swim at your own risk in the Creek( boat launch) and be extra careful going down crumbling concrete steps. Not really child friendly.The day before departure, we received message about “self-catering cabin standards, requesting and our cabin is left in the clean & tidy condition it was found”.Our overall feeling: had been no inspection , no basic sanitization after previous guest departure. Covid or not, isn’t this a tenet of the vacation industry?Such a strict rental contract and 350$ security deposit , what for??On day 1, asked Angela to check heating device in tv area but answered she would do so AFTER our stay. Not once in 6 days did Angela or Colin come by to see how we were doing, but her son asked us on day 2 if we were ok when I asked for a conforter(given two small throws instead).Large property. We took a walk, surprised to find abandoned , broken furniture in plain sight of Blue Heron cabin guests, even car with raised wipers. There are always many non-guest cars across from cabin 5, not a pretty sight.The house to the left of Outlook cabins looks like it belongs on a construction site.Not rented out though.Positive points: Nice artisan products for us, thanks.Best asset: site is a short drive from lovely Provincial Park.No beach, but picturesque shoreline and nice lawn with Adirondack chairs. Nice to sit back, read or relax, basking in aft sunshine. Large bay dotted with islands, Herons hover and dive, turtles aplenty on the lawn, lots of chirping, no road sounds here. A fox!! Even a big fat snake by the water but that’s ok.Kayaks and paddles in good condition and long new pier stretches out over somewhat murky water( but that’s nature). Great kayaking.Excellent wifi, Angela is a computer analyst.Upon checking out, we described our less than pleasant experience to ever-smiling Angela. I had met Colin before on his pontoon, and find both Angela and Colin courteous and smart. In their last message they were apologetic ...”will take your constructive feedback into consideration and make adjustments “.

Thank you so much to Angie and Colin for a wonderful weekend. Our family had a wonderful time making memories to last a lifetime. The weather was great the lake is beautiful. We enjoyed the boating and kayaking. Your hospitality did not go unnoticed. The cabins are very homey so we all felt very comfortable being away from home. A little travel to do touristy stuff but the relaxation is what was needed Thanks again

We had a great week here in the Lazy Maple cabin. Everything was very well organized and the cabin was spotless when we arrived. Cabin is well equipped and has a great deck that has shade throughout the day. Area was quiet but not secluded (if that is what you are looking for), convenience store nearby was convenient :) and lots of outdoor activities to do in the area. Angela and Colin are highly available, friendly and work hard to maintain their property. We will be back for sure!

We've rented the Starlight Cabin for four or five summers in a row now and we've also rented the Lookout 2 cabin. Both were immaculately kept. This year they added air conditioners which were a blessing during the extremely hot August days. Angela and Colin always make us feel welcome and comfortable during our stay and they are always eager to share their knowledge of area attractions. Our kids love fishing on the dock at the cottage and swimming at the nearby Kendricks Park. We also love canoeing around the Outlet. We thoroughly enjoy our visits every year and plan to keep booking every summer. I would highly recommend Charleston Lakeside Retreat to anyone planning their next vacation!

Very clean and well kept cabin! My family and I stayed in the Lazy Maple cabin and it was very nice. There were tons of amenities as well! We were right beside the lake and the location was beautiful. The owners that run this place are really nice and welcoming! Must go again!