Scott's Oquaga Lake House, Deposit

We went for dinner with some friends who know the owners well. This is probably your last chance to experience the way it used to be up here. I was thinking that when the rails ran up here in the 40's, this must have been heaven. You could loose yourself in the lakeside amenities and the vast caverns of the rec hall. Imagine: bowling, a soda fountain, a theater, a nightclub, a gigantic fine restaurant(with very few in it), rowing on a beautiful lake. But its hard to keep up without volume. This is probably your last chance to experience something unique.

I love the pace of Scott's. There are enough activities to keep you busy all day or you can opt for doing absolutely NOTHING! I have been known to spend all day by the lake reading, sleeping, or talking with friends. Other days, I may go on the canoe trip, try pitch and putt golf, or even play golf on the regular course. I have a laid back group of friends who don't mind that I'm not really a golfer, but just love to be with friends having fun. I have always stayed in the hotel and have only really wished for air-conditioning one summer. A fan usually does the trick. I truly love the "flashback" to an earlier, simpler, and slower time. I was highly upset that they put TV's in the rooms. I like getting away from everything!!! It's only a week for Pete's sake. How hard is it to walk down to someone's room and knock on their door? It would be nice for the rooms to be updated, but I'll take the warmth and friendliness of the Scott family and the laid back atmosphere anytime.

Honestly, I wonder about the people who gave this joint five stars. They must be related to the owners, however, I find it hard to believe anyone in their aquaintance would even know how to turn on a computer, considering they wanted me to MAIL a check for the deposit. I paid about $1000 for the weekend from hell. The first sign of trouble was the potent smell of mold and mildew. We realized pretty quickly it was because every square inch of the dilapidated buildings is covered in green slime. If you or any of your party have athsma, don't go within 5 miles of this place. We were shown to our cottage by a nice elderly couple (of course they're pleasant; they've been duping people for years to stay at this dive) only to feel like throwing a vomit party. The bedding smelled like an Italian sub, the sink had a dead fly in it, there was a rotten strawberry under the bed, and the rusty sink fixtures wouldn't turn. When I say it was out-dated, I don't mean in a Country Living sort of way. There wasn't an ounce of charm, only a bunch of old, dirty garbage that the Salvation Army would have trouble giving away. The lake is pretty, which is why I'd recommend staying at the resort down the road. The photos on their website must be from 20 years ago (there is a woman with a banana clip in her hair which suggests the time frame) because nothing, I mean nothing, is maintained her. What a racket these Scott folks have going. You half expect Jason Vorhees to pop out of the lake and murder everyone, that's how creepy the whole experience is. We had to ask for a broom to sweep the junk off the tennis courts before playing, the food was terrible, cold and flavorless, and the shows they put on? Sad. The constant inhalation of mold has these people believing they are performers. The whole thing is an absolute nightmare. There were so many awful things, it would take me all day to write about all of them. It isn't quaint, it's rustic only in the way that an abandoned shack is, I'd eat Chef Boyardee for a week before going to the restaurant again, and a mime is more entertaining than the show they put on. As far as activities, volley ball with great gramps is pretty lame. To make it all a little less painful, I ended up binge drinking one night and threw up all over the place. I feel bad for the person who stayed in the room after us bedcause I bet it's still there. Spend a week here only if you're looking for a slow, painful way to die.

Scott's has warmth; staff - all family members - are genuine. Some fun is hokey - i.e. taking off on the boat barge before dinner and everyone singing old songs ("Bye, bye, Blackbird, goodbye") as we tour the lake, something my mother and husband enjoy and never get the chance to do - and might be too embarrassed to do in a cookie-cutter motel chain OR five star hotel (plus, of course, a sing-along on a boat would not be found in the motel or hotel.) Guests and staff interact cheerfully with everyone, and my family, with a variety of ages from elderly to teens,have fun doing relaxing activities that give us a chance to try something new - square-dancing, a nature walk, golf putting, getting pulled behind a motorboat on a giant tube (plenty of thrills there). The food is amazing ...there are several entrees each night, delicious breads, and amazing homemade puddings, pies, and cakes. The very first time we stayed at Scott's, several years ago, I went around to each table in the dining room (strangers all) and encouraged them to write reviews - it is that special. Yes, there are spider webs on the porch - you're in the country for heaven's sake - get over it.

We go to Scott's every year and we love it! The Scott's are just wonderful and do everything they can to make sure their guests have a great time. Sure, the rooms aren't The Ritz, but if you are in the room, you are missing the whole point of the place! They have one activity after another for you to choose from. The hotel price includes 3 meals, all the activities including golfing, water skiing, dancing, entertainment and SO MUCH MORE!

So we just got back from Scotts. I haven't been there every year like my boyfriend's family has, but I love it there. It's not a 5 star hotel, and don't expect that. Like I have heard time and time again, you don't go there to sleep, and that is SO very true. The times I've been we've stayed at the houses, not the hotel part of Scotts. How often can you sit on a dock at 10pm at night reading, under a million stars and not hear a car, or an overly loud neighbor and breathe fresh air!? Being a city girl, it's the time of year I look forward to. I love that I don't have a cell phone signal. I don't watch tv. Instead, I spend the entire time with my family, learning to dance, canoeing down the Delaware river (where u might see a bald eagle or two like we did) playing tennis or volleyball, going tubing, and eating home cooked meals every meal every day. The Scotts truly make you feel at home. Ray and Doris are such an amazing couple. The entire family work their hearts out day in and day out. How often do you see that? There is so much history at Scotts. People's priorities have changed and places like these are far and few between. Take advantage of it! It's an amazing experience!

We were under the impression that Scott's was rustic and the food was good. We were told it was an all inclusive resort with golfing,water skiing,biking,hiking, drinks{with the exception of alchol was included}etc. Scott's is not rustic,it is in a terrible state of disrepair. It is dirty,old and in need of a complete remodeling,I couldn't believe the visibly feeble attempts to repair things. Ceilings with holes were patched,not sanded then only the spot of repair was painted. Windows either didn't go up or down and were extremely ditry! The rugs in the rooms were not just old and worn they were dirty, toilets leaked, showers had no water pressure when they worked, water temp difficult to adjust,fixtures rusted.Use of a hair dryer blew the electricity in the rooms. Halls dark,needed to be painted, light fixtures with bugs in them needed to be cleaned, I could go on and on about the need to just clean the place. It really should be raised and rebuilt to improve it. The water skiing was one trip around a beautiful but small lake. The bikes for biking were at least 50 years old and held together by duct tape. The furniture on the pouches was falling apart and the lighting had exposed light bulbs and wiring. The hiking trail didn't even go all around the lake. The golf course would give a cow pasture a bad name, and we had to pay for carts{not included in the all inclusive}.The food was OK,service very slow and not enough of it. Also, there were only three hours a day when you could get any food at all. Breakfast,from 8AM to9 AM,Lunch 12:45 to 1:45,and dinner 6:15 to 7:15PM,if you got hungry any other time you better bring your own food. Two days,Lunch was served at the Look-out/Cook-out. A pavilliion at the top of a hill, with sawdust floor,picnic tables that tilted down the hillside {get a grip},and cowboy music. Not all together bad,but if you did't go to the Look/out cook-out you missed lunch? There was no choice , your all inclusive lunch was what they served you, where they served you, when they served you. Dancing in the dance hall was fun and the music adequate but after about an hour it was interrupted when the :"Review " started. The review consisted two evenings of the talented Scott family 's idea of music and comedy. Another night the review was singing performed by some off broadway third rate talent, none of it necessary or particularly enjoyable. If a review or show is necessary, I would suggest it begin early and end early and let the dancing fill the majority of the evening. To call this a resort is absurd, to give any stars as a rating more absurd, to would return would be crazy. There is nothing I could say or think of that would make me consider ever going there again. I wish I could let the world know how bad this place really is. It was over priced, misrepresented on the internet and in phone calls we made before going there,not all inclusive,not rustic,not a place anyone would want to spend a week-end or any time for that matter. The only thing that make this trip tolerable were the friends we were with and the new people we met, and the dancing, other than that it was a nightmare.

Visiting Scott's was like living in a time warp. Nothing has been updated or cleaned or painted since the 1950's. The furniture was tattered and torn; the toilet leaked all over the bathroom floor; there was no phone to call our friends in another room (and we couldn't use our cell phones because they didn't work); the electricity went out as soon as two people turned on their hair dryers; hot water was not guaranteed; the windows would not shut. Rustic and quaint is not equivalent to worn, dirty, outdated, and badly in need of repair. Scott's Resort makes the Motel 6 seem like the Ritz. As for the entertainment, it is all geared for people over 70. I got tired of hearing old people jokes. The golf course is the worst I have ever been o and the bikes were held together with duct tape. As far as I am concerned, Scott's is misrepresented on the website. It looks great, just don't get too close. The 'resort' is way over priced. I got suckered once, but I will never go back and cannot believe that people do!

If you are brave and want to try something different with your family or an extended family reunion you should try Scotts! I am one of the many people that has been visiting Scotts for many generations. No, it hasn't changed since the 50s and that is the charm of it. The only difference I have seen in my 40 years is that they added small TVs to the rooms and the option for wine or beer at dinner. It really is frozen in time, the landscape is beautiful and serene and the family that owns it is a wonderful and warm group of people. The ameneties are the pits and we still go back every year, regardless. We look at it as camping with a roof and then it is easy to overlook the lame shower and occasional bugs in the rooms. Honestly, where else can you find a resort that is set on one of the cleanest lakes with acres and acres to room in the clean mountain air. Where you can have fun sports activities, learn to ballroom dance or play shuffle board, botchi and bowl in a lane where you set your own pins?! It is the most unique experience and best equated to the "Dirty Dancing" movie, even including entertainment put on by the family that runs it themselves (and sometimes a comic or a magician will stop by as well). You will never have quite the same experience as the one you will get from Scotts, just understand what you are in for - peace, quiet, kindness, nature, old fashioned fun and entertainment and antique everything from the furnishings to the plumbing! I highly recommend it for the brave and adventurous as well as for the sentimental!

I looked forward to taking my son for a vacation away from the Internet and video games. The promise of the 'family oriented' activities was something I was really looking forward to. Unfortunately, my one week vacation ended after just two days. Forget that the facilities are pretty run down, forget that little things like cue sticks are all without tips or that the swimming area was always closed. Instead, consider that besides my 14 year old son and myself, that there were only 4 other guests (all over 70.) Pretty hard to have that promised volleyball or baseball game. OK, the staff was friendly, the food pretty good but the cost is way to high for a minute, un-air conditioned room and a ping pong table.