My wife and I just spent three nights at Bass & Baskets…read more
In a nutshell - Beautiful location, excellent accommodations, and friendly service at a great price. This is a true Bed & Breakfast, the definition of what one expects when booking this type of vacation.
On arrival, we were greeted by the Proprietress, Deb Franko. She showed us where to park and the best way to get down the driveway which is steep, but don't worry - your car will make it - unless you're driving a Corvette or similar sports car - you might have to park at the top.
We were shown our quarters, given a brief tour of the premises and all that is offered, then left blissfully to our own devices for the evening.
The guest quarters are on the two upper floors, and each has their own common area with comfortable seating where one could melt away a few hours napping or reading a book. Upon entry to the room, the first thing I look for is cleanliness. I am not exaggerating when I say you could literally eat off every surface in the room. I did a thorough inspection with powerful UV lights on everything from the toilet to the bed linens to the seat cushions and found zero evidence of any kind of stains. Not even any residual cleaning liquids, I mean this place is CLEAN from stem to stern. I have NEVER found a cleaner room. Our room had it's own private balcony, and from that top floor the view is really pretty special. The bed is very comfortable, the sheets are extremely high thread count, the pillows are either goose down or the equivalent, and if you must watch TV there is a Roku smart TV over the fireplace. There are cable TV options as well. Water pressure was not the strongest, but it gets nice and hot. I'm guessing you won't get "city" water pressure anywhere out here, simply a fact that is dictated by the location.
Available to guests 24 hours a day, there is a large common area on the bottom floor with a well appointed kitchen. A coffee and tea bar are located adjacent to the kitchen, as well as a day head. Deb's freshly baked cookies will be found on the coffee bar, and possibly some other treats. Twining's Teas are featured on the bar, and my wife said the coffee is good (sorry I didn't get the name of the coffee). Various powdered creamers and hot chocolate also there, and in the fridge will be found complimentary soft drinks.
Step out the patio door from the bottom floor, and you will find a spacious porch with various kinds of chairs from which you may ponder the universe whilst you survey what feels like your own watery kingdom. Descend the steps to the private floating dock with chaise lounges and a wire frame table with bistro chairs, perfect for having wine and charcuterie while taking in the view. This dock is honestly where I spent most of my idle time - sunset on the lake is a grand sight, as you will see below. I availed myself of the lake's waters on numerous occasions. It quickly became impossible to resist jumping in for a swim, so I did that quite a bit. While sitting there in the morning, large fish are jumping all around. Water is about 20 feet deep at the end of the dock.
So you've heard about the bed, now let's talk about breakfast. As you will see in my pictures, which don't really do justice to the food, we were well fed each morning.
Our first morning was actually a Sunday, and Deb made French Toast stuffed with cream cheese, covered in fresh fruit. Alongside this were link sausages and a soft-baked egg cup with ham as the "shell". Fresh orange juice, cranberry juice, coffee, tea and water were also served. It was the perfect amount of food, nobody left the table hungry.
Second morning was Monday and we were presented soft scrambled eggs over English muffins with hollandaise sauce and ham-wrapped asparagus spears. The side dish to this was fresh fruit drizzled with yogurt and topped with granola. Orange and cranberry juices, along with coffee, tea and water were the standard array of beverages. Again, a perfect sized meal to break the fast.
Our third and final breakfast (sorry, no pictures) was a perfectly made quiche (or maybe egg frittata) with cheese, ham, broccoli and who knows what else in there, but it was absolutely delicious. Fresh fruit is ubiquitous here, as are the requisite morning libations.
Each night's sleep was quiet and peaceful. While I didn't see a thermostat in the room, it was not an issue as we found the temperature to be perfect for us.
We were coming to this area to pick up a new puppy from our friends in Lebanon, about an hour south of the lake. Until this past weekend, I never would have thought of this as a vacation destination. Now it is on the short list of favorite getaways! This time of year was perfect for us because the lake was not busy and it was absolutely serene.
We spent some time time touring the grounds of other "resort" properties near the lake - Don't waste your time. Get a room at Bass & Baskets.
