I am honestly baffled by the low rating for Antigua Resort until I actually read the reviews. Then…read moreI became baffled in an entirely different way.
Two of the seven reviews are one star complaints from guests who cancelled at the last minute and were unhappy that the resort retained their non refundable deposit. The paperwork very clearly explains the cancellation policy, including exactly how much of the deposit is refundable depending on when you cancel. Complaining that a business followed a policy you signed acknowledging is a rather impressive form of hypocrisy. Fortunately, the resort itself is considerably easier to understand.
We have been visiting Lake George for approximately twenty years, and my wife and her family have been coming since the 1980s. Somehow, despite all those decades of experience, this was our first stay on the eastern side of the lake. That turned out to be a very happy accident.
The east side is quieter, less developed, and dramatically less commercial than the village side. It feels peaceful in a way that the busier parts of Lake George simply cannot. Antigua Resort sits on Plum Point, and the setting is absolutely beautiful.
We spent a week in Suite #5 and loved it. The resort is not luxurious, and anyone arriving expecting a five star hotel is going to be disappointed. That is like complaining that a canoe does not have a swimming pool. Antigua is a clean, comfortable, well maintained lakeside resort whose greatest amenity is the lake itself.
Suite #5 has a wonderful picture window overlooking Lake George, which was the primary reason we selected it. Once we arrived, however, we discovered that virtually every accommodation on the property enjoys a lake view, either through a window or from a private porch. The Lakeside Suite, Suite #5, and the Boathouse have the closest and most dramatic vantage points, but you are going to see Lake George from pretty much everywhere.
Our suite had a main bedroom where our boys slept, with one double bed and one twin, plus a smaller secondary bedroom with a queen. There was a small but clean bathroom and a kitchen stocked with everything we needed for the week. There are also both gas and charcoal grills available for guests, which made preparing an occasional meal wonderfully easy.
But nobody comes to Antigua for the kitchen. You come for the water.
There is a small, well maintained beach with a designated swimming area and floating platform. Guests can also use kayaks, canoes, and rowboats at no additional charge. It is the sort of place where children can disappear onto the water for a while and parents can actually relax because everyone is having a good time.
Then there is the observation deck on top of the boathouse. My oldest son decided this was his personal headquarters for the week and spent literal hours up there. From that vantage point, on a clear day, you can see all the way from Dome Island down toward Lake George Village. Steamboats regularly pass by, along with an endless parade of private boats. It is an extraordinary place to simply sit and watch the lake.
It also turned out to be one of the best places to watch the weekly fireworks from the Village. Every Thursday evening during the summer, Lake George Village puts on a fireworks show, and the view from the boathouse observation deck was fantastic.
There is also live music on the beach with a campfire every Monday and Thursday. Add the sound of the lake, the mountains, a fire on the beach, and a guitar playing somewhere nearby, and you have arrived at a very different definition of entertainment than you get at a resort surrounded by commercial attractions.
Anne, the owner, was another highlight. She was regularly out and about on the property, often accompanied by her two exceptionally friendly dogs, Ranger and Lucy. She clearly takes an interest in the guests and the property, checking in to make sure things are running properly without hovering over everyone.
That is really what Antigua gets right. It feels personal. There is no giant lobby, no endless hallway, no anonymous hotel operation. You know where you are. You know who is taking care of the place. You can walk down to the beach, grab a kayak, sit around a campfire, watch the boats, or spend an hour doing absolutely nothing. And doing absolutely nothing on Lake George is vastly underrated.
After twenty years of visiting this lake, we discovered that we had been missing an entirely different side of it. The east side's peace and quiet turned out to be exactly what our family needed. We all loved the slower pace and lack of commercial bustle.
Antigua is not fancy. It does not pretend to be fancy. What it offers instead is clean and comfortable accommodation, friendly ownership, free boats and kayaks, a beautiful beach, spectacular lake views, family friendly activities, and one of the most peaceful settings we have experienced anywhere on Lake George. We will return.
