The Notch House

Although I have never stayed on this property, I used to visit when I was younger. One of the long-time owners in the early 1900's was my great grandfather by the last name of Cheney (buried in the cemetery at the North end of the lake), who had my grandmother visit before the estate changed hands.

This property has always held a very special place in my heart because of this, and I have to express my gratitude to those who restored the land and buildings to what they are today. I stopped by a few weeks ago hoping to see the grounds, but I saw there were folks staying there so I just took a look from the entrance.

Thank you for taking care of this beautiful estate, and I hope to be able to stay with my wife and family someday.

I had my wedding at the Notch House on Labor Day weekend and it was absolutely perfect. The venue is so unique and the setting was so serene and beautiful, with gorgeous gardens providing the perfect backdrop for photos. Polly was easy to work with and the house was immaculate. I highly recommend the Notch house for your next celebration or relaxing get away. We will certainly be back!

I've been here for many weddings and other events. It is a beautiful building with a lovely walk down to the lake. On top of that the owners/managers are smart and helpful. A great place!

My husband and I rented the Notch House for our wedding, and we absolutely enjoyed our time, as did our guests. While the week was bound to be special due to the nature of the gathering, the house and property set a tone and stage for something truly magical. Having our loved ones -- friends and family members normally scattered across the globe -- tucked in rooms surrounding us, and the ability to make every meal a family style occasion, was so gratifying. Watching each new house guest arrive on Friday night was exhilarating, maybe even more so than watching our wedding guests arrive Sunday evening. Our time at the Notch House was so special, and we enjoyed every bit of it. The warm weather was perfect for swimming, the beach, and the path leading to it, gorgeous, and the property perfectly held our ceremony (in the lower garden, by the rock), and reception. Since we scheduled our wedding for Midsummer's Eve, under the full moon, at this lovely location, we knew it would be romantic, but couldn't have possibly imagined that our wedding night would end with a bonfire held until 2am, followed by swimming under the moonlight, between those beautiful cliffs, surrounded by fireflies and loons, at 3am. Gorgeous.

Everyone commented on the beautiful details and materials in the house, how obvious the love in every last corner and cupboard. I think everyone's favorite was the bathroom in the master suite, which was also my favorite. I also loved the peppermint soaps and shampoos - how very clever of Polly, to even create a scent for each guest's memories of their time at the Notch House. Our friends, many of whom were meeting for the first time, enjoyed themselves so much they repeatedly asked for a "wedding reunion" each year. I'm sure Polly hears this all the time, but our friends are all now planning on renting the property for one occasion or another in the near future.

My husband and I enjoyed a fabulous and foliage-full wedding weekend at the Notch House at the end of September. We had our family and wedding party stay at the house, we enjoyed the cottage as our "love nest," as we did some event preparation and enjoyed the hiking trails and lake access. Our tent was set up on the pad in the side yard and Friday night we welcomed dinner guests after our rehearsal; on Saturday night we had 130 people for our wedding and reception, and on Sunday morning our friends and family helped us pack up and leave. We loved not having to get in a car all weekend, and enjoy a kind of destination wedding on Lake Willoughby, even though we live right here in the NEK!