Camp David is great and the host was awesome.

My fiancé (now husband) and I stayed with our Bridal Party at Camp David while getting married in Morris, CT. The accommodations were perfect for such an event! We rented 3 of David’s cottages, which all share the same property and are just steps from Bantam Lake. David was very laid back and great at communicating and accommodating several of our needs. He has all of the amenities necessary for a weekend getaway on the Lake including BBQ supplies and equipment for several different water activities. He has a personal handy man that was quick to respond to and resolve a couple of minor concerns. He also offered to help us unload any belongings. We’re so appreciative of David for providing such hospitality and the perfect accommodations for our wedding weekend! We have memories to last a lifetime. Highly recommend!

We had a wonderful time at Camp David! We've done a weekend with friends for years now and this was easily one of the best places we've stayed. We rented several of the houses and had plenty of space for our group to spread out. We spent our entire stay lakeside - hanging out, sitting by the firepit, swimming and grilling! David was easy to reach with any questions or concerns (even reset the wifi remotely one night). Only caveat for future guests to note is that there are multiple cottages on the property that can be rented by other guests. We had two different families stay in the unoccupied house during our stay, both were very friendly and we had no issues coexisting on the property.

We loved our stay at the lake house, Dave was a fantastic host!

Listing said "Exclusive lakefront property," and photos were framed to make the house look alone in a big yard by the water. In reality, four houses -- including landlord and his family -- share one crowded yard and lake access. During COVID-19, our "pod" of couples planned to escape the city for a private vacation alone. We arrived to find the exact opposite. House is in poor condition, even constructed that some doors can't open all the way, because, e.g. a door was blocked by an eave within inches of the doorway. Be prepared that video cameras are all over the property and house. Morning before arrival, landlord listed three kayaks and a couple innertubes. Upon arrival, he explained only two kayaks and one innertube existed, and that we'd be sharing those -- and the whole yard and lake access -- with our neighboring strangers. He dismissed our COVID-19 concerns by demonstrating how easy it'd be to stay six-feet away from the other guests. He continued to defend the ad by pointing out we had the "best place" of four, though we obviously thought we had a private property, the only place. Ultimately up to us -- in normal times, and especially in COVID -- whether we want to share a crowded property of four houses in one yard. In the end, landlord said he didn't feel offering us anything was "warranted" (direct quote). If the price is right for you, be prepared for what's essentially a public camping experience in cabins, alongside others sharing your space.

When I booked this, I did see the other reviews...so I knew it was possible that there could be a parking problem, that noise *might* be a factor, and everything else that other reviewers said both positively and negatively. Our stay, like pretty much all vacations, had some great experiences, and some, shall we say, interesting experiences too. The Good: The house we had (Maplecrest, 1 of 3) was gigantic and spacious. While it had 7 bedrooms, they are very small, but each one has it's own air conditioner, so you can adjust the temperature to whatever you want- a huge plus. There were two bathrooms, very clean and modern. Also, the rooms were spotless (except for one, see below), and the screened in wrap-around porch was perfect for having breakfast/dinner with great views of the lake. Other great things included the dock area- one of the best around with kayaks/floats and we were easily able to tie up our pontoon boat we rented for the week. The whole beach-front and swimming area was wide open, and with two other families there, never felt crowded. Indeed, I would say it was *comfortably* crowded because we did talk and interact with them- they were really nice- yet far enough for no masks. The owner (David- lives on property with his family and children) is a fantastic communicator. While there was a glitch in our reservation (somehow the first night was double-booked), we were getting in late anyway, and we worked it out fairly with him. Finally, every night we built a campfire... you can either build one outside your cabin or at the fire-rings at the lake. David provides all of the matches, fire-starters, and wood (actually, really, really nice dry wood too!), so that was nice to end each day. David also checked in multiple times and asked how things were, he really cares about the guests' experiences. The Bad: OK, so there was a glitch in the reservation process, but David did work it out. When we arrived, we did find some 'natural' issues in the kitchen, including a dead mouse and non-functional oven (he said he was getting it fixed, we used the provided grill as an oven and it actually worked perfectly). And the rest of the kitchen was very adequately supplied. Some of the storm doors were really hard to close, but that with the oven should be easily fixed by the time whoever is reading this actually rents the place. Also, the trash area near the parking lot was over-flowing. That needs to be addressed. Overall 4.5!

The good: Beautiful lake. Clean water. Great fishing. Lake not too busy with other boats. Perfect for water sports like skiing, tubing and fishing. The property lakefront is very nice. Great dock and raft. Stone steps down to the water. Water started out shallow and got progressively deeper beyond the dock. Good for kids of any age to swim. The bottom was rocky/sandy, not the mush you find in some spots. For the most part the cottage was fine inside. Small but clean and comfortable. The bad: The lakefront is shared by everyone in the 3 cottages on the property. When we arrived there were around 20 people by the lake not counting us. Parking was really bad. At first we couldn't find a spot. Later we were blocked in several times and couldn't leave. Turns out the owner also rents out the dock to a waterski charter boat which explained some of the crowd and the bad parking. They typically did around 3 charters a day with different people. We were also surprised to find out that the lower room of the cottage (ping pong table, laundry & half bath) was shared by all 3 cottages and the charter crew+guests. This area was really in bad shape. Water on the floor constantly from a leak in the bathroom. Moldy toilet paper. Old moldy food in a fridge. Overall the outside of the property was not kept up well. Some trash and construction supplies around the edges. Lawn hadn't been mowed in a while -- had many of those little white flowers that attract bees. Three in our party were stung on the feet just walking to the lake. There is no driveway down to the cottages so expect long walks up and down the hill to bring your stuff in and out. We were never provided any keys to the property so couldn't lock the doors when we went out on the lake. The cottage doesn't really sleep 7 unless you have 2 couples that sleep together. One in our group had to sleep on the couch the whole trip. The only place to eat as a group indoors was the screened-in porch. On good days this was tight but a nice spot overlooking the lake. However, we had 2 very rain days and the rain came right in and soaked this room.

Exactly what we needed for the 4th of july. Perfect relaxing lake vacation with great access to kayaks and water toys for kids.