Bearhurst Lakeside Cottages.

Bearhurst Drive in Speculator, on Lake Pleasant in the southern Adirondacks. The cottages are the original outbuildings from a Great Camp estate: the Boathouse, the Icehouse (which was the stable and ice storage), Cubhurst (the former pump house at the water's edge), and the Cherry East and Cherry West halves of a duplex. The provenance is the differentiator, and it's real rather than a marketing label.

The Boathouse sleeps up to six in three bedrooms with two baths, laundry, and its own marina slip. The Icehouse is a couple's cottage. Cubhurst sits right on the water with the best view of the bunch. The Cherry duplexes each have two bedrooms, a fireplace, a private deck, and dock access. Most have been updated for working kitchens and reliable plumbing while keeping the period detail intact.

The Armstrong family runs the property, which keeps it a working family rental rather than a corporate booking. Lake Pleasant is the calmer alternative to Sacandaga or Indian Lake for groups that want a quiet week. Best for extended families who want adjacent but separate buildings without sharing walls.