I think this is going to be year 8 for us at the cabins. The feeling "retreat" comes to mind when I think longingly about the cabins in Goshen. This year they are going to be rebuilding the dam at the end of the lake, so that should be worth exploring next year. Last year, we learned how to sail, which was a real treat. We were in the correct season to get to be able to pick fresh wild blueberries from our kayaks!! We made a great syrup with them, and had it over ice cream...yummmm. ====================================================== In response to the person that has trouble with stairs: I think all the cabins have some amount of stairs, the white one has the fewest (maybe one?). In order to get down to the lake, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO USE ANY STAIRS. My mother-in-law has bad hips, and she doesn't use the stairs. All you have to do is either go around the house to the right, or walk all the way to the left in front of the green cabin, and there are NO STAIRS. The lawn is very gradually sloped on both of those paths. You can even get to the lake by walking directly in front of their porch...without stairs. Look at picture number two (that I took years ago), there are NO STAIRS under the flag on the left OR near the small red tree on on the right. The stairs mentioned are directly in the center of the picture under the arch. read more

This was our second stay at Goshen Ocean and it was even more delightful than the first. Our hosts Dina and Bob couldn't be more generous and accommodating, and the property itself can only be described as a little slice of heaven. We swam, kayaked, grilled every night, played with our dog (yes, they are extremely dog friendly) and just relaxed by the lake and in our cozy cottage. It's close to so many great places to visit and enjoy (Northampton, the Berkshires, DAR State forest), yet far enough away to indulge in a little pastoral solitude. We can't wait to return! read more

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Where do I start? I was so looking forward to my vacation on Highland Lake. I grew up in the area and always loved the lake and particularly I had fond memories of the Raymond property (as viewed from the dam where us non-residents would gather to swim). The pictures on the web site showed nice rustic cottages that looked like a very pleasant place to stay. I sent an email and shortly after sending received a response from Dina. She was very friendly and accommodating (I told her I was disabled and she explained the possible issues that might cause me trouble). The price was good , so we paid for the cabin for a week and got ready to spend a relaxing week by the lake. We arrived at the cabin at about 7:30 pm on Friday evening. The Raymonds greeted us and again Dina was very pleasant, Bobby asked me "what happened" (regarding my disability) and I explained it was a skiing accident. For the next ten minutes or more I was treated to a "brag session on how often he himself skied and how awesome both he and his children were at skiing. I have no problem hearing other peoples stories or hearing about their children but this was to the point of rude. Dina told him to let us go get settled in so we broke free and went in the cottage. The first thing we noticed was the musty smell. I understand sometimes this can happen with cottages and cabins particularly if you are the first tenants of the season. We opened a few windows and put the fans in places to circulate the air. As I went into the kitchen I smelled a distinct mold and mildew smell. I looked around and found there was an older cracked wooden cutting board that had been put up wet and had black mold/mildew buildup on it. I scrubbed it with cleanser and bleach but could not get the smell out so I moved it outside to the deck. The smell persisted in the cabin so we looked for any other source that could be causing it. My wife found the source in the bathroom. The shower stall and curtain were covered with the same black mold/mildew that I had found on the cutting board, and rust around the outside edges. The smell in the bathroom was literally nauseating. I trip to the bedrooms revealed that the dresser drawers were also very smelly and we could not unpack our clothes into them without the clothes picking up the musty smell. We opened up the drawers and I wiped them out with disinfectant cleaner and left them open hoping they would air out. We had requested linens for the week and these were also a disappointment. the beds had miss-matched sheets and pillowcases (on the same bed) They looked like they were from goodwill. At this point my wife just sat down and cried. We really wanted to try to make this work so the next day we picked up a new shower curtain, bath mat, cleaning supplies, a dish rack (the provided rack was also not in the best condition), cutting board and kitchen sponges (the ones that were provided were old and used) We got back to the cabin and set to starting the cleaning process. Before too long my wife decided to go down to the lake to see what it was like. After a few minutes she came back and told me there were steps you needed to climb down to get into the yard leading to the beach.... but there were no railings.... there was no way I was going to be able to get to the lake. I had explained my disability to Dina and she had told me about issue that might cause me problems in the cabin. I had told her that stairs were fine as long as there were railings. I guess the stairs to the beach had slipped her mind. Anyway at that point we cut our losses and went to stay at a Red Roof Inn with an indoor pool. At the time we did not want to go into the reasons for leaving so we made a polite excuse and left. This wasted our money and more importantly 21/2 days of our vacation. It is sad because the cabin has great potential. All it needed was a new shower, a bit of attention to detail and a cleaning to be a very nice place. read more

Our first trip to Goshen Ocean, and definitely not our last!! This was the MOST relaxing vacation I have ever had!! Early morning coffee on the deck overlooking a beautiful, peaceful lake, afternoon kayaking around the whole lake, and topped off with a refreshing swim every day. It doesn't get any better than this. Dina and Bob were very gracious hosts and made us feel right at home. Our 3 grown sons were able to join us during the week and enjoyed the kayaks, sail boat, and water trampoline, as well as the short trips into North Hampton for great food. We will be back, and thank you Dina for your wonderful hospitality!!! Can't wait for next summer. read more

I love the Goshen Ocean! The lake is beautiful, the cottages are charming, and the hosts are gracious and welcoming. This is one of my favorite places to unwind from life in the city. I go every year, and always look forward to it! read more