UPDATE! We Loved our stay at the SummerHouse Highlands. This is our 2nd time here at the SummerHouse and it was just as good as the last. What sold us both times is primarily the location, It is located 3 blocks from the bayshore, (Miller Street Beach) 1 block to the Ice Cream Parlor, 2 Blocks to the Harmin Gas Station/ Convience store (Formally Cumberland Farms) and 2 blocks to the Bay liquor store. It is also really close to Veterans Park as well. They recently updated all cottages, installing roofs over all front porches, new courtyard seating, fire pit and Fountain! We stayed in cottage G this time instead of J because cottages I, G and H feature an extra twin daybed which was nice. If in the highlands nj or Monmouth county area and want a cool cottage like experience with a quint feel and with a good location than I HIGHLY recommend The SummerHouse! read more

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Best thing i can say about this place is the location. Bungalows are for sleeping and a bathroom.. no kitchen except for a sink and a microwave. I ha no WiFi for 10 days.. which means no TV and no laptop to do my business and got a very slow response from the manager. Stay elsewhere read more

Adorable little vacation cottages, a real unique spot quite different from most. Tons of dining choices within walking distance.

This is a 3.5 star review. It's hard to be too critical because NJ was under a massive heat wave these past few days we stayed, but as Floridians, we rely heavily on our air conditioning and our little cottage (A) was struggling terribly to cool down below 80. We tried to stay out of the room as much as possible during the day. The location is perfect, well within walking distance of everything we needed and some great little restaurants and bars. It was super quiet and quaint, and we only saw Sarah our maid during our visit, which is fine, just a little unusual. (Sarah gave us great recommendations & tips about the town while she cheerfully got us into our rooms earlier than check in time.) Biggest downsides outside of the lack of decent air conditioning was the very tiny bathroom sink area that got water all over the place. The shower has no divider from the toilet so that area got pretty wet, too. Really small kitchen area with small fridge and micro which we didn't use. Bed was comfortable and again, it was very serene and quiet which was surprising as the units were very close to one another. I think if we were to stay again, we'd spring to stay in one of the larger cottages. read more

Writing this lengthy post with more practical info about the different cottages as hard to find that info online. By far the best located & reasonably priced lodging in Highlands area! My partner and I came on the NYC ferry - if you have a car that's best but Kranky's bikes saved us! We stayed in corner cabin F - from their website map it seemed north facing towards the beach (but no, no views of any water) and was on the bigger side with a big porch and more privacy. It did have all those things but if we go back we might choose G (or H if bringing a dog) as these seem to be same size but the porches face the courtyard -- which was a nicer view than just our partial streetview. But with F we could park our bikes on Center Ave if we had to quickly access our room which was nice. Cottages A-E looked a bit smaller but they do have outdoor showers if you go the beach, etc. Between C&D seemed to be a nice separate sitting area too. Cottages A-C also have porches that face the street. Cottages I-J porches only face the street. Cottage F was tidy with everything you needed in a compact, pleasant presentation. The lady maintaining the rooms was very nice - blonde, her name escapes me- & also gave us some tips. We even bought treats for the sweet, resident cat (a neighbor's cat but loves to hang at Summerhouse) at the gas station market across the street. Easy walking to many delicious restaurants, Ice cream plc literally next door. Easy bike ride to Twin Lightowers - great views and interesting museum. We were there a little after peak season so you need to doublecheck that places are open. For the most part, compound is quiet and we never really heard other guests, Occasionally kids in the neighboring houses were really loud. In the main house (if you need to use the kitchen, laundry or a bathroom if you've already checked out) it can get a little more livelier - I think there are guestrooms on the second floor. Overall, we loved our stay! read more

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This is my review based on our one night stay in May during COVID-19 pandemic. We could not drive so we took a boat and brought our bikes. The location is very good in between Highland ferry terminal and Sandy Hook beach. The place has several cottages 8 or 9 surrounding a court yard. As this is summer house/cottages (but not facing or not to very close to beach), it is nice but we should not expect to stay in a luxury hotel. But you can have all necessities, clean room, with a fridge, a kitchenette, a bathroom. The 3 star review was based on an incident of toilet flood happened burying our stay. Of course it was not pleasant as very dirty water was on a floor everywhere. I spoked to the Owner Tom who arranged me to move to another unit (smaller) AND refunded all of fees to me. I thought it was very appropriate action to compensate what happened. He offered for us to stay again for free, which has not happening as their place seem busy. I wanted to say that we need to have a reasonable expectation - again this is not a chain hotel or a lux accommodation. So things happen but I am sure the owner will take care of any issues appropriately. So I will update my review when I can stay there again soon. read more

What a difference a year makes. My summerhouse experience was dramatically different this year, despite the effort of the staff to keep things running smoothly. It appears there has been a shift in management as the website is down and it's all but impossible to get a response from the management. Despite ants in my cottage and lack of masks on staff or any basic covid cleanliness protocol, I inquired about a longer term stay and was met with an attitude when I finally connected with the owner Tom. Then there was a complete lack of response to my further queries. Disappointing as this is a super special place in a great location that with proper management would be a dream. Sad. read more

Cute little cottages, walking distance to great restaurants and the beach. Unfortunately, we had a little issue with the ac at our cottage but the staff was super accommodating and tried to move us to another cottage. We went down there on the 4th of July so ofcourse none were available until the next day, we ended up staying there anyway. Shout out to Carly and Bill who went above and beyond to make our stay as comfortable as possible. I will definitely be back and tell everyone I know about this place. Thank you for an awesome vacation there!!!! read more

I loved my beach getaway. Ferry + bike + SummerHouse = escape from NYC! Everything was clean and organized and comfortable and beautiful. Thanks! Can't wait to come back. read more

Need a weekend getaway from NYC but have a bicycle/ no car? - Highlands! Its not a cartoonish beach town with cheap mo/hotels everywhere--people actually live here. Seastreak ferry from Pier 11 / JC-Paulus Hook will take you within a mile of these 10 basic & wonderfully functional refuges. Sheets super soft; walk in shower inside (and outside-private). I thought it was a perfect spot aesthetically for Joy Division to write a comeback album (yes, yes, I know - not possible) So I chose to come this past weekend to write on the last one in the "summer" in 2017. The Courtyard in the middle has a huge table with lots of room - and a working firepit for that nightime bite from ocean air. Ocean? Yes please - by bicycle less than 15 minutes. 30 to the nude beach. Can't go wrong with the food either - owner Bill is a foodie with discriminating tastes and he did me right sending me to Porcini and Fresh Bistro not two blocks from the Summerhouse Enclave. Main house has all mod cons - full kitchen (Viking Stove! for next visit) and washer/dryer. Free TV if you really need that crap. Wifi too. More to explore next visit and the price is completely 'doable' for a whim trip on or off season. read more