Come relax in Buck Bay. Our family cottage is situated right on the water in a private, peaceful bay with beautiful views. We are accessible only by private boat or water taxi, about 4 miles from Clayton, NY & Gananoque, Ontario. The house is perfect for 4-6 adults and 2 children or young adults. Recently updated furniture & linens, washer, dryer and more! The boathouse has about 4-8 feet of water depth and room for 2 boats, one on inside and other on outside dock. @buckbay.stay The space Buck Bay Cottage is a charming old home that has recently received some updates. There is a large master bedroom with a king bed upstairs with a half bath. Another bedroom with a queen bed in the front of the house with a beautiful view. And a bunk room with twin bunk beds. Below that room is a small room with a double size bed.
Other things to note This is an old island house. You must be tolerant of a normal amount of bugs, and quirky old home issues. Maximum house capacity is 6 adults and 2 children. Not 8 adults.
This property provides a fun and unique adventure for the whole family!
Property manager
Fran Mallery
Languages
English
Add dates for prices
Amenities
Kitchen
Washer
Dryer
Outdoor space
Barbecue grill
Lake view
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Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has not indicated whether there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector with you on the trip
Host has not indicated whether there is a smoke detector on the property
We should mention
A car is not required for transport to and from this property
About the area
Clayton
Located in Clayton, this holiday home is in a rural area and on the waterfront. Thousand Islands Museum and Antique Boat Museum are cultural highlights, and some of the area's activities can be experienced at Clayton Marina and Gananoque Golf and Country Club. Travelling with kids? Consider Gananoque Boat Line and Alex Bay 500 Go-Karts. Scuba diving and snorkelling offer great chances to get out on the surrounding water, or you can seek out an adventure with cycling and hiking/biking trails nearby.
Clayton, NY
What's nearby
Cedar Point State Park - 72 min drive - 54.4 km
1000 Islands River Rat Cheese - 82 min drive - 64.5 km
The Clayton Opera House - 83 min drive - 64.9 km
Thousand Islands National Park - 101 min drive - 85.2 km
Boldt Castle - 104 min drive - 86.3 km
Getting around
Watertown, NY (ART-Watertown Intl.) - 91 min drive
Restaurants
1000 Island Charity Casino - 84 min drive
Riva - 84 min drive
Subway - 83 min drive
The Old English Pub - 83 min drive
Koffee Kove Restaurant - 82 min drive
Frequently asked questions
Is Grindstone Island cottage in private bay pet-friendly?
No, pets are not allowed at this property.
What time is check-in at Grindstone Island cottage in private bay?
Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.
What time is check-out at Grindstone Island cottage in private bay?
Checkout is at 11:00 AM.
Where is Grindstone Island cottage in private bay located?
This family-friendly Clayton holiday home is located on the waterfront, 0.1 mi (0.1 km) from Lake Ontario, and within 32 mi (52 km) of Grass Creek Park and Glen Lawrence Golf Club.
Reviews
9.2
Wonderful
Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
My family had a very relaxing and enjoyable time staying at Buck Bay. The house is secluded but we were able to explore the island with ease. We were able to have our dogs with us and they had a fantastic time too. The Owner's Fran and John were super nice and available whenever we may have needed assistance.
A gem for the family. Beautiful Bay, rolling island roads, close to Clayton, sandy bottoms, the beautiful Canadian channel, and wonderful hosts. But oy, those black flies and bugs far outnumber you in and out. Come armed for battle or gracious tolerance. Or just stay in a fly-less hotel and leave this gem more available for us to return next year and the year after.
Large cabin on a very unique island. We went to fish & had a great time! This location is just perfect for our needs. There was just the 2 of us plus dogs, house was very roomy & private. We have an older cottage on a lake & know they don’t get really clean, but for the price we paid I think it might be time Fran get professional help cleaning & exterminating bugs. Being on an island has plus & minus. Before you book or at the very least you should know that you need to haul drinkable water & take your trash with you. Plus free parking is impossible to find on a weekend & you need to make arrangements with a marina, hotel, etc additional costs.
Overall, we had a great stay at Fran & John's property. It was a large enough home for our crew of five, and the kitchen is gourmet style and very large with views over the living room and the water.
We found ourselves in a bind to due boat troubles and they were very helpful to us as they were staying a very short distance away and are very active river dwellers.
The only complaint, and it is not a very big one, is that we did not know that two bedroom were essentially in one (bottom bedroom with a loft bedroom above it...single entrance to both), and there were no windows in those two bedrooms. This caused us some initial stress when we arrived as two of our three teenagers would have to share that space while the 3rd would have a room that was large and surrounded by windows overlooking the water. We made it through it but wish we had known that sooner so we could be better prepared with a game plan. Lastly, it is a very buggy property, particularly at night, so if you wish to use a device for some entertainment, be prepared!!
Rosemary V.
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.
10/10 Excellent
Fran M.
12 Sept 2017
Beautiful Area - Wonderful Stay
We had a very nice stay on Grindstone Island! We had wonderful weather. This house is located on a quiet bay and we were able to go swimming and walk on the trails on the island. The deck is very relaxing for reading a book. We stayed in the back bedroom which has great views of the bay. The living room and kitchen were both large and spacious. Will stay again. Thank you Fran for being a wonderful host!
Fran M.
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.
6/10 Okay
Laura A.
23 Sept 2016
Great Location – House Needs Work
This is a wonderful location on the St Lawrence. The covered boat house was a plus to get our boat out of the wind / weather. The owner is super nice and lends a hand when needed. It was great we could bring our dog. The sandy beach areas in the surrounding coves and closeness to Leek / Thwartway Island are a plus. The island is beautiful and we enjoyed walking the trails. The kids loved fishing and playing in the bay.
I don’t like to give bad reviews but feel the need to make other potential renters aware of the condition of the house. It was just not clean. Major cobwebs hanging from fixtures, very dirty windows, mouse droppings around and on the furniture. The shop vac was not easy to use to do the floors and furniture although my friend gave it her best effort. The deck is great but it has not been maintained and there are several scary soft spots in the wood. The deck lounge chairs need to be replaced. The propane grill has seen better days. Renters before us did not pick up after their dogs. There was a bug problem, owner says water bugs, I say wood cockroach nymphs and they were in just about every room in the house. Yes, this is a house on an island in the woods - I expect an occasional critter but this was above my level of tolerance. My suggestion to the owner is to do needed maintenance on the deck and amenities, enforce pet cleanup or charge a dog fee and charge a cleaning fee for a cleaning service to come in. Engage a pest control company.
This could be a great property if there is a major effort to clean and maintain it. We thank the owner but would not recommend renting the house in the current condition.
Laura A.
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.
10/10 Excellent
Maria G.
22 Aug 2016
Great place to relax
We had amazing two weeks in this property. The island has lots of roads and trails for hiking/walking and for mountain biking. Potters Beach is at a walking distance and it was a treat to go there and swim before going back. The beach is about 7 minutes by boat. We used two kayaks that the owners had for the visitors to get to the swim platform. We were lucky to have hot weather for swimming. The house has a great view from every window and a porch facing the bay with a view at the channel at a distance. We enjoyed spending time there, which was something new to our always on the go family. My brother-in-law, a grandmaster, spent a week with us on the island and won US Open in Chess a few days after he got back. He believes this vacation let him get the rest he needed before the big tournament. This year’s vacation at Grindstone Island turned out to be special for all of us. As a side note, if you are renting from Fran, ask to see her pearl necklace collection.
Maria G.
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.
8/10 Good
Laura M.
23 Aug 2015
Nice Stay
We enjoyed our stay and found the home to be very spacious and comfortable. Plenty of space for everyone to gather together or have privacy when needed. The home was very well stocked with all the necessities. We loved having the boat house and private bay. The hikes on the trails were enjoyable and found the store on the island to be very cute. Kids wished she stocked candy though.
Our disappointment - we felt the home could have been cleaner when it came to the windows, light fixtures and rafters. With the new products for washing windows we felt they could have been cleaner. We found bugs and spiders in the beds almost daily and some of us ended up with many bites. The light fixtures had cob webs and dust hanging down and at night when you turned the lights on for reading or something there were bugs swarming all over. I understand being out in nature you do come across this but being in a house I would think not to the extent we experienced.
I would also like to make a suggestion to move the fire pit to the other side near the water. Where it is located now, it was difficult to have everyone around the fire. The one side near the water you could not put chairs and the ground was uneven in other spots and with the longer grass it was very buggy.
We enjoyed ourselves very much and Fran was very nice and accommodating. We also loved that we could bring our dogs and they enjoyed the vacation very much.
Laura M.
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.
10/10 Excellent
Lauren W.
2 Jan 2015
Private bay with spacious living area and decks
I stayed at Fran's rental this past summer and had an amazing time. They have a fun swimming dock, and great kitchen for cooking dinners. There is only one other house on the bay so it was much more private than many of the other places. This is a great place for a family vacation.
Lauren W.
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.
10/10 Excellent
Richard R., United States
1 Nov 2014
beautiful secluded bay!
i loved my stay at buck bay
the house is spacious
and the property is beautiful
i'm looking forward to the next visit!!!
Richard R.
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.
10/10 Excellent
Fran M.
1 Nov 2014
Amazing Labor Day Weekend!
I had 4 amazing days with 7 of my best friends over Labor day weekend. The space was perfect for dinner parties and lounging. The space was perfectly set up and very comfortable and clean. We sailed, kayaked, hiked, swam up a storm. Looking forward to next year!
Fran M.
About the host
Hosted by Fran Mallery
Born and raised in the Thousand Islands, I have a passion for the River. The islands are a place you can really relax.