8/10 Good
Andrew D.
11 Aug 2025
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Rustic Retreat in the Muskokas
Andrew D.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2025
Entire home
Great Family Property Between Huntsville and Bracebridge
Photo gallery for Great Family Property Between Huntsville and Bracebridge
Reviews
9.6 out of 10
Exceptional
3 bedrooms2 bathroomsSleeps 6148.6 sq m
Popular amenities
Explore the area
Huntsville, ON
- Place, Port Sydney Beach1 min walk
- Place, Port Sydney Falls11 min walk
- Place, North Granite Ridge Golf Club3 min drive
- Airport, Muskoka, ON (YQA)29 min drive
Rooms & beds
3 bedrooms (sleeps 6)
Bedroom 1
1 King Bed
Bedroom 2
2 Single Beds
Bedroom 3
1 Queen Bed
2 bathrooms
Bathroom 1
Bathtub or shower
Bathroom 2
Bathtub or shower
Spaces
About this property
Great Family Property Between Huntsville and Bracebridge
Welcome to Darroch by the Lake in the heart of Port Sydney (Huntsville), Ontario. This inviting, warm & friendly retreat is directly across the road from the Port Sydney Beach and Boat Launch. A year-round short term rental property with recreational activities at your door-step. This three bedroom home sleeps six with two full washrooms, Kitchen with gas range and dishwasher, Main floor living room with gas fireplace, Main floor Muskoka Room (3 Season) with second dining area, upstairs lounge and office space, Washer Dryer. Includes free wifi and two tv's with Netflix. The front of the property overlooks the beach and is a buzz of activity. You can find quiet outdoor space at the back of the house with a deck, patio table and natural gas BBQ (May to Thanksgiving). A short five minute walk to David’s General Store where you’ll find your last minute necessities, Kawartha ice cream and Gourmet Pizzas. You will find the quaint Wildflower gift shop right across the street from David’s. You can walk to 3 Pines - A local pub and amazing wings. A 15 minute drive to downtown Huntsville and 20 minute drive to downtown Bracebridge. Please note: Summer bookings are a minimum 7 night stay Sunday to Sunday.
Add dates for prices
Amenities
Washing machine
Dryer
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8.0 out of 10, (17 reviews)
House Rules
Check in after 4:00 PM
Minimum age to rent: 18
Check out before 11:00 AM
Children
Children allowed: ages 0–17
Events
No events allowed
Pets
No pets allowed
Smoking
Smoking is not permitted
Important information
You need to know
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 indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
About the area
Huntsville
Huntsville is home to this holiday home. North Granite Ridge Golf Club and Diamond In The Ruff Golf Course are worth checking out if an activity is on the agenda, while those wishing to experience the area's natural beauty can explore Arrowhead Provincial Park and Big East River Provincial Park. High Falls Water Park and Bracebridge Resource Management Centre are also worth visiting.
Huntsville, ON
What's nearby
- Port Sydney Beach - 1 min walk - 0.1 km
- Port Sydney Falls - 11 min walk - 0.9 km
- North Granite Ridge Golf Club - 3 min drive - 3.3 km
- Huntsville Civic Center Algonquin Theater - 18 min drive - 21.4 km
- Lions Lookout - 19 min drive - 22.2 km
Getting around
Restaurants
- Pine Lodge Inn - 4 min walk
- Wings Port - 4 min walk
- David's General Store Inc. - 5 min drive
- Kelly Kitchen - 18 min drive
- Heart Of Muskoka Fries - 2 min drive
Frequently asked questions
Reviews
9.6
Exceptional
Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window10/10
Cleanliness
10/10
Check-in
9.4/10
Communication
10/10
Location
9.8/10
Listing accuracy
Reviews
10/10 Excellent
Kaila H.
17 Apr 2025
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Great weekend getaway
Kaila H.
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2025
10/10 Excellent
Jonathan M.
16 Jan 2025
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Nice weekend getaway
Jonathan M.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2025
10/10 Excellent
Paul N.
28 Sept 2024
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Great get away. Rustic
Paul N.
Stayed 14 nights in Aug 2024
10/10 Excellent
Ms M.
19 Aug 2025
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Ms M.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2025
10/10 Excellent
Doug B.
30 Sept 2024
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Fall Getaway
Doug B.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2024
10/10 Excellent
Luc L.
7 Sept 2025
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Luc L.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2025
8/10 Good
Roslyn R.
1 Sept 2025
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, location, listing accuracy
Roslyn R.
Stayed 6 nights in Aug 2025
10/10 Excellent
Wendy C.
31 Aug 2025
Wendy C.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2025
10/10 Excellent
Chris E.
21 July 2025
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Had a great stay. Great location.
Chris E.
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2025
8/10 Good
vincent l.
12 May 2025
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
vincent l.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2025
About the host
Your host
Thank you for looking at our listing. We would like to share a little history with you....
We have owned Darroch By The Lake since August 1971. The home had one previous owner – Mrs. Grant - who had the home built in the late 1930’s.
The home was build by Wilfred Clarke. The Clark family is still building homes in the area today.
Why is it called "Darroch By the Lake?" My father is from Burntlsland, Scotland. It is custom in Britain to name your homes. His family home was Darroch. We kept the tradition and named our Canadian home in honour of the original MacKenzie homestead.
This was a super place to grow up. My sisters and I had the instant playground across the street and there was no shortage of things to do in the village of Port Sydney. Summer was spent living in the water, eating Marg’s fries at Mary Lake Lunch (now Wildflower), hanging out at the Dam, and winters skiing at a nearby ski hill call Curlew and eventually Hidden Valley. We attended V.K. Greer School and Huntsville High School. There have been many changes over the years with the house and in the Village itself. I have been blessed to be able to continue enjoying the home with my own children.
My Mom was able to stay in the home up to 2019 and the home has now been passed down to our family We still love to come up and enjoy the home, Mary's Lake and skiing in the winter. We are not able to enjoy as much as we would like and we wanted to offer the opportunity to share with others.
We acknowledge "Darrock by the Lake" is “well-loved” We were able to do some minor repairs to get it ready for guests and we have considered this is the price of the accommodation. We wanted to offer families an affordable option to be able to enjoy Muskoka and what it has to offer. There is something about our 1974 kitchen I am still not ready to part with yet!!
We welcome you to book with us!
Don, Maggie, Lucie and Zazzi.
We have owned Darroch By The Lake since August 1971. The home had one previous owner – Mrs. Grant - who had the home built in the late 1930’s.
The home was build by Wilfred Clarke. The Clark family is still building homes in the area today.
Why is it called "Darroch By the Lake?" My father is from Burntlsland, Scotland. It is custom in Britain to name your homes. His family home was Darroch. We kept the tradition and named our Canadian home in honour of the original MacKenzie homestead.
This was a super place to grow up. My sisters and I had the instant playground across the street and there was no shortage of things to do in the village of Port Sydney. Summer was spent living in the water, eating Marg’s fries at Mary Lake Lunch (now Wildflower), hanging out at the Dam, and winters skiing at a nearby ski hill call Curlew and eventually Hidden Valley. We attended V.K. Greer School and Huntsville High School. There have been many changes over the years with the house and in the Village itself. I have been blessed to be able to continue enjoying the home with my own children.
My Mom was able to stay in the home up to 2019 and the home has now been passed down to our family We still love to come up and enjoy the home, Mary's Lake and skiing in the winter. We are not able to enjoy as much as we would like and we wanted to offer the opportunity to share with others.
We acknowledge "Darrock by the Lake" is “well-loved” We were able to do some minor repairs to get it ready for guests and we have considered this is the price of the accommodation. We wanted to offer families an affordable option to be able to enjoy Muskoka and what it has to offer. There is something about our 1974 kitchen I am still not ready to part with yet!!
We welcome you to book with us!
Don, Maggie, Lucie and Zazzi.
Why they chose this property
The beach right in front of our home is what attracted my Mom and Dad to the property. There were always kids around to play with and the village would host regattas and BBQs throughout the summer. In the winter we had the lake for ice skating and today the local Lions Club maintain a rink in the parking lot. The Community Hall is up the street with a playground and basket ball and beach volleyball court. The Village has a quaint general store and other businesses.
What makes this property unique
You have the Public Beach at your doorstep. We a safe swimming area and swimming dock. This is an opportunity to meet people by hanging out at the beach or you can maintain your privacy on the front lawn (and a beer) and walk down for a dip. There is also a boat ramp there as well. The village is great for walks - it is an evening tradition to walk up to the general store for ice cream after dinner. Port Sydney is in the middle of Muskoka. You are a short trip into Huntsville and Bracebridge to enjoy unique shopping on the main streets. Gravenhurst and the Seguin cruises are 30 minutes away. There are other unique towns a short distance away worth a day trip (ie: Dorset, Port Carling ). Algonquin Park is about 45 minutes away.
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