Article by Eric H.

There's nothing quite like a traditional, family-oriented lake motel vacation, especially when it's in Cooperstown, N.Y.

As a child growing up in the 1960s  and 70s, taking a family vacation to a Cooperstown motel located on a lake with a private beach was definitely on the "A" list of my childhood joys along with the local ice cream stand, playing baseball with friends at the park and having family barbecue chicken dinners on the charcoal grill in the backyard.  What special memories, the type that you wish there was some way to return to in our more faster-paced modern world.

Happily, the lakeside memories from yesteryear still exist today at places like the Bayside Inn and Marina in Cooperstown, a clean, updated, pleasant, reasonably-priced family-oriented motel that has all the earmarks of a classic motel lake vacation destination from the past.

It's real testimony to the magic of the Bayside when you get goosebumps by just pulling your car into the parking lot. For starters, hanging flower baskets and colorful rockers outside the sunny-looking, white wooden house-like main lobby building sets a most welcoming tone. Inside, the classic carpeted, dimly-lit lobby with friendly desk help provides a warm greeting, while the adjoining family room with board games like Twister and a television with cartoons playing leads out to a fabulous, large wooden deck where one can see the timeless beauty of nine-mile long Otsego Lake. The deck features tables and chairs under umbrellas and offers wonderful scenes of an inviting BBQ pavilion, the updated, renovated 1950s-style motel complex, pleasant-looking family-style cottages (that can accommodate up to 10 people) and in the near distance -- beyond the majestic pine trees -- the small beach with its crystal clear waters.  Here, kids throw away their carry-along technologies to get out to run, swim and play, while parents breathe in deeply the special Cooperstown mountain air to rid themselves of suburban and urban stresses.

For added fun, the Bayside offers kayaks and canoes, free of charge.  There’s also a gazebo at the beach, a perfect place to bring your own breakfast or just kick back and relax and revel in the lost art of doing nothing. Add a game room and fitness complex back at the main lobby building, and you really have an all-inclusive lodging destination. This is a different all-inclusive lodging destination, however -- it’s not forced to you through marketing hype and big advertising budgets. Rather, you generate the special memories on your own the minute you arrive to find your instant friends behind the desk and in the form of one of New York State’s most beautiful lakes.

Back in your cozy motel room with the laundry-fresh smell, there's a great mix of old-time and modern day amenities: cable TV, HBO, in-room phones, high-speed wireless Internet access, room-controlled heat, air conditioning, small refrigerators, coffee makers, hair dryers, iron and ironing boards, and private baths. Nothing fancy, but truly a great foundation to enhance your stay by the lake and all that Cooperstown has to offer (we recommend you browse the entire site for vacation ideas in this special central Upstate New York region).

The Bayside Inn and Marina is ultimately a lodging destination with character and personality and where pride of ownership and a one-of-a-kind location help create memories for a lifetime. In our modern world of society striving to find the best things in life -- often carrying a certain social status and hefty price tag -- it's nice to know that the family motel on the lake is still alive and well.  These places might not make the "front cover" in our "I want it all now" world, but for those who have taken the time to slow down, connect with each other and enjoy the simple things in life, the lake motel vacation remains a most remarkable tradition. The Bayside Inn and Marina captures this very special  essence, to the highest degree possible.

Bayside Inn and Marina
Toll-free 866-547-2371
Email baysideinn@juno.com
7090 State Highway 80
Cooperstown, NY 13326


Room rates -  2009
5/22 - 6/4/09
$69 - 109
6/5 - 7/23/09
$129 - 159
7/24 - 9/6/09
$149 - 199
9/7 - 10/12/09
$69 - 109

Cottages - Weekly Rates - 2009
$1400 - 2200 (No Housekeeping)
Cottages - Nightly Rates, 2009
(when available)
$275 - 450 (Includes Housekeeping)