The Margate On Winnipesaukee

"Lakeside Accomodations"

Lakeside Accommodations

The Margate on Winnipesaukee is located in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire directly on the shores of the beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee. This resort is centrally located in the lake area with many attractions and restaurants nearby. (see reviews for Patrick’s Pub, T-bones, Monkeytrunks, Logs of Fun , Gunstock) We recently had the opportunity to stay a full day at this resort. We drove into the circular drive and went through the main lobby to check in. You must drive from the lobby to your specific building.

The resort is an old style, independent, elegant facility spread out over a 400 foot shore area of the lake. They host many conferences and weddings throughout the year. Prices range from $89.00 to $360.00 per night for doubles, while kids under 18 are free. There are 4 separate lodging buildings at the hotel. The Inn building houses the outdoor pool.  It contains both regular rooms and suite type accommodations. It has the most economical rooms, but is located across the street from the main building, the in-house restaurant, the spa, gym, the indoor pool and the lake. There are also the West Inland and West Beach accommodations which obviously face the road and the beach respectively but are on the lakeside of the road. The last building is the lake building. This building also houses family suites which directly face the lake. This is the accommodation type we stayed in for the night.

Our room was recently updated with newer carpeting, textiles, tile and granite in the bathroom. We also had 2 separate sleeping areas, WI-FI, a coffee maker, 2 sink areas, a refrigerator and microwave. There was one problem with the sleeping areas for our family of 5. One room had a king bed and the other had 2 twins. For our family of 5 we ended up having the 3 kids sleep in the king bed and we parents had to sleep in the twin beds. We could have requested an additional cot for $15.00 a night. Both rooms had television. Our room was on the ground floor and had 2 sliders that opened out to the lake but did not provide lake access.

To get to the lake we had to leave our room to the hall and exit out a back exit. We spent some time on the immaculately maintained and raked beach. There was a beach house with towels and kayak rentals. The kids swam and snorkeled in a non-lifeguard protected swimming area while we parents sipped some drinks purchased at the nearby beach bar. The bar also serves food to the outdoor tables. There is another restaurant on property. We were not able to eat dinner at the Margate, but did partake of the complimentary continental breakfast. This consisted of the typical pastries, cereals, fruits and juice. There was also oatmeal and although I found it strange that while there was no microwave in which to prepare the oatmeal, there was enough accommodating staff there to whisk the cereal away and bring it back. The breakfast time was quite bustling but we were able to quickly fill up enough to get ready for our day. I noticed that many of the families were dressed in the beachwear ready to spend the day at the beach. There is also a hot breakfast option available for $6.95 per person.

We also enjoyed some time at the indoor pool. The pool area was beneath the gym and near a game room. The pool was open until 10:30 which was perfect for us party animals. There was also a hot tub within sight of the pool.  The best thing for our kids about the pool was how we got to the pool area. Although we drove from the check in to our room we later found that there was an elaborate tunnel system that contains many conference rooms, but also connected our building to the pool without going outdoors. Of course the kids wanted to keep taking this rather long walk.

I did not find any evidence of programming specific to kids; however they do offer ski and stay specials for Gunstock in the winter. I believe because there is so much to do in this area of Lake Winnipesaukee which is near Weirs beach on the lake, that specific kid programming is not necessary; however short of pool swimming and spending time on the lake there is not much to do. If you come to the lakes region for a few days and plan of having the Margate as your centrally located hotel I would definitely recommend the clean, updated resort. However it is not really the type of place where you set up and do not move. There is not enough for your family to do for more than 2 days.

Families Love:
Central location in the lakes region
Pools and game room
Updates, spacious accommodations and suite availability
Kayak rentals 12.00/hour
Late pool hours

Families are looking for:
Lifeguards
More activities for children

This review is based on a complimentary stay at the Margate. I received no other compensation beside the hotel stay and breakfast meal and the Margate did not state any requirements that I express a particular point of view.