Because of its proximity to New York and Boston, southern Vermont is one of the easiest places to find a rental cottage. Winter is the peak season in small towns surrounding Mount Snow, Bromley, and Stratton resorts. Thousands of retired residents head south for the winter and rent out cottages and homes. Lakeside cottages also are available for rent during the summer and fall around Lake Raponda, Battenkill River, and the Harriman Reservoir, among others.
Killington, the largest ski resort in Vermont, has hundreds of cottages and chalets surrounding the peak. The areas around Suicide Six, Okemo and Woodstock are also prime real estate for winter rentals. Cottages are available in fall and summer in towns surrounding Lake Dunsmore, Lamoille and Winooski rivers.
Cottages are also available for rental along the 110-mile length of Lake Champlain. Burlington, the state's largest city, borders Lake Champlain. It's a short drive from there to Stowe, one of the state's most affluent ski resorts, as well as Mad River Glen and Smugglers' Notch. Lake Memphremagog and WIlloughby are two prime lake destinations with a large number of cottages available for rent. Further east, the Northeast Kingdom has a number of cottages near Jay Peak and Burke Mountain, two of the state's resorts with high snowfall totals.
Almost every real estate office in Vermont handles cottage rentals. The most popular rentals are seasonal in nature and require a five-to-seven-month commitment, but it's also possible to find cottages for nightly, weekly or monthly rentals. The peak season for renting winter cottages runs from September to November, and the summer rental business starts in March and continues through May. Rental cottages can also be found online and from dozens of print publications that are distributed for free at grocery stores, markets and gas stations.
