The Lodge at Old Kinderhook Golf Resort

The honest review

Old Kinderhook is a 700-acre golf resort three miles from the lake, and it works best for families who want space, quiet, and a kitchen more than they want to be on the water. The lodging is the draw after the cabin resorts: 1-2 bedroom golf cottages, 3-4 bedroom villas with full kitchens, and 5-bedroom estate homes sleeping up to 10 — the strongest kitchen-equipped inventory outside the cabin resorts.

The pools are a genuine differentiator: the only saltwater pools at the lake, indoors and out, plus a second neighborhood pool for villa guests, a hot tub, sand volleyball, game areas, and an outdoor ice rink in winter. That gives it year-round coverage most lake properties lack. Lake access exists but runs through a partner marina, not out your back door.

The honest trade-off is identity: this is a golf-first property away from the water. If being on the lake is the point of the trip, the location score reflects the compromise. And if nobody in your group golfs, you are paying for a setting you will not use. For multi-gen groups with older kids who want elbow room, kitchens, and calm, it earns its place.