The Little Crooked House is charming, very clean, well equipped, centrally located in Temiskaming Shores, and well worth booking. We have already recommended it to friends who are considering a trip to the area. The owners, Luc and Louise Boucher, are very helpful and reply quickly to enquiries. We are a family of three (teenaged daughter), with a small dog, and it suited our needs perfectly. The house would also work well for a family with two small children who could share the Murphy bed in the second bedroom. With two older children, you may wish to consider bringing an air mattress (there is room in the second bedroom for one). The beds are comfortable and come with quality bed linens, and the kitchen has everything you'll need with an added (and unexpected) bonus of good tea and coffee, and we found some essentials waiting for us in the fridge!
The backyard deck is quiet, with a large garden and flower pots--we ate dinner there most nights. There is also a fire pit. The yard isn't fenced, but a long lead is provided for dogs that is suitable for small and large dogs.
The neighbourhood is quiet and the Haileybury beach is a short walk. There are a few restaurants, all within walking distance, and we enjoyed L'Autochtone. We would also recommend The Whiskey Jack if you enjoy craft beer. Of note, many of the town's restaurants are open only Wednesday to Saturday, so you may wish to confirm days/hours of operation.
There are lots of relatively easy day hikes nearby, and we did the Devil's Rock trail, and Pete's Dam trail, and also visited Kap-Kig-Iwan Provincial Park, which is about 40-45 minutes out of town. It's beautiful and well worth the drive to see the waterfall. It's one of the most scenic Ontario provincial parks we've visited, and we've been to quite a few! If you go, you may want to stop at the Thornloe cheese shop on the way back. The cheese lovers in our family really liked what they bought there.
We also enjoyed the beaches nearby. The Haileybury beach is completely sheltered and the water is treated by the town -- it's very popular and there are lifeguards until late August. We also enjoyed the New Liskeard beach, which is about 1.5 kilometres long. The lake bottom is sandy and weed-free. There are also marinas in both Haileybury and New Liskeard, although neither rent boats or kayaks, paddle boards, or canoes.
We had a lovely stay at the Little Crooked House and really enjoyed Temiskaming and all it had to offer!
