SunderLand Cottages turns 75

PARADOX | What do hard work, dedication, and an ardent shared love of a magical plot of land on Paradox Lake culminate in? For the Sunderland family, that mutual passion has led to remarkable success in business. This year, SunderLand Lakeside Cottages is celebrating 75 years of continuous family ownership, with the woman-owned and operated property continuing to stand the test of time. "We are very devoted to the place, we love it very deeply," Toni Sunderland admitted. "We have been going there pretty much all our lives and it was always the best part of the year for all of us." Sunderland, 78, and her sister Susan, 80, along with their two daughters Jessica and Miranda, are the current faces behind the third-generation institution. With five acres, 1,500 feet of shoreline, and a private beach with a rock peninsula, Sunderland Cottages offers the pinnacle Adirondack experience. Sunderland's parents, both school teachers, grew up in the North Country. Hospitality was in the family blood, with Sunderland's grandfather working at the Lake Placid Club, and her father having been employed at the original Brown Swan Club back in the day. Sunderland's parents decided they wanted to own their own place nestled in the Adirondacks, and after viewing a few locations, they discovered the beautiful spot on Paradox that they purchased in 1950. The heart of the property sold for $13,000 three-quarters of a century ago, the small group of cabins having originally catered to hunters and fishermen. "When we first went up there there was an ice house with blocks of ice," Sunderland recalled. The Sunderlands began renovation work right away, enlisting the aid of friends to modernize and add indoor plumbing to the accommodations. With full kitchens and enlarged porches, each cabin is intentionally unique. All comfortable and modern, the Sunderlands have made sure to retain a balance so that they still feel rustic and with Adirondack flair, the type of character and charm their guests seek out when coming to the area. "Paradox Lake is beautiful," Sunderland said. "I know I am biased, but our place on the lake is particularly beautiful." It's no wonder she feels that way. As the morning sun greets the surface of Paradox Lake, Sunderland walks out to the peninsula (known affectionately as "the point"), where in the springtime Lady Slippers adorn the path. The panoramic view of the lake stretches out ahead during all seasons of the year, and at nighttime, with the lack of light pollution offering a front row seat to the stars, constellations, and heaven above. "There is always a family of loons that nest nearby and bring their babies into the cove- I think the loons feel it is a safe spot," Sunderland revealed. "We see the loons when they are little and fluffy and on their parents' backs, and we get to witness their parents teaching them to fish." And because the cabins were constructed decades and another lifetime ago, they were free of current zoning codes, which means that many of them are so close to the lake that guests can cast fishing lines right off the decks. One of the decks looks straight down into the lake, so much so that the family of loons swimming under the water is visible. If ever there was an Adirondack paradise, Sunderland Cottages is it. "I think our guests seek out and relish that type of environment," Sunderland noted. "People can be as social or as solitary as they want to be, there is plenty of room for both. We always feel like the place selects the people, the people who love it there keep coming back, the place draws them in." Included in a stay at the cabins are use of the grounds, kayaks and paddleboards and canoes and row boats provided on the house. There are no hidden fees, the price of booking straightforward and fair, as it has been for over half a century. Some cabins have exceptionally large porches and decks, providing an ideal space for guests to gather and socialize, extended families and groups of friends able to mingle and relish their time on the lake. One of the cottages even has a wheelchair ramp and wide doorways, allowing people with disability or the elderly to still have the opportunity for a comfortable stay. Sunderland said they are welcoming and inclusive of all: people of color, diverse religions, LGBTQIA, etc. "Some people have met here and keep coming back after 30 years, they will reserve at the same time," said Sunderland. "We are in the third generation of people bringing their grandchildren to stay. Guests who had honeymoons here 40 years ago return because they want to see if the place is still here and they say it is just as beautiful as it was. We have the kind of longevity where people remember us for special times that happened here." Seventy-five years of continuity- even during the pandemic- hasn't been without its challenges. There is the constant upkeep of the cabins and property, keeping everything clean and maintained. Sunderland and her sister are by no means young, but they nevertheless are completely hands-on in their management responsibilities. "Our challenges in the last couple of years are that we are facing a lot of competition from Airbnb kinds of places, people who come and build a palace on Paradox and rent it most of the time," Sunderland explained. "They don't have the same kinds of requirements that we have from the Department of Health, we have unannounced inspections and have to be ready and have everything in place just the way they want it. We have to be constantly vigilant." That vigilance carries over into also desiring to be good stewards of the environment, protection of the natural beauty of the property at the forefront of Sunderlands' minds. "I have developed a pollinator garden and grow vegetables and flowers," Sunderland said. "We are careful about light pollution and don't have bright lights at night. We have on-site composting and ask guests to divide recyclables. We use green cleaning products. We don't allow motor boats; even though Paradox doesn't disallow, we don't allow them because we like the quiet lake and no oil on the top of it." Sunderland also has concern that the current political climate may have ripple effects this upcoming visitor season. "We have in the past had a lot of Canadian visitors and I think them being discouraged from coming down will affect the entire Adirondack region and beyond," she said. "I see that as a challenge coming on." For Sunderland, the best part of the journey has been mixing work with her personal life. Celebrating the highs, working through the lows, and frequent meetings throughout the seasons have resulted in her family relationships having becoming deeper, richer, and more intertwined. "I think of the property as being priceless," Sunderland said. SunderLand Lakeside Cottages is open mid-June through October. To experience the property firsthand, please call 518-502-9896, or email sunderlandcottages@gmail.com. Follow their Facebook for updates at facebook.com/adirondacklakesidecottages.

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SunderLand Cottages turns 75

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