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Laughing Bear Cottages - Squam Lake

Hosted by Bre · Holderness, New Hampshire

4 guests max · 1 bedroom · 2 beds · 1 toilet

90%

Creature comforts

Enjoy the comforts of home—including flush toilets, showers, and a kitchen.

Laughing Bear Cottages is a small, family-run vacation rental business that’s been in the same family for nearly 75 years. Now lovingly managed by a great-granddaughter and great-great-granddaughter, our cottages are nestled in the woods along NH Route 113 in Holderness, NH—right across the street from beautiful Squam Lake, and walking distance to the quaint Holderness town center. Guests enjoy access to a private, Laughing Bear Cottages only, walk-in sandy beach just steps away, and we're within easy walking distance of the town center and the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. Some of our favorite spots are just a short drive—or boat ride—away! We offer two cozy, rustic cottages on Hipcamp: Mama Bear and Papa Bear. (And yes, Baby Bear is the shed!) Come relax, unwind, and enjoy the peaceful charm of Squam Lake. New Hampshire M&R license no. 105674Lovingly known as "Papa Bear", this rustic cabin was built in the 1940s, but has been recently updated. With exposed beams, this cabin sleeps 2-4 people in a studio-style space, with a full bed and full-side futon. The cottage includes an small efficiency style kitchen with a stove, oven, fridge, microwave, coffee maker, cooking and serving utensils, a stall shower in the enclosed bathroom, and your own charcoal grill on the outside terrace overlooking the lake. The area has limited cell service, however our property has wifi located throughout. If you are looking to book more than one cottage, please see our sister sites. Within walking distance of the town of Holderness, you are steps away from delicious award-winning eateries, cafes, and the cutest local library you're ever going to visit. Papa Bear parking is adjacent to the cottage, with several stair steps to the entrance, this cabin may not be ideal for the with mobility issues. This cabin is near the base of our property, closer to the water, but also closer to the road - so you can expect a small amount of road noise along with the gentle calls of nearby loons. We have our own private beach and dock space on Cotton Cove at Squam Lake. Access to the beach and dock is shared for the main house and 2 cabins and is located just across the street. Additionally, we have 2 single kayaks and some fishing poles for guests use. Be sure to bring your own beach towels. If you are interested in using dock space, please reach out to us when making your reservation to confirm it is available - that can be added on as an extra. We love our furry friends! 1 pet is allowed per week to allow everyone to have a fun and relaxing trip. When contacting us about your reservation, please ask if we have availability that week for pets. Please note: Exterior security cameras are installed in shared outdoor areas, including parking and utility spaces, for property safety. No cameras monitor interior or private guest areas.

What to expect

Cabin

You'll have this Hipcamp all to yourself.

4 guests max

Toilet available

Flush toilet

Pets allowed

On leash

No campfires

Potable water available

Tap

Showers available

Hot and cold water

Bins available

Recycling bin, trash bin

Cooking equipment present

Bbq, private, oven, stovetop or hot plate, fridge, freezer, cookware, cooking utensils, dishware, cutlery, sink or other dishwashing station

Picnic table present

Wifi available

Laundry absent

Hot Tub absent

No playground

Things to know

Getting there

Check in: 3:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Check out: Before 10:00 AM

On arrival: Head straight to site

Cancellation policy:

Minimum nights: 2 nights

Accepts bookings: 9 months out

Park at listing

No wheelchair access

Max 2 vehicles

2WD accessible

During your trip

Follow the

Leave it better

Inclusion policyWe have a zero-tolerance policy against discrimination at Hipcamp. We are committed to helping our Host and Hipcamper communities be inclusive.

Select a site

Lodging

1 site

Papa Bear Lakeside Cabin

88%

(8)

Cabin · Sleeps 4 · 1 bedroom · 2 beds · 1 toilet

Lovingly known as "Papa Bear", this rustic cabin was built in the 1940s, but has been recently updated. With exposed beams, this cabin sleeps 2-4 people in a studio-style space, with a full bed and full-side futon. The cottage includes an small efficiency style kitchen with a stove, oven, fridge, microwave, coffee maker, cooking and serving utensils, a stall shower in the enclosed bathroom, and your own charcoal grill on the outside terrace overlooking the lake. The area has limited cell service, however our property has wifi located throughout. If you are looking to book more than one cottage, please see our sister sites. Within walking distance of the town of Holderness, you are steps away from delicious award-winning eateries, cafes, and the cutest local library you're ever going to visit. Papa Bear parking is adjacent to the cottage, with several stair steps to the entrance, this cabin may not be ideal for the with mobility issues. This cabin is near the base of our property, closer to the water, but also closer to the road - so you can expect a small amount of road noise along with the gentle calls of nearby loons. We have our own private beach and dock space on Cotton Cove at Squam Lake. Access to the beach and dock is shared for the main house and 2 cabins and is located just across the street. Additionally, we have 2 single kayaks and some fishing poles for guests use. Be sure to bring your own beach towels. If you are interested in using dock space, please reach out to us when making your reservation to confirm it is available - that can be added on as an extra. We love our furry friends! 1 pet is allowed per week to allow everyone to have a fun and relaxing trip. When contacting us about your reservation, please ask if we have availability that week for pets. Please note: Exterior security cameras are installed in shared outdoor areas, including parking and utility spaces, for property safety. No cameras monitor interior or private guest areas.

No campfires

Toilet

Potable water

Pets allowed

Showers

Picnic table

Reviews

90% Recommend10 ratings · 8 reviews

Not recommend

· August 2026

Convenient location, very noisy

This is a sweet little cabin and well-suited for a site like Airbnb. For Hipcamp, it felt pretty misleading — there is actually minimal privacy with other sites and homes quite nearby, and though the lake access is lovely, it is across the street via a numbered highway with frequent and loud traffic that interrupted our sleep most nights. Again, it is a thoughtfully maintained and nice cabin, however, this is really not a site that encourages guests to connect to nature.

Recommends

· October 2025

What a cute cabin and perfect for our needs! The hosts were incredibly responsive to our questions and the experience was just wonderful. Having the private dock was such a nice treat and allowed some proper relaxation. We would highly recommend!

Recommends

· October 2025

With pets

Great location and quaint little cabin that had everything we needed. Easy check in and checkout and responsive host. Would definitely stay again.

Recommends

· September 2025

With kids

Great base camp for exploring the lake by boating

Recommends

· August 2025

With pets

The lake was beautiful and the private beach/dock was lovely. Cabin was small and we didn't spend too much time in it because the point was to be outside, but it had everything we needed. Thanks for a lovely stay!

Recommends

· August 2025

Adorable Cottage on the Lake

I stayed at the Papa Bear cottage for 5 days with my two teenage sons. The cottage was small but well-maintained, clean, and thoughtfully provisioned with everything needed for basic cooking. The lake is beautiful, and it’s a wonderful area for paddling and hiking. It was 90 degrees during our visit, but I was pleasantly surprised by how cool and comfortable the cottage was even during the day. There is quite a bit of traffic noise, especially in the morning, but we got used to it.

Recommends

· July 2025

Papa Bear Cabin is awesome!

Authentic, simple, and a highly desirable location. The cottage provided amazing access to the lake - with kayaks, bar-b-que grill (and all tools), full kitchen, and an ideal location all made our visit wonderful. The cabin was very located and close to top notch restaurants. Papa Bear cabin is the real deal and the family that maintains it knows this and celebrates it. They clearly love the place. We 100% would return again.

Recommends

· July 2025

Good cabin for basic needs

Great little cabin for very basic needs in the Squam lakes area. Bed was comfortable, kitchen is a little cramped but I made it work. Nice shaded area kept the cabin cooler during the warmer days. The private beach was a very short walk across the street and I made great use of the kayak. The "fire pit" I deemed unsafe to use as the area for Papa Bear is quite small and they had it near there wooden fence and cabin 5' spacing between both. I could easily see either the fence or the cabin easily catching fire. The mama bear site has a much better area for having a fire and it also has a picnic table. The cabin is close to everything, there is a great store right down the road that makes amazing sandwiches and baked goods. A very old school shur fine store for dinner essentials and Command Man locations on every corner for food.

Location

Holderness, Grafton County, New Hampshire, United StatesTo respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking

Laughing Bear Cottages - Squam Lake

Things to know

Select a site

Lodging

Papa Bear Lakeside Cabin

Reviews

Location

Hosted by Bre D.

Things to do nearby

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