I have been invited to spend a weekend with friends at their lake house and I’m wondering if you CCers have a ‘go-to’ hostess gift. They are down-sizing and may be putting their lake house on the market soon, so a ‘thing’ isn’t really a good idea. All I’m coming up with is flowers but that idea seems a bit lame. Any helpful suggestions?
Food, exotic sodas like non alcoholic ginger beer, food from your hometown, consumables are all good. If you know a good restaurant in the area where they live, a gift certificate there is another option.
Buy one of those singing fish you hang up on your wall.
Agree with @HImom that consumables are the way to go. Some gourmet food items are always a safe bet.
Consumables are best. I think it’s ok if the consumables might be something that everyone will be noshing on over the weekend. And, if they drink wine, add a couple bottles as well.
A basket with wine, cheese, crackers, fruit. A basket with all the ingredients for a dinner- spaghetti, cookout, stew/soup. Or a humming bird feeder which could be left with the house if it sells.
A scented candle, novelty soaps, a small potted succulent plant they can take with them.
A photo album, a dinner out
Dont they know they are supposed to sell their house in town and retire to the lake?
A great dessert,a good bottle of wine, a gift certificate to any number of locations ( do not know yours), and a card saying thank-you!
I personally would strongly recommend against scented candles or soaps or anything with a fragrance, since so many folks are sensitive to strong fragrances. A handwritten heartfelt thank you note right after your visit is a must!
I think food, a bottle of wine are great gifts.
My bil and sil have a lake house. The best gift is if people offer to help with a chore. With a second home there are always tons of things to be done. And sometimes a helping hand is very appreciated. It doesn’t have to take a ton of time out of the weekend. My H is very handy and his brother is not. H will repair something that broke or help carry the kayaks to the dock or something that requires an extra set of hands.
We are family so maybe it would be weird to offer.
A cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory! 
If you don’t know the family well, might be better to stick with more neutral gifts than a high calorie sweet, scented items and/or alcohol, IMHO. There are many who are watching their calorie and sugar intake, some don’t partake of alcohol and increasing numbers sensitive to strong scents.
My H is also good with his hands and does offer to help with electronic issues of hostesses, who have been grateful for his assistance. One houseguest fixed the fluorescent light fixture in son’s bedroom, where the guest was sleeping. We were very appreciative and it was much better than adding more “stuff” to our home.
I say, don’t overthink it. It is the thought that counts with a gift. If it turns out to be something they don’t like or won’t use, they can gift it to someone else.
I recently visited good friends and I gave them a photo book of photos from our younger days. It was a huge hit and a source much laughter!
Great idea, Ronnie Girl!! I’m definitely going to use that one!
We have a lake house and have entertained ALOT over the last 10 years. What I appreciate the most? Bring food! Don’t ask…just bring it. I say that because it is REALLY hard for the host to tell you to bring something when they have invited you, as they are afraid it might seem rude! (the infamous “what can I bring?”) Not just breakfast muffins. Bring a casserole to have with a dinner for instance along with those muffins. Those side dishes, and appetizers are SO welcomed, you wouldn’t believe it. I don’t need knickknacks or candles…I need help with FOOD! I had a guest bring her crockpot and make a warm appetizer in it. I had another one bring wings already cooked up in foil and just needed reheating. The 2nd best gift was a grocery story gift card for $100 for a family of 4 I entertained for the weekend. Gave it to me in a Thank You card at the end that I opened later.
And for FAMILY and friends that come each and every year…just TELL the hosts you are bringing the steaks for one of the dinners…you will hear tears of joy over the phone.
However…the best…is bring me some homemade food to serve!!! You can’t imagine the work it takes to entertain at a lakehouse…and the cost.
Bringing food that the hostess asks you to bring is fine. Otherwise, I am not a supporter of bringing food, unless it is non-perishable. Our family is diet conscious, and it is awkward when a guest brings a plateful of brownies and cookies she spent all day baking just for us, and then no one in our family wants to eat them. It also can throw off the hostess’s dinner plans. I put a lot of thought, effort and money into a dessert I had planned to serve, but ended up having to throw most of it out and serve the brownie and cookie plate instead.
^^If it were me, I would serve both desserts! So people can sample all of it. No need to throw anything away.