Great location close to Torch Lake and Charlevoix. The cottage had everything we needed although we didnât spend much time there because we were mostly out and about. We had a little trouble with the keypad but the host was very responsive. We would stay again if we want to be close to torch lake but it was a little pricey compared to other places we have stayed up north.
Comfortable beds, would not consider âfamily friendlyâ if you have very young children. No kid dishes as listed and garbages did not have lids. Overall nice place just didnât fit our familyâs needs
You definitely get your money's-worth with this property! It's been updated, and the addition of window A/C units in each bedroom makes it a comfortable stay. Kitchen is well-stocked, all of our needs were definitely met, traveling with two grade-school age children. I do want to point out, for future families, this property does not have direct beach access and is situated at a busy and loud intersection. The closest Torch Lake access is boat ramp access, not a place to swim or to call a beach. It is located near US 31 and M 88 which gives easy driving to many local beaches, lakes, and activities. We especially enjoyed visiting Friske, just up the road.
Place was clean and AC was necessary as it was unseasonably in the 90âs in June. Utilized the kitchen to cook several meals, which had everything we needed to prep our food (spices were limited to salt and pepper). We used the grill for steaks but had to replace the propane tank since it was left empty. Most of the shore line is privately owned but if you keep your eyes open for small brown boat launch signs, there are some places to reach the water. We walked 1/4 mile east to Eastport Landing boat ramp which has a small public beach where we went swimming. We also rode our bikes west to Barnes Park Campground where we learned there is free public access to Traverse Bay along a huge white sand beach, where we caught a beautiful sunset while others swam. The people in the camp store were very friendly and confirmed day use was free at the beach. We spent an afternoon in Elk Rapids which was very nice. We also spent an evening in Traverse City enjoying the Traverse City Distillery which we highly recommend! Took our own kayaks and paddled from Torch Lake through Torch River, Lake Skegemog and up Elk Lake where we stashed our bikes so we could pedal 6 miles back to our truck on Torch Lake (there were some big hills to climb). Water was choppy with 10-12mph winds for most of the paddle. Did a 6 mile hike in Maplehurst Nature area which was an intermediate hike with only one grand view of Maplehurst Lake, but it was beautiful and we had it all to ourselves. Several wineries.
Excellent location and very clean property. Comfortable stay. Nice access to Lake Michigan. I believe itâs a bit more of a walk to Torch Lake
We were surprised to find basic cooking ingredients missing however - such as olive oil and spices other than salt and pepper. So recommend folks visit a store for these basics.
Also did not find hair dryer there so recommend making sure travelers bring one.
We enjoyed our stay!! It was close to all the places we wanted to explore! Cute place and had everything we needed! Clean and relaxing! Wish we could have stayed longer! Cafe across the street was so fun both for breakfast and dinner and drinks!
The location is extremely convenient to so many things! It is walking distance to hikes, a restaurant, a store, and 2 lakes (lake MI & Torch lake).
The place was clean, with all amenities and window air conditioning units in the bedrooms. There are blackout window shades which are wonderful for the long summer days in Northern MI.
There was a cute back area with a grill, fire pit, and some chairs (we didnât use either, but it was nice that they were there).
Cottage Camping. Our grandchildren wanted us to go camping so they went camping across the street
Our Son and his family went camping across the street from our cottage at Barnes park camp grounds. Great family trip. Our cottage was great! Definitely my kind of camping. Very nice cottage. Would stay again and recommend it to friends and others.
Our stay was just what we needed. We felt like we were home, but away from home with all its responsibilities. The cottage was very clean. The bed was super comfortable. The kitchen was supplied with everything we needed to make meals if we wanted to. We enjoyed going to both the beautiful Torch Lake and Lake Michigan, both walking distance from the cottage. It was altogether a perfect get away for us. Although we didnât need to call Jeff, our host, we knew he was available for any of our questions. We will definitely tell others about this opportunity.
There was a slight check in delay because of laundry, no problem for us as the cleaner was very accomodating. Place was nearly spotless. Finishes and furniture was clean and of decent quality. My only complaint was the shower pressure was low but thats not anyones fault.
Few things to note.. we had 1 toilet paper roll not sure if thats normal or not but might want to pack extra. There are a couple of markets nearby for convenience but also $$$$ a box of cereal was $11. Nearest Meijer is 30 min south in Traverse City I think.
Also we didn't realize Torch lake really wasnt a beach friendly place (never been here before). We don't have a boat or anything but didnt realize we would hardly use it bc no beaches and you reallly can't see it very well from driving around.
Location of the house is so nice, 20 min North to Charlevoix or 20 min south to Elk rapids. Both have nice family public beaches. The Barnes park beach nearby is also pretty nice but we like to visit a new beach daily. Property is close to Friske fruit stand which our kids had a blast at their facility. We also headed into Central lake (Blue Pelican Inn)for dinner and stopped at the 1914 Cellar and also Torch Lake Cellars. Would def recommend this rental to anyone.
Rooms had window air-conditioning units which kept the rooms very comfortable for sleeping. And the rental had blackout blinds on every window which is extremly nice!!!
Wood Roach infestation. Poor communication from host is not responsive/helpful/seems incompetent.
Close to boat ramp, small shoulder for walking & very busy street & no privacy in the yard, very loud.
Bring your own paper towel & tissue.
Water has a strong smell - the worst we have encountered.
There is a noticeable odor to the home. Need to keep the air circulating
Beds are rough & be careful in the tub & with the hot water.
Traveling one anticipates bugs. Most people do not just live with bugs in their home, & expect a rental to be clear of infestation. House has wood roaches & mice droppings throughout.
The reasoning for the poor rating is Jeffâs inability to have compassion or empathy. We tried to work with him & offered to vacate to allow for a deeper cleaning and allow for tx.
Offered to respray when more roaches appeared after tx his response after asking what he would like done was, âThat is entirely up to you. Again these are not harmful and you are in northern michigan in the middle of summer. At this point I don't know what else to tell you.â
We continued to take care of the bugs for the remainder of trip. We are not dramatic, we anticipate bugs, we donât want to spend our vacay continually cleaning someoneâs mess up.
It is evident in my interactions with Jeff he does not care.
We had a very nice stay at this Vrbo Rental. Host responded to messages within an hour. Location is on busy/main roads, so there's not much privacy in the yard. But it didn't bother us when we were inside. Washer & dryer were great. We had one rainy day during our visit, and the living room was great to watch movies & play board games. We were surprised at how comfortable the mattresses were. The water was sulfur-smelling, but that's super common for the location. We brought plenty of water to drink. There wasn't a grill brush, but turns out you can use crumpled up aluminum foil to clean the grill.
Everything was great, clean and well-kept.
This cottage has everything you need for summer and winter time!
The landlord is very kind and present for all you need. Beautiful places all around