Wonderful Week

Guest: Les (Saline mi)
Date of Stay: 07/09/11 Review Submitted: 01/17/12

Wow, if we had known how comfortable it would be to have a home to yourself for a summer vacation we would have rented years ago. I think we were spoiled with our first time being so great. The house was just as described, the lake is beautiful, and the area has so much to offer. The owners were very helpful, they provided us with information about all the area attractions, restaurants and shopping areas which helped us plan our week. This is a wonderful area and a neat, clean and comfortable cottage.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Great get-away from the city

Guest: Matt (Ann Arbor, MI)
Date of Stay: 08/13/11 Review Submitted: 08/24/11

My family has been renting this unit for years, and love the private get away which it affords us from our city life. The cottage is two levels, with the lower one being a walk-out basement, with bedrooms and bathrooms on both of the levels. I'm assuming at one point in time it was a duplex, as both the levels have kitchen areas, with only the upper level considered a "full kitchen". While the furniture and interior design is slightly out of date, this only contributes to the charm--after all, it's an up-north lake house! I know I'm truly on vacation when I'm sitting on the upper deck, looking over peaceful Upper Silver Lake, sipping a cup of coffee. There is also a fire pit on the property, which is a perfect ending to a long day of relaxation and fun. Speaking of, there is something for everyone here. Our boys love having easy access to the water, where they love to spend their days swimming, fishing, and boating (the cottage comes with a row boat, and a boat launch on the property). The owners provide deck furniture, where I usually post-up with a book and watch the kids enjoy themselves. We can easily bike to the "downtown" tourist-y area, where there are a couple of restaurants, plenty of ice cream joints, and go-kart/rec areas for families. The owners have a home next door, so if you have any questions or concerns they are available to immediately address them. This really adds to the homey feel of this get away! Bottom line is, don't come here (or Northern MI for that matter) expecting a five-star Ritz experience--if that's what you're looking for, go to a large city! If you want to get away and forget the mundane details of your everyday life, stay here.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers, tourists without a car.

BEST FAMILY VACATION WE EVER HAD!

Guest: KK (Ann Arbor Mi)
Date of Stay: 08/06/11 Review Submitted: 08/21/11

Every year our family rents some place different, and we are all in agreement this was everyone's favorite! The location is outstanding, the place is cute and comfortable, and had everything we needed for a great vacation. The last thing we did was hand the owners a deposit for a week next summer. I only wish we could afford to buy it! In addition to being a great place, it was a good value, we stayed in places costing $700-800 a week more than this that were not as nice. If you can get a week here grab it, as most people that have stayed here come back year after year. We absolutely loved it.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

BEST FAMILY VACATION WE EVER HAD!

Guest: KK (Ann Arbor Mi)
Date of Stay: 08/06/11 Review Submitted: 08/21/11

Every year our family rents some place different, and we are all in agreement this was everyone's favorite! The location is outstanding, the place is cute and comfortable, and had everything we needed for a great vacation. The last thing we did was hand the owners a deposit for a week next summer. I only wish we could afford to buy it! In addition to being a great place, it was a good value, we stayed in places costing $700-800 a week more than this that were not as nice. If you can get a week here grab it, as most people that have stayed here come back year after year. We absolutely loved it.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Terrible Experience DO NOT RENT

Guest: TK (Middle Michigan)
Date of Stay: 07/30/11 Review Submitted: 08/17/11

My family and I stayed at this property July 30-August 05. When we arrived this property was found to be unsanitary and to have a major ant problem. Not just a few ants on the floor here and there, there were ants in the cupboards, ants on the counters and on the walls. There is a termite and mold problem with this rental as well. The bathroom tub leaks and has warped the walls and floor. There was standing water in the bathroom when we arrived. It is a multi-level unit with (2) living spaces upstairs and downstairs. The lower level is so musty and moldy that it was completely unusable. The owner, Roy, claims that our experience with this rental was unique. This is not true, we found letters from other renters indicating the same problems were experienced the week prior. This rental is a health hazard. We requested a refund of the (3) days we didn't use it as a result of leaving early. This renter would not even do that. Do not rent this unit. We had realistic expectations for a rental, but this place is a disaster.

Owner response:In our 4 year rental history we have never had a single negative review. These renters were the only thing that were a health hazard and unsanitary. We received a complaint from them about ants after they had been there for a couple of days, we immediately responded and found food everywhere (bedrooms, counter tops, cupboards, etc). Looking back we should have asked them to leave then, but did not want to ruin their vacation. We took care of the ant problem, that they created, but everyday it was something different, mold, termites, water; all were investigated by our qualified maintenace staff, and found not to be true. It soon became apparent that this was all about money, everday they would ask us for an adjustment on the rent they paid (ie money back). It became obvious they had some financial problems, and could not afford this vacation. If anyone were to experience valid concerns, I would be committed to adjusting their rent. Even though we incurred additional expense by having our maintenance people investigate their concerns on 3 separate occasions, we still refunded 100% of their cleaning deposit.

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