Wedding week stay in July 2011

Guest: John, Barb and Family (Rochester, Minnesota)
Date of Stay: 08/14/11 Review Submitted: 08/30/11

Our family gathered from Austin, TX, Orlando, Fl. and Rochester, MN. for our son's wedding. Since it is never fun staying in a hotel we decided to rent a house. When you rent something online you keep your fingers crossed and hope it lives up to its description. WOW!! This house far surpassed its description and our expectations.The house is ideal for families with varying ages, bedtimes, and waking times. Some of us were up at dawn watching the gorgeous sunrises over the lake with a cup of coffee, others were up late in the hot tub with a glass of wine or sitting around the firepit making S'mores and talking. There is something to do for everyone. We had great grandma, age 83, out for a day, our grandchildren, 5 and 10 and all ages in between. My husband who has a hard time relaxing, said this was the most relaxing vacation he has ever had, and we had a wedding we were getting ready for! It was so perfect we decided to have the rehearsal dinner at the house. The multiple decks and gathering areas were great. Everyone was very impressed with the huge grill and with the tapper in the kitchen/bar area. It was so much nicer than all packed around a big table in a restaurant where you can only talk to the people seated next to you. We had it catered by Marios, an excellent Italian restaurant in Mukwonago. We also took the pontoon boat across the lake to the Lakeside Inn, for a wonderful dinner one evening. In between our wedding activities we found time to swim, boat, fish and have a lot of enjoyable family time together, stress free. This would not have been possible in a hotel or even our own home. Rick, the owner, was so accommodating and nice. He took us through the entire house, in and out, to make sure we knew where everything was and how to operate it. You felt like you were staying at a friend's house rather than a rental. It is so well stocked with towels, bedding and kitchen supplies, we would not have had to bring much of anything. It is very uniquely decorated. I don't think I even discovered all of the interesting things scattered throughout the house. I strongly recommend this house to anyone looking for a perfect family vacation spot. We did not even have time to watch any of the five satellite televisions in the house, try out the karaoke machine, watch any of the movies, read any of the books or magazines or play any of the games provided. Or explore all of the fun activities offered in the surrounding area. Maybe next year....?

Owner response:to say your review made my day is a understatement. we try to provide what is needed for a great vacation.thank you for your great review, rick

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

Family reunion

Guest: Pat (Waukesha, WI)
Date of Stay: 08/06/11 Review Submitted: 08/13/11

Kids had great fun swimming, fishing, "hot dogging" with pontoon, s'mores in evening, hot tubbing, the loft, riding horses at Kettle Moraine Ranch and the Fair - adults enjoyed stacked kitchen, grill, relaxing, restaurant on Lake just a short ride over in the pontoon - plenty of area space for all and a lot of interesting things to see in house. Making plans for next year!!

Owner response:it it is always a great feeling when a vacation goes well. thank you for your review

Recommended for:Pet owners, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Fun on Phantom Lake

Guest: Sun 'n Fun (Bolingbrook, IL)
Date of Stay: 07/09/11 Review Submitted: 08/06/11

Our family and friends stayed a week in July. The listing description and photos all compliment the property. Quick ride to local shopping. Everyone had a wonderful time gathering in the kitchen, on the decks enjoying excellent meals cooked on the commercial sized grill, near the firepit for smore's and great stories of Phanton Lake and how it got it's name; and on the pier for morning fishing and coffee, all day sun and evening fun. The adults and children alike enjoyed the lodge decor of the home. Everyone made use of the hot tub, pontoon boat, canoe, paddle boat and anchored island. The kids spent most of the day on what they called their "Island" swimming and cannonballing into the water. The adults and children alike enjoyed boat rides and tubing. The kids were up at the crack of dawn to see how many fish they could catch during the early morning fishing hours, while fishing off the pier. Their faces just lit up whether they caught blue gills or northern pikes-caught two of those. After a day of fun and sun, the adults relaxed around the kitchen bar area while the kids played Wii in the loft above. The sunrise/sunsets were amazing and the Lakeside restaurant on the water, a boat ride across from the home, had fabulous food. The farmer's markets were a lot of fun. Everyone enjoyed going for walks and seeing the horses down the road. The Lakeside residents were finishing up left over fireworks during our stay and they were lots of fun to watch from the pier. The property was well maintained. We have recommended to friends. There was something to do for everyone, every age. A good time was had by all and we have planned our stay for 2012.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, families with young children.

Great Family Retreat in July 2011

Guest: Judy & Jon (Denver, Colorado)
Date of Stay: 07/16/11 Review Submitted: 08/05/11

The description just touched the surface of our positive stay at this lovely home on Phantom Lake. Everything was neat and clean and well supplied. Never before have I rented and had access to more than salt and pepper. The kitchen was well stocked, the art work and decor made for very personable surroundings, the supply of towels and linens was endless as was toilet paper and paper towels, the internet connection worked exceptionally well, the dock and raft made for hours of fun in the water, and the use of the pontoon boat, paddle boat and canoe were bonuses. The air-conditioning, plenty of hot water and ice, and the washer/dryer made our stay very comfortable. The owner gave us a very thorough walk-thru of the house when we arrived and when I had a question was most responsive to my phone call. This great home worked exceptionally well for all of us ages 9-94! Besides the lake, we enjoyed a visit to Old World Wisconsin, which was only about 10 minutes away and only 50 minutes away a lovely sandy beach on Lake Michigan in Racine, Wisconsin. Without hesitation, I would recommend this property to others.

Owner response:thank you for that wonderful review

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway.

Fun Place

Guest: crazyjoe (Chicago)
Date of Stay: 07/02/11 Review Submitted: 08/02/11

Stayed 4th of July Weekend with family and friends and had a terrific time. Pontoon boat was a hit for young and old. The Tube was a Blast, and the canoe and paddle boat were used alot. Hot tub was a Great way to relax and the water in the Lake was perfect for swimming. The Lakeside Restaurant across the Lake had very good Italian food, Kids caught Northerns and Blue Gills. Sunrises were Awesome, and the Lake is very Peaceful early in the Morning. Place was very comfortable and clean, we made lots of Good memories, I Will be back next year for more Fun Times.

Owner response:we are happy you had a wonderful vacation.we try to make every effort to ensure a great time for all our guests. we appreciate a honest review

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, pet owners, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, families with young children.

Summer vacation 2011

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 06/18/11 Review Submitted: 07/14/11

Description fairly accurate, however bathrooms not as listed. Each bedroom does have a bathroom, but they were previously closets. (Therefore, no real closet space.) Only 2 showers and one of those is in the laundry room. Laundry room very small and dryer vents to inside, shower not properly finished and floor just outside of shower rotting, shower very small. Bathroom off of kitchen has tub and shower upstairs has tub connected to shower - must literally walk through shower and step down in to tub. Bathroom upstairs with shower does not have any outlets, but is very large. Parts of house have been remodeled, but carpentry work is lacking and unfinished and still needs updating throughout, except for kitchen. Additionally, the house was filthy with cobwebs abundant. Window next to the door off of living room leaks and the patio there fills with water with any rain. Water leaks down the wall going upstairs also when anyone showers upstairs. Electrical wiring not professional as there are extension cords everywhere and switches that go to nothing. If you plan on using the kegerator, plan on running an extension cord across the kitchen floor. Fireplace in the downstairs bedroom unusable. Pontoon boat does not have an anchor, so unable to fish off of boat. Beware of driveway - it is so steep that it is scary and tires slipped a bit if pavement was wet. Advise to request additional photos of bedroom and bathrooms before booking. We will not be staying here again. Almost did not stay this time once we saw the place. Owner extremely nice and proud of his place.

Owner response:in response to 1754470. most of the allegations are false. kegerator(beer cooler) has a electrical receptacle right next to it. anchor and 60' of line in rear storage of pontoon boat, dryer vent now and always to the outside,every wall has built in electrical plugs. there is a extension chord in bedroom to pick up reading light and clock.there are closets in first floor and 2nd floor hallway. bedrooms have hangar caddies for clothes plus dressors. there are 2 driveways one steeper than others but used continiously with no problem. fireplace in bedroom is electric for effect only. works fine. cleaning service cleans before and after each rental. if a few cobwebs were missed in the basement i am sorry. shower in laundry room not in description. just there for kids or anyone from swimming. note left signed by family said they had a great time .first complaint of any kind.

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