Vacation Rentals by Owner

40th anniversary trip with our family

Guest: DEB (Warren,MI)
Date of Stay: 09/12/11 Review Submitted: 09/18/11

I planned this trip for a year and it was everything I could have wished for. Mark (the owner) was a great help with everything ( even getting the Tiger games on the cable TV at the last minute !! ) This made my husband very happy.My whole family had a wonderful time, there is enough space for everyone to enjoy whatever they wan with out being on top of eachother. From fishing/ reading /card playing/ to just sitting by the camp fire every evening, we all have the best memories of our trip to this beautiful lakehouse only one hour from our home !

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

The perfect vacation home with something for everyone!

Guest: Cory (Redondo Beach, CA)
Date of Stay: 08/25/11 Review Submitted: 01/02/12

What a great house with every detail tended to! This home was the perfect selection for us fellow Michiganders visiting family back home on the East and West side. Our 5 yr old twins caught over 15 fish right off the dock within 1 hr of arriving there! The funniest part is we were using hot dogs as bait!! The enclosed sun deck was beautiful and so relaxing. We enjoyed the pontoon boat rides,swinging from the ropes on the lake and the shallow sand barges for shallow swimming. The home was equipped with absolutely everything you need and the owner Mark was very accommodating and a pleasure to work with. Great memories at this home and we can't wait to return this summer.

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

Wonderful Vacation Home

Guest: Summer2011 (SE Michigan)
Date of Stay: 07/01/11 Review Submitted: 07/15/11

Let me add my glowing review to the list for this exceptional lake house property. Perfectly appointed. Clean. Plenty of space. And great activities for the whole family. I’ll deviate from the standard positives mentioned throughout these reviews such as the kayaks, pontoon boat and fire pit, and highlight a few “hidden” gems … • Great selection of movies for late night family relaxation • Fantastic, large and convenient natural gas barbeque grill • Kitchen equipped with everything you could ever possibly need • 3 full bathrooms to accommodate everyone easily • Great AC … a welcome relief after being in the hot sun all day • iPod speaker dock for tunes • 5-gallon bottled water dispenser • Plenty of folding campfire chairs • Easy access to wonderful grocery store in town (Busch’s) In the end, the house hosted a super 10-day summer vacation for our family and allowed many of our family members and friends to visit for easy day trips from the Detroit area … something the cottages in Northern Michigan simply can’t offer.

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

Lakeside luxury

Guest: FamilyOfThree (Livonia, MI)
Date of Stay: 06/10/11 Review Submitted: 06/20/11

The lakehouse was clean, extremely well decorated, and inspirational to be in. We were all designing our future homes based on the casual, understated decor, fabulous bathroom fixtures, and --the best part -- the large screened-in porch! The owner made us feel at home and was able to accomodate most of our requests. The chain of lakes were perfect for kayaking and pontooning. A picturesque weekend getaway only an hour from our home in metro Detroit. Highly recommended!!

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

Family gathering

Guest: JP (Elkhart, IN)
Date of Stay: 05/06/11 Review Submitted: 05/09/11

We now live on Indiana, but I am originally from the Pinckney southwest Michigan area. We rented this house to have a family celebration for our new adopted son. The house was very clean and very well kept. We have rented homes from this site before on trips we took to Florida, Las Vegas, and Seattle and this was one of the nicest. The owners have a lot of info on how to use things as well as places to visit. The is the only time i have ever written a review and we are looking forward to visiting agian. I would recommend this house for anyone looking to visit the area.

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

Amazing Home away from home

Guest: Aimbo (Grand Rapids, MI)
Date of Stay: 03/11/11 Review Submitted: 03/14/11

I just returned from the first of many Ladies' Weekends with my friends. This house is so beautiful and clean! Our only hope was that it were a little warmer outside so we could enjoy our coffee on the screened in porch overlooking the water. It was so worth every penny (and it was a great deal, very important for me and my fellow frugal gal pals). We are so excited for 2012! Thank you !!!!!

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

Winter 2011

Guest: Laurie (Howell, MI)
Date of Stay: 03/11/11 Review Submitted: 03/14/11

This home was incredible. It was clean, beautifully updated, and even the incidentals like linens, kitchen utensils/appliances were of higher quality. There is an amazing screened in porch that would be an absolute dream during the summer months. The owners were responsive and very customer oriented. We're already looking into renting again during the warmer months. We went there for a 'ladies weekend' with 5 of our girlfriends, but I'm already hoping to return for a family trip with my in-laws (which would include 6 adults and 3 young children - plenty of room for all of us). Thanks for a wonderful time!

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

Christmas at the Pinckney Lakehouse

Guest: annarbor2 (Ann Arbor, MI )
Date of Stay: 12/22/10 Review Submitted: 01/20/11

My family and I spent a week at this lovely little Lakehouse in Pinckney. The house offered the perfect environment to spend Christmas with a family of nine including two small children. For the surprisingly low price that we paid I was not expecting to have the luxuries we had - a fully furnished kitchen, beautiful view of the lake, hot tub in the master bedroom, posh bathroom supplies and bedding, an assortment of kids toys and DVDs, etc. Not only that, but it was a real pleasure to work with the rental owner as he was very friendly and available to answer any questions that we had. I would totally recommend this place for anyone!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Thanksgiving Holiday 2010

Guest: Jen H. (Harrisburg, PA)
Date of Stay: 11/20/10 Review Submitted: 01/26/11

Lovely, clean & well-appointed vacation home. We enjoyed our week-long stay here very very much! We found the property to be just as owners described it. (even nicer than the pictures!) The owners were very easy to work with and most helpful/accomodating with any questions we had. Would be nice to return and enjoy during the warmer months, I would definitly recommend this lakehome to others!

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

Lakehouse in the fall

Guest: Laura (Ann Arbor, MI)
Date of Stay: 10/08/10 Review Submitted: 10/14/10

The lakehouse was clean, comfortable, and spacious just as advertised. We enjoyed using the outdoor and indoor eating area. The surrounding area provided for a number of fall activities. We'd recommend it to others who want a quite getaway!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car.

Wonderful!

Guest: momsher (Chelsea, MI)
Date of Stay: 08/31/10 Review Submitted: 10/09/10

What a wonderful place to relax! We had ten people very comfortably stay in this beautiful house. The kids successfully fished off the dock almost constantly. The house itself is gorgeous, both inside and out. It is very well-stocked with almost everything you could possibly need! This area of the lake is very quiet and peaceful. We saw both otters and a bald eagle!! The owners are helpful and friendly, and quickly responded to questions. We'll definitely be going back!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway.

Great Family Vacation Spot

Guest: PapaT (Macomb, MI)
Date of Stay: 08/24/10 Review Submitted: 09/03/10

The cottage, the property, and the lakes more than lived up to our expectations. And with two and a half families and 3 young kids.....that's saying a lot. The cottage is recently remodeled and stunning. We especially liked the screened in deck overlooking the lake, where everyone tended to gather, but the deck also featured a secluded open air corner where the trees and breezes off the lake were just perfect. The yard has a small sandy beach, perfect for little ones, a new pier and shallow water for jumping and frolicking. Also a nice fire pit for roasting marshmallows and making smores. We used both the pontoon and the kayaks every day we were there, and made the pontoon trip to Half Moon and Blind Lakes several times. Half Moon has a great public beach and places to dock the pontoon, and Blind Lake is a little hidden emerald treasure where you can pick a secluded shoreline spot for swimming and swinging from tree ropes, or anchor in the middle. Great golf nearby, especially Timber Trace....about as good course as you'll find in SE Michigan for the price. Even the odd, but friendly characters running the few businesses in "downtown" Hell added to our enjoyment. We never had time to use the mountain bikes, maybe next time, definitely worth a return visit!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Our Time in Pinckney

Guest: Barb (Lincoln Park)
Date of Stay: 07/22/10 Review Submitted: 09/02/10

I found the Halfmoon Lakehouse on VRBO and rented it for a week with my brother's family. The owners, Mark and Lynn, were very helpful and answered all my numerous questions without delay. The house was just lovely, from the large spacious bedrooms to the large kitchen with all the new appliances. Having the washer and dryer at our disposal helped immensely, especially with the wet towels and clothes. Our two families had more than enough room to spread out. In fact, we had our mother's 80th birthday celebration there, about 16 people, and we had more than enough space. But our favorite spot was the screened in deck. We ate breakfast out there listening to all the birds and geese, we ate dinner out there before our nightly cruise in the pontoon, and would sit out in the evening, never having to worry about getting all bit up from the mosquitos. There was a huge gas grill so the guys didn't mind cooking dinner a few nights out there. We did rent the pontoon for the week and made it to most of the seven lakes. Our favorite was Blind Lake, clear water and beautiful homes, and cannon balls off the end of the pontoon. There was enough to do for us older folks and even the teens got into the outdoor life, fishing and swimming and boating. We fished off the dock and it was nice to hear the kids squeal when they caught the "big one". It was a wonderful time made even nicer by the beautiful surroundings. Even though we were only about an hour from Detroit, you feel like you are way up north with all the State land around the lake. I do not think anyone would be dissappointed when renting this home as it has everything you need, plus more.

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

A little bit of luxury

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 07/19/10 Review Submitted: 08/03/10

We had such a great time staying at this property! Our family needed a central location to some smaller towns in the area for genealogy research. This home was a perfect layout for our extended family, with large open rooms for gathering and quiet spacious spots for solitude. Mark & Lynn have obviously done a lot of work to the property, and it shows! Wonderful furnishings, high quality linens, and a surprise toy closet made our stay all the more comfortable. We have stayed in many rental homes, and this one ranked very high for us. It's well-stocked with cooking and cleaning necessities, and the local grocery store is a gem. The lake is smaller and shallower than we thought (lots of vegetation), but we still enjoyed a spin around in the pontoon. Our 5-year old caught 13 fish right off the dock! The screened in porch was a great bonus for enjoying the outdoors without bugs. We unfortunately didn't take out the bikes or kayaks, but the trails looked interesting. Mark was very accommodating and available for questions. Our rental deposit was returned promptly. We had to leave very early on our departure day, so I'd recommend planning to leave later for enough time to clean and wash/dry/fold linens, if you want to waive the cleaning fee. Overall, a great stay in a terrific property! I'd definitely recommend it if you're planning to be in the area.

Owner response:Hi-Land lake is part of the Half-moon chain of lakes. The chain offers over 850 acres of navigable water with depths up to 90 feet. Hi-Land lake is the 3rd largest lake on the chain at 121 acres and has plenty of good swimming, boating and fishing. The southwest portion of Hi-land lake is surrounded by the Pinckney State recreation area. We keep a laminated lake chain map on the pontoon boat and a framed map is hanging in the front entry. Make sure to ask us about the best parts of the chain or study the lake maps to take full advantage of what is available to you. This is a gorgeous lake chain surrounded by an abundance of wildlife and state land just waiting for you to enjoy it.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children.

40th Birthday

Guest: TLK (Gilbert, Arizona)
Date of Stay: 06/29/10 Review Submitted: 07/12/10

I celebrated my 40th birthday at the house during the 4th of July weekend with family & friends. We found this home to be very comfortable, fully furnished, modern, and clean. Mark & Lynn have put a lot into the house and it shows. We enjoyed the screened patio deck - very relaxing and great view overlooking the bay. The neighborhood is quiet. We used the pontoon, mountain bike, and kayaks to explore the beautiful area. Using a jet ski, I traveled most of the connecting lakes, taking in the nature. We went for a short hike on the Crooked Lake trail and a whitetail deer crossed our path. We used the campfire pit a few times, too. Mark and Lynn are very accommodating and organized. We had a great time and would return again.

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

Wedding Party and Out of Town family stay...

Guest: Southern Belle 22 (North Carolina)
Date of Stay: 05/20/10 Review Submitted: 05/26/10

I found this house on homeaway.com when I was looking for a place to for my family to stay during the weekend of my wedding, instead of having them all stay in hotel rooms. Mark was very friendly and eager to provide all information or answer any questions that we had. I agree in the pictures not doing it justice. The place was fantastic, and when I drove over to see them, the were all speechless as to it's beauty. Very nice, clean, and plently large enough. We only had 7 stay there, but could have easily slept more if necessary. They really go out of their way to make it feel like a home away from home. The only drawback is that they couldn't stay longer!! Whenever I have family coming up to visit, you best believe I will be renting this one again! Thanks again!

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

Had a Wonderful Birthday!

Guest: Cathy (Dundee, MI)
Date of Stay: 05/14/10 Review Submitted: 06/21/10

My family had a great time here a Half-Moon, Mark was a Perfect Host, had everything ready for us, and what a Beautiful Home, My family had plenty of space, and our Grandson, who is four years old, loved the beach, fishing off the dock, but really loved the Pontoon Boat! "I Love catching that Grass Fish!" as he called it. My Two sons loved fishing every day....While My Husband , My Daughter-in-law, and myself just loved relaxing on the deck and listening to all the nature sounds….ducks, Swans, birds, and off in the distance the sound of a woodpecker pecking away. The Weather was just perfect...I had a Wonderful 55th Birthday! Thank you Mark and Lynn for letting My Family share Your Home!

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

We Had a Great Time - It was all that we hoped for!!!

Guest: Lin & Jeff (Los Angeles, CA)
Date of Stay: 05/05/10 Review Submitted: 05/17/10

My husband & I took our daughter, son-in-law and 2 baby grandsons on vacation & stayed at this lake house. We picked it only having looked at pictures on VRBO. The pictures didn't do it justice. The layout of the house was perfect for us. Two bedrooms with a bath upstairs & a Master bedroom/bath & another bedroom and bath on the 1st floor. It gave us all a bit of privacy. The kitchen was like being at home. We love to cook & it was easy to do - everything we needed was there. The Dining Area was plenty big for all of us and so was the Living Room. The furniture looks like classic Pottery Barn. One day we had family over for a BBQ - 15 of us and no problem. All of this was topped off with a terrific deck!!! We could have had twice the people & not been crowded! Everything was clean and very well maintained. Our communications with the owner were prompt, complete and very friendly. They are more than helpful. We would definitely stay there again & highly recommend it! Thanks to the owners for a great place to stay!

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

Beautiful Home and location

Guest: npr (Winnetka, Illinois)
Date of Stay: 04/30/10 Review Submitted: 05/05/10

This lake home was everything and more than we expected. The house was lovely, clean, new, and comfortable. The owners were delightful to work with and we couldn't have been more pleased. We came for my son's graduation in Ann Arbor and were able to all be together in this relaxing and beautiful home. The photos are true to the house and all went well. We would highly recommend your stay here!

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

Guys Get-Together

Guest: Dr. Costas (San Diego, California)
Date of Stay: 04/15/10 Review Submitted: 05/03/10

A group of old friends held a get-together/reunion at Mark's place in Pinckney during the last week in April 2010. We originally selected his place because the rate was most competitive of those we looked into, and he allowed us to clean-up after ourselves (as opposed to charging us for cleaning). As such, we went in with somewhat low expectations. To our surprise, the house was immaculate and very modern. All amenities were provided (e.g. towels, cleaning supplies, kitchenware) and were top-notch. The house was also quite sizable and easily slept 10 guys. The front yard was plenty sufficient for goofing about and there were two grills (a propane and a charcoal) on a huge, brand new beautiful deck that we took every advantage of. While we didn't take advantage of the lake/boats/canoes, we did go to Hudson Mills (the Metropark ~10m away) several times to disc golf. The location is very convenient. In all, we were extremely pleased with our stay, with the price and left 100% satisfied.

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

Great House!

Guest: Christa B. (Huntington beach, CA)
Date of Stay: 04/01/10 Review Submitted: 04/28/10

This is a gorgeous, clean and very comfortable home. It has first class amenities in a charming, rustic setting. It exceeded our expectations from extra plush towels and sheets to lots of kid toys and videos (and for adults as well!). You really get the sense that the owners go out of there way to make their guests extra comfortable. We would absolutely recommend this house.

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

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 01/25/10 Review Submitted: 01/25/10

Stayed for extended weekend in January with 9 high school friends, all in our 50's. House is clean and updated beautifully. Added features include massage chair, large deck off the kitchen with great view of water and absopure water dispenser. We had more than enough room including floor space for sleeping. Upstairs has an area between both bedrooms perfect for air mattresses as well as in upstairs bedrooms. Owners are easy to get in touch with and very cooperative. We not only would reccommend this rental, we hope to stay again next winter. Some of the girls may rent for their families throughout the year. Town of Chelsea easy to get to with cute shops and good restaurants.

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Guest: Anne53 (Fort Wayne, IN)
Date of Stay: 12/01/09 Review Submitted: 12/01/09

My husband and I spent our anniversary at the Lake House in mid-November 2009 and had a relaxing time. It was too chilly to take advantage of the new spacious deck overlooking the lake, but the home is comfortable and well-appointed, so we didn't mind staying inside. We only wish we had stayed an extra night.

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Guest: sarah91 (Hawthorn Woods, IL)
Date of Stay: 12/01/09 Review Submitted: 12/01/09

We stayed at this lake house for four nights over Thanksgiving and we loved how comfortable, clean and updated everything was. The house is all newly renovated and very classy looking. The location is cute with small lakes and wooded areas. The town Brighton has a lot of shopping and restaurants and Pinkney & Dexter are close and really quaint. We went to Ann Arbor for a day too - a great place to visit! We saw swans in the lake every morning. We would recommend this nice vacation house.

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Guest: pam m. (Portland, MI)
Date of Stay: 11/25/09 Review Submitted: 11/24/09

We had a wonderful girls only weekend at this cottage. It is very comfortable, plush towels, beautiful kitchen. We will definately rent it again.

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Guest: Jan Wilcox (Canton, MI)
Date of Stay: 10/02/09 Review Submitted: 10/02/09

My sisters and I rented this home recently and found it to be very comfortable and cozy. The home is beautifully decorated and spotless. It had everything we needed, from kitchen tools/appliances, washer and dryer. The walking trail was a great outing and the pontoon boat and fishing kept all 6 of us happy and relaxed. We can't wait to rent it for another family vacation.

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Guest: Rachel57 (Sterling Heights, MI)
Date of Stay: 09/29/09 Review Submitted: 09/29/09

Beautiful home with everything you could want in a vacation rental. We had a wonderful time with the pontoon boat fishing and swimming. Close to major cities, but still felt like a getaway!

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Guest: mary hendrick (milan,michigan)
Date of Stay: 08/31/09 Review Submitted: 08/31/09

it was a beutiful house. lots of room. fishing is good. not far from hell, michigan. enjoying the view in the morning was fantastic. can't say enough good things but bring movies,no local t.v.

Owner response:We now have both digital cable and wireless internet. -mw

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