Sweet Little Cottage on Lake Michigan

• 50th Birthday Celebration

  50th Birthday Celebration

  • Guest jen
  • Date of stay 08/04/12
  • Review Submitted 08/29/12
  I wanted to thank Deb for a beautiful week at her lovely cottage. It is rustic as the description states but far from run down. I felt the kitchen floor could use replacing which Deb told me in an email that they are doing during their stay in Aug. Very comfortable for small group. We had three adults one child and one very happy Australian Shepherd. The beach was fantastic and I didn't mind the local folks who have access right past the cottage. The local folks we met were pleasant and friendly and certainly have a right to enjoy the treasure they have on their doorstep. The neighbors who live full time in the house behind and have a lovely cottage they rent next door were wonderul. The other two adults in my birthday celebration group had never been to this area before and were absolutely blown away by it's beauty. A treasure for sure. Thank you Deb for opening your special place to us. We will be back.

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Great Place to reconnect

  Great Place to reconnect

  • Guest Marty
  • Date of stay 07/14/12
  • Review Submitted 07/25/12
  We stayed at the warm house for a week, my husband and I, our two teenage daughers, two psuedo daughters and two dogs. The cabin was perfect for us. Had everything we needed, kitchen was well stocked. Patio was has a great view of the lake, sunrises are amazing, sunsets are a pretty pastel sky. It also did not have everything we did not need, no wifi, no TV, cell service was there but a bit sketchy which was fine with me. It was a great time for all of us to unplug and just enjoy each other and the quiet for a few days. It was hot the first part of the week we went but there was a good lake breeze and the cabin is set back in the trees a bit, with the fans it was more than comfortable. The cabin has a very comfortable and homey feel. The beach is absolutely beautifull. You could easily mistake this stretch of the lake as part of the eastern seaboard. The owner Deb is very accomodating and easy to get in touch with. Would definetly recomend this cabin for a family bonding adventure!

  Recommended for: Girls getaway, pet owners, families with teenagers.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Sweet Little Cottage Indeed!!

  Sweet Little Cottage Indeed!!

  • Guest La Shawn P.
  • Date of stay 07/01/12
  • Review Submitted 07/24/12
  We truly enjoyed our stay at this rustic but very charming cabin. The owner had the cabin well furnished with everything we needed. The setting was truly relaxing, private and right on the beach. The village of Oostburg was charming and you must go to the bakery. The beach wwas very clean and the water beautiful. We liked the fact there was not TV or internet and were able to unplug and enjoy the nature around us and each other. We definitely will come back.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Wonderful Spring retreat

  Wonderful Spring retreat

  • Guest dottie2012
  • Date of stay 04/06/12
  • Review Submitted 04/10/12
  My husband and I, along with our dog, just returned from this great little cottage on Lake Michigan. We had a great time simply relaxing and taking in the fresh air and beautiful sunrises every morning. The accommodations are cozy, eclectic and charming - nearly everything you need is there to make you feel at home (the only drawback is that the water smells like sulfur, but hardly a deal breaker when you consider everything else that is great). We loved walking on the beach with our dog every morning and evening and then relaxing in front of the fireplace at night....just perfect. A great getaway for a chilled out romantic weekend. Thanks again!

  Recommended for: Families with young children, pet owners, romantic getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/5

• Relaxing Labor Day Retreat

  Relaxing Labor Day Retreat

  • Guest Liz
  • Date of stay 09/01/11
  • Review Submitted 10/21/11
  My husband and I had a great time at Debra's cottage over labor day weekend. We thought the cottage was quite charming with all the built-in shelves, vintage art, and bark cloth curtains! The kitchen was properly stocked with all the necessary amenities. Contrary to the previous post, we thought the bathrooms were perfectly fine. In fact, I appreciated the original fixtures. After all, It is a rustic lake house. I was pleasantly surprised that the patio was so big and offered such a great view of the lake. My only complaint about the weekend was the weather-- it was very rainy and cold. Luckily, the surrounding towns were fun to explore-- we especially liked Sheboygan and Plymouth. And the Kohler Design Center was great! I hope we have the opportunity to rent again next summer.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, families with young children, pet owners, adventure seekers, romantic getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/5

• Nice location, but . . .

  Nice location, but . . .

  • Guest Prof Mica
  • Date of stay 07/03/11
  • Review Submitted 09/06/11
  I could NOT recommend this property to a friend or relative. Here are the reasons: The "private" beach has a pretty heavily trafficked public access right-of-way running through it. So not quite as private or secluded as we were led to believe. "Sweet" and "Rustic" are code-words for "rundown," "poorly maintained," and "outdated." This property was clearly not worth the rental fee we paid to use it. Many window screens were in poor repair and/or had gaps around the frames. A pretty critical issue considering there is no air conditioning in the property. Had to go into town to get some duct tape to perform make-shift repairs in order to keep the buggies out. Main bathrooom: pretty gross and rust-stained. (There is a reason it's not featured in any of the photos.) Most critical to me, however, was that the property does NOT have wireless internet, an advertised amenity that specifically brought us to this property for our vacation. After contacting owner about this missing amenity, she said what she meant was that she can usually get a pretty good signal from one of her neighbors' houses if she sits in her kitchen. Since I could not get a reliable and stable connection, I was forced to go into Sheboygan Falls each day to sit in the Starbucks to teach my online classes, as this was to be a working vacation. (FYI, I teach information literacy, so if there was a signal to get, I surely would have known how to connect to it with my laptop, tablet, or smartphone.) Even after calmly and logically explaining that this was a pretty critical inconvenience to me and that it daily took me away from my family on our vacation, the owner refused to refund even the smallest amount of our weekly rental fee as a good-faith gesture. She also said she'd amend the listing to remove the "Wireless Internet" listing in the amenity, but two months later it is still listed. The only reason property got an "average" rating is that it is, indeed, on the lake. We had beautiful weather. And the kids had a ton of fun on the beach. However, that said, in conclusion, keep looking. This is NOT the place you want to vacation.

  Owner response: The internet problem has been amended. Prior to posting this review, this renter had expressed no complaints about his weeklong stay other than the internet problem and his wife had actually written to say they had a great time. We promptly offered the renter a discount on a future visit, which he declined, and have subsequently sent him a refund for his troubles. There are some people who, understandably, would feel more comfortable in a condo rather than a cottage and the area does have a newly built water park complex, with contemporary furnishings, air conditioning, TV and internet. This is the first negative feedback we have received. Overwhelmingly, renters find the property to be exactly what they had hoped -- a quiet, restorative beach vacation, a return to a little simpler life against the backdrop of the amazing lake and sky.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/7

• Guest comment entered by owner

  • Guest Rick
  • Date of stay 08/15/09
  • Review Submitted 06/06/10
  Debra, I felt compelled to write you a note to let you know how much we enjoyed our time at your cottage. My daughter has lived in the area since she went to college at Lakeland and in those 10 years I felt as though I had come to know the area pretty well. But, sitting outside this morning waiting for the sunrise, listening to the waves, and enjoying the music of the wind as it passed over the birch and through the pines reminded me that new discoveries are often in the places we are most familiar with. What a treat. My two sons, ages 16 and 7 had a blast and watching them together with their sister brought an incredible amount of joy to this father’s spirit. There is no greater gift than to see my 3 kids enjoying, loving, and caring for each other. The solitude of your home here created a space that opened everyone up to a more meaningful visit. Much as a warm blanket protects us from the drafts of the cold, this space shrouded us from the meaningless distractions of our everyday lives. While it was only for 24 hours, it was exactly what we needed, just at the time we needed it, and it reminded us of how deeply we love one another and what a blessing we are in each other's lives. I could go on but rather than consume your precious time I’ll leave you with those thoughts and my appreciation for sharing your home away from home with us. Rick

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 6/7

Regular .. from $150/night .. $1200/week
Summer ...................... $1500/week
Year round rentals.
$40 extra for dog.

Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.