Vacation Rentals by Owner

A Peaceful Peaceful Vacation

Guest: erineliza (South Lyon, Michigan)
Date of Stay: 08/14/10 Review Submitted: 11/01/10

My husband, me, and our two boys (3 and 6) stayed in this cottage for a week in August 2010. This cottage and location exceeded all of our expectations! The cottage was clean, well-equipped, and secluded. Personally, I loved starting each morning sitting on the dock with a hot cup of coffee, just looking out onto the lake and listening to the silence. We absolutely appreciated that the lake was no-wake in the mornings and evenings. The quaint pathway through our private woods to our private fire-ring was amazingly quaint...and our boys' favorite spot to explore. The boys loved digging in the sand outside of the cottage and we all enjoyed the cozy hammock. The location of the cottage was close enough to Traverse City that we headed into town almost every day, however distant enough that we felt like we were in a very remote locale. We are returning next year, and our whole family looks forward to making this cottage an annual tradition. Since visiting Bailey's Stone Cottage, whenever my husband or I get stressed out, we try and channel our feeling of relaxation we achieved during that weeklong stay. My boys ask "When are we going back to The Cottage?".

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

Wonderful Family Memories!

Guest: LukesMom (Farmington, MI)
Date of Stay: 06/26/10 Review Submitted: 07/09/10

What a wonderful home! It was comfortable, clean and had everything we needed to make our stay relaxed and pleasant. The boats were great, having two bathrooms was really convenient, and the kitchen had absolutely everything we needed to cook all our meals right there. I would HIGHLY recommed this cottage to anyone! Traverse City and all the attractions are close enough to make it easy to go into town. Best cabin I have ever rented!!

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

Very nice cottage but treated rudely by owners

Guest: Elise626 (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Date of Stay: 06/19/10 Review Submitted: 10/25/10

We spent a very nice, relaxing week at this cottage this past summer. It was spacious, we were pleased that non-motorized boats were provided, and it was private. We definitely would have returned next year. The problems came after we left. We wrote a note to the owners with a few minor suggestions on how to make the stay even more enjoyable (i.e. a couple more rolls of toilet paper provided, a tear in the window screen). The owners called and YELLED at us about it. Apparently they do not want any suggestions, and they don't feel that anything could be approved. Then we were told that we didn't clean enough before leaving. We vacuumed, did all the laundry (which is very difficult to do 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms worth before checkout), and cleaned up after ourselves. Apparently not good enough. Anyways the stay was great, the treatment afterward was not so good. Because of this, we don't plan on returning.

Owner response:Hello Elise, thank you for your thoughtful review. I am truly sorry that you felt your concerns were not taken into consideration. There definitely was no negative feedback on our end toward you or your family when we spoke. In the past we have had more significant suggestions (adding a second bathroom, adding expanded cable television, adding a hammock) which we were open to and completed. I am confused by this review as we have only had excellent communication and feedback 100% of the time from all of our guests, young person to adult, in person and in writing. We pride ourselves on our hospitality as well as the cleanliness of our cottage. We have never ended a stay on a negative note and the majority of our guests are return guests for over 10 years, for which we are grateful. I am glad that you were able to get the clothing and men's shaver bag that you left behind in the cottage that we sent to you after your stay. Take care of yourself and your family and I sincerely hope that you enjoy your next trip to Traverse City.

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

Great Stay!

Guest: Catherine (North Carolina)
Date of Stay: 06/12/10 Review Submitted: 11/03/10

We had a wonderful stay at the Cobblestone Cottage. My family rented this one as well as the one next door from the same owner. I recommend this for a family get together. The rooms were spacious and clean. The dock, row boats and side yard with trees were nice to use with my small children. The view out of the front window of the lake was really nice. I grew up going to Spider Lake and it was fun to bring my small children there - great memories!

Recommended for:Families with young children

Guest: The Sullivan's
Date of Stay: 08/28/09 Review Submitted: 08/27/09

We had a wonderful week at your home. Loved the privacy & quiet peaceful mornings. We had one rainy day and just enjoyed all of the games and movies you provided. We couldn't have wanted anything more than your home offered us. We are hoing to make this a yearly family affair.

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Guest: The Wildfongs
Date of Stay: 07/11/09 Review Submitted: 07/10/09

We had another wonderful time at this cottage. Its the perfect place to relax and getaway. The sandy beach is great for the kids and we love boating to the island. This is our favorite family vacation place. We look forward to coming back.

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Guest: The Fracassi family
Date of Stay: 05/24/09 Review Submitted: 05/23/09

This is a first visit at this beautiful cottage. We brought friends with us to fish and golf together. What a perfect location for both. We found time to shop and enjoyed Traverse Cities beautiful downtown area restaurants. We will be back.

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Guest: Herp family
Date of Stay: 10/20/08 Review Submitted: 10/19/08

You have a beautiful place and we so enjoyed our stay. We appreciated all of the little extras that you supply. The beds were comfortable, location is great and we appreciated the cleanliness. Our family wants to come back on our next visit.

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Guest: Mr. & Mrs. Leonards
Date of Stay: 09/20/08 Review Submitted: 09/19/08

We truly enjoyed this peaceful scenic setting. The views od Spider Lake each morning and evening rejuvenated us. Your home is very comfy and we enjoyed the privacy. We've rented many up- North cottages and this by far is one of the best. Thanks

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Guest: Matt & Kelly Fetterman
Date of Stay: 08/16/08 Review Submitted: 08/15/08

WOW! This is our 3rd year on beautiful Spider Lake, but our first year at this cottage. The cottage surpassed our expectations in so many ways. We enjoyed the views from the windows and with our morning coffee on the swing. The boys enjoyed the paddle boats and the beach. We appreciated how clean the cottage was and all of the extra conveniences. The laundry and dishwasher is a huge plus. We went skiing and tubing everyday. Thank you for renting your beautiful cottage. It was a blessing.

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Guest: Jay & Pam Hussey
Date of Stay: 07/26/08 Review Submitted: 07/25/08

Audrey Thanks for all you do to make our stay so wonderful. We have traveled the world am\nd this is our favorite place with our dearest and most special family memories. We are never ready to leave and always look forward to returning.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Mike & Marie (Not Specified)
Date of Stay: 04/01/06 Review Submitted: 04/05/06

I am so glad that we came up for the winter. We had a great time. Grace-MacDonald Park was only a short distance away and perfect during the day and even lit up at night to take the kids sledding. We filled up thermoses with hot cocoa for our nighttime treks there. We made snowmen and went crosscountry skiing nearby at TimberRidge and spent a couple of days skiing at Crystal Mountain with the kids. It was a great winter getaway and a convenient location to everything. We will be back again next year!

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 11/01/05 Review Submitted: 11/06/05

A great place to stay for a fall color trip. The home is more than we hoped for and the area is very peaceful and private!

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Nancy & Bill (Dearborn, Mich.)
Date of Stay: 09/01/05 Review Submitted: 09/17/05

We had the best time. My two boys each "adopted" a paddle boat as their own as they spent the day on the lake. We didn't hear anything about going into "town" to shop, they wanted to spend all their vacation time at the "cabin". We loved spending evenings sitting around the fire pit making smores. Again, what a great time we had and are going to be back the same week next year.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Dave & Diana (Ann Arbor, MI)
Date of Stay: 09/01/05 Review Submitted: 09/13/05

This wasn't our first visit to Traverse City but it undoubtedly was the best. We found ourselves returning from a day's activities much earlier than planned to enjoy the cottage and all it had to offer. Our kids really enjoyed their paddleboats, the campfires and the game selection. We are home now but our thoughts keep going back and lingering over the experience. See you next year!

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Bill, Kelly and gang (Okemos, MI)
Date of Stay: 09/01/05 Review Submitted: 09/13/05

We loved, loved, LOVED this wonderful stone cottage on beautiful Spider Lake. The kids spent all day outdoors and never even missed Cartoon Network! Thanks for making this so welcoming and "homey" for all your visitors.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 09/01/04 Review Submitted: 09/11/04

I stayed here with my family and had the best time. The one feature we really appreciated was the privacy of the cottage. We were tucked away by ourselves and felt like we had our own little island. The house was immaculate and the conveniences that were provided were top notch. I'm definitely making plans to come back again. It was a wonderful vacation.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Maggie_HAC18103 (Dearborn, MI)
Date of Stay: 09/01/04 Review Submitted: 09/07/04

My family has rented 4 different cottages in Northern Michigan over the past 10 years. The one we were going to rent was already booked, so we decided to try this one for a change. I wish I would have done this years earlier. This is by far the nicest cottage we have stayed at. It is secluded in a wooded area, but close enough to town. My kids loved the paddleboats and my husband and I used the canoe. There is a firepit on the property for roasting marshmallows. We enjoyed listening to the loons on the deck and the porch swing overlooking the water at night. I would definitely recommend this cottage if you are thinking of a summer getaway.

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