The Lake House

• A Little Bit of Heaven

  A Little Bit of Heaven

  • Guest The Lakers
  • Date of stay 08/01/07
  • Review Submitted 12/19/07
  Our group of friends wanted to get away, without driving too far, and the Lake House was perfect! A short drive brought us to a liitle piece of Heaven in Lake City. The house is super clean, up-to-date, and full of ammenities to make it feel like home. The beach is unbelievable. As we were driving up, we started to get nervous that the pictures might have been "creative" in showcasing how big the beach was. We were so pleased to see it was even better than the pictures when we got there! The lake is clean, and warm. It was perfect for the kids in our group... and for the adults too! We rented a pontoon from a local marina and had fun cruising tha lake and taking the kids fishing. This was our perfect vacation!

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 10/10

• Perfect vacation The Baxters

  Perfect vacation The Baxters

  • Guest Susan B.
  • Date of stay 07/09/11
  • Review Submitted 01/15/12
  We had the most relaxing time at this bit of heaven. We were so pleased with the cottage, rooms were great, clean and plenty of space. The deck had more than enough chairs and the grill was clean. Playing on the beach or in the water it was a blast and the sunsets were breath taking. We had bonfires at night and went fishing in the mornings. If you like to relax the living room is spacious and comfortable, cable TV, internet, air conditioning what else would you need. The kitchen well equiped with pots, pans, glasses, bowls, dishes. and everything was clean. It felt like we were in a resort, we had the best cottage on the lake. We will be renting this cottage again over and over. If you want to relax and feel like you have been pampered, this cottage has the feeling like home without all the bad things like work.

  Owner response: Thanks Baxters. We try and provide the extras to make our guests happy and so they want to come back. The rest is the lake and spot we have are fantastic and so that is what makes The Lake House such a great place to spend a vacation. See you this summer... Thanks, Brian Ferrick

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1

• Filthy carpet and sand fleas in the bedding, nice!

  Filthy carpet and sand fleas in the bedding, nice!

  • Guest Never again
  • Date of stay 08/14/10
  • Review Submitted 11/28/10
  We rented here August, 2010 and the place was filthy. Carpet was stained everywhere like it was never cleaned. I was actually able to leave a date in all the dust with my finger tip on furniture and fixtures. All the windows needed washing, this happens every year by the way. The front slider does not lock, you need to use a steel pipe in the door track to "lock" it and it's hard for anyone to open, especially young kids. The screen for the front slider is always off track and is very hard to operate. The tiny bathroom has zero counter space and has a sliding pocket door that does not open when closed and actually had to pry it open to let my wife out. Virtually no lighting in the master bedroom for the closet, wiring is there, no fixture. The kitchen is too small and dark to prepare anything more than sandwiches. Dishwasher is newer but it is so loud you can't hear the TV so start it up and take a walk. When we went to bed the first night we found sand IN and on the master bed and ended up having to wash ALL the bedding. My wife was actually bitten by bugs (sand fleas?) the afternoon we arrived when she laid on top of the master bed comforter, and I believe its the same bugs you will find on the beach if you sit on it. I spoke to the owner about the sand and bugs on the bed and I was kind of surprised by his reaction which was no apologies and was more concerned about having to deal with his cleaning person, thanks for the concern! The fireplace is not to be used per owner and has not worked for at least the past six years. Nice sized deck out front, no umbrella for patio table and is too hot when your sitting in the sun. There used to be a dock but has since been abandoned and watch out for the hidden cement column on the beach it can really hurt as I found out. We plan on renting in 2011 but it will not be this one, it's too over priced and under cared for. I noticed it now sleeps ten... that's interesting since it had 1 king, 1 queen, 2 twins and an uncomfortable pull out for the last six years that I know of and I doubt there have been any improvements. Beware of the contract! Owner will keep deposit, damage or not to the cottage. Our daughter decided to come up and stay with us instead of staying at home, she brought up her Chiwawa for one night and the very next morning to Cadillac vet for boarding. I told the owner upon returning home - big mistake. Owner claims he had to have "entire cottage professionally cleaned" - ya, right.

  Owner response: They are full of it and are awful people who are trying to lash out because they were caught doing something wrong. First of all these people had rented from us for many years, complimented us many times on our place. Have continued to come back over and over again. If there are all these problems and its too much why would they return? In the past few years we have gotten many new things refrigerator, dishwasher, new chairs, new toys for the beach, etc improving things for our guests. The only reason for the review is I kept some of their deposit. This year they thought they could just break the rules. They brought a dog, which is strictly forbidden and is clearly stated in our agreement that no pets are allowed. This is because my wife and children are extremely allergic to dogs, so even the smallest of dogs sets them off. Our neighbors mentioned to us that they put stuff on the windows. They commented they thought it was bizarre and wondered what they were doing in there. They had some funny ideas. Well it turned out they were hiding the dog. Our neighbor told us the dog was there at least 3 days if not longer. Instead of calling before the dog arrived and asking me if it was OK, they tried to hide it. Also, they didn't tell me about the dog, my neighbor did and when I confronted Mark he admitted to it. After I told him I was disappointed he did that, he then complained of the shape of our place. Well if it was dirty all he needed to do was call when he got there and we would have had our cleaning lady go back and clean it for him no charge. We have a cleaning person who cleans in between renters and we want all renters to be happy and know we expect the place to be really clean. If she didn't do her job well we want to know. We don't see it between renters so we do not know and rely on our renters to inform us. We only heard about it when they got caught bringing in a dog. We are more than fair to our renters who rent from us. If you treat our place well then we never keep the deposit. We kept two this past summer because we did clean all the furniture and carpet because of the dog and another renter left a black drip stain almost ruining the entire carpet. We use our cottage to and we want renters who care for it. There are no bed bugs and our place is very clean! We welcome people to go look before renting. The 2 bad reviews are from 2 of the 3 people we have kept the deposit in 5 years of renting. 3 of 36, 2 partials.

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

• A Perfect Home Away From Home!

  A Perfect Home Away From Home!

  • Guest GaryP
  • Date of stay 07/14/08
  • Review Submitted 04/28/09
  Let me start by saying I have stayed in many cottages on many lakes in northern Michigan and this is the first one that I have came back to. The last 2 summers my family and I have stayed a week here and loved every second of it. The beach is HUGE and nice and sandy, not rocky and grassy like many others I have seen. Also the lake is wonderful, its big enough to go boating/jet ski/tubing/fishing. The water is nice and clear and a good amount of shallow water that gives you room to play in and is great for kids to walk around in the water. The Lake House has plenty of room inside and all the amenities you would want. Spacious living room with a big screen TV to gather and watch a movie or play games if you get a rainy day. 2 Full Bathrooms and 3 spacious bedrooms make it very easy to stay with multiple family's/couples. Very large deck to sit outside and enjoy the view. The other great thing is the location. Lake City is a very nice town, has good places to sit down and eat or grab some ice cream. Within walking/biking distance there is a convenience store. My family and I will be coming back here for as many years as we can, and make many memories there.

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

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

• Fun in the Sun!!

  Fun in the Sun!!

  • Guest Lake-tastic!
  • Date of stay 07/01/08
  • Review Submitted 02/18/09
  My family and I visited this wonder lake house over the summer and we had a fantastic time! The lake and cottage are beautiful! The cottage was perfectly located directly on the beach which worked out wonderfully for our family!! The cottage also has beautiful views inside and out. We really enjoyed having breakfast and watching the lake from the large deck!! The cottage had many wonderful amenities, including lots of space, beautiful furnishings (not normally found in rentals), two full baths, a dishwasher and washer and drying - everything we needed!! We truly had a great time and will most definitely be returning to this wonder lake and spectacular cottage!

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, people with disabilities, girls getaway, families with young children, romantic getaway, families with teenagers.

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

• LOVED the Lake House

  LOVED the Lake House

  • Guest The Lake-Seekers
  • Date of stay 07/07/08
  • Review Submitted 12/03/08
  My family and I have rented this Lake House twice and have had a wonderful vacation each time!! The lake and beach are unbelievable and the Lake House is truly spectacular! The Lake House is extremely clean, has updated appliances and plenty of room!! The great room was our favorite spot in the house - large and spacious and open to the kitchen not to mention the beautiful view of the lake!! Having two full bathrooms, a washer/dryer and dishwasher made our stay stress free! It was such a pleasure to walk out onto the deck, enjoy the view and only be steps from the gorgeous beach and lake! I would highly recommend this Lake House to anyone who is looking for a beautiful house on a beautiful lake!! We look forward to returning annually!

  Recommended for: Girls getaway, families with young children, romantic getaway, families with teenagers.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

• Great Time

  Great Time

  • Guest HJG
  • Date of stay 07/01/08
  • Review Submitted 12/02/08
  Hello from Chicago! We just wanted to drop a note and tell you how much we loved the house! Our family really had a relaxing time. I didn't want to leave. Maybe next year we will want to stay longer! Our girls loved it too. I especially liked the shallow water. Here is a shot of Shelby (61/2) and Maggie (almost 3). Thanks for the great accommodations .

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

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

• The Lake House

  The Lake House

  • Guest Grange
  • Date of stay 08/09/08
  • Review Submitted 11/05/08
  Although I had a wonderful time with my family in August 2008 at The Lake House, I must say that I was extremely disappointed with the rental. A fireplace is listed as an amenity, but the "Rental Rules" book stated it was not allowed to be used. A 50" big screen TV was also listed, but it did not work properly. The picture was extremely poor and everything was purple. The bedroom doors are louvered and so it is very noisy even when the doors are closed. The door between the Master Bedroom and Bathroom is a slider that does not slide, so there is no privacy. The "Rental Rules" book says to not use the sliding door, so it must be an unfixable problem. The washer/dryer is located in the bedroom closet so again, there is a noise and privacy issue when trying to do laundry while the bedroom is in use. The outside sliding door to the deck opens and closes with extreme difficulty and cannot be used by children. There is a gas grill, but the propane tank was empty, so it could not be used. There is a fire pit, but there was no wood to burn. Fishing is listed as an activity, but the dock is not very long and is in very shallow water so there is no place to hook up a boat. There was extra dock length stored on the beach, but it was not installed. Lake Missaukee is spectacular although The Lake House was extremely disappointing. We found another place to rent for 2009 while we were there (for much less I might add!) and are looking forward to going back next year.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 41/45

Additional information about rental rates

50% of the rental amount is due when you book and the rest is due 30 days before check in.

Additional Fees and Taxes:

There is a $75 cleaning fee and a $250 security deposit required. If the home is returned in the same condition the security deposit is returned.