'Tumble Down' Waterfront Sunset Wonder, All Sports Lake, Fishing

• Charming Rental

  Charming Rental

  • Guest Sarah C.
  • Date of stay 04/01/13
  • Review Submitted 04/08/13
  My family stayed for a 2 night visit at Tumble Down just after Easter. Melisa was a very good host. She has really put her heart and soul into this vintage cottage. There are plenty of interesting "artifacts" around to keep you amused. Her guest book/tourist information binder was so informative, I asked her for a copy; she was nice enough to share it with me. The view from the cottage is stunning. Because it was early April in Michigan, the weather didn't really permit us to enjoy the lakeside, but we did enjoy going for walks around Round lake. The neighborhood is pleasant and upscale. The cottage is very "cozy" and was a tight fit for our group of 4. My tall husband was a little cramped in the full bedroom. I, on the other hand, was quite comfortable. My son and his friend said the bunk beds were comfortable. I am sure in the summer it is magnificent with the added outdoor living space.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, romantic getaway, adventure seekers.

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

• Winter getaway

  Winter getaway

  • Guest Lauren
  • Date of stay 01/18/13
  • Review Submitted 01/31/13
  First of all, I have to state that Melisa was as flexible and accommodating as she was able to be when one of the people in our party had a medical emergency just before our trip. Melisa was flexible in stating that we could change weekend if we'd like with no charge. That was very generous of her. The highlights of the cabin are the hot tub and the fireplace. The upstairs area of the cabin is very cozy and welcoming for a relaxing winter weekend. The downstairs area was rather chilly and didn't get much light during the day, which made it less than ideal to spend time in during the winter. The kitchen was workable but did not have a freezer or a tea kettle. We had three adults and no children in our party and I'd say pushing it much passed four people would be a tight squeeze. One thing all of us could have done without was the taxidermy animal motif. The property was well kept, but there was some sort of odor attached to the couch on the first floor. I think this property is best rented in the summer when you're not spending too much time inside. But all in all we had a great weekend!!

  Owner response: Thank you Lauren for your comments. We have since had the couch professionally cleaned and will be adding a comfy rug for the lower level and tea kettle for winter rentals. Additional things added for 2013 based on our awesome visitor feedback...new vintage looking refrigerator that has a freezer, a microwave, blinds on the windows over looking the hot tub, new paddle boat and vent over the stove. We are looking forward to your visit in 2013!

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

• Love Tumble Down Cottage!

  Love Tumble Down Cottage!

  • Guest Cathleen
  • Date of stay 10/19/12
  • Review Submitted 10/23/12
  My sisters, Mom and I had a wonderful weekend get-away to Michigan and I am so glad we chose to stay at Tumble Down Cottage. Tumble Down is cozy and comfortable with a gorgeous view of the lake. The cottage we very clean, bed linens were soft and the towels were fabulous. Plenty of dishes, wine glasses, coffee mugs...etc. The path leading down to the cottage is beautiful and the view of the lake is perfect - absolutely perfect. Melissa was a wonderful hostess and made sure we had everything we needed. We loved this get-away and so very glad we chose Tumble Down Cottage. I hope we are fortunate enough to go back for a longer visit. I would stay here again and again.

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

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

• Great Lake View and Very charming

  Great Lake View and Very charming

  • Guest Laura
  • Date of stay 07/29/12
  • Review Submitted 08/28/12
  We had a wonderful stay at Tumble Down...It's a very charming cabin-like place with great views of the sunset and the lake each night. The lake it self was also perfect for swimming and boating, which we did both. What we loved most about it is that you can rent and use the pontoon boat on the property! The cottage is attached to the home above (the rental space is two floors), but it feels pretty secluded for the most part. We had family come visit, cooked a dinner, sat on the patio, played games, etc. Plenty of space for having visitors there. We did have a little trouble sleeping - it's a pretty small bed room. There are also smaller bunk beds (would be good for kids) and a queen size bed (folds out) that's in the upper living space that we may try next time instead of the full size bed. Beyond that, we had no complaints about the place! Melissa and her husband were very accommodating to any needs we had and also showed us around the lake and where the good swimming spots were, etc. They also provided wood and have a fire pit so you can roast marshmallows, sit around a fire, etc. It's also located in a great central spot if you want to explore other parts of Michigan. We are going to come back again!

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

• Relaxing and refreshing

  Relaxing and refreshing

  • Guest AKSkier
  • Date of stay 08/13/12
  • Review Submitted 08/27/12
  Our family was looking for a getaway from everyday life, and we sure found it! This was the first vacation we have ever taken with just the four of us - no relatives or friends this time. The lake was quiet and not at all crowded, and we had a great time at the swimming hole, even on one of the chillier days. The kids had so much fun playing the games Melisa and Roger had down by the water, like croquet and the bean bag toss (corn hole). Our kids are little, so fishing off the end of the dock was a lot of fun. The water was clear and there were fish everywhere, so although they just nibbled at our bait, the kids were occupied for hours. The cottage was perfect for our family of four, and Melisa made us feel so welcome. She went above and beyond with little details, like making sure the kids had books and toys and making sure we knew how to make hobo pies over the fire and bringing our son the "secret ingredient" to making them perfect - and she was right! There were plenty of games to keep us busy if we had needed to be indoors, but we were outside essentially from the minute we got up in the morning until it was time for bed. The kids "swam" in the hot tub and played in the water, and we rented the pontoon boat for a couple days to explore the lake and the swimming hole. On our last day, we checked out the town of Brighton and fell in love with it. We could definitely live there! Our next trip will be longer so that we can enjoy both the lake and the town, but we really didn't feel a need to leave the house and lake. Our week was truly a relaxing time, and we are already hoping to plan our return for next year!

  Recommended for: Tourists without a car, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, romantic getaway.

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

• Fun despite the Rainy Weather

  Fun despite the Rainy Weather

  • Guest Jeff and Susan
  • Date of stay 08/08/12
  • Review Submitted 08/20/12
  We managed to choose the only consecutive three day span of rainy weather (complete with short power outage) in the entire summer of 2012! But nevertheless we enjoyed our stay. On the only clear evening Melissa and Roger treated us to a tour of the Crooked Lakes on their pontoon boat - beautiful!! The cottage is decorated down to the last detail - very cute and we found everything we needed. Bed was comfortable, everything was very clean and welcoming. The setting is great - really pretty lake, amazing perennial garden, design/architecture of house and cottage preserves vintage feel while providing modern comforts. Rainy day activities - breakfast at Big Boy during power outage, movie night in town, trip to Livingston Antique outlet in Howell, shops in downtown Howell, Brighton and Tanger Mall, card and board games, reading, relaxing. Watched Olympics one afternoon at sports bar on corner of Main Street/Grand River plus every night back at cottage. Otherwise we ate in and enjoyed that very much. Went for a run in the Crooked Lake neighborhood - found it challenging but not crazy for one getting back into shape. Melissa and Roger are warm and relaxed hosts and we felt comfortable even though Tumble Down is part of their home - has a little bed and breakfast feel to it. I think they felt as disappointed in the weather as we did and actually offered a free night should we return in 2013. We will definitely consider it. Challenges: the steps from car to cottage (good exercise but a little hard on Jeff's recently scoped knee), would consider bringing kayaks next time to enjoy lake without using pontoon.

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

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

• David

  David

  • Guest David
  • Date of stay 06/16/12
  • Review Submitted 07/18/12
  My Daughter an I had a most wounderful experanced vacation together!! We had lot's of quality time together getting to know each other more , away from our busy lives!! My Son and his family live near by and I got to play and visit with my Grand children almost daily. What a beautiful place to stay or live. The owner's are wounderful host and really know how to make you feel at home. My daughter and I both had tears in our eyes when we had to leave.

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, sightseeing, romantic getaway.

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

• Tumble Down Cottage

  Tumble Down Cottage

  • Guest Vicki
  • Date of stay 06/09/12
  • Review Submitted 06/21/12
  We had a wonderful time at Tumble Down Cottage. The lake was small and easy to navigate for first time boaters. Our 8 year old son caught tons of fish every single day. Roger graciously took us around the lake upon our arrival and showed us how to drive the pontoon boat. Fishing was the most fun! We were the very first renters, so I'm sure there was a learning curve for the owners. I know they were finishing up painting and remodeling and such when we arrived and still have some more work to do. If you are sensitive to paint smells and construction dust, you may want to double check that any work is finished and chemical odors gone before booking your trip. The cottage space is small and cozy. It does stay cool if you keep the portable AC unit and fans on starting in the early afternoon. There are no vents in the tiny bedrooms so they do get very warm and stuffy. If you leave the bedroom doors open while sleeping, it should be fine. Be aware that there are over 50 steps from the driveway where you park your car to the door of Tumble Down cottage and 63 steps down to the lake. They can be slippery when the sprinkler system is on. Also, there was no WiFi or cable TV. It was fine for us, but if you are expecting easy internet access for work, etc... you will not be able to do that from Tumble Down. Melisa and Roger were great hosts though and very helpful. They live on the same property above Tumble Town cottage with their 2 teenage sons. I think it will be great when they install an actual window of sorts between Tumble Down and their basement where their sons watch TV and play video games. You could definitely hear noise coming from their basement into the cottage. I think this is a great cottage for small families who like to fish. Brighton is a lovely town. We really enjoyed our stay there.

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

  Owner response: Thank you so much to Jeff, Vicki and Jackson for being our first renters. Their insight and ideas for enhancing Tumble Down have been very helpful and we have been busy implementing their suggestions. The Cable TV and WiFi issues have been resolved and are now available. We have also sound proofed the window and completed the addition of custom built bunk beds. Thanks again Jeff, Vicki and Jackson!!

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

Additional information about rental rates

Seven day minimum rental from Memorial Day through Labor Day weeks. Friday, Saturday or Sunday check-in/check-out preferred. Check-in is 4 pm and Check-out is 11 am.