Great for a Large Family

Guest: James p.
Date of Stay: 02/03/12 Review Submitted: 02/07/12

My family has just returned from our fifth yearly weekend at the Buster Brown House, first time in the winter. We usually book a weekend in the fall. We are a large group ranging from a 3 month old to the grandparents (my wife and I). There are 5 couples and the kids. The house has been perfect for our "family weekend" at the "Big House", as the kids have come to call it. With all the room, we never feel crowded. As stated in the description, there is plenty of room for air mattresses in 5/6 bedrooms for the kids. The dining room seats all of us, although as more grand kids have been added, its starting to get a little tight. The kitchen is adequate, and the new refrigerator is large, with an ice maker. There are plenty of dishes/cups/glasses/silverware for all of us, and there is a good starter supply of hand/dish/dishwasher soap and toilet paper and lots of towels. The porch area next to the kitchen is a great place to store extra stuff for the kitchen. There is plenty of closet space in the bedrooms. The heating/AC work quite well, and we never ran out of hot water. There are many things to do in the area for both adults (wineries, shops, etc.) and kids (nearby playground, maritime museum, etc). It is a great place to get away from it all and to just kick back and enjoy the interplay of the adults and kids. Through the years there have been continual improvements, with the most recent being the beautifully refinished hardwood floors and the new windows upstairs. Upkeep and housekeeping have been impeccable. I would highly recommend this property to any large group, with or without kids. In the summer, of course, Cedar Point and the Islands are very close. We look forward to our sixth weekend later this year.

Recommended for:

Great Holiday Getaway!

Guest: Jami (Akron)
Date of Stay: 12/30/11 Review Submitted: 01/07/12

I have 3 siblings and we rotate Christmas, this year was my year. All of us have children and some of our children have had children so our house was not adequate. This house was perfect! We all took a bedroom and had our kids in our room on the floor on an air mattress, plenty of room! With the ping pong, and the basketball, we hooked the wii up in the other room, it was a great place to gather and yet not be on top of each other. Kitchen is small, but I prepped everything before we came. Shower head needs to be fixed, but the place was clean and roomy and Dave was great to work with! One of the nice things I notice, was down the lake people had decorated for the holidays so those were fun to look at. My year turned out great, and I know it was because of renting this house. Thanks Dave!

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

Not exactly as advertised!

Guest: Phyllis W. (West Chester, Ohio)
Date of Stay: 07/16/11 Review Submitted: 08/09/11

We rented this property for 5 children, ages 7 to 15, the parents and two sets of grandparents. The house was charming and appropriate for our family of 11 with respect to sleeping arrangement (6 bedrooms on 2 upper floors), eating (sufficient kitchen and 9 foot table), entertainment (TVs and pool table) and the air conditioning was a blessing. However, we had a few concerns with regard to the house. First, if you were going to have a shower, you had to make everyone aware of it to ensure no one flushed a toilet or turned on water elsewhere making your shower dangerously hot . Another point was with regard to one of the box spring/mattresses. We had to move the beds around so the 7 year old used it as it was way past its usefulness as a bed for an adult. We were also expecting to watch activity on the lake through the telescope but it did not work. With regard to the property, we could not figure out how it could be described as "lakefront" as there were houses on all four sides and only a common ground that actually led to the lake. There is no way the picture of the house taken from the water on the property listing could have been taken in the recent past. Also, there was no access to the water. We took a lot of water toys, blow-up raft and dingy for the kids, but couldn't use them. A break wall barrier and algae covered cement pieces made it impossible to get into the water. We had to use the cars to drive to a beach where we had to pay admission each day. The listing also advertised the marina as being 1/4 mile away, but you can't get there without driving back to the highway. While we would not return to this property, we feel it is important that anyone renting it should know what they are getting and not getting for their money. The house itself is wonderful, but if you are expecting a lakefront property where you can sit along side the lake while the children played in the water, you won’t get it here.

Owner response:It is always tough to get criticsm and hopefully as owners we learn from that..The property is as advertised...Never do we say that there is swimming at property..We do say that there is swimming at 2 beautiful beaches..nickle plate and Huron park...The telescope is unforunately missing a part..Taken? thrown away accidentally? The picture of the house from the lake is very up to date..We show a picture also of the house to the gazebo... (i.e. the lot between the house and water)We have marked "waterfront but not beachfront" so we would nor deceive anyone....A gazebo sits at the edge of the water for super view of lake.Correct about algae...Worst on record!Marina is 100 yards away if you can walk on water and a 1/4 mile by car..We did replace another bed in Sept(all 6 are 4 years or less old)but not sure if it is the one referred to since 5 are full and one queen..The hot water is typical of all larger houses with 2 showers and and 3 toilets...There is only so much pressure but I obviously need to ck setting more regularly..This is not a 'property where you can sit along side the lake while the children played in the water.'

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

Perfect

Guest: Barb (Mystic, CT USA)
Date of Stay: 06/05/10 Review Submitted: 08/06/10

Our family of eight adults and four young children tremendously enjoyed a week in June of 2010 in this delightful, large, and welcoming house. There were plenty of places for all of us to gather together, or to find a place where we could be alone. The bedrooms and full baths were spacious, beds comfortable, awesome porches, long dining room table big enough for all, plenty of TV's, wireless, lots of outdoor space, large fire pit, great garage for the kids to play in - something for all. Best of all, it was a place in which our family could deepen our bonds as we gathered from the states of Iowa, Georgia, and Connecticut. We will definitely be back if our schedules allow it.

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

Disappointed

Guest: PA Resident (Central PA)
Date of Stay: 08/08/09 Review Submitted: 08/18/09

As a family we appreciated the billiard table, large dining room table, access to a garage, an extra refrigerator, outdoor firepit, outdoor swing facing the lake, as well as walking distance to the water. However, we were disappointed in the inadequate number dinner plates, and glasses for a family of 12. The beds were also problematic. One box spring set was so noisy it woke up the occupants. Another mattress was so unsupported that the occupants were forced to sink to the middle. Additional problems were found in the bedding. My daughter and her husband had to purchase linen for their bed because of the threadbare sheets. Another area of concern was the view. The view basically consisted of looking into other person's homes while on the porch and in the inside sun room. The view from the sun room looked directly into someone else's swimming pool.The hot water was also a problem. We had to be careful not to use any water while another person showered. My son-in-law was almost scaled from the hot water flow from someone using water while he showered. Suggestions would be to upgrade the beds and bedding, better regulate the water temperature, and be honest in your description about the view from the house. I would not recommend the house to another person or family in its present condition.

Owner response: I was taken back by this review since we have had very little criticism in our 5 years of operation. The view is what it is -- Lake Erie as far as the eye can see from the gazebo and back yard. A view of the lake from 3 bedrooms, and yes, one can look down at the neighbor's pool. There is a beautiful view of the lake and Sawmill Creek from the master bedroom. The hot water heater had been turned up to high and has been reset. We could not find a squeaky bed but two of the mattresses definitely need replaced and will be as soon as the current renters depart. Some of the sheets were worn and will be replaced. We have two sets of linens for each bed and the week in question needed linen replaced. In conclusion, some of the criticism is warranted and is being corrected. We have rented this home for 5 years and fill it every summer because of its beauty, roominess, cleanliness and view of Lake Erie.

Recommended for:

Charming

Guest: Jan from Pittsburgh (pittsburgh, pa)
Date of Stay: 10/17/08 Review Submitted: 10/28/08

Wonderful house with lots of character and charm. Lovely view of lake and lots of space. Very comfortable, well kept and clean. Shopping nearby and Cedar Point can be seen across the lake.

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

Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 10/01/05 Review Submitted: 10/16/05

We rented the house for a large family reunion in October 2005. Tha property was perfect for a large gathering, we had 6 couple's. The home lent a certain magic to our visit. Plenty of room to spread out and have space, but when we all were together it was perfect. The dining roon table seats 10-12 very comfortably. The home has a very warm and welcoming atmosphere. We are going to book again for next year. Everyone agreed that the home is perfect.

Recommended for:

Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 07/01/04 Review Submitted: 07/18/04

This was a Wonderful place to stay on Lake Erie, wonderful older home with character! Dave was gracious, and always responded to questions promptly prior to our stay. He was also very helpful upon arrival and made sure that we were comfortable and had everything we needed! My family celebrated my parents 50th wedding anniversary...and they were very happy with the home and the entire vacation. THANKS...Dave!! :)

Recommended for: