Lovely property, unhelpful owner

Guest: Renters (Lansing)
Date of Stay: 07/01/11 Review Submitted: 08/15/11

The condo is beautiful and we had a wonderful week - in spite of an unannounced drop in from the owner to "check up" on us and some early morning non-emergency repairs scheduled during our stay. Unfortunately, the owner was very rude to us, charged us for "damage to property" even though we did everything on the checkout list, and has refused to answer our calls and emails ever since. Since the security deposit isn't even included on the listing in the first place, and we left the cottage in excellent condition, we feel like we got scammed! I suspect that because we are in our 30s, but probably look a bit younger, the owner was prejudiced against us from the start, and the check up was to see what kind of wild parties we were having. (In actuality we were cooking dinner for ourselves and watching tv...we wanted to relax just like any other couple who might rent.) The condo is nice, but spend your money with someone who will treat you more professionally.

Owner response:It is true that I did not respond quickly to their continued e-mailings. I have been quite ill and not on top of my computer. It is unfortunate that these folks took exception to my retaining a portion ($100 out of $250) of their deposit as a cleaning fee. I did respond with an explanation originally but they were not satisfied with my decision. Since I do the cleaning, my decision was based on my personal observations. What I found objectionable was food spots on the walls and cupboards and a spill on 1 of the kitchen rugs (looked red like tomato sauce), refrigerator with food spills, crumbs on and in the couch, items left under the bed including ladies panties, and very sandy unswept hardwood floors in the hall and kitchen. The shower was also unpleasantly dirty. Their comment was that "cottages" were expected to have sandy floors and be 'comfortable'. This is an upscale 3rd floor condo unit with carpeted hallway entrance - not a "cottage". Their version of clean and mine clearly differ. I have never in the 6+ years that I have rented found the unit in this condition after any of my other renters or felt the need to charge a cleaning fee. I have nothing against younger folks as they also seem to assume. My one visit since I was in the area was just to make sure they were satisfied and all was going well. Sorry that was misconstrued. The one non-emergency repair was scheduled by my condo association and I advised these folks about it prior to their arrival. To avoid this issue in the future I will amend my rental procedure to include a cleaning fee (which I understand is not uncommon) and then just refund it at my discretion.

Recommended for:

Best Kept Secret on Lake Charlevoix

Guest: Don & Cindy (Rockford, MI)
Date of Stay: 07/10/10 Review Submitted: 08/03/10

What a place! Spent our summer vacation here and it met all of our expectations. It was everything that the owner said it was and showed in the pictures. The condo is clean, new and in beautiful shape and has all the ammenities that you cpould ask for. Pat is the kind of owner we look to rent from, friendly, helpful with accurate details. If you have not vacationed in the Charlevoix area and in particular on Lake Charlevoix you will not be disappointed. We were on the lake boating every day. Not only do we recommend to others, but have already booked our week for next year.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, adventure seekers, age 55+.

Clean, quiet condo with great view of the lake

Guest: Greg & Kath (Novi, MI)
Date of Stay: 08/29/09 Review Submitted: 06/02/10

My wife and I have stayed in this condo several times. The owner keeps this property spotless and equipped with all the comforts of home. We love the location near the marina and a nice little beach. There are several good restaurants in town. We prefer to get a pizza and a salad and walk to the beach. That's the way to relax! We will be back, hopefully more than once, in 2010.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, age 55+.

Great getaway condo

Guest: Marilyn Kathleen (Cleveland, OH, USA)
Date of Stay: 05/27/10 Review Submitted: 05/27/10

I stayed in this condo in 2006 and 2007. It is cheery, very clean, and well decorated. Everything inside functions as it should. I really like the location: it overlooks the lake, there is a restaurant less than a block away, and the downtown area of Charlevoix is within walking distance (approximately 1 mile).

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children.

Great view of lake!

Guest: Boater66 (Apex, NC)
Date of Stay: 08/12/07 Review Submitted: 05/25/10

This condo was very clean and offered all of the features we needed for our vacation. The location is perfect for boaters - the boat launch is just down the street and there is an open space in front of the condo to park your boat (just check with Irish Marina). The condo is very comfortable with great views of Lake Charlevoix. It is very quiet and relaxing at this location and the price is GREAT! It is a short drive to downtown and a very short walk to Lake Charlevoix. Also if you have friends that are boaters, Irish Marina is just a short walk down the road. We really enjoyed our stay here!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, age 55+.

Great view of lake!

Guest: Boater66 (Apex, NC)
Date of Stay: 08/12/07 Review Submitted: 05/25/10

This condo was very clean and offered all of the features we needed for our vacation. The location is perfect for boaters - the boat launch is just down the street and there is an open space in front of the condo to park your boat (just check with Irish Marina). The condo is very comfortable with great views of Lake Charlevoix. It is very quiet and relaxing at this location and the price is GREAT! It is a short drive to downtown and a very short walk to Lake Charlevoix. Also if you have friends that are boaters, Irish Marina is just a short walk down the road. We really enjoyed our stay here!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, age 55+.