Great Place at Flathead

Guest: love water (Calgary)
Date of Stay: 04/11/08 Review Submitted: 04/22/08

The house was perfectly laided out. The location and setting beautiful and the owners effortlessly easy to work with. It is the most beautiful house on the lake.

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

Guest: Dennis B. (Polson & Dallas)
Date of Stay: 11/18/09 Review Submitted: 11/18/09

Let me start to answer some of your questions now so that you can make reservations of check on-line reviews if you want. I don't think this time of the year that you'd need to pre-book anything. If you want a fishing guide, I'd recommend Eric Bjorge ("be-york-ee") at Two River Gear in Bigfork. For boat rentals in Polson, KwaTukNuk ("Quah- Tuck-Nuck") will have the most choice. Rentals are expensive - you might try negotiating. You could also ask around town to see if anyone else is renting now. There's a small sporting goods store in Polson on Main Street (Mission Mountain Water Sports?), and those girls would probably know. Right across the street from KwaTukNuk is Papa Don's restaurant, which I think is the best food in Polson. His tri-tip sandwich is a favorite, and salmon and ribs in the evening are good. Tell Don that you're staying at our place, and he may have some tips on fishing in the lake. Our neighbors are great people, and very friendly. You'll find that generally to be the case. Let people know why you're there, and they'll adopt you for what you need. You can also rent boats at Marina Cay in Bigfork. There's another place in Woods Bay, which might be a better bargain, and it's a pleasant little bay to boat from. It may be just called Woods Bay Marina. You could boat from there up to Bigfork, where there's a good public dock where you can tie up and walk up for lunch. You could also cross the lake and boat around Lakeside and Somers, which is also pretty. If you boat from Polson the area around Kings Point is pleasant, as well as Finley Point and the narrows islands. There are very few places to gas up on the lake, so you might want to carry a five-gallon can of gas with you. For horse-riding, I'd try Flathead Lake Lodge just south of Bigfork. It's a dude ranch, basically, but really a lovely place. Bigfork is full of great restaurants. In order, I'd recommend Showthyme, La Provence (also nice panini sandwiches during the day), The Coyote Roadhouse (out of town a little bit) and the Swan River Cafe (upstairs). The Bigfork Inn is nice, and a really great place to go for old time dancing if you're up there on a Friday or Saturday night. There's a fun community playhouse that the kids might enjoy. We saw an abridged version of the complete works of William Shakespeare there last summer, and the kids really enjoyed it. In Glacier Park, the wa

Owner response:These comments were added by the owner in response to frequently asked questions. (But feel free to ask more.)

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Guest: Private by request (-)
Date of Stay: 11/18/09 Review Submitted: 11/18/09

We are all having a fabulous time! It’s Saturday morning and we’re set to finish up our week with another trip up to Glacier National Park for hiking. We have done just about anything and everything we could possibly think of to do these past few days. We have been to Glacier multiple times for fabulous hikes, went to the bison range to see the bison and hike up to the top of the high-point to see the awesome beauty of the mountain ranges and valley. Phil and I went fly fishing on the Swan River on Wednesday. What an experience that was! Caught some whoppers and enjoyed the most magnificent 8 hour boat ride down the most beautiful river you will ever see. Thursday we went up to the Whitefish Mountain Resort and hiked up their trail to 7,000 feet until the trail became impassable by snow! It was a winter wonderland up there. Yesterday we did a 2 hour horseback riding excursion at Glacier and topped it off with dinner and bowling back in Big Fork! We ate at the Swan Hotel which was really nice. We have previously had dinner twice in Big Fork, once at the Big Fork Inn and the second time on Tuesday we ate at another fabulous restaurant called “Invite” or something like that. It was a great meal. Phil and I both had the most mouthwatering Elk steaks. Wow! We then went to see “Singing in the Rain”, one of the summer musicals at the theatre in Big Elk. What a nice theatre and they put on a great show. Haven’t had much “sitting by the lake” time but we’ve had our share of relaxation in the evenings at your beautiful home. The place is awesome! The first night we actually played ping pong in the garage. Have had a couple of really nice meals at the house with some fine dining and wine by candle light. The grill has not even seen the light of day at this point. Thanks Dennis for allowing us to use your fabulous home for this week. It was a truly memorable experience for all of us. This area is fabulous! I can see why you love it so much.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 02/01/07 Review Submitted: 02/28/07

We have been extremely fortunate to spend one week here for the last three years, and we eagerly look forward to vacation again at Flathead Lake. Time literally passes you by as you are overcome by the fabulous scenery and incredible calm of Finley Point. Lazy days are filled with swimming off the dock, but a night time canoe trip captures the amazing beauty and peacefulness of the Lake. Reading your favorite novel is difficult because of the convergence of the mountains and lake. This home should be featured in Sunset Magazine with every amenity imaginable – a gourmet cook’s dream kitchen, a slate deck with welcoming Adirondack chairs, an outside fireplace for late night star viewing and marshmallow roasts. The home is perfect for entertaining or a quiet escape. Our most significant decision each day is whether to have morning coffee on the deck or on the dock, or when to open a bottle of wine in the afternoon. Our best memories have been made here.

Owner response:These words are gratifying to hear from our friends. It is, I would say, my favorite place in the world to read, with the indoor fireplace, the large stone deck, and the library itself - well stalked and having a soft leather sofa looking out a wall of windows which frame the craftsman eves which themselves frame a view out to the dock. The distraction is deciding when to fold up the book to go and commune with nature.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 02/01/07 Review Submitted: 02/27/07

We have stayed at this lake "cabin" many times. The view of the lake from the guest facilities over the garage is fantastic, and with the windows open at night, you can hear the slight waves lapping the shore and putting you to sleep. We have also stayed in the main guest bedroom, which has blinds to keep the morning sun out of your eyes if you want to sleep in. You can still hear the wave action, but this room is very quiet. We have also stayed in the master suite, but I must warn you, it does not have window coverings and the morning sunrise will waken you with all the glory of a new day. Peace and quiet are only interupted by your own exuberance of laughter at your meals, recreational activities or visiting with neighbors. Sun or shade, water or land are there for pleasure and relaxation. I also enjoyed assisting in some of the finishing projects and landscaping, especially laying the stone for the path from the house to the boat dock. A beautiful site.

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

We had the pleasure of staying at this beautiful home last May and had an incredible time. The house is absolutely gorgeous with beautiful stonework and milling. The open floor plan and four bedrooms easily accommodated our three families. When inside, we spent most of our time cooking in the huge kitchen or lounging in the family room with views of the lake and the Mission Mountains. Although the scale of the home is large, the feel is intimate and inviting.And oh, the scenery! You walk out onto a patio to find Flathead Lake 50 paces from where you stand. Looking east, all one sees are trees, lake, mountains, and sky. Our children loved playing on the lakeshore and when we weren’t with them playing, we were watching them from one of several beautiful patios. It was still chilly in the evenings, and the outdoor fireplace was the perfect remedy.While we were there we took day trips into Bigfork and International Glacier Park, which were very easy drives from where the house is located on Finley Point. It was a vacation we will never forget!

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Guestbook Comment

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

We had the pleasure of staying at this beautiful home last May and had an incredible time. The house is absolutely gorgeous with beautiful stonework and milling. The open floor plan and four bedrooms easily accommodated our three families. When inside, we spent most of our time cooking in the huge kitchen or lounging in the family room with views of the lake and the Mission Mountains. Although the scale of the home is large, the feel is intimate and inviting. And oh, the scenery! You walk out onto a patio to find Flathead Lake 50 paces from where you stand. Looking east, all one sees are trees, lake, mountains, and sky. Our children loved playing on the lakeshore and when we weren’t with them playing, we were watching them from one of several beautiful patios. It was still chilly in the evenings, and the outdoor fireplace was the perfect remedy. While we were there we took day trips into Bigfork and International Glacier Park, which were very easy drives from where the house is located on Finley Point. It was a vacation we will never forget!

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