Decks and gardens surround this charming home with its spacious 1/2 acre lot
Location: Union Pier, Southwest, Michigan, USA (one hour from Chicago, 30 minutes to Notre Dame/South Bend)
Accommodations: House, 3 Bedrooms + Loft, 2 Baths (Sleeps 8-9)
Keywords: Lake Home
This beautiful, year-round home has over 2000 square feet of exquisite living space and is only a short walk from the sandy shores of Lake Michigan. It is designed in the Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie Style and features Wide open living spaces and cozy side rooms making this sunny cottage ideal for family time or a romantic retreat for couples. French doors separate living areas, stained glass accents the windows and beautiful gardens surround the half acre of private property.
No shortcuts were taken in the furnishings and amenities from fine wine goblets and calphalon pans to Crate and Barrel beds with Ralph Lauren linens. The home has interesting antique pieces purchased from the local haunts and art from nearby galleries.
Fall is a wonderful time to visit for bike rides, apple picking, bonfires and roasting marshmellows. Notre Dame football games are only 35 minutes away. Why pay more to stay in a motel in South Bend?
With the bright and cheerful decor, wood-burning fireplace, steam shower and indoor hot tub, winter weekends are far from chilly. Cross country ski trails or Winery tours help pass the time. A sleigh ride can even be arranged which always wows the kids.
The owner assures that the gardens offer visual delights throughout the summer. The walk to the Lake is less than 1/10th of a mile and because the home has deeded rights renters may use the private association beach. The sand is squeaky clean and the water is crystal clear. Catch up on your reading, make castles, swim to the sand bar, float on a raft on a calm day or body surf when the waves are high. Kite flying, bocce ball, beach walks or just plain relaxing awaits you. Enjoy your dinner on the large back patio or take your coffee on the front deck. The spacious picket fenced yard is serene and peaceful.
Escape the ordinary. Find time to treat yourself to a vacation at this beautiful home.
Vacation Rental Features
- Amenities
- Air Conditioning
- Linens Provided
- Washer : stackable
- Dryer : stackable on main floor, large dryer in basement
- Garage : filled with beach toys and chairs, and a wagon to haul firewood to the beach for a bonfire.
- Off Street Parking
- Wood Fireplace : always plent of cut wood available for a roaring fire
- Beds
- King Bed
- Queen Bed
- Double Bed : actually a double futon in the loft
- Twin/Single Bed : this is the trundle in the loft
- Convertible Bed : single size/love seat pull out in family room
- Entertainment
- Cable/Satellite TV
- DVD
- Video Library : DVD's that is
- CD Player
- Stereo System
- Music Library
- Kitchen
- Full Kitchen
- Cooking Utensils Provided
- Refrigerator
- Dishwasher
- Microwave
- Outdoor Features
- Gas/Electric BBQ Grill
- Deck/Patio : front porch and back patio both
- Communications
- Telephone
- Free Long Distance
- Broadband Internet
- Other Amenities
- 2 Dryers, Private Indoor Hot Tub, Hardwood Floors, Beach and Yard Toys for Renters Use, Double Sized Steam Shower, Pull Out Sofa in Family Room, Additional Storage in Basement
- Suitability
- Kid Friendly
- Smoking Not Allowed
- Activities
- Golf
- Tennis
- Shopping
- Sailing
- Boating
- Jet Skiing
- Swimming
- Windsurfing
- Biking
- Cross Country Skiing
- Snowmobiling
- Fishing
- Antiquing
- Restaurants
- Hiking
- Fitness Center/Gym
- Other Activities
- Outlet Mall Shopping in Michigan City, Indiana Dunes State Park or National Lakeshore, Apple and Fruit Farm Picking, Biking Trails, Kayak and Canoe Rentals, Winery Tours, Art Galleries, Incredible Restaurants
Rate Details (In US Dollars)
Summer & holidays 2009: ...... $2700/week or $400/night
Shoulder season 2009 (Sep-Oct)..... $300/night ($2000/wk)
Winter 2009-2010: (Nov-Mar).......................... $250/night ($1500/wk)
(6% michigan ocupancy tax must be added to the rental amount)
1 day minimum rental off season, full week in summer
* Damage Deposit: $500 due at booking. 50% due 30d before, remainder 14d before
* Cleaning fee of $130 for the stay due prior to rental
Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.
Owner's Profile
Owner Description
Year Purchased: 1999
Mary Pat lives in Iowa with her husband Randy and is the proud mother of 5 children. They make a week in Union Pier their only summer vacation each year...they can't imagine going anywhere else. They spend Christmas with the extended family there, and sneak in as many fall and spring weekends as time allows between their work and childrens committments.
Why the Owner Chose Union Pier
Mary Pat grew up in South Bend, Indiana and every summer her family (all eleven of them) rented a home in the Union Pier area. These wonderful childhood memories led her to bring Randy up to Harbor County for a visit, secretly hoping he would feel the same way about it. By their third day, they were working with a realtor and found this dream home before the following summer. They will gladly pass on that name if the bug to buy bites you once you rent...
The Unique Benefits of this House
The family loves being away from strip malls and chain restaurants and exploring new and different venues each time they visit. They look forward to our bonfires on the beach, the afternoon beach bocce tournaments and early morning walks along the shore to find the treasures the water brought in. And seeing who wins the week long monopolgy game at the house is like the "extreme challenge". We love the area so much we bought a second home on the same block... now we can have our extended family members there at the same time yet have our privacy as well! Call if you want information on this home as well for a family reunion or larger group gathering.
Property Photos
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- Decks and gardens surround this charming home with its spacious 1/2 acre lot - Union Pier, Michigan Vacation Rental
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- Wide open spaces filled with light - Union Pier, Michigan Vacation Rental
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- A short walk down a quiet road to the private association beach - Union Pier, Michigan Vacation Rental
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- unwind in the sunny family room
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- the master bedroom has a california king platform bed and an attached bathroom
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- spacious private back deck for sunning or dining
Traveler Reviews (9)
Guestbook Comment
Guest: Vanessa_HAC113593
(Chicago, IL)
Date of Stay: 11/01/07
Review Submitted: 11/08/07
My husband and I spent nearly a week here in October of 2007 and loved it! We enjoyed fires in the big fireplace and cooked several meals in the well-equipped kitchen. There is also a very nice gas grill. The home is comfy and charming, the yard is big and beautiful, and the area is really cute. It was a short walk (less than five minutes door-to-sand at a slow pace) from the house to the homeowners beach. We had a great time and hope to return again.
Recommended for:
Wow!
Guest: Lifeisgood0401
(Worth, IL)
Date of Stay: 07/24/10
Review Submitted: 07/30/10
I rented this beautiful home for a family get-together, and I couldn't have chosen a better rental. This home is gorgeous! The many skylights and windows let lots of natural light in, and allow a great view of the surrounding yard. The interior is very nicely decorated in a casual, eclectic way. The beach is just a short walk away. Our only comment would be to upgrade the t.v. to something a little larger, or possibly put another t.v. in the living room. The t.v. in the family room was a little small for a group of six to watch a movie on. We would definitely rent again!
Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, age 55+, families with young children.
Annual Ladies' Retreat
Guest: Ladies from Kalamazoo
(Michigan)
Date of Stay: 03/18/10
Review Submitted: 03/26/10
From the moment we walked through the front door, we knew that we had found the PERFECT place to spend our annual girls' weekend!! The spacious, open floor plan was ideal for gathering to cook, tell stories, play games, laugh, and reminisce. The bedrooms were tastefully decorated and the beds were very comfortable. The large deck was a terrific place to spend a sunny, spring day. The hot tub was such a wonderful, added bonus after a long day of shopping the outlet malls or enjoying the casino. The hot tub was repaired and in perfect working order. The girls have already been commenting that this is where they want to spend next year's retreat! Thank you Mary Pat for sharing your home with us. And thank you & your husband for repairing the hot tub in time for our stay! We will definitely be back!!
Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with young children.
Beautiful Home
Guest: GardnerGirl
(Sycamore, IL)
Date of Stay: 08/08/09
Review Submitted: 08/18/09
My family just spent a full week at this home in Union Pier. It's absolutely lovely, peaceful, and the pictures don't begin to do it justice. The great room with huge harvest table was where we spent most of our time, but the family room in the back of the house was closed off with french doors for the TV watchers. Huge fenced yard, fabulous gardens...everything we had hoped the house would be. There was another review mentioning problems with the hot tub. We found the hot tub to heat up very well and quickly. It is older, and the jets are not as strong, but we enjoyed it none-the-less. The beach is a good couple of streets over from the house and not visible from the house, but we had no difficulty walking back and forth with small children. If you are planning to use the loft for adults, you may want to re-think that. It is only accessed by a very old ladder. Too hard for the adults in our party to get up and down. But for school age kids, or teens, it was just fine. Overall, we'd love to come back again and we had a wonderful, restful trip!!
Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, sightseeing, families with young children.
Birthday Away
Guest: Chicagogo
(Chicago, IL )
Date of Stay: 11/15/08
Review Submitted: 12/03/08
We thought the house was gorgeous. There was more than enough room to sleep 10 people (6 in double beds, 1on the futon, 1on the couch, 2 on the twin with the pull out bed) and we enjoyed grilling outside and cozying up to the fire. This is a great location if you are planning on doing a wine tour of the area, as we did. It was too cold to enjoy it, but the beach is only 2 blocks away, a 5 minute walk at most. The yard is huge and well-maintained. The house had everything we needed to cook with, which was great. The only negative was that the house is advertised as having a hot tub, as it does, but it doesn't work properly. We were able to use it, and we enjoyed it, but half of the jets don't work and the tub doesn't fill up all the way. This is mentioned a great deal once you get to the house, but not so much on the homeaway website. Another little thing, If you don't wash and dry the towels you used you get charged a hefty fee. Be warned: it takes a LONG time to dry anything in the dryer. Much longer than usual. We sat around on sunday waiting for towels to dry, not wanting to be charged!! Overall it was a fantastic experience though and we would love to come back. The owner was so kind and willing to accomomdate- she let us stay for just the one night and allowed us to bring my nephew, who just happens to be a pug. :-)
Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, pet owners, sightseeing, families with young children.
Guestbook Comment
Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 09/01/08
Review Submitted: 09/17/08
Absolutely loved this house. We had a one year old child with us; so we really appreciated the comforts of the home as well as the short walk to the beach. The owner thought of everything in furnishing this house. It's beautiful and very cozy (even on a rainy day).
Recommended for:
Women's Annual Get Together
Guest: Laura K
(Rogers Arkansas)
Date of Stay: 05/01/08
Review Submitted: 05/29/08
My college girlfriends and I (6 of us total) leave work and family behind one weekend every year to catch up. We travel from all parts of the country to get together so the location choice is very important. We've done Vegas...we've done Chicago..and everything inbetween. The first weekend in May of 2008 we spent in Union Pier and it is one of our favorite reunions yet! The description of the house was perfect. The open layout was just what a bunch of gals need to talk from any room in the place! The drive to/from OHare is not bad at all. The communities of Union Pier and nearby New Buffalo were so quaint. We walked to dinner at Timothy's on the corner and enjoyed an amazing meal. We also had great brunch food at Rosies and Thyme...both in New Buffalo. We went to the Round Barn winery and bought some sparkling wine and fruity liqueur to toast later that evening! The private beach is really a short walk away and simply amazing. It's a bit chilly in early May to take a dip, but we all reveled in several walks along the beach....definitely a highlight. The house is in great condition, and the few questions we had, the owners were available and wonderful to work with. We all would not only recommend this home to our friends and family, but we plan on coming back ourselves. Wonderful memories enabled by a picture perfect place to escape.
Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, families with young children.
Guestbook Comment
Guest: Kelly_HAC113564
(Not Specified)
Date of Stay: 11/01/07
Review Submitted: 11/08/07
We spent a long weekend at this wonderful home in Union Pier. This was the ideal home for our girls' weekend getaway. We enjoyed the big open areas where we could all gather to cook, talk, laugh and even dance to our favorite songs. The hot tub was a wonderful escape after a long day of shopping. The beds were very comfortable and the location was ideal. We started each morning with a walk along the beach which was about a block from the house. We had such a wonderful time that we didn't want to leave.
Recommended for:
Guestbook Comment
Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 09/01/06
Review Submitted: 09/18/06
Spent a wonderful weekend at this private, spacious, comfortable and charming cottage, set in the midst of a lovely English cottage garden. The home is on a quiet street with a gorgeous beach a short walk away. Very well equipped with all the comforts of home ... we loved it and are already planning our return trip!
Recommended for:
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Vacation Rentals by Owner Listing #99403
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