This is a fantastic property and owner. The house itself has a laid-back lake cabin feel, yet is equipped with amenities like AC, Smart TVs, two full size refrigerators, memory foam mattresses and a newer washer and dryer. There was plenty of space for our nine people (4 adults, 5 teenagers) so we weren’t on top of each other during a couple of rainy afternoons. We were concerned being on an island, we’d run out of household items or forget something, but the house is very well stocked – beach towels, soap, toilet paper etc, to save you if you run out.
The outdoor space is amazing. The beach is large for a lake property of this size, and the water entry is sandy, so no mud and weeds to walk into. The swimming dock is only a short swim from shore, but due to a drop off a short way out, is in deep enough water to jump and dive without concern. It has multiple nice, usable seating areas – the deck, the beach, fire pit and dock (Adirondack chairs and a propane fire feature). We used all of them on multiple occasions. You can catch an endless number of small fish from dock. The property is nicer than the pictures suggest – the lake actually runs into a shallow little lagoon on the side and back of the house, which adds a nice element, and you can walk back into the woods and into the interior of the island behind the house where we spotted some deer.
Its an easy dock for docking, and it’s a nice quiet part of the lake between Mark and Bear Island, good for kayaking and swimming, and its big and quiet enough to tube and ski. It’s a great location on the lake in that it offers reasonable access to anywhere you want to go via boat.
Eli is a phenomenal owner. He’s very responsive and he’s happy to spend time on the phone answering questions and explaining whatever you need to know. He’s absolutely committed to making sure your vacation goes well. We had an issue with our boat rental (not from Shep’s) and Eli actually hung out on the lake for a couple of hours after he’d finished cleaning the house so he could ferry us and our stuff to island while we waited for the marina to solve the issue.