Lakefront! Lake Retreat Farm, Beautifully Furnished Home

We had a huge family reunion in Montana and it was great that we could all stay at one place. We enjoyed the house and the lake was beautiful.

We were disappointed that we were not allowed to use the trailer which Scott said we could use. We had planned for one family with two small children to stay there, but they had to sleep on the floor of their parents bedroom.

Also, it is very hard to tell which house is Scott's and the neighbors do not like people going down the drive past his house.

Overall we had a great time and appreciate that Scott let us use his house on the lake.

We had 11 people at this house and used it as our base for hiking in Glacier National Park. The house was perfect for our group! Lots private sleeping space and bathroom availability. The kitchen had all of the utensils and appliances to be able to cook for the large group. Having the lake right there was a plus. We hiked all day and came home to relax at the lake. There is also an awesome brewery right down the road which had amazing beer...Flathead Lake Brewery. We would definitely rent this house again!

There's always differences between expectations and reality - in this case most were very positive. The kitchen, for instance, is wonderful - it's well stocked and in the space of a few minutes i was able to unload groceries, find the equipment i needed, and get dinner going for ten people. The spaces for people to gather was a pleasant surprise, as there were more than i had anticipated and subsets of our group could gather in different places without bothering other people. Road noise was not an issue, despite comments from other guests. Neither were the chickens - they were actually a pleasant background sound.

The distance to the lake was a little dissappointing, but not a problem, and it was clearly explained in the description. Some of the decor seems a little eclectic, but that was more a factor of my tastes and preferences - it wasn't anything that really affected our stay. The number of spaces marked as not for guest use intially felt a little off-putting but after the second day, we barely noticed them.

The biggest (and most pleasant) surprise was Scott. Throughout the reservation process, he was helpful and during our stay he introduced himself (but it never felt as if he was hovering - more just being pleasant). At the end of our stay, we had a significant delay due to some unforseen issues and he was most gracious and helpful in adjusting our departure and coordinating with the incoming party. His kindness and understanding went above and beyond and we greatly appreciated his consideration.

There are two reviews that are at the end of all the reviews that are most accurate, I wish I would have paid more attention to those. The view is beautiful, but the property needs to be cleared of much junk and clutter. There is a "tent garage" with cars in it which I assume are the antique cars listed in the description. Under the deck is a pile of junk. Close to the lake is a dilapidated tree house with a few lawn chairs and a keep out sign. There is also a silver camper that looks like it is filled with junk next to the little tree fort. In the house, the paper said something about a fish pond in the wooded area, but it was pretty disgusting and looked dangerous. The advertised canoe and row boat are old and leaking. There was only one paddle board with a very short paddle that was available, but the owner and girlfriend came and got paddle boards for themselves out of the locked boat house while we were on the beach. They went out on the lake then put the boards back and locked the boat house. This was strange that they were actively using the propery since we had paid a lot of money to rent it. At one point the owner came down to the beach wearing only a towel while we were there with children. He was staying in a trailer on the property, so he was always around. Once we all came back from hiking and there were coasters under all the water bottles where the kids were staying downstairs. No one knew who put them there. Another time when we were down at the lake, a family member went to put the baby in the crib for a nap at the house, and there was someone upstairs in the kitchen. She saw them walk out onto the deck when she was coming up from the lower level inside. There are signs down at the beach that say "neighbors private property-do not pass". It seem that the neighbors are not too thrilled that the property is rented out. This plus signs all over the house that say "not for guest use" make you feel like an intruder rather than a customer. The house smells musty and here were no cleaning supplies. There are two areas where there are rugs/sheets hanging with the owners things behing them. Seems like it would be better to have a locked room or closet. The house got very hot during the day and night. We vacation in Motana often, and are used to cleaner and more private accommodations. The pictures are taken to where you don't see all the junk or the signs and rope on the beach. For the amount of money there are better options.

In short: My group of 15 had a great time, and Scott’s accommodations exceeded our expectations.

To explain: My wife and I were recently married about 2 miles up the road at the “Cherry Creek Retreat,” and we rented this cabin for the groomsmen coupled with Jane’s place for the bridesmaids. Whereas Teresa (The owner of Jane’s place) was very upset and discouraging of the bridal party, Scott was incredibly understanding and encouraging. The place is beautifully located about a 3 minute walk from the lake in a beautiful apple orchard. It was generously stocked with both bath towels and beach towels, and an outside BBQ to grill on. There were two refrigerators, lots of beds, paddle boards, a canoe, a bonfire pit, a lot of chairs for the water, and a basketball hoop to accommodate our fun group. It was amazing! And even more importantly, Scott was amazing!

As you may have noticed, I am highlighting how cool Scott was and is. This trip has highlighted the importance of having such a host. One of my guys knocked down the screen and broke one of the small wheels that were welded onto the bottom. Scott simply said, “It gets a lot of use. Don’t worry about it. I will fix it,” and promptly removed it and fixed it without mentioning it again or penalizing our security deposit. When Scott found out it was a bachelor party, he encouraged us to both have fun and be considerate to the neighbors. He even invited us to take paddleboards out to one of the local “Full Moon” parties on the lake.

To contrast: Our other host (Teresa; next door to this rental) threatened to cancel our accommodations the day of our guests’ arrival. She did not like the thought of a wedding party, no matter how responsible or professional we were. The morning after our arrival, she went in the house uninvited, and snooped around the rental with the claim that she had laundry to do. The girls had to walk on egg shells while they were there, and abided by all of the detailed rules of her place. After all was said and done, she cussed out my mother-in-law—refusing us our deposit even though the girls left it cleaner than when they found it. Though we received most of our deposit back with an apology while we were on our honeymoon, she still kept some of it claiming that there were more girls than what we paid for (not true).

To sum: Scott, you are awesome; keep up the great vibe that you have going for your guests! We really enjoyed the most memorable week of our lives at your place!