500' to Torch Lake & the park- Walk to quaint Alden-Reduced Fall & Spring rates
- House
- Sleeps: 6
- Bedrooms: 3
- Bathrooms: 2
- Min Stay: 7 nights
House, 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, (Sleeps 6) Two story historic older Alden Victorian
Bedrooms
Bedroom 2
Bedroom 3
Bedroom 1
Two QUEEN size Beds. One is in the main floor "master" bedroom (has 24" flat screen TV), with a bath adjoining. A second QUEEN bed is in the larger upstairs bedroom (also has 24" flat screen TV), on the front of the home. The 2 TWIN beds are in the other upstairs bedroom, also on the front of the home. Guests have expressed that they prefer to use their own, so bedroom and kitchen linens and towels/washcloths and bathmats are NOT provided, but are available to rent --- please ask the owner for the costs which depends on number needed of QUEEN, TWIN, Towel sets (+wash cloth), Beach Towels, Kitchen Towel & cloth, and Bathmats
Amenities
Featured
- No Smoking
- Children Welcome
- TV
- Satellite or cable
- Internet
- Parking
- Heater
Bathrooms
- Bathrooms: 2
- Bathroom 2Toilet, showerUpstairs bath has 2 doors for access from both bedrooms.
- Bathroom 1Toilet, combination tub/showerDownstairs bath accessible from the kitchen & master bedroom
- 2 bathrooms - one upstairs with a shower, and one downstairs with a tub / shower combination. Guests have expressed that they prefer to use their own, so linens and towels and bathmats for the bathrooms and towels and dishcloths kitchen are not provided AND GUESTS BRING THEIR OWN. To keep the rental rate as low as possible, these are not included, but these can be made available to rent -- please ask the owner.
Safety features
- Deadbolt lock
- First aid kitFirst-aid kit in the linen closet in the first floor bathroom.
- Exterior lighting
- Fire extinguisherFire Extinguishers in the Kitchen and the first floor Bedroom
- Smoke detectorDeadbolts on front door and French doors in back. Window locks. Multiple smoke detectors. Exterior lighting in the front of the home.
- Carbon monoxide detectorOn both floors
Location Type
- LakeWe are 500' from Torch Lake & the access to Torch (& the Train Depot park). They can be seen from the home. Over the years, trees have grown between us and the lake & block some of the view.
General
- HeatingForced air furnace -- for the cooler nights in early and late summer.
- ParkingThere is parking space for 2 vehicles on the property in the area in front of the small fence at the side of the home. Also, one car can park in front of the home off the street. Room for a boat, too
- InternetFree secured WiFi
- Wireless InternetWifi via a Netgrear router and Charter cable. Starter toilet paper and paper towels.
- Iron & Board
- Hair Dryer
- Paper Towels
- Shampoo
- Toilet Paper
- Living RoomCouch and chairs for your comfort, and TV / DVD/VHS combination, if you or your children prefer that for entertainment.
Kitchen
- Refrigeratortop freezer.
- StoveNatural Gas
- OvenNatural Gas oven and 4-burner gas range
- MicrowaveCountertop microwave
- Grill
- Coffee MakerConventional drip-type coffee maker. Please remember to bring your coffee and any needed cream and sugar.
- Toaster2 slot toaster that is kept in the kitchen island cabinets
- Dishes & UtensilsAll that you will need for your stay. Plastic ware for young children, too. Wine and beer glasses for the adults, of course.
- KitchenCasual Island seating in the Kitchen area, and table seating in the accompanying dining area in this large kitchen / entry room. Please see "Bedroom details" re bringing or renting towels and linens
Dining
- Seating for 6 people
- Dining Room
- Dining Area
- Childs Highchair
- DiningFormal dining room when you want to enjoy dinner that way, including your guests. French doors lead to the backyard. This was the access in early 1900s to a 2-story addition where guest rooms were
Entertainment
- Television3 televisions, Charter Cable reception. 32" flat screen HD TV downstairs. 24" flat screen TV in downstairs master bedroom. Also 24" flat screen TV in the upstairs larger bedroom with the queen bed.
- Satellite/CableBasic Plus Charter HD cable service.
- StereoMulti-disc CD player and FM / AM radio in Dining Room with speakers in Living Room Also a single CD player and i-Pod player in the Living Room.
- DVD Playerfor the TV in the living room. Combination DVD and VHS player that has its separate remote.
- GamesSeveral board games for your relaxation - or to challenge you.
- Games for Kids
- ToysCheckers / Chess and several children and family board games provided.
- Video LibrarySeveral family / children oriented DVDs and VHS cassettes are available for your enjoyment.
Outside
- Kayak/Canoe4 nearby rentals as well as Pontoon and other boat rentals in Alden, Clam River and Torch River -- all just short drives
- BoatCan be rented at local marinas. Contact information in the VRBO listing or provided on request. Pontoon and other boat rentals in Alden, Clam River and Torch River -- all just short drives.
- Beach Chairs
- Porch/VerandaLarge from porch with a swing-for-2. Enjoy your glass of wine and the view of the lake and the park and beach-front deck in the historic train and depot park! Enjoy the sunsets & cool evenings there
- Deck/PatioSmall flagstone patio pathway outside the French Doors from the Dining Room
- Water Sports GearLife jackets provided. Also beach chairs.
- TennisTennis courts are in the village of Alden
- GolfSeveral courses nearby at Shanty Creek and around Traverse City and up to Charlevoix and Petoskey.
Suitability
- Long-term Renters Welcome
Notes
- Long and covered front porch - the old-fashioned type with a railing and a swing, High Speed WiFi (secured) or cable internet access to keep in touch with the outside world (please bring your connecting cable or you may borrow ours), enjoy our cable 32' HD TV. Also, if you do not have your laptop, there is WiFi internet access with available PCs at the local library (1/2 mile through town). Folding lawn and beach chairs are provided for your enjoyment in the yard and at the beaches.
Policies
Cancellation Policy
- 100% refund if you cancel at least 30 days before check-in.
- 50% refund (minus the service fee) if you cancel at least 14 days before check-in.
- No refund if you cancel less than 14 days before check-in.
Damage and Incidentals
You will be responsible for any damage to the rental property caused by you or your party during your stay.
House Rules
Children allowed - Very welcomed. Double lot/quiet street. Highchair.Very welcomed. Double lot/quiet street. Highchair.
No pets - 1 mature dog under 20#.$50 added rent;$50 cleaning1 mature dog under 20#.$50 added rent;$50 cleaning
No events
No smoking
Max guests: 6
Minimum age of primary renter: 25
- Will consider a pet: 1 mature dog under 20 pounds.Tell us about your pet-type, age and weight. Added rent of $50 & cleaning of $50. No cats.
- Children VERY welcomed; lots of room to play on the double lot. Home is on a quiet no-outlet quiet street. Highchair provided.
Cleaning practices
Cleaned with disinfectant
Check in and check out with no person-to-person contact
Property has guest safety measures
Map
Hosted by Rich and Karen Brown
Ask a questionAbout Rich and Karen Brown
Rich and Karen are just the third family to own this historic home. In the early 1900s, it was a guest house and even had a 2-story addition off the back to take summer visitors who would come to Alden by train from Chicago and along the west coast of Michigan. Its history is found in every room, including being preserved in those we've renovated and updated from what the Chapelle family originally built. We bought this as a family vacation home when our kids were young, and would make regular visits from 'downstate'. Now we still make regular visits (as do the adult 'kids' and now the grandkids!) and we are pleased to share the home with others.
Rich and Karen Brown purchased this House in 1984
Why Rich and Karen Brown chose Alden
Alden is an ideal get-away, a small town with features we've come to enjoy -- inviting shops, friendly shop owners and nature trails and Torch Lake shorelines to explore. The home, whose original rooms date to the 1870s, is a similar ideal get-away. We've treated 'her' gently during the over 30 years we've owned her, and know that our guests will do likewise.
What makes this House unique
Relax on the front-porch swing, and sip that wine (stemware provided) and enjoy. Watch those SUNSETS from your porch. Ceiling fans in all bedrooms and most other rooms will comfort when needed. Enjoy the selection of board games and DVDs; also bring your favorite CDs and DVDs. The fully-equipped kitchen is for your dine-in pleasures. Formal dinners (they are allowed and fun, even on vacation!) in the dining room and casual at the kitchen table. Please use the maps we've provided in your living room to decide what to do around Alden and the area. Wineries are particularly special, we thing, and the enternainment in Traverse and toward Shanty Creek and Charlevoix and Petoskey. For outdoor pleasures, walk along Spencer Creek or the Torch Lake shoreline. Or, hike the Indian Trails up Coy Mountain, whose path virtually begins at your doorstep, on Valley street. This 17-acre preserve (thanks to the Coy family) has a wonderful array of wildlife, bird species and several native wildflowers. Benches welcome you to rest along the one mile maintained trail. For local history, be sure to take in the Alden Depot and Park Museum. Located in the authentically restored Alden Depot, dating to 1908, this part of Alden's history (open Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend) features photographs and memorabilia recalling the community's past, including model trains and related items and many photographs of the area through the years. ENJOY all these reasons to be 'up North'. When other entertainment has been exhausted (that may not happen), TV may be your or your children's option of choice. Cable service is provided with basic 'network' channels. Work or emails calling you? That happens, we all know. High Speed WiFi internet is here for you. Or connect via Ethernet. If you did not bring your own connecting cable, please borrow ours.
- Languages:
- english, french