Cathead Bay Sand Castle sits on the shore of Lake Michigan and is in a private community on Cathead Bay. It is one of the best kept secrets of Northern Michigan. We are literally on the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula! The light house is five minutes away.
The house is surrounded by a nature preserve and sits at the foot of the Leelanau State Park Dunes. You can cross the road and take a hike up the dunes and usually you will have them all to your self, because the public has to park miles away and hike in to get to them.
The beach is pristine with fine, sugary sand and not rocky like the Grand Traverse Bay side can be and it is sandy as far out into the lake as you can walk. This beach seems almost tropical and you can walk the shore for miles, depending on how high the lake is. The lake height can vary greatly from year to year. If you head south you will end up, after the last house, in an area of protected lake shore that is also part of Leelanau State Park.
This house feels more like a colorful ocean beach house than a lake house and it is very cleverly designed. Closing the huge pocket doors between the Kitchen and Living Room creates a giant Master Suite, since the master bedroom w/full bath is off of the living room. At night there is great privacy from the other bedrooms which are towards the front of the house near the front sitting room.
There is another full bathroom in the hall near the two bedrooms that has a walk in tiled shower. The master bathroom has a large tub with shower.
The Bunkhouse next to the house has 1 bunk bed and a twin size bed, so this area can sleep 3. There is also a large sectional couch and TV in the bunkhouse. It is a big a hit with kids and also allows parents to get some quiet time. The Bunk house does NOT have a bathroom.
The bed sizes are as follows:
1st Bedroom in the main house MASTER -King bed, sleeps 2
2nd Bedroom-Queen bed, sleeps 2
3rd Bedroom-1 Twin size Bunk bed, sleeps 2 and 1 Twin bed, sleeps 1.
Total of 7 can sleep in the main house in beds.
Bunkhouse(Separate from house)
1 Bunk bed and one twin sleeps 3.
Bath #1: Full with walk in shower
Bath #2: Full with large tub/shower
All of the bedrooms look out to the dunes and the sitting room, kitchen and living room all have a great view of the lake. Every bedroom has a mirror.
The house has wifi and cable, with a tv in the living room of main house and one in the bunk house.
The town of Northport is about 15 minutes down the road and it has a great grocery store(Tom’s) and some restaurants and bars. You can be in Leland with the quaint shops of Fishtown and Suttons Bay with all of it’s shops and restaurants in 25-30 minutes. If gambling is your thing, there is the Leelanau Sands Casino in Peshawbestown, which is a little north of Sutton’s Bay. The “Big Town” of Traverse City is about forty five minutes south and so is Glen Arbor, home of our favorite coffee, Leelanau Coffee Roasters and for everything cherry there is Cherry Republic. The Leelanau Peninsula is home to several wineries that have tours.
The house faces west, so you will see some of the most amazing sunsets you have ever seen. At night there is no city light pollution so the sky is loaded with stars.
Whether you want to sit and relax all day by the beach, swim, go off exploring the many hiking trails in the area, check out the nearby towns, take a bike ride, hit the casino, plus so much more, we think you will be glad you chose Cathead Bay Sand Castle.
The deck has a table with seating for 8, two lounge chairs and a couple of other chairs..
Linens and towels provided. Please bring your own beach towels.
Their are extra blankets, but if you plan to stay in the bunkhouse during the cooler days at the beginning and end of summer, we recommend bringing sleeping bags or whatever you think you'd need.
Rates vary with the seasons. Summer weeks from late June to the end of August are Sat to Sat only. Plus Pet Fee, Cleaning Fee and Tax.
NO RVs ALLOWED ON THE PROPERTY.
PLEASE REPLACE ALL MOVED FURNITURE.
PLEASE CLEAN UP SAND IN THE HOUSE.
PLEASE READ OUR RULES AND POLICIES AND INFORM ALL MEMBERS OF YOUR GROUP. THEY WILL BE ENFORCED.