Boardman River Cabin

Photo gallery for Boardman River Cabin

A log cabin interior with a stone fireplace, leather sofas, a wooden coffee table, and a television.
A cozy cabin interior with wooden walls, two armchairs with cushions, a wooden bench, and a sign indicating 'Fiddleton Midnight'.
A wooden cabin with a front door, a brick entrance, and a large bush with pink flowers.
A wooden dining area with a table and benches, large windows, and a view of greenery outside.
A cozy cabin interior with a leather sofa, a piano, and large windows offering a snowy forest view.

Reviews

9.4 out of 10
Exceptional

Popular amenities

  • Hot tub on site
  • Dog-friendly
  • Barbecue grill
  • Air-conditioning
  • Refrigerator
  • Internet

Explore the area

View in a map
Traverse City, MI
  • Place, Forest Lakes
    ‪3 min drive‬
  • Place, Arbutus Lake
    ‪4 min drive‬
  • Place, Spider Lake
    ‪7 min drive‬
  • Airport, Traverse City, MI (TVC-Cherry Capital)
    ‪15 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

2 bedrooms (sleeps 8)

Bedroom #1

1 King Bed

Bedroom #2

1 King Bed

Common Space

3 King Beds and 1 Double Sofa Bed

2 bathrooms, 1 half bathroom

Bathroom 1

Toilet · Shower only

Bathroom 2

Toilet · Shower only

Half Bathroom 3

Toilet

Spaces

Kitchen

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About the area

Traverse City

Traverse City is home to this cabin. Shoppers can check out Front Street, while everyone can enjoy the natural beauty of Lake Michigan and Traverse City Beach. Centre Ice Arena and Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf are also worth visiting.
View more Cabin rentals in Traverse CityOpens in a new window
Map
Traverse City, MI

What's nearby

  • Forest Lakes - 3 min drive - 4.0 km
  • Arbutus Lake - 4 min drive - 5.1 km
  • beach near Barbeau Drive - 4 min drive - 5.1 km
  • beach near Arbutus Lake - 7 min drive - 6.9 km
  • Spider Lake - 7 min drive - 8.3 km

Getting around

  • Traverse City, MI (TVC-Cherry Capital) - 16 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Culver's - ‬13 min drive
  • ‪Burger King - ‬13 min drive
  • ‪McDonald's - ‬12 min drive
  • ‪J & S Hamburg - ‬10 min drive
  • ‪Peegeo's - ‬17 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is Boardman River Cabin pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows dogs (limit 2 total) with a maximum weight of up to 10 kg per pet.

What time is check-in at Boardman River Cabin?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Boardman River Cabin?

Checkout is at 10:00 AM.

Where is Boardman River Cabin located?

Situated in Traverse City, this cabin is 2.3 mi (3.7 km) from Forest Lakes and 2.5 mi (4.1 km) from Arbutus Lake. Spider Lake and Rennie Lake are also within 6 miles (10 km).

Reviews

9.4

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 18 out of 24 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 5 out of 24 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 24 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 24 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 24 reviews

9.8/10

Cleanliness

9.6/10

Check-in

8.8/10

Communication

10/10

Location

9.6/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Beautiful cabin and stretch of the Boardman River! Great for a family getaway with kids.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
This is a very nice house to stay at. Easy booking, great location, the property manager and owners are on it and check in to make sure everything is well. It was very clean, there’s tons of room, and the property is quite spacious for outdoor activities. I’ve stayed at other places around town and this takes the cake. Would love to come back in the winter.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Beautiful cabin with plenty of amenities. The host always replied very quickly to message. We had a great time!
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beautiful home with everything you need

The home and location are excellent. The location on the river is beautiful!
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2022
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Lovely weekend getaway

Very cozy cabin. Perfect for a smaller group. Lots of charm. Great location.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 28 Feb 2022
Kristen, we are so glad you enjoyed your stay!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beautiful property

Great location very clean. Easy check in. We had a wonderful time
Stayed 4 nights in May 2022
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Couple Retreat

This was our third visit to this cabin and we fully intend to return! It’s our private escape in the most serene atmosphere.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 28 May 2022
Meredith, we are so happy that you are a repeat guest and we look forward to hosting you again!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Boardman River Retreat

This is absolutely one of our favorite VRBO rentals. This was our second time at this gorgeous cabin and we intend to return. The cabin is beautiful and the atmosphere is so serene. Just what we needed for a re-charge!
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2021
Response from VrboOwner on 12 Jan 2022
We are so happy to hear you had another enjoyable visit at this beautiful home! We look forward to hosting you again!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Perfect amount of seclusion and peace with acces to TC if needed!

This perfectly fit our needs for a "decompression vacation". We were secluded enough and surrounded by the peacefully flowing river. Paired with the big wood burning fireplace left us with such a sense of relaxation, we felt rejuvenated enough to go back and face work after the weekend. Still didnt want to leave, but felt better after staying!
Stayed 2 nights in May 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 20 Jun 2025
Thank you so much for sharing this, Travis! We’re so glad the space gave you the peaceful reset you needed. Hope you can come back again when it’s time for another escape!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

So special

We loved our stay here and can’t wait to come back! Managed very well and the process was stress free. You can feel the warmth of family history throughout the home and such a happy place to make your own family memories. We will be back!
Stayed 8 nights in Jan 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 8 Apr 2025
Thank you for your wonderful feedback, Christine! We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed your stay and felt the warmth of the home. It would be a pleasure to host you again, and we look forward to welcoming you back!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Yearly Boardman Retreat Vacation

My husband and I make a trip up to this cabin at least once per year and it never disappoints. We enjoy the solitude and quiet away from the bustle of the city. We use the fireplace daily and sit in the living room just watching the river. We will be back soon!
Stayed 6 nights in Nov 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 29 Dec 2024
Thank you for sharing such a heartfelt review, Meredith! We’re thrilled to know our cabin continues to be your go-to escape for peace and quiet. We look forward to welcoming you back soon for more relaxing moments! :)
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful old style cabin retreat

We had a great stay. Cabin is in great shape for its age and very clean. The sulfur in the water smells funny but we just bought a couple jugs for drinking. The property is very relaxing and feels removed from the world. Occasional Kayakers cursing down the Boardman are fun to watch.
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 25 Oct 2023
Thank you so much for your kind review! We are thrilled to hear you enjoyed your time at our cabin. Thank you so much for your feedback on the faucet water. This often happens when the water softener is running low and needs a refresh! We have taken care of this so it should no longer have a major smell. We hope to host you again in the future!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Best rental yet!

This is definitely the coolest rental I've ever had. The house was beautiful and very clean. Such a cool property and house with the river wrapping all the way around. The hot tub was very clean and enjoyable. The steam shower was very nice also after completing the Iceman Race. I would definitely recommend this to others, especially in the summer time.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 29 Dec 2024
Thank you so much for your glowing review, Chris! We’re thrilled you enjoyed the house, hot tub, and steam shower—sounds like the perfect way to recover after the Iceman Race! We appreciate your recommendation and hope to host you again soon! 😊
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Mother + Sisters Weekend Away

As soon as we arrived to the property we were in awe of how quant and cozy the cabin was all tucked back in the woods by a river. We spent so much of the weekend sitting by the river and just enjoying the sounds of nature. The cabin was clean and had everything we needed. We left rejuvenated and ended up canceling plans to go into Traverse City so we could stay together in this special place. Thank you for this experience, we will definitely be back!
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 24 May 2022
Lindsey, we are so glad to hear that you enjoyed Boardman River Retreat! It is truly a magical place where one can unwind and enjoy nature. We hope to host you again!
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Spectacular setting

We truly enjoyed our stay. It is a unique log home on the Boardman River with a true “up north” feeling. The place was well equipped and decorated nicely. We were able to accommodate the water leak in the hallway. The autumn colors were beautiful. The weather was cold and rainy so we had numerous fires in the fireplace and many trips to the hot tub. We hope to be back
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2022
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, location, listing accuracy

Cabin on the river

My husband and I stayed for a long weekend. We absolutely loved the cabin and the privacy. We had some trouble figuring out the lock box for the key to the cabin and got no answer when we called for assistance. To be fair it was a Friday night at 8pm because of my work schedule. Once we finally got in it was absolutely beautiful. Would love to stay again!
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2021
Response from VrboOwner on 13 Dec 2021
We are sorry about the inconvenience but glad to hear you enjoyed your stay at this beautiful home. We look forward to hosting you again!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, location, listing accuracy
Disliked: Communication

Beautiful!

This place is so pretty! The air conditioning system is not the best so it got a little hot! On two occasions contractors showed up during our stay to work on the property and we were not notified which was disappointing. It was a little hard to get a hold of the property management. Overall, we did enjoy our stay. The cabin and location is worth the “cons”.
Stayed 4 nights in May 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 17 Jul 2023
Hey Julia! Thank you so much for the review! We are happy to report that we have been taking steps to make the AC better in this home! I am very sorry you were not able to get ahold of our team! We pride ourselves in clear communication, this that is inexcusable. We hope to host you again at our Boardman River Retreat to give you a perfect experinece!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Awesome place, smelly water.

This place is so awesome. It's tucked away at the back of a private driveway and surrounded by tress and a beautiful river. The interior is super quaint and cozy and the beds are very comfortable. The only thing we found wrong was that the water smelled like a perm. I was as little concerned about it but I read online that it's a safe bacteria that gets in well waters and can cause an odor. Apparently it can be treated easily but maybe the host was not aware of it and therefore hasn't done anything to remedy that. It may be fine when you get there. I'm just making you aware that this minor issue exists. I'd return!
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 25 Oct 2023
Thank you so much for your review Jeff! We are so excited to hear you enjoyed this cabin as much as we do! We have since added water softener to the water to help improve the water smell. Thank you for your feedback on that!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Getaway Cabin

My husband and I have stayed at this cabin several times and we absolutely LOVE it. The river view is unmatched and it is our favorite cabin to go for some much needed peace and quiet. A couple things we noted during our recent stay...nothing major, just worth noting. 1) The dishwasher was running continuously on our last day. We did our dishes by hand prior to that. My husband had to actually turn the breaker off because we were worried about permanently damaging it. 2) There was a lot more smoke coming from the fireplace than normal. The wood at the cabin was wet and did not burn well without smoke. Not sure if it may be time to clean the chimney? 3) The blinds in the master bedroom are broken so we had to just leave them closed the whole time. Again, all minor things. It is the best place we stay up north and look forward to coming back.
Stayed 6 nights in Dec 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 24 Jan 2023
Hi Meredith! Thank you so much for your feedback, it is greatly appreciated!! We have addressed the issues with the dishwasher and the fireplace, and are working on ways to ensure these issues do not occur again. New blinds for the master bedroom have been ordered and waiting for install! We are so happy we were able to host you and your husband, and we look forward to hosting you again in the future!
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, location, listing accuracy
Disliked: Communication

Return to the Boardman

We enjoyed a lovely week reconnecting with the Boardman after 75 years. Only issue was a very hot cabin on arrival and no easy way to cool it given the 88 °F temps. Called property management twice asking assistance but had to leave word. No one ever returned our calls during our week-long visit. No one at thr emergeny number on their recording had any record of our reservation or the property. Frustrating few hours on arrival. We had to drive into town to buy replacement batteries for the AC remote as the old ones were dead. Owner might want to replace the sreeens on a couple of doors. Very comfortable traditional log cabin with several generations of additions and upgrades. We traveled from southern Oregon for this special visit.
Stayed 6 nights in Oct 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 25 Oct 2023
Hey Paul, thank you so much for your feedback. We want to deeply apologize for the lack of response you received during your stay. We pride ourselves in quick communication and quality customer service, and that fell short for your stay. Please know we are taking serious steps in resolving this issue and we appreciate your feedback.
Verified review

2/10 Terrible

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, location
Disliked: Communication, listing accuracy
I have to leave 1 star simply because I have never had a host experience as bad as this one. Visiting during summer’s peak heat, I confirmed with the host beforehand that past A/C issues were fixed. However, the master bedroom’s air conditioning didn’t work when we arrived.Early in the week, milder weather made it tolerable, but as temperatures rose, I informed the host, noting our 3-year-old and 9-month-old were in that room. They claimed no prior complaints and said they’d fix it after we left. They also tried to blame it on user error and that the remote wasn't set properly. When asked, I emailed them a picture of the remote settings and they never responded back.By week’s end, with outdoor temperatures at over 90 degrees, the master became unlivable. With family in the other rooms, we moved the crib to the living room and our family had to sleep on the couches.After checkout, the host complained we left trash in the garage bins instead of dragging it 100 yards to the road, but “graciously” waived a 100 fee, citing the A/C issue as an excuse. When I explained the impact on our stay, they responded, “If your toddler’s comfort was a real concern, we would have encouraged you to use one of those rooms for their safety and comfort,” claiming an adjacent room’s A/C, behind a closed door, was supposed to cool the master.This gaslighting and refusal to take responsibility ruined our costly trip. I’ll never book or recommend Bayshore Vacations again.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 28 Sept 2025
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We take all guest concerns seriously and wanted to address the points you mentioned. After your stay, the master bedroom A/C was thoroughly inspected and confirmed to be fully operational. We regret that you experienced discomfort, but we can assure future guests that the unit is working as intended. Regarding the trash, we make every effort to remind guests during their stay about proper disposal, and we even have a flyer posted in the property with instructions. We appreciate your understanding that following these guidelines helps keep the property in great condition for all guests. We strive to provide a comfortable and enjoyable experience, and while we’re sorry your stay didn’t meet your expectations, we hope this clarifies the steps we take to maintain our property and assist guests.
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, communication, location
Disliked: Check-in
This property is gorgeous: secluded and situated right on the banks of the babbling Boardman River, with lots of yard space and fun outdoor amenities provided by the host. Despite feeling very peaceful and tucked away, the jaunt to Downtown Traverse City was super quick and easy. The decor inside is definitely quirky, but very charming and clearly designed to make the guest feel nestled in a cozy river cabin. We stayed for a weekend Bachelorette trip with 7 women, and it was the perfect place to get some time away, enjoy the outdoors, and explore all Traverse City has to offer. We did run into some issues during our stay with a number of things not quite as expected, but I worked with the host before, during, and after our stay and they appeared to be genuinely invested in communicating and making things right in the end. Just a heads up, some of our issues originated from the listing (at my time of booking) incorrectly appearing to advertise 5 king beds and a sleeper sofa. The host mentioned adjusting the listing in the future, but, just for clarity: the house actually has 3 king beds (all in bedrooms) and a futon located in a sunroom (don't plan on sleeping in!)
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 8 Aug 2025
Thank you for the amazing 10/10 rating! We are so glad you enjoyed your stay. You were a fantastic guest—communicative, respectful, and easy to host. We'd love to welcome you back anytime!
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 8 Apr 2025
Thank you, Brenda!
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