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Remodeled cottage hidden yet close to City Park, the Lake and the Surf Ballroom!

Photo gallery for Remodeled cottage hidden yet close to City Park, the Lake and the Surf Ballroom!

A modern kitchen with white cabinets, a granite countertop, stainless steel appliances, and pendant lighting.
A modern kitchen with white cabinets, a stainless steel refrigerator, and a dining area with a dark wooden table and chairs.
A modern kitchen with granite countertops, a dining area with a table and chairs, and a bedroom with a bed and a window.
A modern kitchen with white cabinetry, a stainless steel refrigerator, granite countertops, and pendant lighting.
A room with a model ship on a shelf, a compass wall decoration, and framed artwork.

Reviews

9.2 out of 10
Wonderful

Highlights

  • Centrally-located
    You're never far from where you need to be with this convenient location.
  • Discover nearby landmarks
    Walk to City Beach Park

Popular amenities

  • Patio
  • Barbecue grill
  • Pet-friendly
  • Air-conditioning
  • Refrigerator
  • Internet

Explore the area

View in a map
Clear Lake, IA
  • Place, Clear Lake
    ‪2 min walk‬
  • Place, Surf Ballroom and Museum
    ‪3 min walk‬
  • Place, City Beach Park
    ‪10 min walk‬
  • Airport, Mason City, IA (MCW-Mason City Municipal)
    ‪5 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

3 bedrooms (sleeps 11)

Bedroom 1

1 Queen Bed

Bedroom 2

1 Single Bunk Bed

Bedroom 3

1 Queen Bed

Living Room

1 Double Futon

Living Room

1 Queen Bed

2 bathrooms

Bathroom 1

Toilet · Shower only

Bathroom 2

Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Deck or patio
Kitchen
Garden

Add dates for prices

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About the area

Clear Lake

Located in Clear Lake, this cottage is in the city centre and on a lake. Surf Ballroom and Museum and Clear Lake Fire Museum are cultural highlights, and some of the area's attractions include Maze and Meredith Willson Boyhood Home.
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Map
Clear Lake, IA

What's nearby

  • Clear Lake - 2 min walk - 0.2 km
  • Surf Ballroom and Museum - 3 min walk - 0.3 km
  • Clear Lake Fire Museum - 6 min walk - 0.6 km
  • Central Gardens of North Iowa - 8 min walk - 0.7 km
  • City Beach Park - 10 min walk - 0.8 km

Getting around

  • Mason City, IA (MCW-Mason City Municipal) - 6 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Casey's General Store - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪McDonald's - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪Culver's - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪Seven's 777 - ‬8 min walk
  • ‪PM Park - ‬8 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is Remodeled cottage hidden yet close to City Park, the Lake and the Surf Ballroom! pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows cats and dogs (limit 1 total) with a maximum weight of up to 9 kg per pet.

How much does it cost to stay at Remodeled cottage hidden yet close to City Park, the Lake and the Surf Ballroom!?

As of 13 Nov, 2026, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at Remodeled cottage hidden yet close to City Park, the Lake and the Surf Ballroom! on 15 Nov, 2026 start from S$1,067, including taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.

How much is parking at Remodeled cottage hidden yet close to City Park, the Lake and the Surf Ballroom!?

On-site parking is available at the property.

What time is check-in at Remodeled cottage hidden yet close to City Park, the Lake and the Surf Ballroom!?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Remodeled cottage hidden yet close to City Park, the Lake and the Surf Ballroom!?

Checkout is at 10:00 AM.

Where is Remodeled cottage hidden yet close to City Park, the Lake and the Surf Ballroom! located?

Located in the heart of Clear Lake, this cottage is within a 5-minute walk of Clear Lake and Surf Ballroom and Museum. Clear Lake Fire Museum and City Beach Park are also within 15 minutes.

Reviews

9.2

Wonderful

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. 15 out of 20 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 2 out of 20 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 20 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 20 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 20 reviews

9.6/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Check-in

9.6/10

Communication

9.2/10

Location

9.0/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
We had a great time and we will be back.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Worked well for a family get together. Had a great time.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
The home was wonderful. Very clean and great for a girls weekend. The distance to town is a definite benefit since there are a lot of fun shops and restaurants to enjoy.We would definitely stay again.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
This place was very cute and had lots of room and amenities. Would absolutely recommend! Host was very responsive.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

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

Close to Surf

We stayed for the Winter Dance Party and the location to the Surf Ballroom was excellent! The place was clean and stocked with everything we needed!
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

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

Love this place!

Great location and accommodations! Attention to detail is excellent. Owners are responsive and helpful. Already booked again!
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

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

Location, location

The best part about this property is the location - close to downtown, park & beach. Found it to be clean and comfortable. Appreciated amenities.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

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

Lovely stay during Horse Show in Mason City

A lovely, clean home close to all the best shopping, restaurants and of course Clear Lake. Sherri was a fantastic hostess, helping us work through some issues unrelated to the property or Venmo. Still laughing as yes, the cottage really is hidden!
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

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

Nice quiet hideaway

The place has an excellent layout with a great room which flows into the kitchen. The first floor master bedroom was great. The house was clean neat and uncluttered Highly recommend it
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

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

Home Away from Home

Very clean. Very comfortable. Everything we needed for the stay we wanted including a bucket and shovel for the beach 😁. Would definitely stay here again. Hosts responded quickly with great communication.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

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

Perfect little property - excellent location

This was our first time visiting Clear Lake as a family. This casita was perfect for us. Clean, cozy, and stocked with beach gear. We enjoyed the separate living areas and the basement’s washer and dryer. The hosts’ communication was excellent and everything was better than expected. One block away from the Surf ballroom and 4 blocks to the main beach and city park. We will hopefully be back in the future.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2022
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication
Disliked: Location, listing accuracy

Clear lake

House was clean - listing was not clear about size and location of basement bedrooms- pictures were a bit misleading
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 25 Aug, 2024
I am sorry you thought the pictures were misleading as they were taken with a standard iPhone setting and were not altered in any way. I will review the listing to see if there is anything we can do to improve the listing so there is no confusion for guests.
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication
One of your bar stools is not very stable Otherwise quite n8ce
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 1 Aug, 2025
Thank you for letting me know as this was the first time we have had that reported. We will look into it.
Verified review

8/10 Good

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

Great location for triathlon weekend

Stayed here for the local triathlon and the location/proximity to City Park, Beach, splash pad, playgrounds, restaurants and cafe was all perfect (3 min walk). This was a carriage house behind the main property which also appeared to be vacation rentals. Very quiet and I appreciated that the house had blackout curtains (a detail that seems to be hard to find in vacation rentals). Loved the check-in/security lock on the door – very easy to use. The house has been very nicely and thoughtfully remodeled. They've even stocked plenty of board games and yard games. Couple things that would make it perfection: We were disappointed to find that while there was a coffee machine, filters were not provided. Thankfully we had packed our own coffee grounds but couldn't have predicted what filters to bring so had to make a special trip back out to the store after checking in. The other surprise was communication about the living room futon – it's actually an air mattress. It worked out ok as I had my two young kids on it and it was a nice air mattress as far as they go with a built-in electric air pump. The biggest downside to it was that the sheet set included was the wrong size (too small) so I ended up having them use two flat sheets instead of a fitted sheet and flat sheet.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2025
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Check-in
Disliked: Location

Very hidden property.

Poor parking and long walk to get your things into the house. The property is behind another duplex and you must walk by the other house that is not very well kept and has a large barking dog with open windows in the house you walk by to get to the VRBO we stayed at. It’s not clear whose yard is whose and the owner of the dog clearly doesn’t clean up the dogs Poo therefore our toddle not only was our toddler frightened multiple times she couldn’t walk through the yard due to the dog mess. The cleanliness of the rental was so so - we had to sweep and wipe down the floor to feel comfortable letting our toddler play in the house. The forced insurance policy was annoying as well. We would not stay here again mainly due to the large dog and gross yard you you must pass to get to the house far behind the other rental house. You can’t see the VRBO from the street we thought we might have a peak a boo view of the lake based on the pictures that is not the case at all.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 25 Aug, 2024
We are sorry to hear about the issues with the pet from another nearby Airbnb that weekend. Other Airbnb guest were to pick up after their pet. We weren't aware they hadn't been controlling their dog until your review. We would have been happy to address it with the other neighbor if we had known and taken it up with them immediately. We have informed the cleaning crew that you didn't find the floor as pristine as it normally is, and to make sure to address this right away.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

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

A wonderful cottage in beautiful Clear Lake, Iowa

This sweet cottage was the perfect place for a reunion in Clear Lake with my family! It is tucked away behind a house in a downtown neighborhood of beautiful historic homes, all of which having lovely gardens and charming front porches. The cottage's location set back from the street and behind a house created a nice courtyard with a bit of a private feel, and we spent a lot of time out there on the patio, enjoying the beautiful trees, the squirrel "acrobatics," and the abundant bird life (including some kind of little owls that SCREECHED [just one occasion] and startled us all one evening!). As for the interior of the cottage, it was absolutely immaculate and extremely well appointed with everything we needed. The décor had a nice beachy theme, and the cottage was comfy and inviting. We had planned our reunion around the Clear Lake "Art Sail," and the cottage was close enough that we could walk to the City Park where it was being held, as well as to the City Beach, the Lady of the Lake paddleboat, and to all the great restaurants downtown (do NOT miss the Starboard Deli!). A public boat dock was just up the block from the cottage, and the Surf Ballroom and Farmer's Market were nearby. Sherri the host was very responsive to all of our questions, both before booking and during our stay, getting back to me often within minutes of my messaging her. Thank you, Sherri, for being a great host! I absolutely recommend the Hidden Cottage to anyone planning a stay in Clear Lake.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
It was a great place to stay. We had a great weekend. Would recommend.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
We couldn't have asked for a better host and place to stay! Sherri was quick to respond to questions or issues. Location was great, just a short walk to the Surf and to downtown, we hardly had to use our vehicles! The house is right on the bike loop around the lake too! Kitchen supplies were plentiful, as well as bathroom supplies. There were also a number of fans/heaters available. We had the best time with the games provided too! Would definitely recommend!
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2026
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2025
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