Dave and MB take excellent care of their guests and the lodge. The house was spotless upon entry. All the décor in the house is beautiful, comfortable, and very thoughtfully put together – rustic elegance meets casual lakeside charm! There is plenty of room to spread out inside the house, the back deck gets lots of afternoon sun and fantastic sunsets for happy hour. Great East Lake is a clean, quiet, deep, lake that allows for everything from swimming to kayaking to wake boarding. The owners are well stocked on “toys” – plenty of kayaks, stand up paddle boards, basketballs/court games, SO many activities. The house is in a great location, there is a grocery store less than ten minutes away so you don’t have to bring EVERYTHING for the week, which was very helpful.
A few things to consider depending on your travel preferences – First there is only one shower in the house. There are two bathrooms, one downstairs that has a stall shower, and one upstairs that has a tub with no shower head (and all bedrooms are upstairs). The tub is great if you’re into tubs, or have kids, and it’s perfectly positioned for sunset views out the bathroom window. But for a house that can sleep ten, one shower might not be enough for some parties. Second, the outside of the house is NOT safe for very small children (toddlers and crawlers). The only outdoor space that is private to the lodge is the back deck, which has no fencing or strong natural barrier and drops down a steep slope into the lake (and/or down many steps to the private dock). The basketball court for the property is right in front of the lodge which is good for running around, but this is communal space. Elsewhere, there isn’t much soft “green” space for outdoor play. Regarding the communal aspect of the amenities, you are very close to the other cabins, one of which is occupied by the owners (who were not imposing, but innately with this set up there is going to be an element of feeling “supervised," or extra effort made to be a good guest - a benefit if you're the owner, which I can understand). The fire pit is shared, as is the clubhouse, and easy swim-entry ramp. I wouldn’t say this is a problem, but should be considered depending on your own expectations and desire for privacy. Overall, this is a good house for families with kids school aged and up, in a great spot on Great East.