We have rented several lakefront homes/cottages, and this was truly our favorite! The house was clean and comfortable - nice furniture and new carpeting. Plenty of room for us and our 4 kids, but may have been a little crowded with 8 or more if you get a couple days of rain. Two TV's with movies and video games to kept the kids happy in the evenings and on rainy days - we didn't hear "I'm bored" once. The nearby nature trails allowed the older kids freedom to explore and have some time to themselves.
The house had everything we needed - beach toys for the younger kids, kitchen utensils and flatware, lawn chairs, and two refrigerators eliminated the need for repeated trips to the store. It's obvious that the owners put a lot of effort into making sure we had everything - right down to the beach towels and the spare LP tank for the grill.
The location was perfect - 15 minutes to either Charlevoix or Boyne City, and perfect distance for a day trip to Mackinac Island or Traverse city. The lake is big enough that we didn't hear the constant droning of jet-ski's typical of smaller lakes.
If you have one, definitely bring your boat! Shoppers' docks at Charlevoix, and public slips at Boyne City allowed us to do most everything we needed to do from the water, without the need to deal with peak season traffic and parking. Plus so many other things to see and do on the boat - Lake Michigan, Oyster Bay, waterfront dining, sunsets - you can spend the entire week on the water.
The neighbors were welcoming, friendly, and very helpful. On our day of departure we had to pack up and hurry off ahead of an approaching storm, so we never had a chance to thank them, but they truly made the difference.