The good: We stayed the weekend to ski at Boyne Highlands. The location was great. We enjoyed the pool and hot tub, and the house has some good bones. It’s right on the lake, so in the summer, this would be beautiful. The owner was very friendly and nice to work with.
The ugly: We have a few reasons for our overall average rating. The house and decor are quite a bit more outdated than you can tell from the photos. The living room couches seem to be from 1980 and all seating is cloth, not leather or vinyl which might clean up better between guests. While they look surprisingly good for their age, it’s time for some new couches and chairs in a non-cloth covering! In hind sight we read through previous comments and many commented that the furniture is old. I would add to that, it appears unclear because presumably many, many have sat in this couch over the years. A leather couch and dining room seating would work better here.
We also struggled with some basics, there was just one 33 gal garbage bag for the weekend, no sponge to wash dishes, no laundry detergent, and only 4 towels that could be used for the pool (for a house that sleeps “9”). I would recommend adding a few amenities like this that might cost $10, but are absolutely expected when renting a house for the weekend at almost $1000, including fees. For our party of 8, we had to share pool towels! Also consider simple things, like putting in new hangars (they are all someone’s old dry cleaning hangars) - those will cost you about $10 from Walmart and getting rid of the family photos (they make you feel like you are staying in someone’s grandma’s house). Again, for this price point, the expectation is a level of quality. The house has great bones and would be top notch with the changes I recommended here.
Please seriously consider getting a large stack of white bath towels (the red ones in the upstairs bathroom with some discoloration are gross actually) and providing pool towels (or ask guests to bring their own).
Also consider leaving a snow shovel for the entry way. It got really icy due to a change in weather, and it would have been great to be able to clear the walkway.