First of all, my friends and I (three couples in our mid-30s all friends from college) had a great time and enjoyed our time in Charlevoix staying at Stephanie’s place. That said, there were a few things that kept me from giving a 4 or 5 star rating.
Pros:
-pictures were very accurate/representative of the space
-basement was cozy and gave a full second living room and a larger bedroom + bath for separation if needed
-appliances are new/updated
-property is close to town and has a great outdoor area/backyard (ours was a winter stay sadly)
-bedrooms and beds were comfortable, plenty of blankets/pillows
-seamless streaming/television, two smart TVs with just about every app you could think of to log in with your accounts (and strong internet)
Cons:
-the back door coming in from the garage/driveway/breezeway had a doorknob that kept falling off and jamming/locking out the door. We reached out after a few days but unfortunately it was not to be fixed until after we left.
-while the property overall was clean and tidy, the jets in the bathtub were all moldy, which was a particular challenge in that one of the couples had a young child that required baths. Stephanie did send her cleaner over (which we appreciated), however we didn’t know she was coming and the bathroom was occupied so she couldn’t address.
-we had to make up our own beds and found some mold on some decorative pillows
-Our stay was the week between Christmas and New Years and there had been snow the day of our arrival and a few times over our stay resulting in about 4 inches of snow. The snow was not shoveled at any point during our stay which made it difficult to walk the dog and get in and out (especially as the street was plowed, blocking us in a bit). Someone was supposed to come by Saturday morning, but we checked out by 10 and no one had.
-The house was generally well appointed, but the kitchen less so. The few pots and pans that were there were pretty beat up and we actually ended up buying a new inexpensive pot as given the pandemic we had to rely on cooking more than carry out.
Overall while the location is prime (more so for summer) and we stayed during a prime week, the location was a bit overpriced for what you get given my experiences with other properties in other cities, especially considering the pros and cons above, but nothing that will spoil your trip or leave you disappointed. You just might not be raving about it when you get home.
