This cottage gave me such a wonderful little wave of nostalgia. It reminded me so much of the lake cottages my family stayed in when I was a kid in the ’90s in northern Wisconsin—the kind of place that isn’t trying to be fancy, it just feels comfortable, familiar, and exactly like a lake cottage should.I’ll admit I didn’t spend nearly as much time here as I probably should have! Most days I was running up and down the western Michigan coast with my cousin, so the cottage was mostly my place to come home, shower, sleep, make some breakfast in the morning, and head back out for another adventure. And for that, it was perfect.Nights were wonderfully quiet. Everyone around the property was very respectful of quiet hours, and after long days exploring, it was so nice to come back to a peaceful place and actually hear the sounds of the lake instead of a bunch of commotion.The Clarks were also incredibly responsive whenever I sent a text, which made everything easy and comfortable.There’s something about an older lake cottage that just feels like summer in the Midwest—the well-loved furniture, the water right outside, and that familiar “up north” feeling that takes you back a few decades. Cottage 5 definitely gave me a little bit of that childhood nostalgia, and I really enjoyed having it as my home base while I explored the area.