Charlevoix, Michigan
(*** Exciting information at the end of this description as to how you can extend your group size from 15 to 21 guests.)
Are you looking for a real Up North experience It does not get more authentic than a 3625 square foot log cabin in the middle of gorgeous, rolling hills, on 20 wooded acres in Charlevoix. Abbeys Up North is where it is at, and Xanadu is the name of the Log Cabin! Even though we call Xanadu a log cabin, with 5 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, two living rooms, two kitchens (so families can share helping in preparing food for the masses!), a huge loft, this home sleeps up to 15 with gracious space to spare. During the summer season, we also have a Queen Size bed on the back screened in porch (not listed as an additional sleeping area - it is just a bonus bed in case someone wants to sleep outside in the Up North fresh air!)
Always hopeful that the weather will cooperate for your holiday, but if it storms, this log home has 1700' of screened in wrap around metal roof porch meaning even a rainy day can bring magic. Imagine sitting on one of the two porch swings (big and soft enough to nap on) facing each other, while the screened in porch shelters you, and the rain thrums overhead. Off in the horizon, can you picture lightning lighting up the edge of the tree line, while thunder booms over the nearby lakes Right up there with waves rolling to shore, I love the sound of the rain falling on a metal roof!
Bring your boat, bring your trailers; our huge driveway and yard can accommodate your toys. Speaking of toys, we have board games and books for kiddos of all ages, so the whole family can sprawl companionably around the huge hearth in the living room. We’ll even provide the first load of wood for the fireplace. And there is the loft that also has a TV and a table to play games on that the kids for sure will love to escape to!
If you’d like to spend more time outside, there are 2 fire pits. One of them is overlooking the 40-year-old Evergreen Trees and woods that you can take a walk in and gather up fallen limbs and twigs for that marshmallow roast. The other one is located on the other side of the yard next to the small barn shaped shed.
Keep your eyes open for deer at sunset. You might also see fireflies, turkeys, eagles, fox and pheasant. Or if you’re really lucky, lounge out under the sky and watch for falling stars or better yet, the Northern Lights!
Barbeque dinner for your family on the charcoal grill, loll in the hammock under the pines, or relax in your private hot tub. You may even check out the locally famous, historic “Pappy” Haggerty family two-holer outhouse in the center of the back yard, (surrounded by rhubarb and lilacs) but we do hope you don’t actually use it. The outhouse, that is. By the way, rhubarb makes excellent pies so if in season, don't forget to bring grandma's rhubarb pie recipe!
Because we understand wanting to share an experience like this with as many of your loved ones as possible, we encourage you to bring your furry faced baby. Heck, they’re family, too, right
And let's not forget to talk about the size of this Log Home. The home itself has 3625 square foot interior space with that 1700' of wrap around screened in porches and 800' of open decks. That is right. You get this ENTIRE HOME, your own personal Hot Tub, your very own private Fire pit to roast marshmallows and an entire 20 acres that you can spread out on.
As you look at the pictures you will note that the first floor is decorated distinctly different from the rest of the log home. I used to live in this wonderful home and when I designed it, I intentionally made sure that I had an area set aside for my mother so, if necessary, she could come live with me. Making sure that she would have her own outside entrance yet also having an interior set of stairs allowing us to move freely between her apartment and my home would still give her a feeling of independence while providing her with the assurance that I was close by if needed! Regrettably my mother never had an opportunity to live with me in the ground floor apartment. But the upside is that this pretty pink vacant apartment was the impetus for me to get into the Vacation Rental business. And so began Abbeys Up North! :-)
We are located less than ten minutes away from downtown Charlevoix, 25 minutes to Petoskey and about 30 minutes from Boyne Mountain. There are publicly accessible boat launches on all the lakes, and a nearly endless list of beaches and parks. At your doorstep, you’ll find the Little Traverse Wheelway, recognized as one of the most beautifully paved bike paths in Michigan. The 23-mile Wheelway provides cyclists, inline skaters, walkers and joggers with a smooth path, incredible scenery and a safe, non-motorized link between three of the most popular resort towns in northern Michigan, Charlevoix, Petoskey and Harbor Springs.
We hope you have a fantastic and memorable time staying at Xanadu. Our family has been making memories here for three generations, and we’re so glad to offer you the opportunity to do the same.
If heading north as you are truly anticipating experiencing that real "UP NORTH" feel, Xanadu will not disappoint. It has all of the natural beauty of the vast wooded hills and rolling meadows that only 20 acres in Charlevoix the Beautiful can offer. Welcome to Abbeys Up North!
***HEADS UP. For the 2024 summer season, (June through October), we will be adding another apartment to Abbeys up North for a small additional charge. It is a complete 2nd floor apartment with an upper deck, another screened in hot tub, kitchen (so now a 3rd kitchen for families to help in preparing meals for the masses!!!), 1 full bath, 2 bedrooms both with Queen size beds and a pull out couch with a queen size bed sleeping a total of 6 guests. This unit is located above the huge 5 car garage expanding Xanadu's 3625' foot by another 1000 square ft bringing the total living space of Xanadu to 4625' ft. With this apartment, Abbeys will be able to accommodate a total of 21 guests in 7 bedrooms, and 4 1/2 baths! At the end of the pictures I have included some photos showing this unit. They will be titled Captain's Quarters (*CQ).
If you think that this is something that you might be interested in, please get in touch with me and I will be happy to provide more info regarding this addition.
BE ASSURED THAT IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO EXPAND YOUR RESERVATION TO THE CAPTAINS QUARTERS, THIS APARTMENT WILL REMAIN VACANT DURING YOUR STAY GUARANTEEING YOU OF TOTAL USE AND PRIVACY OF THIS PROPERTY WHILE RENTING ABBEYS UP NORTH!
we took our family of 9 including 2 children, one a baby to this log cabin retreat for the week between Christmas and New Years. There was no heat when we arrived and the heat never worked until the furnace repair man came midday the next day-the temperature was 60. We found firewood, but it was soaking wet, so we asked the agent to find us some, which she did. After bringing 2 space heaters and the dry wood, we tried making a fire- Smoke filled the room , even though the flu was open, and the smoke was proceeding up the chimney. A second attempt at a fire later on resulted in the same problem of volumes of smoke filling the home. There were 14 extension chords with numerous electrical appliances plugged in, including the dryer which never worked after 7 rounds. It was full of sheets when we arrived that I folded. The smoke alarms were disabled in the downstairs bedrooms leaving the wood home vulnerable to fire from all the open outlets and overloaded extension chords. The oven in the upstairs kitchen did not get very hot so we ended up making out dinner on the stove... Twin bunk beds were unmade when we arrived, but there were many blankets to use for warmth. The space heaters were fine for a small area but did nothing for the loft and after 3 days of rain and cold and smoke we decided we had had enough and all went home. I have rented many times before and rarely have complained, but this was a very bad situation for winter rental. A refund would be much appreciated.
Upon first arrival we we’re worried we did not have enough beds for the amount of people that it advertised. We did figure it out and also used our air mattress that we brought. My son loves sleeping outside on the queen bed in the screened porch! All in all it was a bit cluttered with nick nacks but it was cozy and we had a great time with our family!
I loved this stay . This house had ample room to accommodate our large family gathering. The hot tub on the patio was lovely, and we had pretty much everything that we needed. Host was very responsive. As well, we were five minutes from pickle ball courts and Lake Michigan beachfront.
This was a very nice property. It is out in the country so it takes a bit to get to Charlevoix. Overall it was a great experience.
We had a group of 14 stay here, house suited us very well! Everything was as listed! The “pink apartment” which is the basement was amazing for light sleepers as we did not hear a thing and with as many windows as there was, the light was not an issue in the morning! Table is amazing to have everyone sit around for game night! Hot tub was amazing and very clean! The only “downfall” if you even call it that, and suggestion I’d have to the owner is that there are SO many light switches in the house and if they could be labeled that would benefit guests so much! But we just played a game of figuring it out and that worked out fine too! Such a great rental!
Perfect for a large family of all age group!
While Rosie was very responsive, which we appreciated, we unfortunately walked into a disaster. The property had not been cleaned after the previous guests left, leaving us to wait outside on the patio for it to get partially cleaned. My family and I ended up having to help with the cleaning. The stairs to the basement were still getting finished, making it a hazard to go down, especially for kids. There is also a small apartment that is rented out above the garage. We were not made aware of the other rental until a few days before we checked in. More transparency about the other unit would have been appreciated. The property is beautiful and spacious, we are just disappointed that we couldn't have enjoyed it like we had hoped.
Our group of 11 (plus 2 dogs) stayed at this cabin during a weekend in July. The check in process was very easy and the cabin felt like a private oasis. The cabin is definitely an older style and some of the doors and screen windows can be sensitive, so make sure to be gentle with them and the porch swings. The open deck, fire pit, and hot tub were great amenities. The hot tub especially was amazing to relax in and worked well. This place is very dog friendly and the dogs had a great time running around in the back yard and woods. There were only very minor issues we dealt with throughout our stay here. I would recommend this to any of my friends or family and would definitely stay here again!
Owner communicated clearly, it was a beautiful place, and fit everyone comfortably.
The property and home were both very clean and comfortable. Our host was more then accommodating and would recommend anyone with a larger group of people to rent this house.
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Includes taxes and fees