Central Lake, Michigan
PLEASE NOTE: During peak season (Memorial Day to Labor Day), we rent weekly ONLY, (Saturday to Saturday).
Located in the private community of Benway Landing on the Chain, our lakefront French country cottage was designed by national award winning home designer, Robert Martignoni of Building Science Associates.
Nestled in the woods on a private road, the house is built on a slope and offers views of the lake from the large great room, the master bedroom, the screened porch and the sprawling deck. The floor to ceiling windows in the great room provide plenty of light and add to the spacious feel. The stone (wood burning) fireplace is the focal point in the great room and not only warms the room but provides a romantic ambience on those cold winter nights.
The home features natural pine floors throughout with porcelain tile in bathrooms and carpet in upstairs loft. The gourmet kitchen has a Jenn-Air gas stove with convection oven. New in 2023, we replaced the refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave with new KitchenAid appliances. We also replaced the original dark granite countertops with light, fresh, Cambria quartz countertops.. The new quartz looks beautiful with the painted custom cabinets. There is plenty of storage and all kitchen essentials are provided including a Cuisinart blender, Kitchen Aid mixer, dishes, glasses, serving trays and cookware. The eating area seats eight, with an adjoining enclosed screened porch that seats six to eight more guests.
The main level great room has just been updated with a 55" Smart TV (YouTubeTV), a Blu-Ray DVD player and a new sound bar.
The master bedroom has a queen size iron bed and a closet with drawers and hanging space. The adjoining master bathroom includes a granite vanity, Jacuzzi corner tub, stall shower and linen closet.
The guest bedroom has a full size bed and is next to the main bathroom which has a new quartz vanity and stall shower.
The loft upstairs sleeps five. There is a bunk bed (full bed below, twin above) and a trundle bed with two twin mattresses. There is a wonderful view of the lake from the loft.
The newly finished basement (the stated overall square footage includes the basement) has two bedrooms, a full bath, a wet bar/morning kitchen and a living area with a large 65" Smart TV and an electric fireplace. New in 2021 is the completed game room! The game room features a video arcade game (Pacman, Frogger, Donkey Kong and other "old school" games). The game room also has a foosball table, dart board, stereo equipment, flat screen TV and bar area. It's a fun room!
The first bedroom in the basement has a queen bed and a twin bed and the other bedroom has a queen bed. We also have a roll-a-way bed and a few cots.
The walk out patio provides additional outdoor seating at ground level with easy access to the boardwalk leading to the lake. The fire pit is conveniently located close to the walk out patio and there is an additional seating area across the flagstone path and another down by the lake. Enjoy the new outdoor pizza oven!
The expansive outdoor deck is approximately 10' x 30'. Enjoy the quiet and serene setting gazing at the lake and surrounding wooded areas. There is a gas grill, Adirondack chairs, and a large table with umbrella which seats six to eight. Guests thoroughly enjoy drinking their morning coffee as the sun comes up on this wonderful deck. Enjoy dinner and drinks in the evening!
Attention wildlife enthusiasts! The cottage is located on Benway Lake, which is among the 'Upper Chain of Lakes'. The lakes are perfect for kayaking and canoeing. Paddle through all six lakes on one trip or break this fabulous landscape into day trips. Either way, you are in for a unique kayaking or canoeing experience. We have two one-person kayaks and a canoe for your use, as well as life jackets. Enjoy wildlife such as loons, swans, ducks and turtles. Fish for bass, pike, walleye, and even trout and muskie! We also have a row boat available so if you'd like to bring your own boat motor you can easily attach it.
Please note: There is not a sandy beach at this property, but both Lake Michigan and Torch Lake beaches are just ten minutes away. We do not permit diving off the dock due to shallow water. However, the lake is fine for swimming, boating and fishing. The maximum depth of Benway Lake is 42'.
The best northern Michigan golf courses are all a short drive away: Bay Harbor, Shanty Creek, The Chief, Hawks Eye, Boyne Mountain, Boyne Highlands, A-Ga-Ming, Antrim Dells and Dunmaglas. The cottage is a great base location for golfer's who enjoy playing a different course each day. Local restaurants include The Blue Pelican in Central Lake, Shorts Brewery in Bellaire and Torch Lake Cafe in Eastport. Classic Pizza in downtown Central Lake has pizza and subs. And, believe it or not, the Central Lake BP gas station (Louie's) on M-88 also has great pizza (order fresh)!
The local grocery store in Central Lake has most everything you will need to cook at home and if not, the larger Family Fare market in Bellaire is a short drive away. There is also a grocery/ hardware store on US 31 just north of M-88 that has tasty fried chicken and ribs ready to go.
Renting a boat Contact Bedell's Crossing (231-544-8211) the upper chain of lakes. If you'd like to cruise Torch Lake, contact Northaire Resort (231-377-7764) or Torch Lake Pontoon Rentals (231-633-0149).
Keywords: Cottage, Lake House, Cabin; Benway; Upper Chair
We loved the different gathering places. Everything was beautiful and the home had everything we needed; even recycling.
Very comfortable and conducive for all family members. Even the teens were thoroughly entertained! Everyone discussed and would welcome a return visit…
Our hosts are always welcoming & responsive to any questions we might have. The home is lovely & centrally located for many activities.
We’ve stayed here several times and keep coming back because it’s a perfect fit for our crew of 6 adults and 3 kids. The home is beautiful and has several nice spaces for people to gather and relax. The kitchen has everything you’ll need for meals. It’s in a very quiet, private area, but still within a 20-30 min drive of everything. Highly recommend!
Margaret was so helpful and the property was great!
Overall a fantastic property with great amenities!
This is an outstanding house. Great amenities in a beautiful setting. We hated to leave as the fall colors were beautiful reflecting off the lake.
We loved this property. The decor was great and the kitchen had everything we needed. The host responded quickly to any questions we had.
House is nestled in the trees in a private setting with excellent views of the lake. The house decor is beautifully done. The owner responded immediately when an appliance stopped working. It’s definitely a great place to stay.
Very enjoyable. Most lights on path to lake did not work. Trolling motor did not work. Home clean and beautiful. We would recommend family and friends to stay here.
We just returned from a wonderful stay at the Benway Lake House. The home's interior is beautifully appointed and was very comfortable and spacious for our party of 7. The kitchen had every tool we needed for the many meals we created which included cooking in that pizza oven. What a blast! We used the kayaks and did a bit of fishing on the lake. We played a few rounds of golf and took a day trip out to Macinac Island. It was a very busy week but the best part was the serenity of this home and just relaxing! This is a very peaceful area to vacation and we couldn't have asked for a better place to stay. Margaret and Tom are great hosts and were very responsive to any questions that we had. We totally recommend this house!
We've stayed at this home several times and keep coming back because it's the perfect space for our family. We love listening to the loons and fishing on the chain of lakes. It's 30 min to Lake Michigan beaches in Charlevoix and Elk Rapids. The kids love the bunkbeds in the loft and the game room downstairs. The kitchen is clean and well appointed with everything we need for meal prep. And Margaret is wonderful and very responsive!
House was clean and comfortable for our group of 10. Lots of things for teens to do; lake, game room, fire pit and great areas to relax and get together as a large group. Owners were very helpful with a few minor issues, and they were also willing to FedEx a forgotten item to us. Highly recommend!!
This is a great property with great hosts. Thank you!
We had a group of 8 adults stay for my husband's 40th birthday. The house is beautiful and fully stocked. It was a perfect location considering we rented a boat for two days on Torch Lake, hit the Old Peninsula Wine Trail, checked out Short's brewery in Bellaire, and dined and shopped in the quaint town of Charlevoix. We enjoyed a pizza night with the recently added pizza oven. We also used the kayaks to explore Ben-Way Lake. Our nights were spent on the dock or relaxing around the fire pit. Margaret was so helpful with local recommendations and anything we needed. Our group loved this house! We would definitely book again!
Margaret and Tom, the owners, were incredibly helpful from the time we booked until we left. Margaret gave me recommendations on restaurants and places to go visit. She even called me and gave us instructions on how to use the pizza oven. Pizzas came out amazing by the way! This amazing house on Benway lake was the perfect family getaway. The whole house was in prestine shape. My 15 and 18 year old loved the game room and kayaks. The kitchen had everything you could ever need and the hosts supplied paper towels, toilet paper and soaps which was super helpful. The outside sitting areas were plentiful and the views were great and peaceful. We took day trips to Sleepy Bear dunes area and Traverse City, Charlevoix, Petrosky and spent a day at the wineries as well. I really couldn’t ask for a better house or host. Thank you Margaret and Tom!
Our family (11 people, ages 4-74) stayed here for a week in early June. Plenty of beds and space for all of us. The house itself and surrounding countryside were lovely. Views of the lake were great. We had one rainy day-the house was so cozy for reading/watching TV/playing games (everybody loved the game room). On the dry days, we enjoyed fishing from the dock, as well as taking the rowboat and kayaks out. We cooked on the campfire, grill, and in the kitchen (the kitchen had everything a cook could want). We wanted to use the pizza oven too, but were too busy running around northern Michigan! We made trips to Torch Lake, Charlevoix, Castle Farms, the Ironton Ferry, Peninsula beach in Boyne city, Petoskey, Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, and Traverse City (and still had lots of places we didn’t get to go! Passed through quaint towns everywhere!) We slept great every night-the Beds and pillows were very comfortable. The owners were so organized and responsive, just great people. Highly, highly recommend this rental.
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Includes taxes and fees