Cute Cottage on Arbutus Lake with Washer & Dryer, minutes to Traverse City

This was a cute cozy cabin not far from Arbutus lake. The property perfectly fit our family of 4 (two kids 15/11) The property owner provided 2 kayaks at the property but also had several at lake that were community property. The washer/dryer was so helpful. Despite a few hiccups (no trash bags, small leak during storm) that we experienced during our stay, Natalie was very accessible and made every attempt to fix the issue quickly and communicated along the way. We plan to stay again.

Great little spot on Arbutus. Perfect for our family of four plus dog. Washer and dryer was a HUGE plus!

The no-stars on the communications part was because none were necessary. Was a little farther from downtown Traverse City than I expected but the lakes/kayaks right there on the compound made up for it.

House was a good size for the 4 of us. We were not there much, but enjoyed the lake during the evenings. Beautiful lake, nice to have a couple kayaks to use. Kayaks are heavy and it is a bit of work to haul them down to the lake and back. The house next door had 2 large dogs that barked awhile we were out in the yard and were barking at the lake at others in the area. As well as a large dog from the neighbors was running loose and did not interact well with the group of dogs while everyone was on the beach. This which was a slight disruption while trying to enjoy our minimal time at the property.

The cottage was clean and very pleasant. You are maybe a couple hundred steps from the beach and steps to a nice playground for the kids.

Nice clean cozy place for a family vacation.

My husband and four kids ages 15, 14, 11 & 9 just returned from spending a week at this cottage and had the most wonderful time…so much so, we wanted to extend our visit! We knew the accommodations would be tighter with it being a smaller cottage, but the bunk/trundle worked perfectly for our three boys (including our tall 5’9 teenager!) and our daughter enjoyed having the pullout sofa to herself. :) The cottage was impeccably clean and had most everything we would have expected. The only things missing that might be helpful to a future guest would be tin foil and some food storage bags. Other than that, we found it to have all the basics we needed! While there are other neighbors in the association, aside from kids playing in the common area on the playground, it was surprisingly quiet and we found the permanent residents to be so incredibly friendly, welcoming and helpful. Having the lake and beach area less than a 2 minute walk down the quiet, private drive was so convenient and easy, and most of the time we had the beach to ourselves! The bass fishing was excellent as well, which my husband and boys loved. We had one minor issue with the washing machine and Natalie was very responsive and took care of it without any problems whatsoever. We absolutely fell in love with this little resort nestled on Arbutus and have already booked our trip for next summer. We can’t wait to come back!

The cabin is not situated on the waterfront at all. There is no view of the water whatsoever and you must walk down a hill to access the water. The listing assertion that the property is waterfront is not an accurate representation, the cabin is up a hill. The cabin is listed as sleeping 7 people. We went to the cabin with 3 people: me, my husband and 15 year old 5'8 son. It was impossible for our son to be comfortable in the bunk beds. The ceilings are very low overall, so the bunks are closer together than normal and the top one is very close to the ceiling. It feels like sleeping in a coffin. He could not lay flat without hitting the ends of the bed. In my opinion, this space would only work for people with small children. The kitchen table is up against a wall with a very narrow bench for seating and two chairs that are too big for the very small space. The table is also up against the fridge, which is essentially in the living room. The photos appear to be taken with a wide angle lens, so the whole living space appears much larger than it is in person. The fireplace is actually the size of hotel safe--not what it looks like in the photos. The cabin is cute and clean, but it is very small and there is no privacy. It is very much in a busy resort with cabins right next to you and young kids zipping around on ATVs. I would not book this cabin if you are looking for a low key, true waterfront experience. The listing says towels are provided. There are no beach towels, so you much bring those yourself. Also, there are no lounge chairs provided for the small yard, only adirondack style for the firepit and a pretty old, rickety picnic table for outdoor eating. When I reached out to tell the owner we felt we were oversold, she said she'd contact VRBO about a refund via text but when I followed up she instead referred my complaint to VRBO Legal. I told her my complaints--we left early and mentioned that my son was not feeling well which made his discomfort in the accommodation even worse. In the end, they refused any refund saying we left because my son was sick, which is untrue. We left because it was a very uncomfortable situation for us and not what we expected at all based on the listing. I hope this helps other families make a more informed choice. It was the first time we have rented from one of these sites where I genuinely felt the listing was an oversell and a big disappointment which ruined a precious week off for us.

This spotless cabin has everything you need for a great vacation. Walk to the shared beach and use the provided kayaks. Sit by the fire pit or watch a movie in the adorable living area. We loved this very clean pet friendly cabin. Hope to rent again next year.

This is a great place for anyone with children looking to get away from it all. Cabin is clean and well stocked, the owners were very easy to communicate with regarding any details. It is directly off the playground and just a couple of feet from a gorgeous sandy beach.