Lake Lovers Delight!

Caryn’s place is a dream! We had a quick overnight away and packed in so much. The home is exceptionally landscaped and maintained. Beach access was a quick 5 minute walk and opened up to a nice private cove. We had a lovely time relaxing by a fire and enjoyed the s’mores that Caryn provided. The linens were so fresh and clean and bed was super cozy. We went to Tosi’s for dinner and highly recommend it. This area of Michigan is truly a hidden gem with a lot to offer. We will for sure be staying at this home again :)

Very nice and clean home. Beautiful grounds and deck. There was also a large screened in room that was absolutely perfect! We liked St Joe and the area. The beach left a little to be desired. It was very rocky and rather small. Overall a great time and the owner was very nice and accomodating.

Caryn is a wonderful hostess, and went above and beyond to provide everything we needed for our time at the home. The residence is in immaculate condition and the outdoor entertaining areas are surrounded by green space! The gardening adds an extra special touch, especially with everything in bloom. We would stay again!

The house was wonderful. One of the cleanest, well-supplied rentals I have ever stayed in. We were all comfortable and refreshed during our two night stay. We are already talking about coming back next summer! The beach access around the corner was a nice addition. I wouldn't plan on it for your full beach experience - at least while we were there, the water levels were very high, the little beachfront there was was very rocky, and high seaweed levels meant we didn't want to go in. We drove 15 minutes to Warren Dunes to go to the beach there.

The property was very clean with ample towels, bath tissue, and toiletries provided. Only a 15 minute drive to downtown Saint Joseph so we felt we could get to shopping or restaurants easily if wanted, or be away from it all when wanted. The neighbors behind are a little close (and not very friendly), but the spacious front yard was very private and a great place for fires and making s’mores. The beach access is down a dune, so steep (as advertised). Most in our group handled it just fine, but a couple with physical limitations did not attempt it. Kids enjoyed passing time with the variety of games supplied. We had 3 generations at the cottage, and everyone was comfortable and had a great stay!

This was a beautiful property and we enjoyed it very much. Short walk to the beach and the dune on the beach was a hit with the kids. The owner was very responsive and helped us quite a bit. My only complaint would be that the owner seemed to keep a close eye on what we were up to stopping by for various reasons every day during our stay and staying around the property. I get it as you never know who you have in your personal home, but a little more privacy would have been nice. Overall though it was a really fantastic weekend.

Before our stay, I received a text from the host asking me to call her. She said the last group was “wild,” the police got called and she was afraid that her neighbors were going to complain about any noise. This was followed by a text informing me that she would be “stopping by” the house on the only full day of our rental to drop off “supplies” in the garage. The reason for the neighbors’ irritation became obvious upon arrival because the house is completely surrounded by adjacent houses and lacks any privacy when sitting on the deck. The host was at the property when the first guests arrived and made derogatory remarks about her neighbors. The Saturday of our rental, around 7:30pm, the host texted me to move our car so that she could access the garage, showed up to the property, and requested that we help her unload her vehicle that contained yard fertilizer. This interruption was followed by a text message to me in which unsubstantiated accusations were made against me and my guests that stated, “When stopped by to drop off yard chemicals in the garage I heard some loud hooting and hollering And I heard that you upset the neighbors by using the steps on their private property. This is not what you conveyed to me in our earlier correspondence how you behaved. You are putting [me] in a position of [losing] my permit Tone it down.” In reality, the alleged “hooting and hollering” was laughter from us playing games on the deck; something that should be expected when renting your home to 8 people who are together in a close area. The accusation that we “upset the neighbors” was equally puzzling. To access the beach there is an easement over a neighbor’s property that is clearly contentious because the host left an email on the counter prior to our arrival from a neighbor expressing his what seems like annoyance with people crossing the easement. At the beach two of the guests who are pregnant asked a different neighbor if they could use the stairs to get back to the top. We did not “use” the stairs without permission. We were also charged a fee for rust stains on the carpet which were clearly from the legs of the chair in the bedroom. They were framed as “lipstick” stains even though nobody was wearing lipstick nor does lipstick produce two perfect round equally distanced dots on the carpet exactly where chairs legs fall. Now instead of focusing on my upcoming wedding, I am writing this review and disputing erroneous damage charges.

This house is located in a beach neighborhood with walk to (what looks like) a community path to a dune that you can climb down to the beach. It’s a steep climb, but it didn’t bother us. We were the only ones there for the sunset which was great. The kids loved boulder there. Close to warren dunes and grand mere state park(we loved). Very close to public beach and downtown at Joseph. House very clean and other older, everything looked new and in good condition. My kids loved the fire pit and playing in the backyard! Overall great stay!

We had a wonderful time and Caryn was an exceptional host. Very warm and inviting.!

Wonderful area with lots of wineries, breweries, and distilleries. Outdoor options to hike, beach, and watch sunsets.