west olive, Michigan
Our HUGE BEACH is back again!! See the new photos
It’s paradise on earth. At least we have thought so for the last 40 years. Situated on a secluded, private drive halfway between Holland and Grand Haven, our cottage sits on a dune on the Lake Michigan beach in an area known as Port Sheldon. Sitting on one of our two decks, you look north and see the Port Sheldon pier, the inlet to Pigeon Lake. Looking far to the south, on a clear day you can see Big Red, the lighthouse at the Holland pier.
Looking down and west, you see nothing but sand and water, beachcombers and sun bathers, power boats, jet skis, sailboats. You name it.
And since the cottage is close to Pigeon Lake it’s a great place to bring a boat. There’s a huge DNR boat ramp for anything you can get on a trailer, and there’s a small public launching spot a little closer for small boats or jet skis. Both ramps on Pigeon Lake lie within a mile of the cottage. When the waves are too big on Lake Michigan, you can pull a water-skier or an inner tube on the calm waters of Pigeon Lake.
The cottage itself has two bedrooms, a sleeping loft, and a large bath. As you can see by the pictures, the kitchen, eating area, sitting area, and game room are actually all one large great room. It’s perfect for a family with children.
But when you’re there, you’ll want to be outside as much as possible. Perhaps you’ll enjoy the huge outside deck as much as we have. We already know you’ll love the private beach. And the neighbors won’t mind if you want to take a walk on the beach – you can walk up to Pigeon Lake.
When you want to venture further abroad, there are many other options available. There is a wonderful system of bike trails that will take you all the way to Holland and beyond or up to Grand Haven where you can enjoy one of the best breakfast nooks in all of West Michigan (we’d be happy to tell you where it is). We do it every year.
Or you could take a drive to the twice-weekly Farmer’s Market in Holland and stock up on some of the freshest produce our local farmers have to offer. Or if you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, a short drive up the street will bring you to our favorite blueberry farm where you can buy a quart or two -- or pick your own.
If you’re in Holland on a Thursday, you might want to check out the Holland Street Fair, or perhaps take in a play at the Hope College Summer Theatre.
Keywords: Summer home, beach house, beach home, lakefront house, lakefront home
This home was everything we hoped for and more. Such a beautiful place. The most well stocked kitchen I ever came across in renting. So peaceful and such nice neighbors. We would definitely go back.
This property is absolutely beautiful. Both the outdoor area and the private beach are exquisite. I was in awe of the view for my entire stay! The interior of the house is cozy, had all of the kitchen necessities, and was very clean. The a/c worked very well for my entire stay. The location is perfect, with a short drive to Holland or Grand Haven. Steven is extremely kind, quick to respond, and had great recommendations for the area. They provided comfortable chairs down by the beach which came in handy all week. Would absolutely want to come back!
Very clean and great deck, view and sandy beach.
Great
The house was cozy and clean. It had everything we could want and had a charm to it that was appropriate for it's location. But what impressed us the most was the location. We enjoyed a spectacular view of the lake in peace and quiet. Kids played on the private beach and swam. And when we wanted to go out to eat or do something fun, we had endless choices either straight north (Grand Haven) or straight south (Holland). Everywhere we went was literally a straight line north or south, 10-20 minutes away. Yet there was a great restaurant and a mini-mart within 3 minutes for when we felt really lazy. Lastly, owner was great at communicating with me and answering questions. Just an overall wonderful experience. Would do it again in a heartbeat.
The pictures don't do it justice. Walking in the door is like being hit in the face with the stunning lake view, and I could sit on the deck and stare at the water all day--in fact, there were days where we pretty much did just that. And the towns of Grand Haven and Holland, both about 20 minutes away, made for great dinner escapes. Owners were terrific to work with. We had to cancel at the last minute due to a COVID scare in our family, and they graciously agreed to keep the place open an extra week after the summer season ended so that we could reschedule our trip. Greatly appreciated!
Clean and cozy with a gorgeous view! Great location and quiet spot. We stayed with friends who also greatly enjoyed. We had dinner there every night and there was a great grill. Chairs for the beach were great! Only a couple of drawbacks. Despite the wonderful large bathroom, the shower is quite small and can be difficult if you are taller. For a week stay would have loved a washer and dryer. Also I really would have loved some more comfortable lounge chairs on the deck.
Just returned from a week stay and enjoyed every minute of it. Cottage had everything we needed and ate all but two meals at the house. Sandy Point Beach House restaurant is very close o the cottage and had a great dinner there. High water level made the beach access a little difficult but owner made us very aware of that at the time of booking. Went to Windsnest Park beach twice, very close to the cottage and then went to Olive Shores beach and Kirk Park beach. Owner of cottage was very responsive and was able to quickly answer any questions we had prior to the trip and once we were there all was good. Would not hesitate to return.
Our family of five enjoyed our stay. The cottage was just the right size for a cozy experience. The neighbors are friendly. High water levels and erosion is heart breaking, so beaches are suffering. Owners were great and communicated early and often with us.
Renting this beautiful cottage in West Olive, Michigan may have been the best decision I've made for my family in these pandemic times. We had a glorious week--paddleboarding on the bayou up in Grand Haven, hanging out on the beach, enjoying dinner from the grill on the deck, and watching the sunset from our perfect lookout spot above Lake Michigan every evening (the same spot where I drank my morning coffee and wrote). The cottage had everything we needed to comfortably and happily make all our own meals (visit the Holland farmer's market on Wed and Sat for fresh fish--the smoked spread is to die for!--and veggies), and as my 16yo noted: We're more socially distanced here than we are at home! The owners were friendly, helpful, and completely forthcoming about the fact that the shoreline was ravaged by 2020 winter storms and high waters in Lake Michigan. There are still 88 steep steps down to the water, but the remaining steps have been washed away, temporarily replaced by a step ladder and a knotted rope for rappelling down the final stretch to a beach that was just a few feet wide most days and lined by giant, erosion-stopping sandbags. We went down to the beach once or twice a day to hang out and swim and had the place to ourselves. If you have folks with mobility concerns in your party and the beach is a selling point, this might not be the place for you, but if you're game for a scramble up and down and don't mind chilly water, this could be your dream vacation. Our motto became Let's never go home--so you know our family's take on the matter. We will definitely be back! Thank you, Steve and all, for sharing your beautiful home away from home.
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