The Redbud Cottage--Beach & Quiet. Lake Sara Waterfront & Wood Fires.

The cabin was as advertised. The peace and calm was exactly what we needed during our visit. Our son was married that weekend so we needed.

Beautiful location on Lake Sara. Comfortable cottage, and outdoor seating.

Awesome place!

We love coming here every summer! A peaceful retreat on the lake.

We had a wonderful weekend at Redbud Cottage. The property is beautiful. Lots of outdoor seating on the back deck and down by the water, and lots of fun things to do! The kids enjoyed fishing, kayaking, jumping off the floating dock, and making s’mores by the fire. We loved that there was firewood and kindling ready to go. The house was cozy and beds were comfortable! We definitely plan to come stay again!

This place exceeded our expectations. The cottage is beautiful with a stunning waterfront view that made the experience, especially memorable. Everything was spotless throughout, thoughtfully designed and equipped with all the comforts of home. The beds were incredibly comfortable, and the host made every thing seamless by providing clear directions and helpful information throughout our stay. We had a wonderful time and would absolutely recommend the property to others.

We had a fantastic stay Redbud Cottage and really enjoyed the lake. It was beautiful to see the morning sunrise right off of the water. Our hosts were gracious and kind and provided good instructions.

This is our second time staying art this property we enjoy the layout and space. Kitchen is well stocked for our cooking needs. We love the privacy and quiet. The owner is easy to contact and responsive. The property does have some items needing updates and repairs. The outside is nice the guys loved the fishing and easy access. The outside is in need of quite a bit of up keep. Driveway is almost not noticeable because of over growth, and house number is hard to read. Maybe a leaf blower access for the outside would help all the furniture and deck were dirty and could use a clean. But all in all just suggestions its a great stay with a great view peaceful it wouldn't stop us from staying again

Perfect place to unplug and unwind ! Had everything we needed and more. Close enough to places to eat and shop but far enough out to feel like we had gotten away from the busy life for awhile . Went to Ballard nature center one morning . Beautiful trails for walking . Worth the 20 min drive !

Amazing rental!! Loved it so much. Will definitely be back!

Great property. We had a relaxing stay. It's kind of close to the neighbors, but also feels isolated. We would stay again if in the area.

Overall we do enjoy being there its a great place to just relax and enjoy the outdoors. The weather was perfect. The cottage does need some TLC, furniture in the main family room needs to be replaced. Beds are very comfortable. Outdoor grill needed some bolts to hold the lid on, brother fixed that. Windows outside need to be cleaned more often, cobwebs all over the place. Railings inside going upstairs are wobbly. Arcadia doors are hard to open and close. Just in general more maintenance neeeds to be done.

Dave's stay in Effingham has become our go-to for when our family gets together. There's plenty of space to not feel crammed and the patio is super nice to grill and be by the water. We ran into a few minor issues but nothing that took away from our stay.

The lake house is beautifully situated in a peaceful and serene area. It is modern and cozy with nice rustic features. A well layout place that felt larger inside with it's grand fireplace and cathedral ceilings. It also has an attached garage for your convenience. There were plenty of amenities that will provide hours of entertainment both inside and outside. Supply depots and restaurants are just 15 minutes out. The owners were very informative and responded to questions promptly. You couldn't ask for more a pleasant and accommodating host. We look forward to staying here again.

Everything was wonderful. The property clean and stocked with all we could need for our stay. Plenty for the kids to do outdoors as well as inside. The kayaks, firepit and fishing/boat dock made being outside in 60 degree weather comfy for the whole day. So much firewood. The hammock was nice and relaxing also!! We will be back again and again.

Great stay!

Everything was great!!!

We had the BEST home away from home stay at beautiful Redbud Cottage! Host David was so kind, and great to communicate with. He let us check in early, which we really appreciated getting to start our getaway a little earlier! The cottage is very clean, the kitchen updates are beautiful, elevated, and convenient- very easy to use! We slept in the master bedroom- bed was very comfortable! Our kids are older, but the cottage is thoughtfully set up for families with young children too (crib in master, stairs are safeguarded with paneling, things we would have appreciated when ours were younger). Lake views are stunning! March weather over our stay was not as outdoor friendly (we’ll have to come back to enjoy the kayaks and fires by the lake!), so we enjoyed cozy inside activities and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The book collection they have is fabulous and fun to peruse also! Can’t say enough great things about the hosts or the cottage. Every touch of home was here, we’re leaving with beautiful new memories made, and we appreciate it so much.

great house on the lake

This is our third (or fourth?!) time staying at the Red Bud Cottage. The peaceful lake and cozy fireplace keep us coming back! The beds are comfortable and David is always the most gracious and accommodating host. It won’t be our last visit for sure!

Everything as described, very cozy!!

The house was amazing! Everyone who stayed had nothing but good things to say when leaving. Definitely would love to come back sometime in the summer!

The fireplace was incredible and gave such a cozy feel in winter and the view of the lake is a thing of dreams. It is an incredibly relaxed and serene place to stay!

I have never rented with VRBO until this visit. There is no particular reason aside from that we have Wyndham, like to cruise and other random reasons. This was EXCELLENT! The cottage was exactly as described and the owner was very responsive with my questions. Everything was in good working order and had everything that would be needed for a stay. I would 100% rent this cottage again!

We enjoyed our stay, the home is very comfortable, great view and well located. The host was extremely responsive as well.

Oh it was just the perfect weekend!! The lake was so lovely and peaceful and the amenities were everything we needed. We had a BLAST here and hope to come again!!! 11/10!!

Such a great, relaxing stay! View from the wall of windows in the living room was stunning! Beds were comfortable and hosts were so helpful and responsive!

Wonderful house and even better setting on the lake with all the amenities that make it perfect. Just wish more fish would bite! Enjoyed the kitchen/fireplace and hanging by the lake-even enjoyed an outing on a kayak. Great place to restore our souls!

Loved it

Good information and communication with host. We also appreciated the nice kitchen complete with good cookware and utensils. Very nice!

We thoroughly enjoyed this property and the hosts were so kind and helpful. Beds are super comfortable and we had plenty of room to spread out and enjoy our little getaway. Super clean, too! The neighbors and their dogs are really sweet, too! We do plan to revisit Redbud Cottage again!

Redbud Cottage is a cozy and inviting place. Owners were so helpful and responsive. We had a lovely, relaxing weekend!

The best hosts ever! They are easy to contact and so accommodating. And what a beautiful location. We always go in the fall when the leaves are changing colors. We fish off the dock or sit and admire the view from the deck. In the evening we gather in the living room and light a fire in the stone fireplace. We love this place and go back every year.

Host was very responsive, had a good time on the lake

We had an incredibly accommodating stay at rosebud cottage! The location was perfect; right on the lake yet very quiet and peaceful. The cottage had everything we could need, specifically the easy access kayaks!

Beautiful clean home with high ceilings, right on the lake. Amazing book selection if interested. Kitchen is very well equipped. Kayaks are easily accessible right by the water.

Great home base for our fishing trip. Dock is a short easy walk from the house. Beds are comfortable. Kitchen was well stocked with dishes.

Very lovely location. Beautiful lake experience.

It was a great lake house, clean, calm and peaceful.

Incredible owners. They were very special people

David was a great host. The space catered to a large array of ages and was just what we needed. Right on Lake Sara with beautiful views and the ability to use their kayaks for exploring. Had a wonderful time and will book again.

Absolutely loved the house it was so convenient to everything and the lake was wonderful.

Great place! Charming cabin. Thank you

We had a really nice time at this property. There was pretty much everything you could think of. The lake was amazing and was perfect for boating and swimming. No scum or algae or weeds. The owner was VERY responsive to any questions I had.

Nice quiet location with many activities provided. Swimming items, fire pit, bicycles kayaks, canoe, life vests , sandy beach for swimming.

We always enjoy staying here. We've been coming every year for about five years. This is a great property on the lake with everything you need!

Great property with awesome access to water

This was our 5th time staying at the Redbud cottage and we never leave disappointed.. maybe tired but not unhappy lolWe always appreciate the space.. we have 5 kids and having a nice kitchen and big table that’s so accommodating to our size family is wonderful. We LOVE how big and open the windows are.. at night it adds to our spooky movies and we love waking up to the sun in the morning. All around beautiful setting. Every year we go we enjoy seeing the little additions they’ve made. This year it was tvs in the rooms which was never an issue for us as we spend most our time outside but was nice of them to add.All around our family of 7 ranging from age 7 to 17 really enjoy this get away with plenty to do for everyone. There’s even been times my dad joins Looking forward to our 6th visit

We had our sister get away(4 of us) . We had stayed there 10 years ago and really enjoyed it. One of our sisters sadly passed away in 2020, but we had lots of memories to talk about. We mostly played games on the deck or inside. The weather was perfect. The only negative is that there needs to be a shower pad in the upstairs bathroom. Very slick while taking a shower. The house was very nicely stocked with paper products and kitchen items .I would highly recommend the house. The owner was very nice and responsive to messages. We had a wonderful time! DG, CG, RC, KC.

3 night was perfect, and best fishing

House was nice great location. We definitely stay there again

The 4 of us life long friends picked this property for our annual fishing trip stay. Cozy house with all the amenities that we needed, the beds were comfortable. We didn’t spend much time in the house other than to eat and slept, except for the one evening that it rained. We spent most of the morning, afternoon and evening on the dock and at Newton Lake just fishing. We caught large mouth, crappie and bluegill right off the dock. I did venture through the woods to find a better fishing spot, which I wouldn’t recommend due to all the ticks I had to pull off of me. I did meet one of the owners, David, he was very friendly and helpful, we had a pleasant conversation.We did go into town for groceries, it was only a 15 minute drive to get to the Walmart. There are also several chain restaurants, gas stations and other businesses there. We also went to the downtown area of Effingham, specifically to the sports card shop but there are also a few antique shops, a few bar/restaurants, a museum, bike shop, barber shop, clothing store and other small local businesses.

Everything about this property was great! The charming house was stocked with everything we needed. We caught a lot of fish off the dock and the kayaks. The deck and dock were lovely to sit and watch the lake.

Wonderful location on the lake. It was a perfect spot to spend our family get away. The cottage was very comfortable. When we arrived it was a downpour, we appreciated being able to park in the garage. I would definitively stay here again!

Lovely quiet spot. Perfect for us. Owners next door were very gracious people

We pulled up to the house that was said to only have 1 house that you could see to find a whole neighborhood. At least 4 houses where in rock throwing distance. Upon entering the house, we realized it wasn’t as big as what it showed in the pictures. There was a massive table, sitting in the dining area, which took up the whole space. It was hard to sit at and play cards because it was really hard to reach to the center of the table. The kitchen cabinets have not been washed down in quite some time. The furniture in the living room was wore out really sunk in. There was throw pillows on the living room. Furniture couldn’t understand why they were smashed flat until we tried to sit at the kitchen table, and then we realized everybody was using them cushions to sit on because the chairs were so hard. Was really disappointed in this house. Attempted to watch a movie on the TV only to find out you had to have a passcode to get into anything on the TV except for the Connors. I didn’t rent a place to be in constant contact with the owners which by the way we’re staying in the house right beside the house. The mattresses on the bed were really high and for an older person. It’s just hard to get into none of the three beds were comfortable. The picture shows curtains on the windows. There was no curtains on the windows and you felt like you were being watched the whole time you were there. Not a very good experience.

Perfect cozy retreat for me and my husband, though it would have been fine to have our two pre-teen/teen kids with us. Sunrise on the lake and starry skies. The house was exceptionally clean. A nice cabin feel but with all the modern amenities you could want.

Property was maintained and enough room for 5 adults to move around, utilized the fireplace which was great since it was a rainy weekend beds are great and comfy does need to add more towels towels and wash clothes rrarainy

This house was very nice and had great amenities. The owners left wood for you to use both inside and down by the lake in a wheelbarrow. The bedrooms were very nice and the king beds made everyone's stay comfortable. The only problem was the bed upstairs was very, very high but other then that the property was very nice, great for fishing and the little beach area was very nice. Would definitely recommend and would stay here again.

Nice place

We stayed at the cottage for our daughter’s wedding weekend. The owners were amazing to work with & getting ready for the wedding on the property was perfect! We are so happy with our stay!

We enjoyed watching the ice form on the lake in February. We especially enjoyed reading by the fire! Great library!!

The Redbud Cottage was just perfect. The owners were very accommodating and helpful. The kitchen is well stocked and the beds are comfortable. The home is very clean. The lake views and sunrise were stunning.

Lovely lakeside cottage. I especially enjoyed perusing the many bookshelves full of wonderful books.

The home was decorated for the Christmas season and the kitchen has all the supplies we needed to cook for our entire family. Having the crib as well made it super nice to bring one less thing for some family members. The weather was yucky but at least we got to stay cozy next to the fireplace and enjoy the peacefulness. The only thing id mention is to recommend for the cleaners to double check all rooms to make sure there are no unwanted animals. We did have some surprise visitors that arrived before we got there but we were able to remove them and it didn't take away from our stay.

Perfect home away from home.We stayed for a work trip.Highly recommended!

This was our 3rd holiday visit. Just love the quiet and the house is great. Always decorated for the holiday. Great kitchen as well as we love to cook in while visiting. We will be back!

The fall colors were beautiful, weather perfect, peace and quiet + campfire priceless

We loved the property! Exactly what we were hoping for! We'll definitely book there again!

Our group of lifetime friends had an amazing, relaxing weekend at your property. Quiet location, beautiful setting, & and all the amenities. We're already discussing our return (before we even left). Thank you again!

We are 5 women who take yoga together and take a girl's trip every Fall. We love the view and enjoy having a fire down by the lake. The second bathroom is such a joy to have.This was our 2nd trip to Redbud and once we know our yoga schedule, we will book for next Fall.

This property is lovely. We book it every year for a long weekend trip. We go when the weather is cooler and we love using the beautiful fireplace every evening. We like fishing off the dock and watching the wildlife too. Other activities are available, too, for the younger generations. And the host is so easy to work with. Highly recommend!

Very nice waterfront cabin. We enjoyed fishing (caught some really big catfish) and some kayaking. Also played a couple of rounds of golf while we were there. Great library. I am 72 years old and had read at least 20 of those books when I younger and have reread several of those books later on in life. David was an excellent host. Thoroughly enjoyed the visit.

Two older couples spent three nights here. We really enjoyed the wonderful fireplace each evening. Very clean. First floor bedrooms are easily accessible. Upstairs there's a third bedroom with its own bathroom with shower. Very clean! Owner is very communicative. As older adults, the only downside are the couches in the living room. They're overstuffed and very difficult to get out of.

We booked last minute so there was a delay getting checked in, but that was all worked out fine. The property is very accommodating, with a garage, kayaks and life vests, and various yard games available. The dock is on a wide point so we had deep water all around and caught a lot of fish. We saw deer every day. We definitely hope to stay here again!

Overall we enjoyed our stay. Host was most accommodating.

Location proximity to the lake was great. Alot of fun things to do in Effingham.

Met friends who traveled about same distance as us for a week on Lake Sara. We enjoyed the peace and quiet and exploring the town. Nice restaurants.