Alpena, Michigan
This is a gorgeous lakefront vacation rental home that is right on Lake Huron in Alpena, Michigan! It has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and sleeps 10. It has a large and gated yard for kids and dogs to play! The rental of the house also includes the use of 2 kayaks and the use of the boathouse on the property, so you can walk out the front door and immediately be in your boat and on the lake! Please note that a liability waiver must be signed before using the boathouse and/or the kayaks.
(1) Please note that the level of Lake Huron varies significantly. As such, the boat house may or may not be usable by boats depending upon the lake level. If you are interested in using the boat house for your boat, please contact us to discuss water levels and feasibility before making plans to use the boat house.
(2) The name, The Life Aquatic, derives from the property owner's passion for scuba diving as well as his love for Wes Anderson movies. :-)
(3) We have had several guests ask about boat rentals. We would suggest contacting Dodge Marine in Alpena if you are interested in boat rentals. They can be reached at 9 and 8 and 9 and 5 and 9 and 5 and 5 and 0 and 4 and 0. Please visit dodgemarine dot com / Boating-Rentals.html for more info.
(4) There is an exterior security camera at the property. There are no interior cameras though.
We have a wonderful local property manager that lives nearby and meets guests in person. After check-in, she is available to address any questions or issues as needed.
Alpena is a wonderful and rather affordable getaway to nature and water in northern Michigan! Downtown Alpena is approx. a 10 to 15 minute drive from the house, depending upon where you are going. It has a nice historic downtown area with some excellent restaurants and shops. The area is renowned for beaches, swimming, fishing, kayaking, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and exploring the beauty of nature in general!
Here are some additional details regarding local activities:
* Boat Rentals: We have had several guests ask about boat rentals in the Alpena area. We would suggest contacting Dodge Marine in Alpena if you are interested in boat rentals.
* Ice Fishing: Ice fishing is a popular winter sport in the area. Please visit www . icefishingalpena . com for more information on local ice fishing.
* Snowmobiling: There is a wonderful 70-mile snowmobiling trail runs from downtown Alpena to Cheboygan, and then continues either north to Mackinac City or south to Gaylord. Maps of this trail are available online.
Guests have access to the entire property, including the boathouse. The only thing that is off-limits to guests is the apartment that is attached to the boathouse.
There are a few other items that we should mention regarding this vacation rental property:
* The lake bottom in front of the house is rather mucky, so for swimming we recommend going to one of the nearby public beaches, which are less than a 10-minute drive from the house. (Right in front of the lake wall, the lake is also approx. 3 feet deep. PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH CHILDREN!)
* There is a separate small apartment on the property that is attached to the boathouse and is used by the property owner. At any time it is possible that the property owner may be staying in the boathouse apartment.
* The vacation house is pet-friendly and up to 2 dogs are permitted. Cats are not allowed. For other pets or more than 2 dogs, please discuss things with us first.
* The vacation home includes WiFi as well as cable television (via Spectrum).
There is a gated entrance (opened and closed by hand) that allows the large yard to be completely fenced in for kids and dogs.
* The house features a modern, large, and well-stocked kitchen with a gas range as well as a gorgeous view of of the lake while cooking.
* There are both indoor and outdoor dining tables for 6 people.
* The vacation home has a front loading washer and dryer in the downstairs bedroom. (The washer and dryer are in the bedroom closet.)
* There is a very nice fire ring with adirondack chairs for having wonderful bonfires and s'mores!
* Although not shown in the photos, there is a charcoal barbeque grill provided.
* The name of this vacation home, The Life Aquatic, derives from the property owner's passion for scuba diving as well as his love for Wes Anderson movies and is an allusion to the 2004 motion picture The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.
We would suggest that guests have their own vehicle.
Ok place to stay. We didn't get a chance to spend much time in the area and just slept at the house a few nights.
This is the 2nd time we've stayed at Life Aquatic and everything was great once again. As pet owners we like that the yard is completely fenced with a gate at the end of the driveway. We did get to see some beautiful fall colors until the rain came. We may be back again for another vacation in the Alpena area.
Great location, well stocked home. Sunrises and wildlife were spectacular!
Property with the fenced in yard was exactly what we wanted. Had a great vacation with our two dogs roaming and playing in the yard and swimming in the lake. Home was very well-kept and more spacious than I expected. Property manager was wonderful to deal with. Overall experience was excellent.
We had a lovely week. The house offered plenty of room for our party of 8, though we spent most of our time outside enjoying the kayaks, games, and sunrises. We enjoyed visiting the town of Alpena as well as Mackinac Island, lighthouses and the state parks for hikes and dark night adventures - BUG SPRAY for outdoor activities is a necessity!
Excellent location
Property manager Kathy gave us a tour and pointed out the amenities of the property. The house was clean, the beds were comfortable and the kitchen was well appointed. My only wish would be a check-in time earlier than 4:00 pm.
This property is absolutely beautiful. The inside of the house is very cute and beautiful. The property owner was nice enough to let me hold a small wedding in the backyard which turned out beautiful. There was great communication throughout the process when I had questions come up. During our stay we had an issue finding the circuit breaker and received a prompt call back from the property management after we called for help. Highly recommend staying here!!
My family and our pups rent for vacations 2-3 times a year for the last 15 years. This home was perfect for our family vacation. It was perfectly equipped! A/C was outstanding. The best yard of any property we rented for outdoor games, the pups to run free, and campfires. The view was great and close to things we needed.
The home is very nice with great views overlooking Squaw Bay. I would have given a rating of 5 but the ability to use the lake directly from the property needs improvement. A small Jon boat, a flat bottom canoe, or updated kayaks are needed for renters to get onto the lake. I attempted to rent a pontoon boat from Dodge Marine but they would not put one onto Lake Huron (even though Squaw Bay is quite shallow). Once the owners have a decent watercraft included with the rental this place will be a 5. The fenced yard is very pet friendly which was a nice plus.
We absolutely loved this place! The description was accurate and the location is lovely. Being right on the water was so relaxing and we were pleasantly surprised to find that a ramp made easy access from the backyard to the water for kayaking and swimming. Our little ones were able to play near the dock where there was some sandy area. Beyond that, it was a bit mucky, but the water is clear. We brought our own kayaks and paddleboards and this location is perfect. You can go a long way in water that is no deeper than 5 ', and there's not a tremendous current. We saw almost no boaters the whole week and had a lot of privacy. The house is well equipped. We had all the cooking gear we needed and it was better quality than a lot of vacation homes we've rented. The beds are comfy, nice linens, and the house has a good amount of space to spread out in. We will definitely be booking for next summer!
Loved the house and the property is perfect. Loved our week. Listing included kayaks, which had holes; bikes that have not been ridden in years and were unusable, and the boathouse can only be used by a shallow boat.
All around great property and we really enjoyed our time there.. Great for kids and dogs.
We were exceptionally please with this location. We had a brief, impromptu family reunion with my 95 yr. old father. It was a blessing to commune with family and nature. It was such a quiet, tranquil place and the house was immaculate for our needs. We will indeed be back!
House was fantastic. Views of Lake Huron were beautiful. Perfect little get away for my family (2 adults and 3 kids. 7yr, 5yr, 3mos) and our friend's family (2 adults and 2 kids, 2yr, 4mos). The beach and splash pad at the park 5 minutes up the road were a big hit for the kids.
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Includes taxes and fees