BEAUTIFUL VIEWS & BEACH; ATTRACTIVE LAKE MICHIGAN COTTAGE; WONDERFUL VACATION

Wow, what a gorgeous house and a wonderful Lake Michigan Beach!

We decided to start our family tradition, now that our kids are all moved out of state and are having families of their own, to get together for 1 week a year and just be a family. I really don't know if we could have picked a nicer place with perfect amenities. Each family unit had their own bedroom and nobody had to trip over anyone else. I can’t stress enough how big this place is!

The kitchen was extremely well done and we didn’t take very long stocking it with what we brought. The dishes and silverware and glasses are all 1st rate. The pots/pans/coffee maker/toaster, etc., worked perfectly and were of a good quality to use. Even the kitchen knives were good and sharp.

We spent each day on the beach (yes, the 75 stairs could be an issue, but good planning went a long way) and each evening gathered around the dining table and the screened-in room, with some nights watching the Olympics on TV (very nice having a satellite feed for TV viewing). We spent 1 rainy day up at the sand dunes, buzzing around in rental dune buggies, and another rainy day at the golf course nearby. (There is also a great indoor water park at that resort).

One minor complaint would be what some refer to as the fruit flies (I believe they were just gnats), but anyway, they manage to get in through the screens and are a small annoyance, but some homemade remedies took care of them. One bit of advice is to keep the kitchen windows closed.

We also found the beds a bit small, since the bedrooms were so huge it would have been nice to sleep in a king-size bed, however, the linens were well cared for and clean and the beds were comfortable.

The owners were extremely attentive, giving us a heads up that a plumber was coming on one day, and checking on us on some of the other days. They always answered their phone for questions. The owners have created this wonderful place with well-thought out furniture, artwork, books, games, etc., and stocked it with all of the necessary tools in order for you to have an extremely relaxing vacation.

We are even now trying to coordinate our schedules for next year, as I don’t know that we want to ever go anywhere else.

The minute we walked in, we knew we had found a special place for our family reunion. The cottage, itself, is beautiful. One's eye immediately heads right on down the hall towards the open French doors, past the screened-in porch and onto the trees with the glimmer of Lake Michigan peeking through.

The kitchen is commodious and well-appointed. The shared living space includes the kitchen, the living room, the porch and on several days, the outside deck. The house is well-built and has been furnished in a way that is unusual in rentals. Everything is solid and loved and the house exudes these qualities right down to its foundation.

Cooking for a crowd is challenging, but with a kitchen that is as well thought out as this one is and that is filled with everything you need to create night after night of masterful meals, we enjoyed excellent food, great company and the wonderful Michigan nights. And, oh, the screened-in porch! We ate out there on the picnic table. We played cards and we talked and laughed.

Because there are four bedrooms, people also had their private spaces. The two upstairs bedrooms shared a bathroom. The main floor is large and is right next to another full bathroom with the laundry right down the hall. The fourth bedroom is in the basement but it doesn't feel like a basement because of the windows. There is also a pool table in another room that saw some action most nights. And this floor, too, has a full bath.

The steps down to the lake were daunting at first, but they soon became just part of what we did several times a day. And, we all came home more fit than when we arrived. There is also a heated outside shower that allowed us to wash off most of our accumulated sand before coming into the cottage.

All of these thoughtful touches along with the art found in the home are part of why we loved this cottage so much. We also appreciated the help the owners gave on the few occasions we needed it.

We feel so very fortunate to have found this lovely cabin and hope to return some day. We were truly sad to leave, but we leave with wonderful memories and a sense of having been somewhere most special.

This is the second year that we have rented this perfect vacation home. The vacation there was just as nice as last year. As others have noted, the pictures of the house do not do it justice - it is even nicer. This home is at least as well equiped as our own home. The Millers are very helpful and take great pains to maintain this home in the very best condition. There are too many activities available in the area to list. This i the best place that we have found during the 36 years that we have returned to the Montage - Whitehall area.