14 Reviews of Property 232681 in Saugatuck / Douglas, Michigan

This charming cottage was pretty much as advertised and provided comfortable accomodations for two (and, briefly, three of us) plus two small dogs. The two, one-car garages that will accommodate a 19-ft automobile were a plus because we brought a 1964 Cadillac that fit in the garage with several inches to spare. The location was very convenient to downtown Saugatuck (about a 10-minute walk), and the sunsets across Lake Kalamazoo were very nice. The Fall weather precluded much use of the deck, but we were able to use it a few times (the storage bin for the cushions was appreciated to keep them dry when it rained). The yard was in need of tending, but was finally mowed the day before we checked out. The outside lighting was difficult to figure out with the switches for various of the lights both unlabeled and in different parts of the house and basement -- it took a while to figure out what did what. It didn't help that some of the bulbs appeared to be burnt out, making it difficult to determine if a given switch actually controlled that fixture.

The beds were reasonably comfortable, although the king-sized bed creaked quite loudly from even the most modest movement (bad frame?). The two bathrooms were very useful when we had a weekend guest, and plenty of linens were present. While clean when we arrived, repeated outside excursions by ourselves and our dogs brought in the occasional dirt. The upright vacuuum is really optimized for carpeting or rugs and not the predominantly hardwood flooring in the house. A better vacuum for cleaning these floors would have been appreciated. Also, a swiffer was provided, but no pads were available --- these would have been useful, as well. The dishes in the kitchen were adequate, but were awkardly labeled in Chinglish as not microwave safe. So, some sort of microwaveable dishes/containers would have been useful because nothing in the kitchen (short of paper towels) could be used in the microwave. Some of the knives that were provided were absolutely unusable (the backside of the knives were nearly as sharp as the blade), and these should be discarded because they don't look worth the bother to sharpen. Some smaller glasses would also be useful (10/12 oz would be good).

The overall experience was good, and we'd definitely consider staying there again.

Let me preface this review by saying that we were looking for a budget friendly option as we are buying a house in the next few months. So I with that said, I knew there would be some sacrifices we'd have to make.

Pro's
- Location! Short walk to downtown.
- View of Kalamazoo River -- there are homes between you and the river but still visible.
- I could bring my cat!
- Interior of house was very clean.

Con's
- No central AC. There are AC units in each bedroom which keep them nice and cool, but the center of the home (kitchen, family room, etc) got quite warm.
- The king bed mattress is quite old and soft - bring your own pillows (glad we did).
- Shower in master bath dripped the entire time we were there so had to keep bathroom door closed so we didn't hear it
- Deck was nice. Furniture was not. Cushions were wet most of the time and dirty! Deck could really benefit from some new furniture (wish there was a table as we would have liked to eat out there)
- Kitchen tools were quite old and used. Knives were very dull and the pans were in need of updating.
- Some basic accoutrements would have been nice (e.g., soap in the shower, dish soap for hand washing dishes, a sponge, etc). In all fairness there were paper towel, toilet paper and trash bags available.

We enjoyed our stay but feel this house could stand for a little maintenance and sprucing up - it would go a long way in providing a more comfortable experience for guests.

We had a great time in Saugatuck and this house worked out just great for our group. We had a few couples all around 30 yrs old and 2 small dogs and we lived comfortably, well as comfortably as you can during a week of 100 degree heat lol. Great location a medium walk into downtown so we didn't have to pay for parking or get a cab. 2 garage spaces and plenty of driveway space for all our cars. The back porch worked out well for grilling a lot. Played cards around the big table, and liked the open living room/dinning room layout. The view of the water is nice but be aware it's not a waterfront property exactly. Not a big deal to us though. AC comes from 2 window units that did struggle to keep the house cool, l but like I said, 100 degrees during the 4th week so any other time I'm sure they do fine, lots of ceiling fans too. Plenty of linens and sheets provided. Beds and bathrooms good.
And overall Saugatuck is a great spot along Lake Michigan. Oval Beach is great and so is the State park on the north side. Dune rides are a must! Mermaids in town has amazing food for the price for dinner and Pumpernickel's for breakfast.
Overall I don't think you'll find a better house for in-town living at this price. Would definitely consider renting here again.

The house was very clean. Plenty of towels and storage space for a week. We could not get the bathroom door in the master bedroom to close all the way (sliding door), nor would the master bedroom door latch. The location near the lake is great, but the lawn care employees at the vacation rental office next door woke us up each morning with their lawnmowers and leaf blowers. They would blow any debris off their own driveway at the office every day before making the rounds to tend to their properties. They were usually on their way by 9 each day, so after that everything was fairly peaceful. Convenient location, as it is an easy 5-10 minute walk to town, but we will probably choose a spot that is a little more secluded and quiet next year.

We had a most wonderful time. 6 adults shared the cottage and had all the comforts we needed. There was plenty of room for all of us, the view was wonderful from the deck. There is no beach access. The kitchen was stocked with all needed utensils and pots and pans for us to cook our own meals. A gas grill was available which we used. Plenty of towels and linens. An ironing board but no iron. Oh well, we made do. We even were given a bottle of wine, which we enjoyed. Thank you for a wonderful stay. We would recommend staying here any time.

we came for a wedding. It was a wonderful place. There were 6 adults. Enough room for all of us. Great views, and everything we needed to be combortable. The Kitchen had everything we needed, a great grill outside, a great deck to hang out on, and a washing machine and dryer. We had a great time. We would recommend staying here. We would stay here again!!!!!!

We rented this house for my family for a three-day weekend and enjoyed it very much. The location is very nice as it's very near the lake and just a short walk to downtown. The bedrooms and living area were nice and spacious. The deck was a nice touch although we didn't get to use it as was previously mentioned, the cushions were wet and never dried from rain. The owner was very nice and accommodating.

There were a couple of things that the owner couldn't really control that were a bit of an inconvenience.

The biggest issue was the cleaning company didn't show up prior to our arrival. When we got there the beds were a mess, dirty towels in the shower, dishes in the sink, dirty carpet and sand all over the couches. We even had to scrub the refrigerator as something had been spilled in it from the prior renters. The owner did her best to get someone there but they never showed so we ended up purchasing our own cleaning supplies and doing the cleanup ourselves.

The other issue we had is somewhat minor and wouldn't affect everyone renting but we had problems getting our boat to and from the dock. I brought my 32' boat to the house and the lake (likely due to lake levels being low) was VERY shallow near the house. We were nearly touching bottom at the dock and had an extremely difficult time getting in and out of the slip as the boat was hitting bottom very often. It would have been great to know this could have been an issue ahead of time but I don't think there was any way the owner would have known. The dock itself was very nice and saved us some money not having to try to rent a slip downtown.

Overall, had the house been clean, I would have given this a 5 star rating even with the issues we had getting the boat in and out, but with the house being as dirty as it was and having to waste 3 or 4 hours cleaning it when we got there, I'm only giving it 4 stars.

WE HAD SO MUCH FUN IN THIS SPACIOUS, COMFORTABLE, LOVELY COTTAGE. THE PEOPLE WHO OWN IT ARE VERY ACCOMODATING, AND OUR FAMILY LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF OUR VISIT. THE OUTDOOR FURNITURE CUSHIONS WERE BROUGHT IN EACH EVENING, AND THUS WERE DRY FOR THE NEXT DAY.THEY BROUGHT US EXTRA WASHCLOTHS, AND ADJUSTED A COUPLE OF THINGS AS NEEDED. WONDERFUL, CONVENIENT HOME, WITH A LOVELY VIEW. (YOU MIGHT WANT TO BRING A PORTABLE BEACH UMBRELLA FOR THE DECK IN THE AFTERNOON).
THE MERMAID, THE GABLES, IDA REDS, AND PUMPERNICK"S IN SAUGATUCK ,AND THE BOWLING ALLEY IN DOUGLAS ALL HAD WONDERFUL FOOD.
KAYAKS ARE AVAILABLE IN DOUGLAS FOR A REASONABLE RATE, AND A QUIET SETTING.