My husband and I stayed at George's cottage for one week. The location was wonderful in terms of being able to walk right into town to get whatever we needed, beach access was right on the other side of the looped driveway, and the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail was only a few minutes away via bike. The cottage was impeccably clean and very comfortable. The kitchen was well-stocked, and the ability to do laundry and live 'the simple life' was a wonderful gift. We enjoyed the sunsets from both the beach AND right off the deck.
I rated the neighborhood four stars, and this is why: while we strictly adhered to the courtesy of 'no noise at an unreasonable hour' in consideration of the permanent residents on the road, two other houses filled with multiple families with children ranging from ages 1-10 years did not. This is not at all the fault of the cottage owners, but I wanted to include in my review that the master bedroom IS located right next to the neighbor's driveway, where we were woken up each morning between 7:30 am and 9:00 am to screaming children bouncing multiple basketballs. Across the street, the children visiting enjoyed honking the golf cart horn at all hours of the day and well into the evening. Perhaps we were unlucky on that front and it is normally quiet the rest of the year. I figured it was worth mentioning if someone is seeking a child-free trip.
George's cottage was a pleasure to stay in otherwise. My reason for rating communication at four stars was due to a woman slowly driving by the back of the house after a visit with the neighbor, stopping at the end of the driveway and loudly dragging the empty garbage pail down to the garage without so much as a knock or a hello. An email or text would have been appreciated, reminding us that the owner preferred the empty garbage pail pulled in by the garage. Everyone else on the road left their garbage out, and we accidentally overlooked this instruction, for which I apologize. Nobody wants to feel like they're being monitored while on vacation. We rightfully forgot to drag the garbage in, but this felt invasive and unnecessary. Hopefully, my review will be taken as constructive criticism for the benefit of future visitors.
Thank you for the use of your cottage. We made wonderful memories there, and it was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of our own lives (three children, five dogs, two businesses, etc) to enjoy some quality time together in the beauty of Glen Arbor.