We did not know at the time of the booking, but we were lucky enough to be the first renters at this property. It is a very special place, the pictures do not do it justice. The cottage is comfortable, with all amenities you could need, but has a very rustic feeling. The dishes are beautiful, furniture comfortable and we loved browsing all the books that are piled up all around the house. There is a TV, but we did not even turn it on, there was plenty to keep us busy.
We spent most of the time outdoors, and there is a lot of space. Even though there are houses on both sides, you have a lot of privacy. There is plenty of green space for cartwheels and throwing football and playing soccer, or just relaxing in the hammock. The deck is spacious as well with comfortable furniture to lounge on, while enjoying the view of the lake. The best part is the lakefront, you have large dock on one side, with deep water for boats or swimming, small sandy beach on the other, and a rocky peninsula in between. Our kids had a blast swimming, skipping rocks, and otherwise playing in the water. They even found deposits of clay and made some creations to take home. My husband and I enjoyed sitting on the dock in the evening and sipping wine while taking in the views. The dock was also my favorite reading spot, even though there were plenty other options.
The owner was very welcoming and helpful and told us to call if we needed anything. He even made his kayaks available to us. It was one of our favorite activities, go on kayak rides in the morning and evening. We kayaked around the small islands nearby and along the shore. We watched the fish in the nearby nature preserve and observed a huge colony of gulls at sunset.
There is also a nice wooded trail for hiking about a mile away, just be ready to get your feet wet, as the area overall is very vet.
This was exactly what we were looking for for our family vacation. Thank you Steve for making your property available to us and for making us feel welcome!