Lakefront cottage on the north shore of Little Traverse Lake. Reviews, Deals & Photos 2025

Q: Is Lakefront cottage on the north shore of Little Traverse Lake. pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows dogs (limit 2 total). Some restrictions may apply, so please contact the property for more details.

Q: Where is Lakefront cottage on the north shore of Little Traverse Lake. located?

Located on a lake, this slopeside vacation home offers ski-in/ski-out access in Cedar within 2 mi (3 km) of Little Traverse Lake and Lake Michigan and close to winter sports such as cross-country skiing and sledding. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is 2.1 mi (3.4 km) away.

10/10 Excellent

Tom M.

25 June 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Little Traverse Lake Getaway

The cabin worked very well for our family. I love the area and would go back again.

Stayed 6 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Marcy G.

10 July 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Family Gathering

Excellent location and accommodations. We had a great time. Would definitely rent again.

Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023

6/10 Okay

Linda B.

13 July 2023

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Disliked: Cleanliness

Beautiful setting.

The location is great on a beautiful lake. Nice owners and great to have kayak and canoe. House needs TLC and a deep cleaning.

Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Genaveve O.

20 August 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great lake house

We stayed here as a group of friends and the house was perfect for our group. Close to biking and boating and not too far from downtown traverse city. We swam in the lake and all showered off with no issues of swimmers rash. House had plenty of space for all of us and a beautiful yard. Would stay here again.

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

6/10 Okay

Keith P.

9 July 2024

Liked: Check-in, location

Great location, dated cottage

The cottage sits on a beautiful lake and is close to Lake Mi and Sleeping Bear Dunes. The cottage needs updating, repairs and deep cleaning. Although listed as 2+ bathrooms there are only 2 toilets/ showers. The loft bedroom gets really warm with no central air. Misc issues like very noisy neighbors, ants in the kitchen, broken screen door, very old carpet and swimmers itch in the lake.

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2024

8/10 Good

Tim H.

4 September 2023

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Quick trip on Little Traverse Lake

Been vacationing in Glen Arbor area for several years. Loved this location. Quiet portion of the lake while getting to enjoy the entire day of afternoon sun on the southerly facing lot. Take it with a grain of salt but my and I can be a bit picky. As others have said, this place could use a thorough cleaning. We managed for a 2 night stay but I think if we had stayed a week - we would’ve found it difficult to settle in. Limited in A/C availability, no access to on-site laundry and carpet throughout in a pet-friendly unit. Overall, great time and I think we’d stay again. Host was very responsive and polite.

Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Amy L.

18 July 2024

Liked: Check-in, communication, location

Daughters wedding

I booked the property for myself and my children and grandkids, along with my husband. We had children from 2–11, and several adults. I booked it for the location and being on a lake. My daughter got married in Suttons Bay on the 15th. The property (lake and exterior) was amazing and just perfect. The layout of the house itself was awesome, but extremely outdated, and dingy. There was no AC and 3 fans at the home. The ventilation was terrible and the 3rd level had no windows and had a funky smell.the bathrooms were not in good shape with little light.along with the main bath tub being so old the fixtures were decayed to the point of being broken. Please change the listing saying recently updated, because it wasn’t. Overall, we enjoyed the property and was semi close to everywhere we needed to be. The kitchen was large but did lack essentials for cooking- vegetable peeler, measuring cups, or a big frying pan to cook for a large amount of people. The lake was peaceful and so beautiful- the kids had a blast!! Thank you for allowing us to stay. Definitely a place we would revisit, but hopefully a bit more updated next time.

Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2024

6/10 Okay

Lisa C.

8 July 2024

Liked: Check-in, location

Disliked: Cleanliness, communication, listing accuracy

VERY misleading listing

“Recently Updated” is now our term for anything totally janky, filthy and broken and extremely overpriced, because we did not see one single thing about this property that had been updated since the 1980’s at the latest. We’ve been staying in this area for 25 years and are used to lake cabins. But this was worse than properties that are half the price Filthy moth-eaten and badly stained carpet. Holes in all the screen doors letting lots of bugs in: mosquitoes, biting flies, spiders and ticks. More than half of the windows dont open and close because cranks are missing so there was no way to create a cross breeze which is critical in a house with no A/C. Stove took 45 minutes on high to heat water and water never boiled. No access to the washer and dryer No kitchen towels No measuring cups No can opener Filthy oven mitts with dried food all over them. Every dish was filthy and required washing before using. No kitchen towels and the owner said his daughter would bring some but she never did. He told us we should just use one of our bath towels to dry the dishes. We ended up going out and buying several more fans as well as kitchen towels and a can opener. Sliding doors are ancient and warped and won’t stay on their tracks or lock securely. Upstairs “bedroom” has no ventilation and was way too hot to sleep in even in mild weather. Such a shame that this once beautiful home has been left to fall into such disrepair. It is a gorgeous setting.

Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2024

6/10 Okay

Billy J.

19 August 2022

Liked: Check-in, communication, location

Disliked: Cleanliness, listing accuracy

Not Quite As It Seems

Pros: The location of the property is perfect. Equidistant from Leland and Glen Arbor. Very close to the dunes and across the lake from the beautiful M-22. Having a large kitchen for our two families was crucial and this place delivered in that respect. Owner (Craig) was responsive and pleasant. Also, we didn’t experience any swimmers itch (which this lake is known for on occasion). Lastly, the WiFi and cable was helpful for when we got crummy weather our last full day of our trip. Cons: The amount of live and dead mosquitos on the inside of the property was astounding. Apparently the cleaning crew missed the dozens of dead mosquitos on the window sill when cleaning. The first night our kids’ faces got obliterated with mosquito bites. I know it’s up north and bugs are to be expected but it seemed a tad excessive. The pictures on the posting don’t even come close to accurately capturing the condition of the property. The patio was overrun with weeds, the front yard facing the lake was about ten feet wide of cut grass surrounded by much lengthier grass on the edges. The pictures make it look like a baseball field but it is quite overgrown and not what we had hoped. Im confident the pictures of the outside of the property in the listing are 10+ years old. The new Firepit (not pictured in the posting) is a raised slab with a portable Firepit on top. It unfortunately happens to be situated in the lengthier grass section of the yard. The posting says that it is 2.5 baths. It has two toilets and two showers. Never found the 3rd toilet. Guests are not allowed to use the washer and dryer and that is a bummer. I would have been fine with ALL of this had the place been about half as much. Paying as much as we paid for 4 nights here isn’t worth it. The pictures seem misleading. I’d love to see this place get a serious remodel for the price they are charging.

Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2022

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

7 August 2019

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great location, not kid or larger group friendly

Key issues of: 1. limited water supply allowing barely 2 showers a day, with Infants and adults trying to avoid duck itch from the lake. One side note, the toilet on the upper floor is so old that its water tank is the largest I have seen (I’m 61) and it probably is the least earth-friendly and greatest user of water in the house. Not to mention you had to hold each toilet’s handle down for almost 25 - 30 seconds to make them work. 2. Unsafe railing on outside deck stairs; 3. Tears and faulty screens letting many mosquitos in at night; 4. No outside hose for rinsing. 5. Hazardous dock - with corner post resting (unsecured) on a lake rock causing it to fall more than stay, and a broken board, and way too wobbly (unsecured footings) was constant source of concern. 6. House is way more rustic and out-dated than it appears and not worth the $700 a night charge - not even close...but we were jammed up by another reservation that canceled in the winter so we were happy to get it. 7. Smelled outside front door as though septic system was failing or full. 8. While the upper-most bedroom is listed, no one could every practically stay in that room unless they wanted to be in a sauna like sleep each night. There’s a fan but the room is nowhere near any exterior window so it simply circulated the hottest are of the whole house in the peak of the A frame. The stairs going up to that room are not code (due to steepness and irregular rise) in any community. We put and left a kids-gate across it to prevent one more hazard. IN the PRO column: Owners were great to work with prior to getting there. The location is superb. Its quiet and safe, and centrally located for much of Leelanau Peninsula. Note that you are practically sitting in the middle of the dunes/national forest. We went through more than 3 cans of bug spray for outside, and inside the house due to the faulty screens. The neighbors were great. This house either needs serious updating of its infrastructure and interior, or a major price reduction. I don’t blame the owners for asking for as much as they can get, but once fooled....

10/10 Excellent

Smita N.

6 September 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beautiful and comfortable Lake House

We stayed here with my extended family (group of 9), including my 81-year old mom and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their stay. We could be on the dock or in the yard near water or take a short trip to Good Harbor beach. The young adults on our group loved the proximity to Sleeping Bear dunes and Pyramid Point. Everything in the house was clean and tasteful. The grill worked well and the dock even had steps you could use to go down into the water. No one got swimmers itch because we showered and toweled off vigorously after being in the water. Craig came and checked in on us to make sure we knew how everything worked. Overall a wonderful stay!

Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2022

8/10 Good

Logan A.

10 July 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Nice location.

Property was on a great part of the lake water was so clear and so warm! Was very nice to just sit by the water and relax! Dock wasn’t In yet but we didn’t need it! No AC was a little tough but we brought our own units which was ok with the owner and it help a lot! Plenty of sleeping space for single people not great for multiple families since there is only two full bedrooms. Really enjoyed our stay! Kitchen had plenty of stuff to use in it which was very helpful since we cooked a lot of our meals! Was close enough to everything but far enough away for quite!

Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2022

10/10 Excellent

Melissa S.

17 October 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Craig is so lovely!

Wonderful stay. The home had such character and charm. Beautiful piece of land. Craig was responsive and provided tips about the area. We visited Pyramid Point based on his recommendation, it was perfect.

4/10 Poor

Annette G.

22 August 2021

Liked: Check-in, location

Disliked: Cleanliness, listing accuracy

Not as Expected

The property and the location were beautiful, but it was dirty inside. There were cobwebs absolutely everywhere, inside and out. Additionally, the appliances were frequently not functional; electrical outlets and lights did not work, and there was no air conditioning and very few fans when compared to the size of the building. One of the showers was inoperable; this was one of the main features that led to us renting, so to say we were disappointed would be an understatement.

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2021

6/10 Okay

Derek N.

16 August 2021

Liked: Check-in, communication, location

Disliked: Cleanliness, listing accuracy

Great Location, Home needs lots of TLC.

Owners are very attentive and on site often. They communicated well during a three day power outage, but the home is rough around the edges and needs TLC. Please note: power outages mean no running water as well - i.e. you are fetching water from the lake in a bucket to dump in the back of the toilet to get it flushed. According to a local restaurant: the wind blows and the power goes out. The photos do make it look much more comfortable than it truly is. Master bath toilet leaks at the base - they asked us to throw a towel around the bottom because it was condensation - it's a leaky toilet. The faucet i in the master bath sink is stuck in one position: hot - no great for brushing your teeth. . Grill is nice and clean - because it doesn't work - the owner explained only two burners of the three work - we could only get one burner lit and it burned out after 30 minutes. Door doesn't close in downstairs full bath. There is a screw sticking up out of the decking near the grill that is a serious safety hazard. Dock is not in water and the lake has swimmers itch - so not the most conducive to swimming, but Lake Michigan is a 30 minute hike through the wooded trail (beautiful) or a 5-10 minute drive around the corner. We thought we would try swimming it, but when we checked all of the outdoor spigots and when you turned them on no water would come out. It's a great location, but needs quite a bit of love before we would consider renting it again.

Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2021

8/10 Good

Neco C.

8 August 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Company Retreat

Great location. Nice home. Little problem with a faucet but resolved very quickly. Owner is very attentive.

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2021

6/10 Okay

Toni H.

28 July 2021

Liked: Check-in, location

Disliked: Cleanliness

Great location, home needs work

This property is in a great location, but the facilities are a little rough around the edges with some blaring maintenance issues. The first floor has a large, well equipped kitchen with both a cozy eating area and an adjacent deck with great views of the lake. The living room boasts a massive fireplace and a decent seating area to relax, read, or watch TV. After that, the rest of the home is a bit Spartan and in need of repair. First, beware the pictures and listing. We were wooed by a dock that was not installed, an outdoor gas grill that was in poor working condition and filthy, a host of outdoor patio seating that was rarely cleaned and heavily worn, a fire pit near the lake that has not been cleaned out in likely years and surrounded by wet, spongy lawn. Inside, the master bathroom had a toilet that seeped at the base, towels that were rust stained from the well water, the lower level bedroom was wet at the edges as moisture seeped through the concrete slab, and a lower toilet room where access to the outside allowed various insects to crawl about. There is no AC, so if you are there in the summer, the upstairs bedroom has no windows and smells accordingly. The owner provides many fans which can help somewhat, but with running at night and the constant drone of the dehumidifier, the lower level rooms are not as comfortable as they seem. At the end of our week, a storm arrived and dumped heavy rains in the area. Given the water drainage issues we decided to leave early, and boy were we glad we did. No power meant no water, no showers, no fans, no cooking….and the whole yard flooded while the smell of sewage wafted through the front of the home near the septic tanks. At the beginning, the owner communicated well with us and showed us the ropes, but it is very evident to us that he is pinching pennies when it comes to some basic maintenance issues. We asked for a one day refund given the house was not livable during the storm, but the owner was not responsive and accused us of being “hoity toity”. If you can handle some of these kinds of issues, we did manage to make the best of it, but the house in its current condition is not worth the price. We also felt the owner misrepresented the property in terms of the usability of certain amenities like the dock and gas grill. The owner did allow us to use his firewood the first night, but we had to buy our own for the rest of our stay. The area and neighbors were great.

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Irena G.

20 July 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Lovely location, enjoy the outdoors

We had an amazing time at the lake house! Would definitely recommend for groups who want to enjoy the outdoors. We were pleasantly surprised how close the lake was to the house, how secluded, mellow and warm! Little Traverse Lake is and how spacious the inside of the home and kitchen were as well. PERFECT for outdoor dining, swimming in a small lake that’s very warm compared to Lake Michigan, you can wade out very far, and we really enjoyed use of the canoe, kayak and fire pit. Bring bug spray and outdoor games! Craig the owner was helpful, easy to reach and close by. We walked down the road and hiked straight to the big lake if you like nature walks. The only improvements we would make- there is no use of laundry, and the dock for swimming wasn’t up. Some of the things in the house are a little dated- since it was built in 1976 and probably has the same carpet. We didn’t mind, we preferred to stay somewhere that feels lived in. But if you prefer to stay somewhere that’s very nice and updated- this isn’t the place for you. We loved jt and will most certainly be back

Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2021

6/10 Okay

Kristin H.

5 July 2021

Liked: Check-in, location

Disliked: Cleanliness

Trip Review

The lake was amazing and the property very spacious! It was quiet and safe and the neighbors were lovely. The owners were quick to respond and easy to communicate with as well. :) However, it seemed some things were not maintained and some of what was offered online was not in working order or in place when we arrived (the grill, dock, etc.) The folks before us must have had a large party and the yard was littered with garbage and there was overflowing trash out front when we arrived. As much as I liked staying on the lake, I don't think I would stay here again.

10/10 Excellent

Sydney C.

19 June 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Absolutely Wonderful

Awesome stay. Beautiful views. Pictures do not do the property justice. Homeowner was welcoming, we saw him a couple times and he brought us extra firewood. Highly recommend, would definitely go back

Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2021

6/10 Okay

Lori M.

6 September 2020

Liked: Check-in, communication, location

Power washer needed

Main bedroom smells like wet dog Patio furniture and deck needs power washing

Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2020

8/10 Good

Daniel F.

10 August 2020

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great getaway in these crazy times

The location and backyard is fantastic and the lake is AMAZING. Perfect to float your cares away or kayak or paddle board. The home is spacious on the inside, the lower level bedrooms are really great for families if the kids want to all be together and hang out. The home does need some TLC, as the downstairs bathroom door doesn't close to the toilet and the master bath doorknob broke, trapping my brother in law inside. The dishwasher needs to be updated, we didn't even use it. The home has plenty of dishes and flatware, which was great for all the cooking at home we did for our party of 10. Hopefully they can give the place a bit of a face lift during the offseason - the master BR had a bit of a musty smell to it. One nice touch would be if the owners provided a day or two worth of firewood for the firepit so renters don't have to run out and get it right after arriving and unpacking. Would also suggest replacing the back patio tables. But the upstairs deck off the kitchen is great for enjoying a cocktail while dinner is cooking! Would rent it again.

Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2020

4/10 Poor

Sara A.

26 July 2020

Liked: Check-in, communication, location

Disliked: Cleanliness, listing accuracy

Condition of house disappointing

I’ll start with the owners we’re extremely responsive when we reached out. The lake is beautiful and clear, and had minimal activity so it was a great space for the smaller kids to go tubing and swimming. The yard and outdoor space is great for kiddos, except the dock had screws sticking up and was wobbly. The fire pit was a constant wet sponge. The kids did get swimmers itch, but I have a feeling with all the heat, that has been common with many smaller lakes. Unfortunately, the status of the home was not what we were expecting. The owners warned us right before our arrival that the guest before us had pets and they made 2 spots on the carpet. There were a lot of spots and it had a horrible odor. Additionally, I had asked the owners if the sewer smell was resolved (I had read a review and reached out to them prior to our stay) and they indicated that the issue was from the neighbors house and it was resolved. There is still a really bad sewer smell, particularly noticed in the evenings and morning. The first night we were there, the refrigerator and freezer broke. They owner came over immediately and unlocked a closet that had another refrigerator, so we were able to salvage the groceries we had just bought for the week. Unfortunately it was Located downstairs in the basement and it was a pain constantly going down there when we needed anything. There were mouse droppings found in the kitchen above the microwave, as well as 3 mice spotted during our stay. She mentioned she was going to drop off mice traps but I’m not sure if that was completed or not. The house doesn’t have air conditioning, so the 2 beds located in the loft were not usable as there were no windows to help circulate the air, and it was extremely hot. They did provide fans in each room, but the house itself was extremely humid. The toilets do not flush well and the showers had very minimal pressure. Half of the light bulbs were burnt out, and we unplugged the carbon monoxide detector because it had battery fluid seeping out. Midway through the week I did inform the owner of dissatisfaction of the house, and she gave us $200 cash for the troubles. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to compensate for the condition of the house for what we paid. My purpose for this review is not to complain, but simply to inform others of what to expect. When you look forward to a vacation get away, you simply want a clean and well maintained house to stay, and this was not.

Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2020

8/10 Good

Damon R.

15 July 2020

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

great family getaway

Spacious Cottage right on Little Traverse Lake! It operates like a Lake cottage meaning has a little musty smell in the basement, but functions really well as far as sleeping arrangements, dock, kitchen, grill etc. Views and Lake is amazing. great for my 12 & 14 year old. kids. rented paddle boards from Crystal River Outfitters and they delivered and picked up. If you are looking for the Ritz, this is not it. But great for a family getaway.

8/10 Good

Kelly M.

28 October 2019

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location

Amazing view

The property had a beautiful view and the property manager was very prompt & pleasant in communications. It did not have a washer and dryer which is hard with kids. The house itself was dated but cozy.

Lakefront cottage on the north shore of Little Traverse Lake.

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