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Charming Family Cottage- downtown Elk Rapids, 2-blocks to town

Photo gallery for Charming Family Cottage- downtown Elk Rapids, 2-blocks to town

The front of the house with new sidewalk and decorative fence
Kitchen remodel - 2019
Winery!
New walkway - 2019.
Another picture of front!

Reviews

9.8 out of 10
Exceptional
4 bedrooms2 bathroomsSleeps 9204.4 sq m

Popular amenities

  • Parking available
  • Dryer
  • Washer
  • Barbecue grill
  • Kitchen
  • Air conditioning

Explore the area

Map
Elk Rapids, MI
  • Elk Rapids Golf Club
    ‪3 min drive‬
  • Torch Lake
    ‪14 min drive‬
  • Chateau Chantal
    ‪44 min drive‬
  • Traverse City, MI (TVC-Cherry Capital)
    ‪26 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

4 bedrooms (sleeps 9)

Game Room (See Description)

1 Double Futon

Master Bedroom-1st floor

1 Queen Bed

The Butterfly Room

2 Single Beds

The Pink Room

1 Double Bed and 1 Single Bed

The Seashell Room

1 Double Bed

2 bathrooms

Bathroom 1

Bathtub or shower · Toilet

Bathroom 2

Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Deck or patio
Porch or lanai
Kitchen
Garden
Dining area

About this property

Charming Family Cottage- downtown Elk Rapids, 2-blocks to town

Enjoy this spacious and tastefully furnished 2200 sq. ft. home on Chippewa St. minutes away from breathtaking views of Grand Traverse Bay and the charming downtown of Elk Rapids. This 1887 historic home has been totally remodeled and completed for use. Newly renovated kitchen and dining area equipped with all your needs. This home is decorated in pottery barn style with Martha Stewart colors on the wall that extend your stay from the beach to the beach house. Perfect location in town is ideal with walking distance three streets from the marina boat launch and walking distance to the Lake Michigan beach, with tennis courts, basketball courts and children's jungle gyms. The home features an enclosed porch with screens, a new kitchen with nice appliances including a black gas cooktop, dishwasher, fridge, and microwave. Not to mention we now offer WIFI and central air conditioning. There is a separate dining room with a table to accommodate 6-8 people. There are 2 finished bathrooms which include one with full vanity, toilet, tub-shower combination and one with a new shower, vanity and toilet. Both bathrooms are located on the 1st floor.

The family room is spacious with 2 large sofas and a 40” inch TV with YouTubeTV and WIFI. Need more room? There is also a den room equipped with an entertainment center with a 43” TV . The first floor has re-finished hardwood floors in the kitchen and dining room. To add in the comfort of your stay is a first floor laundry room with full capacity washer and dryer. Upstairs has 3 bedrooms-1 with a full bed, 1 with two twins and the loft bedroom with a day bed and ANOTHER full bed! Master bedroom is downstairs and has a queen bed.
Elk Rapids is a wonderful community with lots of activities for kids. There is also a local ice cream shop, toy store, antique stores, movie theater, bar and grille, Siren Hall for fine dining, and more two streets away!

The property in the back has fences on both sides for privacy, a paved alley for additional parking, a small BBQ for use and a wood deck.

Short term rental agreement required. 50% of rental period due at time of reservation. Balance due 21 days before stay. No refunds if cancelled. Rental period is weekly from Saturday to Saturday- although would consider shorter/longer stays. Check in at 4:00 p.m., check out at 10:00 a.m.


Keywords: Elk Rapids ,Traverse City, Lake Michigan ,Vacation House, Beach, Grand Traverse Bay, Marina

Property manager

Val/Paul
Premier Host

Languages

English

Add dates for prices

Amenities

Kitchen
Washer
Dryer
Free WiFi
Air conditioning
Outdoor space

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House Rules

Check in after 4:00 PM
Check out before 10:00 AM
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Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17
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Events

No events allowed
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Pets

No pets allowed
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Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit and a deadlock

We should mention

A car is required for transport to and from this property

About the area

Elk Rapids

Elk Rapids is home to this holiday home. The area's natural beauty can be seen at Lake Michigan and Torch Lake. Guntzviller's Spirit of the Woods Museum and Music House Museum are also worth visiting. Take in the nearby slopes with cross-country skiing and snowboarding, or try out other outdoor activities such as snowmobiling and sledging.
Map
Elk Rapids, MI

What's nearby

  • Elk Lake - 16 min walk - 1.4 km
  • Elk Rapids Golf Club - 3 min drive - 2.8 km
  • Torch Lake - 14 min drive - 12.0 km
  • Torch Lake Park - 23 min drive - 22.6 km
  • Chateau Chantal - 44 min drive - 45.4 km

Getting around

  • Traverse City, MI (TVC-Cherry Capital) - 26 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Oasis Red Bull Tavern - ‬7 min drive
  • ‪Pearls New Orlean Kitchen - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪Peninsula Grill - ‬35 min drive
  • ‪Jolly Pumpkin - ‬38 min drive
  • ‪Chef Charles - ‬4 min walk

Frequently asked questions

Is Charming Family Cottage- downtown Elk Rapids, 2-blocks to town pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

What time is check-in at Charming Family Cottage- downtown Elk Rapids, 2-blocks to town?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Charming Family Cottage- downtown Elk Rapids, 2-blocks to town?

Checkout is at 10:00 AM.

Where is Charming Family Cottage- downtown Elk Rapids, 2-blocks to town located?

Situated in Elk Rapids, this holiday home is within 1 mi (2 km) of Elk Lake and Lake Michigan. Twisted Fish Gallery and Elk Rapids Golf Club are also within 2 miles (3 km).

Reviews

9.8

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 49 out of 54 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 4 out of 54 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 1 out of 54 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 54 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 54 reviews

9.6/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Check-in

10/10

Communication

10/10

Location

9.8/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Linda S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Wonderful winter weekend
Great gathering place to enjoy all that Elk Rapids has to offer - dining & skating at the Dam Shop, doughnuts from the Flower Pot - all within a nice winter walk. The house was cozy, but plenty of room for everyone to be together for meals.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

John S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Great location!
We loved the proximity to the downtown district! Property manager was great!
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2024

10/10 Excellent

Rebecca M.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Great Stay
Very short but wonderful stay! The house is beautiful and spacious, very clean, and comfortable. Will definitely return!
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Dave R.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Family lodging for a destination wedding
Loved the place and location. The owners were a pleasure to deal with.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Cynthia C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Family memories
We love staying in this cute town. The cottage is friendly and inviting.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Debbie P.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Perfect Place
My husband and I had a fantastic week at your beautiful home. Thank you so much for a flawless stay!
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Rebecca H.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Ladies Wine Weekend
There were 7 of us that stayed here for a weekend touring the wineries. The town was adorable and close to the peninsula. It was a perfect place to unwind and enjoy our time away.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Korrie M., Grand Rapids, MI

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Great Vacation Home
We had a blast in Elk Rapids. Walking distance to everything. House was great and had everything we needed for a wonderful week.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2020

10/10 Excellent

Konda G.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Handrail
A handrail at the front door would have been helpful. One of the guests fell on the steps.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Kristina G.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Elk rapids charmer!
We had a lovely stay. Very nice home with a great location. Home owners were responsive.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Joseph M.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Fantastic Historic House
Loved the character and charm. Close to downtown. We enjoyed all the activities to do in the area during our winter stay.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2021
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

10/10 Excellent

Matt N., Dewitt, Mi

Sunshine
We just returned home from this vacation and loved it. The house is beautiful and clean with so much space. The living room is very comfortable, which is hard to find in some rental cottages. We loved the location of this as well - you can quickly walk or bike to town or beach. Would happily rent here again!!

8/10 Good

Debra O.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Cute house in Elk Rapids
This house is centrally located to all the fun things in northern Michigan. Elk Rapids is a darling town and you can walk to the beach, shops, restaurants It’s a renovated old farmhouse, which we’re good with. The pictures are spot on.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2020

10/10 Excellent

Lindsay D.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Third Time and Still Charming!
This house is the perfect size for us and the perfect location! Three or four families rent houses in ER annually and this is still my favorite. It is spacious, nicely furnished and comfortable. I live the kitchen open to a large table where we all gather for meals, cards or a puzzle. We feel relaxed when we hit the front door!
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Nicole D.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Perfect Vacation!
We had the best time at this home! There were two families, with 5 kids total, all under age 8. The layout worked well, everyone had their own space. The location was the best part- about a 5 min walk from town and the beach. We had a great time hanging out outside by the fire pit at night. Overall, great house and experience!
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2021

10/10 Excellent

STEPHANIE G.

Charming up north home!!!
This home had everything we needed for our week stay and then some. We had plenty of space and the kitchen was very nice for making our morning meals in. The bedrooms had comfortable beds and lots of room. The fire pit in the background was a bonus too. The house was only 3-4 blocks from the beach and from downtown stores and restaurants. We definitely would come back and stay again!
Stayed 6 nights in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Christopher F.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Lovely, note the bathrooms are downstairs
This house in elk Rapids was lovely. It was clean and pretty and had lots of space. It would be particularly lovely in the summer with the back deck & the front enclosed porch. It would be easier for guests if there was a full stairway banister, since most of the bedrooms are upstairs and both bathrooms are downstairs.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2022
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

10/10 Excellent

Bank President and Media Consultant
Dear Val and Paul, Your cottage reminded us of our stay in Maine. It is so beautifully decorated and so serene at your home. We enjoyed the surroundings and downtown Elk Rapids. We loved walking along the beach viewing the crystal clear Lake Michigan. The shops are so quaint and the people in town are so down to earth and nice. The wine shop had some great wines I never heard of. You are so close to the lake and there is so much to do. We were centrally located, so we rented a boat and went pontoon boating, wine tasting, We took the kids to several places. We loved your place and hope to come back annually. I could live up here all summer long. Thank you so much for opening your beautiful second home to us. Regards, The Cuttles

10/10 Excellent

Gary P., Crystal Michigan

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
70 year old friends
4 couples in 70's who get together each fall for past 15 years or so and take a trip to upper Michigan. We love the Elk Rapids, Traverse and Petoskey area. Just a note to similar travelers. Because of our ages, trips to bathroom in the night happen. This is an older home with no bathroom on second floor. The stairs squeak so you will hear a fairly steady creak during the night. And being polite we tried to be as quiet as possible which just prolongs the noise. You might want some sort of alternative with you if you fall into this category. (smiley face). Very nice neighborhood and short, easy walk to town. For our group it was nice location.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Richard D.

It felt like it was our home!
This cottage could not have been much better! The location in the town of Elk Rapids is perfect- walking distance to everything. The house is comfortable and roomy. We spent a lot of time with family from other cottages and often found ourselves around the large dining table with chairs pulled in from around the room. The large laundry room gave us a spot to drop beach gear without tracking sand through the house. The amenities are just right. Nice enough dishes, glasses, etc. without feeling nervous about using them! The deck was a nice spot for morning coffee. We were sorry there wasn't time to use the backyard fire pit, or to organize a tetherball tournament!! AC was a nice treat during this hot week! Family members have rented this cottage before and we were lucky enough to snap it up first! We are definitely coming back.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2018
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

10/10 Excellent

Holly L.

Bride's last night of being single
We stayed in this lovely, historical home prior to and after our daughter's wedding in Elk Rapids, which is a nice place for a "destination wedding". The landlord allowed us to stay for a shortened stay as the wedding was not during the peak season. She was married at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and the reception was at the Elk Rapids township hall. The home and the hall were both historical landmarks, which was very interesting. The location of the house was perfectly accessible for both venues. We enjoyed the services of the Beehive salon, which provided many spa services and helped to make the bride feel like a princess. The house was perfect with planning of room for our guests including my 91 year old mother, who had no trouble getting around the first floor. Everything that we needed was there. The decor was lovely... the colors and amenities made us feel very special. We have no complaints and would certainly use this home again... perhaps the next time for a vacation instead of to host and facilitate a wedding. The landlord was available by phone to answer any questions that we had. The only thing that we had difficulty with was the Direct t.v. as we were not familiar with how to access it for our 91 year old guest.
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

10/10 Excellent

Rhonda D., Washington MI

Great Location
Our family has rented a cottage each summer in a different locations for many, many years. My husband and I, two teens, my sister and her spouse rented this house for a week last summer. The place is clean, spacious and decorated like a home in Crate and Barrel catalog. The location is within walking distance of main street and the beach. When we weren't out exploring the area, we mostly hung out on the really nice back deck. We all enjoyed the Tether Ball in the backyard, and bonfires most nights. Elk Rapids is such a wonderful town to vacation in, it was our second time. As mentioned in another review, both (really nice) bathrooms are on the first floor. Not easy to navigate in the middle of the night. My daughter LOVED the pink bedroom upstairs. My sister and her husband loved the Master Bedroom on the main floor. The bedroom upstairs that my husband and I picked only had a full size bed (bouncy if you have a spouse that turns a lot during the night) and one outlet in the opposite corner of the room. Also, no nightstands; so no place to plug in a cell phone or have a lamp. I ended up sleeping in the room with the two twin beds with my son. That was very comfortable. Minor inconvenience for such and beautiful, well-stocked home (except for having to bring our own toilet paper). I would highly recommend this home!

6/10 Okay

Aya S.

Liked: Check-in, communication, location
Disliked: Cleanliness, listing accuracy
Beautiful location, house/listing needs cleaning/updates
I tried to email the owners before writing this review but VRBO didn't allow communications post rental. We stayed at this home for a week and I just couldn't wait for the week to end. It was stressful and a lot of work on my end and I left the house in better shape than when I arrived. We spent a week at this home at the end of June. Had it been July or August, it would have been very miserable as the upper floor does not have air conditioning and gets very warm. We did appreciate the window fans provided however, these details should be noted in the listing. The game room has no games and there is no Gamecube as noted in the listing. I spent the first day cleaning as the bathrooms were loaded with mold in and around the tub, shower and moldings. The air fresheners located in multiple areas gave me an instant headache. I had to search for them and unplug them and then air out the whole house. The kitchen table and chairs need to be replaced or refinished as the finish is very sticky. I appreciated the no shoe rule at first, but the carpets and floors left our feet and socks black. The grill needs to be replaced as well. It does not get hot and when you lower the top, charred black, rusty flakes fall all over your food leaving one no choice but to start all over washing off the flakes on each piece of meat and then having to use the oven instead. The house itself is old and beautiful and has so much potential. I just really feel like either the cleaning person isn't doing their job or the owners don't check in on the home too often. If this house was $1,000 less per week, I would let all of the above slide. But this was our only vacation and it cost a lot of money. I spent the week very frustrated and not able to relax. We have rented many times before and have never had these issues.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2021

8/10 Good

Nicole L.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Amazing Stay
This was a great location. Few blocks from the beach and the adorable downtown. All around wonderful time. Only downside were the beds. Several places to sleep but only one bed big enough for a couple. And, no upstairs bathroom. If you had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night you had to go downstairs. Otherwise it was one of our best family vacations yet. We'd stay again.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

roxanne f.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Loved it
I was injured with an accident the morning th before. It wa wonderful to be able to get around the lower level with my wheelchair. It was easy for my family to get me on the deck. Loved the bonfire and closeness to town. Beds were comfortable. Would love to stay again
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2022

About the host

Hosted by Val/Paul

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Why they chose this property

What makes this property unique

Languages:

English

Premier Host

They consistently provide great experiences for their guests
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