Lil's on the Lake is a cottage right on Crystal Lake that is rustic, but also very charming and historic. Has been owned by the same family since the 1930's. Very child-friendly and pet-friendly with a huge, fully fenced-in yard. Beautiful view of Crystal Lake from the eastern shore. Firepit, outdoor picnic tables, Wi-Fi, streaming television, and lots of parking space as well! Also just a short walk (2 blocks) from fun & family-friendly downtown Beulah and Beulah Beach on Crystal Lake!
INTERACTION WITH GUESTS:
Our local property manager lives in the area and is available to address any issues as needed.
NEIGHBORHOOD:
The cottage is also located just 2 blocks away from downtown Beulah. Beulah is a cute little northern Michigan town located on the east end of Crystal Lake. The town was founded name iin 1880 by Reverent Charles E. Bailey and its name is actually Biblical in nature. It has a cute little main street (Benzie Blvd.) which has a nice collection of shops, restaurants, cafes, a post office, and a couple of bars. We would particularly recommend Ursa Major Bistro and L'Chayim Delicatessen in terms of places to eat in downtown Beulah. One of the neat surprises in Beulah is that there is a wonderful interactive children's science museum called COGnition right on Benzie Blvd. just a short walk (less than 5 minutes) from the cottage!
The cottage is located in beautiful Benzie County, one of the most pristine and natural environments in all of Michigan, and there are a number of other things to do in the area:
* Probably the most popular attraction in all of northwest Michigan is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It is incredibly picturesque collection of natural beauty in terms of Lake Michigan, dunes, forests, wildlife, and inland lakes and rivers. There is a vast collection of hiking trails throughout the park and kayaking, canoeing, and tubing on the rivers and lakes is also very popular. The park starts about 8 miles away from the cottage, just north of the west end of Crystal Lake.
* The cottage is just a 10-minute drive from the lovely beachtown of Frankfort on Lake Michigan. Frankfort and nearby Elberta offer a fun collection of beaches, shops, restaurants, cafes, a movie theater, a microbrewery, and a few bars. Frankfort has a very popular public beach on Lake Michigan and Elberta (just across Betsie Lake from Frankfort) offers a more pristine and much less navigated natural beach. (Dogs are allowed everywhere at Elberta Beach, but are only allowed on certain portions of Frankfort Beach.) The Frankfort Lighthouse is also one of the famous and historical lighthouses on Lake Michigan.
* There is wonderful bike trail nearby. It's called the Betsie Valley Bike Trail and it runs 22 miles from Frankfort to Elberta, then along the Betsie River to Beulah, and then on over to Thompsonville. It is accessible just a few blocks from the cottage.
* The area is widely renowned for fishing! Crystal Lake is excellent for perch as well as rock bass. Ice fishing on Crystal Lake for smelt is a popular activity in the winter. Coho salmon, lake trout, and northern pike are also fished in the lake. Salmon fishing on Lake Michigan, the Betsie River, and the Platte River (just north of Beulah) is definitely the biggest fishing attraction though.
* The cottage is just a 5-minute drive from the Cherry Bowl Drive-In Theater. Although it's one of the last drive-in movie theaters in Michigan, it's thriving quite nicely and is a very popular place for an affordable family or couples outing.
* If a larger city environment is desired with more and trendier shops, restaurants, and nightlife, then Traverse City is just 45 minutes away from the cottage. It is the cultural, entertainment, dining, and shopping hub of northern Michigan and, although still relatively small and very safe, it provides a bit of "big city feel" to tourists and locals.
GUEST ACCESS:
Guests have full access to all of the house as well as the entire yard. Note that there is a boat dock on Crystal Lake in front of the cottage, but it used by the neighbors and is not available to guests. There is also a small storage shed in the yard that is only used for storage and is not accessible by guests.
TRANSIT:
Public transportation in the area is quite limited and having a car is really quite necessary. Cars can park anywhere on the large, fenced-in yard. (There are 2 gates for the fence.)
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
1) HEATING: Note that the cottage does not have a basement or a furnace. We utilize electric space heaters to heat the house in the spring and the fall as needed.
2) BONFIRES: There is a bonfire ring at the property. Bonfires must be attended at all times and must be fully extinguished using water.
3) REGISTRATION: This property is officially registered with the Village of Beulah, Michigan, as a short-term rental (STR) property. The registration number is 22031.
4) PET POLICY: Up to 3 dogs are permitted at the property. If bringing 1 to 3 dogs, please make certain that they are included on the reservation and that the pet fee is appropriately paid. More than 3 dogs is strictly prohibited and any pets other than dogs are also strictly prohibited.
5) AIR CONDITIONING: Please note that the property does NOT have air conditioning. As such, it may get warm in the house during the summer if it is warm outside.
6) NUMBER OF GUESTS: Please note that our pricing is based upon the number of guests, with pricing being higher with each additional guest that is included on the reservation. Please make certain that the correct number of guests is specified on the reservation so that the pricing is correct.
7) EARLY CHECK-IN: Our policy is to allow early check-in on the day of arrival if the property is available for check-in. We will not know until the day before arrival whether or not the property will be available for early check-in or not. You can check with our local property manager the day before arrival or on your arrival day to see if the property will be available for early check-in or not.
8) LATE CHECK-OUT: We maintain a very strict and structured cleaning schedule. As such, late check-outs are strictly prohibited.
