From a partner site
6/10 Okay
Chelsie
22 Jun 2026
Safety Concerns
We recently stayed at this property and had both positive and concerning experiences.The lake and property are absolutely beautiful. You can walk far into the water before it gets deep, the dock is great and we were able to tie up our boat, and the public launch on Little Glen is only about a mile away. The location is close to Glen Arbor, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Fishtown, and wineries. The home was also well‑stocked, which we appreciated.However, several issues significantly impacted our stay. When we arrived at 4pm—an hour after check‑in—we were greeted by the owner and two of her friends. They said they didn’t know when we’d be arriving, so they didn’t know when to leave. It felt awkward, and it would have been much more comfortable to settle in privately.Inside, the upstairs bedroom had a strong, unpleasant odor—something like cat urine, mildew, or old body odor—which made the room unpleasant to use/sleep in. About four days in, the owner emailed to check in (which was thoughtful), but also mentioned she’d be stopping by before or after work to pick up propane tanks and water plants. She didn’t give a specific time, leaving us unsure when someone might show up. She ultimately never came.The most serious issue occurred on day five, when the owner arrived with two different friends and stayed in the basement “owner’s suite” for two nights. We were never informed that anyone—let alone the owner and guests—would be staying on the property during our rental. When booking, we were led to believe this was a private, standalone home. I even called the rental company beforehand to confirm this.This raised major safety concerns:• The basement door locks only from the owner’s side, meaning we had no way to secure that access point.• We had no information about who these additional people were, yet they had the ability to walk upstairs into the rental at any time.• The owner and her guests also parked in the driveway designated for renters. This happened to work out for us, but if we had the maximum number of guests or vehicles, it would have caused problems.Ultimately, we would not have booked this property had we known the owner would be staying onsite or that guests would be coming and going. We specifically wanted a private rental, and the lack of transparency made us uncomfortable.