Lake Michigan Vacation Rental: 1 Block to Marina!

Reviews

• Disappointed

  2/5

  This property is in a great location and has potential but we cannot recommend in its current state. The place is superficially clean, in part but requires a deep cleaning. It is incredibly cluttered with cheap, trashy items. The cupboards are filled with expired food. There are no places to open your suitcases but on the bed or couches. The mattresses are old and lumpy. We ended up rotating nights on a couch. The windows are so filthy you can barely see out at awesome views. Windows are painted shut except for ones with small, noisy window AC units that can’t be opened either. Door knobs are continually falling off. There are no nightstands or lamps near beds. One closet was unusable as it was completely full of stuff including on the floor. Local news can be watched from two chairs in the kitchen on an overhead TV but not 12’ away in the living room where the TV is streaming only. The shower water is incorrectly plumbed in that Hot is Cold and Cold is Hot. We highly recommend that the owner remove half of the “stuff” in the apartment, all expired food stuffs, perform a deep clean, replace the mattresses with quality comfortable ones and fix the door knobs. At the very least. This place truly has potential and I hope the owner does not waste it.

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo

  Manager's Response:

  Hi Mary, thank you for your review. We wanted to pass along the following feedback from the homeowners: I am sorry to hear you were not happy with your stay. There are benches at the end of the beds for suitcases. All of the mattresses are high quality and were purchased in 2018, so we are sorry they did not meet your preferences. We have repaired the doorknob. The second floor windows are difficult to wash on this older, remodeled home. My cleaning staff does a complete clean between each guest, except for window cleaning. I will hire window cleaners so it won't be an issue moving forward. It isn't cost-effective to replace 21 windows at this time. I do my absolute best to provide a nice experience in a lovely home built in 1888. I have had very positive remarks about the decor, so I am sorry it was not to your liking. I will continue to clean to COVID standards as I always have.

• Good location

  4/5

  An overall good place to stay. The bedrooms are large and plenty of closet and drawer space to 'settle in'. The bathroom will benefit from a remodel. We were thankful for the air units but would have liked to be able to open some windows on cooler days but at this time there are storm windows on and no way to open them. The deck is a nice feature though the view is only from the tall bar stool type chairs. Deb was very responsive and kind. She even invited us to enjoy some of the veggies from her garden on the property. The location is great for walking and for walking downtown to enjoy the city. There was no noise from the downstairs unit so felt very private. Parking is great as well.

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo

• Not quite as listed

  3/5

  Photos are not completely accurate of the furnishings. There is a futon in the living room and an additional bed in the 2nd bedroom which makes it a bit cluttered. The futon worked out well for us though as our kids slept in the living room the whole weekend because this unit is not full air-conditioned as the ad states. There is a floor unit AC in the living room and that is it. It DOES NOT cool down the whole apartment. The master bedroom was pretty much unbearable(July 4 weekend) unless you were in front of the one fan that was provided. Balcony is also crowded with some junk. This place could stand to lose some extra furniture. Property manager is nice and helpful but clearly pictures were staged-place feels a little more run down than pictures show. The location is great and it is easy to get places from here and the driveway parking is nice although street parking was also easy to come by. The view from the balcony is nice and the master bedroom is a nice size and with a comfortable bed. Check out was a breeze. For our weekend away it was doable but it would have been more enjoyable if apartment were actually fully air-conditioned as stated.

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo

  Manager's Response:

  Tracy, We're glad that you enjoyed some features of this wonderful apartment! We have passed along your feedback to the homeowner, who would like to share the following:
  -There is a 10,000BTU A/C unit in the upstairs apartment
  -There are also ceiling fans in the master bedroom and the kitchen, along with an oscillating fan in the second bedroom
  -They have added a futon, as well as a day bed in the second bedroom
  -They will be removing the broken chair from the balcony
  -The only other objects on the balcony are stools and chairs
  Thanks for the helpful feedback!

• Pleasant apartment in a great location

  4/5

  The place is accurate to the photos. It is a quick 3 blocks away from the marina. It was exactly what we were looking for as a quite weekend retreat. The property manager gave us great suggestions on places to go and things to do/see in the area! My only poor experience was that the refrigerator was full of food! And most of it was old (milk, eggs, broccoli dish, guacamole, bananas, potatoes). We spent the first night cleaning out the refrigerator to put our stuff in, as we didn't want to go out for meals. Once that was done, it was a great place!

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo

• Nice weekend spot for young family get away, playground, zoo, marina nearby.

  5/5

  Property was just as described. The view from the 3rd story balcony was better than expected, with the boats docked in the marina and Lake Michigan less than 5 minutes away by foot. Within ten minutes walk by foot was the Maritime Museum and submarine USS Cobia. Manitowoc has a rich history in submarine production for WWII, and that was appreciated with family members having served and sacrificed with all branches of military in WWII and up to present day. Within 10 minute drive by car is a small, tidy zoo (with minimal 'human' traffic), two year old grandson loved it, wish we had brought a stroller. Piggly Wiggly is right near the zoo for easy grocery shopping during the stay. A few things we might have brought along had we known to make the visit even more enjoyable. 1) My sons wanted to play video games with the PS4, should have brought our power strip to connect all the accessories, but owner provided extension cord, so we managed. 2) We would have brought more of our own condiments and spices and basics (including salt and pepper and sugar and flour) for cooking, which we did every day, all three meals. But we supplemented at Piggly Wiggly for that. 3) The stroller would have been really nice for all the walking with the toddler down by the marina and then over to downtown by the Maritime Museum. There was a playground only two minutes walk away by the Madison Elementary School which was vacant and available on the weekend, (but was occupied by schoolchildren weekdays). No matter, the zoo also has a nice playground for youngsters. All in all, a very quiet location with view of Lake Michigan.

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo