The Villa, lakeside 2 bedrooms/full bath & kitchen/Great Swimming!

Wonderful way to spend a week!

We had a great time even with a few bumps. No where in the VRBO description does it clearly state that NO sheets or towels are included. A surprise first for us. We ended up having to rent sheets and towels and were not pleased with the additional cost. Please clarify your website.The other issue we encountered was that the owners have a pit bull that Darcy advised us was not friendly with children or small dogs. The dog is staked out where it commands 1/2 of the beach and you have to get past the dog to get to the boats that are included. Having a pit bull on "high alert" watching our granddaughter and our small dog was not the most relaxing thing. When we asked to have the dog moved, the owners complied nicely, but in a family situation like Crystal Lake, we should not have had this concern. Other than these bumps, we loved the place and we will plan to return next summer.

The cottage was spotlessly clean and just as described. The entire property is well-maintained and probably the best location and beach on the lake. The beach is sandy, clean, serene, has three little docks, and is shared with guests from the other cottages, so be prepared to socialize. Dogs are welcome and must be on leash at all times. We had to leave after two nights due to a medical situation so weren't able to enjoy the property as planned, so didn't swim.

We use home away quite often and we rely on the reviews before renting a property. When I write a review I try to be very honest so there are no surprises. First of all the lake is beautiful, the best beach on the lake! Sue & Art are kind enough to allow use of all the kayaks, boats, floats ect. which we took advantage of. The cottage was clean, and well stocked for cooking. The cottages are as described and have a very authentic feel to them. There are tons of nearby activities, other lakes, places to eat ect. close by. Sue & Art are very nice, and right there to help should you require anything. That being said you should understand this is for families with kids . The owners are very close to the cottages which gives no sense of privacy.You REALLY need to be quiet after 10pm. 90%of the time it was just my husband & I. We did have friends up (4 people) all 40 yrs and older a couple of times. We were playing cards on the back porch laughing and talking , not "whooping" it up and were all in bed by 11pm on a Friday night. The next day we were told we had to keep it down because voices carry in the woods. We were very put off by this since we are very respectful of other people and were not playing music or being loud and obnoxious. After that we felt like we had to be very quiet and worry that we were disturbing others. There are NO locks on the doors. I inquired about this and Sue said "nothing has ever happened". We were not comfortable with this as no-one can keep an eye on things at all times , especially at night. We also locked our computers ect in the car when we left the cottage and feel that locks are a must in today's society unfortunately. We understand the owners want to keep the old fashioned feel of the place, but we felt this needed mentioning. An under the sink water filter is a must. The odor of the water is really terrible. We honestly were disgusted by the smell. We know it's safe to drink , but you surely wouldn't want to! Spiders! If you have a phobia you will have an issue big time! Giant spiders are outside the screens at night. One of our friends was completely freaked out. A regular perimeter cleaning and bug spraying needs to be done on a regular basis. Overall I would recommend this HIGHLY to families with children for the reasons stated. Had other renters mentioned the issues we had, I would have looked for something more private.