Sleeps and Eats: July 2012

We had been living a fast-paced existence these past 9 months or so, and both desired an appropriate respite where we could recharge our biological batteries and enjoy each other's company -- with relatively few distractions. Essentially, we were looking for a nice, relaxing place with beach access that was nice enough for our 50' something tastes.

At our last weekend B&B adventure at South Cliff Inn, we talked with some fellow guests who raved about the Leelenau area of Northwestern Michigan. We made a mental note of this so when the time came to consider a place to spend a few days, the information was readily available. Cathy and I did some research on the web based on a few parameters: 1) we wanted privacy; 2) we would be cooking most of our meals, but still wanted access to some nice restaurants; 3) we would be taking the dogs with us this time; 4) we wanted to be near a lake. Fortunately, we came upon a web site called Visit Up North, that provided us with several options in the Leelenau area of Michigan that matched this criteria. Lavender Cottage on Davis Lake looked like the 'just right' place.

Lavender Cottage blew us away. If you want a romantic, private, NICE place, go here. The decor is stunning and the cottage very well equipped. I don't think it would really be called a cottage, rather an extremely nice apartment. Between the fully-equipped and large kitchen to the incredibly comfortable bed and bedding, to the comfortable screened-in front porch, we felt immediately at home. One could live here. (And we're very picky!)

A HUGE plus is the dog kennel for guest use -- and it's all yours, your dog(s) have their own space. John, the owner, was incredibly helpful and struck the perfect balance of friendly and helpful and allowing plenty of privacy. Did I mention the wonderful washer and dryer, wonderful TVs (that we don't watch, but for those who do) and wonderful stereo? We are major cooks and we worried a bit that (being a beach cottage and all) it wouldn't be well equipped. Would it have a coffee maker? (Yes) We drink smoothies most mornings and figured we would just skip them this week because we didn't imagine it would have a blender. (Make that a blender, Ninja, Cuisinart, a full set of spices, plenty of dishes and cutlery, excellent knives, beautiful linens, etc. etc. etc.) We left some s'more ingredients for the next guests. (Yes, wrapped!) If you stay here, and you should, please treat it as well as your own home because we plan on going here a lot and hope it stays as nice as it is now!

The only things that would have made the experience even better -- and these are small niceties, not necessities -- would be blackout shades in the bedroom and possibly a speaker dock for smart phone to play music we bring or a cable adapter to the television to play movies we bring. But those ideas are probably just the kind of thing WE really like, being tech geeks. They are not necessary.

Fire pit on the beach

Beautiful Davis Lake

On the beach, there's a fire pit (reference the s'mores above), two kayaks and a paddle boat for exploring the beautiful lake. Take in the starry nights and lovely small beach. Don't miss the incredible birds at the feeders while you sip a glass of wine on the front porch. Grill to your heart's content with meats from the specialty store a mile or so away. Thanks for a great vacation!