A group of 8 adults and 7 kids under the age of 4 stayed here for our annual trip together. We loved swimming at the beach and hanging out on the screened porch. There is plenty of space to spread out in the house. The amenities are abundant, and having an extra fridge on the screened porch was a lifesaver with so many of us there. My only suggestion is a good spray down with a hose or at least wiping away cobwebs on the boat as it was covered with webs and spiders when we arrived, but we had a wonderful stay making memories with our families.

This is a beautiful and historic property. It’s like stepping back in time, but with all the modern conveniences. The house itself is beautiful and spacious. Having the whole private island to yourself is amazing. The use of the pontoon to explore Sylvan Lake, go fishing or make a trip to the store was so nice. Highly recommend for a family getaway!

Pleasantly rustic, ample embellishments, sports equipment, lots of things to do, great environment with many nearby points of interest. great lake for cruising with lots of interesting coves and basins.

Great property. Immaculate house, great upgrades.. Truly enjoyed our stay.

although we were only 30 minutes from home it was a great place to stay and relax.

Property manager and owners were very responsive. Unfortunately, there were some issues with the local help that were supposedly taking care of the yardwork, exterior cleaning, but the owners handled the situation as best they could. It made the first couple days of our trip more stressful than it should have been. The interior was functional, but additional furniture would be a big help for families that use it. (Dressers, shelves in the bathroom, more lamps) Additionally, the screened porch could be a huge asset, but the screening needs replacing, and a good cleaning is required. We chased many wasps, and 1 bird out of the porch. Lastly, it could be the area, but the internet was very spotty, at best. Using computers and/or watching TV was a challenge. This place has sooooo much potential, but needs some TLC for the price to rent it.

We had a great time on the island making memories with our grown kids and grandkids. The littles enjoyed swimming, fishing, and playing in the sand. My sons-in-law even set up a "treasure hunt" for the kids to find a treasure chest with fake jewels buried in the sand. They loved it. It was a great place to relax and fun to explore the lake.

Great time

Our family had a great time on Grape Island. The accommodations were great and having access to a boat for the week was wonderful. Being on an island is not as challenging as you imagine because the trip to the mainland is 2-3 minutes. We would recommend this location to everyone!

It was a great location to meet friends halfway. As shared in other reviews, updated outdoor furniture and a seating area or furniture near the docks/beach would be nice to sit. We enjoyed exploring the area.

This is an amazing spot - we had three couples and a couple younger children and we thoroughly enjoyed the island. It was so fun to explore the lake on the pontoon, which you can take to the market or ice cream shop (when it's open, we were late in the season). The nice big yard is great for playing ball and we spent every dry evening by the fire pit - a wonderfully relaxing spot at night. Beautiful kitchen, plenty of spices and pans and things I don't expect to find at a VRBO. Quick responses from owner when little questions came up - we hope to be back again!

Cleaning crew did top-notch job everything was clean everything. Would be nice to clear at least 3 trees south side of house to have a nicer view to lake from patio.

We had our family get together here and it was just as advertised. Kristi was great with her responses and getting back to us in a timely fashion. Everything was consistent with going to the lake in early September and the screened in porch and boat gave us lots of room to do everything we wanted!

This really was a delightful property and our group of long time friends had a wonderful time. We especially enjoyed the LARGE screened in porch and the fire pit. The owner was very (like immediately) responsive. Bees were an issue as people have noted. The pontoon boat was functional and we enjoyed our scenic boat rides but it needs some cleaning, etc. The same can be said for the front porch furniture. It was a little nasty. That said, we enjoyed our time and would highly recommend this place for a relaxing group getaway.

Great historical site. Island was unique and private setting

If you're looking to get away from it all, this is the place! We practically had the lake to ourselves, very quiet and Kristi was incredibly responsive and accomodating. Would love to come back in the fall!!

We had a wonderful time on Sylvan Lake. The house was perfect for our family of adults and toddlers, much more roomy than I thought it would be. Kids liked the "beach" and eating lunch on the boat! The lake was very quiet during the week- which we loved, gave us time to kayak, fish, and sit by the fire. I will say only one adult got poision ivy (she is highly allergic) all the kids stayed on the paths and were able to avoid that. We did have an issue with bees getting into the house- but I am sure that can be remedied easy enough. There was enough sleeping room for everyone- the house was pitch black a night- great for sleeping. Kristy and crew could not have been more responsive to my question pre trip and while we were on the island. We had a great trip and made lots of memories.

My family of 11 had a great time. We took advantage of all the amenities the island offered. The owners were very accommodating. It is a great place to create many family memories.

My family and I had a great time at this island lake house. The kitchen and living area is great. The kids loved the swimming area. Game nights on the porch overlooking the lake were perfect. The owner was very responsive.

We had a long overdue family get together. It could not have been a more perfect place and time. From my earlier communication with the owner and Chad meeting us there and showing us around, it couldn’t have been more wonderful. The house, the island, and the lake couldn’t have been any better. The owner even arranged the expected rain to only happen at night! It was spacious and every room perfect with everything we needed, and more than could be expected. Can’t wait to return!

Had a great time!

We had a FABULOUS time at the Island! Kristi was super communicative and accommodating! Our kids absolutely loved the experience and even went swimming in 65 degree weather! So many pluses to this property. The bedrooms are all a good size and sleep excess people if needed! There are plenty of sheets/pillows/blankets. They even had blow up mattresses/sofas! The property has 4 bathrooms- for a group of 16, this was super helpful! The kitchen is what dreams are made of and I could hang out there all day if needed. However, with cooler temps we spent the majority of our time on the screened in porch. It's an absolute fantastic space and functions as another room. There is also another room off the bathroom/laundry on the first floor which made great 'playroom' for our kids to park- it was a nice addition on the main floor. The only downfalls are the poison ivy- we knew this going in, so ensured our kiddos didn't go on the grass. They would have run wild with all the space if it wasn't there. This property is amazing as is, but has so much future potential too as they continue to make the island more accessible. Being able to use the pontoon was a nice touch as well. We took three trip (three families) to get there, it was like 2 minutes each way. Would definitely stay again!

Our plans got shaky and Kristi was great to work with on adjustments we requested. The property was exactly as described. We loved it.

We had an incredible weekend on the island. The house was beautiful and perfect for our group of 13. We often worry about noise/disrupting neighbors with our large group, but given that we had the entire island to ourselves, it was a wonderful relief that we could still spend time outside later in the evening. We will absolutely be back!

We had a great stay with six adults and 4 children (ages 1-3). Plenty of space and everything was as expected. There was actually more usable lawn space than I expected based on the previous reviews, and we didn't run into any issues with the poison ivy. Would definitely stay again!

The space was great! A group of friends stayed here while attending a wedding in the area. We had a wonderful weekend cruising around in the pontoon and enjoying bonfires in the yard! Everything was sparkly clean and the kitchen was a great space for gathering! You won’t be disappointed when booking this gem!

We had a great time, Island has a variety of activities including a small beach and swimming area. The outside porch/deck permits separation of our larger group.

Such a unique and fun week on Bishop Island in Sylvan Lake. Instructions for getting to the boat and island were very clear, and although it took us three trips to get all people and supplies across the short ride from the shore to the island, once we were there we had a blast and hardly a reason to leave. The house was great, comfortable beds and plenty of sleeping spots (we had 6 adults and 5 kids aged 2-5). Screened in patio was a favorite when we weren’t by the fire pit, beach, or in the water. Some of our favorite activities included a boat trip to Sundaes on Sylvan, kayaking or boating over to big island for a hike, s’mores around the fire pit, and jumping off the floating dock by the beach. There really wasn’t anything we felt like we needed that wasn’t there, and the owner was quick to respond when we had questions. As others have mentioned, there is some Poison ivy if you make the mistake of wandering off the paths, but the nice path that goes around the whole Island was clear. We did have one kiddo wander off the wrong way the first day and got a couple bee stings, but thankfully a ok and served as a strong reminder to the others to stay on the paths. Hope to make it back for another week!

Such a unique and fun week on Bishop Island in Sylvan Lake. Instructions for getting to the boat and island were very clear, and although it took us three trips to get all people and supplies across the short ride from the shore to the island, once we were there we had a blast and hardly a reason to leave. The house was great, comfortable beds and plenty of sleeping spots (we had 6 adults and 5 kids aged 2-5). Screened in patio was a favorite when we weren’t by the fire pit, beach, or in the water. Some of our favorite activities included a boat trip to Sundaes on Sylvan, kayaking or boating over to big island for a hike, s’mores around the fire pit, and jumping off the floating dock by the beach. There really wasn’t anything we felt like we needed that wasn’t there, and the owner was quick to respond when we had questions. As others have mentioned, there is some Poison ivy if you make the mistake of wandering off the paths, but the nice path that goes around the whole Island was clear. We did have one kiddo wander off the wrong way the first day and got a couple bee stings, but thankfully a ok and served as a strong reminder to the others to stay on the paths. Hope to make it back for another week!

What a great getaway. So peaceful and relaxing. Perfect atmosphere.

We all had a wonderful time at Bishop Island for our vacation! We loved going out on the boat, swimming on the beach, and kayaking around the island and out to other islands. We also loved being down around the firepit and cooking hot dogs, brats, and of course s' mores! The house is beautiful as well. It is neat how Kristi fixed it up and put in the top of the line appliances while keeping the charm and history of the house and island. The owners have done a LOT of work to this house and island and have enjoyed it all! We also want to give a shout out to your handyman Chad. They were awesome-very nice and personable and never complained about anything we asked. This home is a wonderful place and would highly recommend this home to anyone else who is looking for a summer vacation away from the traditional "hustle and bustle". We have stayed at other lake homes for summer vacation and it felt awkward because of how close you were to other homes and people that you didn't know. Having a private island for our vacation made the entire trip much more enjoyable than we could have ever imagined. Kristi is FANTASTIC to work with and always quickly responded to any questions we had during our stay. If you are looking for a place to stay, look no further! Thank you for allowing our family to enjoy a little piece of your paradise!

Beautiful vacation home that my family and I enjoyed so much! The house was the perfect size and had everything that we needed. Great summer lake house to enjoy sunny days in the water and nights around the bonfire. Highly recommend.