We had a great week enjoying the lake. Home is close to boat launch and a short walk into town.

Quaint, clean, close to lake and town

We adored this beautiful home located right near torch lake! The home was fully furnished with all the necessities you would need for vacation, dishes, utensils, spices, cookware and TVs with firestick capability so we could enjoy catching up on our shows in the evening! The owners were so kind, helpful and really made our stay wonderful. We appreciated the history we read about the house and all the character it has. We also enjoyed all of the helpful notes/information located in the house regarding how to work devices, etc. The owners put a lot of thought and care into the stay and we greatly appreciated all the small touches.

This home was perfectly located! It allowed us to take several day trips to explore Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. It provided my children with an opportunity to see a part of this country they'd never seen before. It gave my husband and I a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The house itself was well stocked with all the essentials. The owners are very easy to work with and communicate quickly. If and when we find our way back we will certainly consider staying here again.

This cottage is super charming and a great location to explore the towns around Torch Lake. The owners have done a great job to make sure guests have everything they need for a memorable stay in Alden. We especially enjoyed learning the history of the home and beautiful area. A hike up Coy Mountain is a must and provides a great view of the lake.

Beautiful property in a great location. It was an easy walk into Alden and centrally located to many of our favorite areas ~ TC, Elk Rapids, Leelanau Peninsula, Bellaire and the like. The property was just as described and the owners provided even more details to allow us to be well-prepared for our trip. The love of their home is evident in the details and history of the home/area that mr & Mrs. Brown share with renters. We would gladly stay here again. Thank you so much for sharing your property with us to allow our annual vacation UpNorth to continue.

Perfect location, clean, excellent. Nice property

The house was great it was clean the staff i talked to was awesome we arrived rather late, she had the outside lights on when we got there.

Thank you so much to the Brown family for allowing us to stay in your lovely cottage. The lake was so beautiful and we enjoyed visiting the new suspension bridge at Boyne Mountain. Thanks to your recommendations. We also enjoy a delicious meal at Terrain. The house was perfect and even though it was raining, your cottage offered us the cozy nest that we needed to enjoy a perfect weekend. We will definitely be back to enjoy another season. Thanks again.

We had a nice time and appreciated the amenities. The location was great and we enjoyed our stay. The house is historic with interesting details.

This was our 2nd year in a row renting the Brown Victorian and we absolutely love this house. Everything was just as we remembered from the previous year and even though it was only our 2nd year there it was a comfortably familiar feeling being at that house again. The charm, the location, the town of Alden and the wonderful view of torch lake. The kids had just as much fun this year as last and many more memories to hold onto. One thing we did miss was the porch swing that was on the front porch last year but aside from that we have already talked about booking this same house again for next year. Thank you to the Browns for again opening up there home for others to enjoy!

This lovely old house gives your stay a very local feel, with a special patch of lake (and caboose!) view from the porch. Beautiful, quiet neighborhood with mature trees and a great backroads walk to the main part of town. If you aren’t going to stay right on the lake, then this house is pretty ideal. Walking to town for ice cream at Higgins and watching the sometimes shocking sunsets from the docks were favorites. The kitchen has storage for groceries and a toaster in the cupboard was appreciated. Loved the original wood floors and staircase. The other, spiral staircase is handy for kitchen access but a little wobbly. No air conditioning fine and we were even on the cool side some mornings with windows open and ceiling fan on. We opted for the sheet and towel rental and we’re very happy with this service. And kitchen towels were appreciated, thank you for renting these. The paper bath mats provided are better than nothing,, but cloth would be a step up and keep the floor drier. The living room is big and comfortable and the maps/magazines about the area were helpful and fun to look through, also our kids loved the games. Renting a pontoon boat was fun, even on a cool and cloudy day. The sandbar anchoring was a little tricky but our kids loved it. Best to go during the week on the early side or it gets crowded. Discovering Torch Lake Vineyards up the road in Bellaire was really special. Not enough info about this place. Its vineyards and a patio looking over another lake are breathtaking. I was given free tastings and found their wines and ciders and original seltzers just wonderful. What a cool place! The only drawbacks to the house were the beds and the upstairs bathroom. To be honest, the upstairs queen bed is only barely tolerable. My husband and I met in the abyss in the middle every night and the box springs are ancient. Also, when putting the sheets on, the mattress pad had others hair on it and was past need of a wash. The kids beds were hard as rocks, but most kids won’t notice, I guess. Since you have to take your luggage through the bathroom to the main bedroom, a revamping, renovation of the upstairs bathroom would be a good idea. It’s kept up alright, but really out of date and awkward. And since the drain is as slow as molasses, it isn’t an easy place for a family to share. We really enjoyed most of what this neat old house offers. If the beds get replaced, we would return.

This property is very cute and has a lot of history. There are some quirks that you get used to since it is such an old home (like floors with varying heights), and the upstairs bathroom is great for kids, but not so much for adults, but the downstairs bathroom is perfect. The beds are not comfortable, especially the first couple of nights, but I found myself sleeping fine after adjusting. The house itself is quite adorable and there are a lot of great amenities. The owners are very knowledgeable and were great sources of information. They provided so much information that we knew a ton about Alden and Torch Lake without looking to outside sources. The swimming area of the lake is about 10 minutes by car from the house, so not too bad. Higgins', in Alden, is the best spot for ice cream. Overall, it was a very nice experience.

Everything looked just like it did online when we arrived, check in was super easy. The house had all we needed and then some! Lots of useful information was left for us as well as suggestions for food laundry ect. This is an excellent property to rent and a beautiful little town to visit. The hardest part was leaving, but we surely will be back.

We had a great time boating .The boat launch was never busy and close to home! Also plenty of golf courses and great places to eat or shop!! It will be nice when the little grocery store in town opens but there is a fully stocked store a few miles from home.. The home worked great for two couples plenty of privacy Nice shaded backyard for grilling and games. Friendly quiet neighborhood! Thumbs up we will tell friends and hopefully be back!! Thanks Dave and Judy Ken and Cheryl

We got together for a craft weekend. The property was well kept and comfortable for the 6 of us. Alden is our home town for most of us, so it was a great location for us to join up. Richard is AWESOME and was patient with me.

we were so pleased with this home! the house was so clean, & it was very welcoming & made us feel like we were at home. they really have everything you need there to accommodate you with your stay. i love older homes, so this was perfect for us & love all of the details about the home & area that are placed throughout the house. it was in the perfect place & right across from public access to the lake! Alden was such a small & cute town, we walked down a few nights to LakeSide Dip to have our ice cream nights. the front porch swing was one of my favorite spots in the evenings with a view right to the lake & the kids loved it as well as they loved watching all the squirrels & chipmunks run all over. Rich & Karen were very responsive with their messages & gave so many great details & suggestions that helped us for our stay. Thanks again, if we ever venture back to Torch Lake (which i am sure we will) this home will be the first one we search for!

We stayed at the Brown Victorian home for a week for a much overdue family vacation that took 12 years to finally take. The home itself was very clean, very spacious and was walking distance to some of the best memories we made as a family. The small quaint town of Alden was very charming and everyone was very friendly and helpful to any questions we seemed to have. The 500' walk to the lake was a nice walk we would take as a family to watch the beautiful sunsets or just to dip our feet in the water. The grocery store was very close for anything we needed and the boat launch was just a short (very short) drive down the street to launch our kayaks. For the age of the home the Browns did an incredible job renovating and keeping the old charm touches to the home. Both my kids loved the porch swing out front and they do provide a grill for grilling. We were lucky enough to have beautiful weather every day we were there for the week and the ceiling fans and additional fans provided in house was more than enough to keep us all comfortable every night of our stay. We loved staying here so much we would like to make this our new yearly family vacation spot. I would highly recommend this house and these renters!

We love Torch Lake and this property was in a great location, and close to the town of Alden, which was really nice!

The location of the home is perfect. You can walk to adorable Alden which has more to offer than you first may see. It's also close to boat launches and marinas. The house is spacious, great porch to hang out. There is no AC which did make it uncomfortable at times even with all the fans. Not having a washer/dryer was also inconvenient for a long stay. Important to note you have to bring all your own bed linens, towels and even bath mats.

We were so pleased with our stay in Alden at the Brown Victorian. The house was immaculate and well stocked. We were so comfortable there and truly enjoyed our time. We enjoyed the park and the walk into town. The town itself is charming. We highly recommend this rental- we would love to return! Torch Lake is a beautiful area. Thank you Brown'sfor sharing your lovely home!

The house is cozy and very clean. My teenage daughter loved the added room to the bedroom we shared. She was able to get ready without having to dominate the bathroom. The house is in a great location, a few steps away from the lake and a short walk to downtown Alden. The owners were responsive and easy to work with.

Property was located central to our fishing needs. Just a short trip to many of the area lakes. House was clean and comfortable, and located close to grocery store. The weather was very warm and home was close to the water and surrounded by trees, so it stayed bearable in the day and cooled nicely at night. Pleanty of ceiling fans and other fans. I would not have a problem returning. The owner was very helpful with any questions or concerns that I may have had. Had a great time.

My family and I had a great week here. We loved the small, old fashioned town that matched the home. It was peaceful and relaxing. We also loved that the trails were so close by. We went on the trails daily. The home came with pretty much everything we needed. Made our stay very smooth. Very beautiful place to vacation!

We needed a home base for visits around Traverse city area. This home provided all the necessities and enough room to cook breakfast, play cards & games, and still have private sleeping areas. So much better than an impersonal hotel. Porch was great for early morning coffee and a glimpse of Torch lake. Accurately described as 500 feet to lake but not lakefront property; view is limited due to another home and trees. Our walk to the lake for the sunset and later for stargazing was memorable especially for city girls. The town was within walking distance and had a few cute shops (due to off-season and pandemic not many open) We enjoyed our stay; clean, quaint and great value.

We loved the home. We picked it on the age and wanted to stay in something with a lot of character. It was amazing, we saw many pieces that reminded us grandmas house. We were able to reimense about our childhood. We would definitely stay there again if we come back that way with 6 or less. The owners were great in staying in touch with us. Thanks for letting us share a bit of your home

The house was just lovely and located on a quiet street just a few doors down from Coy Mountain Preserve, a beautiful hike. The main attraction for me in this area was seeing the beautiful green/turquoise Torch Lake. And I was delighted to discover the local businesses (Muffin Tin, Spice Mill, Carters Candles) where I happily bought many gifts and things for myself. There was also a wine tasting establishment that we didn't have time to get to! I highly recommend this house and the town of Alden for a vacation!

This historical home was perfect for our family of four. Very clean. Great list of things to do and places you may need shared on email and on paper in the kitchen. Room to spread out throughout the house. And the management company and owners were very responsive. An easy drive to Sleeping Bear Dunes, apple and raspberry picking at King Orchard, and fossil hunting in Petosky. The owners' recommendation for Alden Muffin Tin was spot on - delicious scones, muffins, and quiche within walking distance of the house. The front porch and the lake front park down the road were great places to eat take out from Torch Lake Beer Co. There is a beautiful nature preserve a short walk from the house (main entrance on Valley St). And puzzles, games, and wi-fi for unwinding together at the end of the day. Only regret is not taking our kayaks - the public launch is close by.

Owners very nice to work with and responsive. Property is so convenient to walk to quaint town of Alden and close to several Torch Lake public access sites and the boat launch. House has plenty of room to spread out and relax. Parking can be interesting depending on how many vehicles you may have in your party and how many neighbors have at a given time.

House Has a lot character and was very clean. The neighborhood was peaceful and close to everything we needed. Primary reason for choosing Alden was the proximity to the boat launch, which we used daily. We would love to come back.

We had a great week! The house was wonderful. Close to Torch Lake,Traverse City, Bellaire. I definitely would recommend.

The description actually undersold the awesome location--we could sit on the front porch and view the lake, even watch the sunset. The house was beautiful, well-maintained, and well-equipped, communicating with the owners and property management was easy. Alden is a sweet town. Was great to spend a summer week up north!