Overall generally misleading listing. First off, for non-locals it's in Alto, not Grand Rapids. The seller either by mistake or intention uses a Grand Rapids address on the VRBO listing. Just two adults, showed up and found out there was an additional deposit (fair, but unexpected, better have Venmo) and an additional cleaning fee on top of the one charged on VRBO....not sure what they used the last one for because there was trash all over the place and the pool wasn't clean. Oh, the pool. It's not the one in the pictures. That one is somewhere not on the property, I think it's from the Grand Rapids YMCA but the instructions weren't very clear and the property manager didn't seem to know. The pool you get is an above ground 36 incher....i think, it might belong to the RV parked by the garage, hard to tell. The swim spa is there, but you wouldn't know it from the angle of the picture it's on the neighbor house's driveway. It's apparently still for use, but after you book you'll get a "guide" that tells you it's free IF they get a 5 star review, otherwise it's $25 per hour to use. The game room is a gem though, if you like squirrels. Probably most of the empty beer bottles and cigarette butts were from them and not the last tenants, and if you really want that wildlife experience you can sleep in the extra bed out there(really wish VRBO would let me post pictures). For a less outdoorsy experience you could sleep inside, just hope that pool noodle covering the hole under the door is secure enough to keep adventurous racoons out. Luckily the duct tape on the wall in the bedroom will probably hold. Would highly suggest bringing your own linens, and maybe one of those hand vacuums to clean off the beds first. Final straw was turning on the furnace and getting a very strong smell of gas....I was there for about an hour and a half. To be fair it's in a lovely neighborhood, and upon reporting the gas smell we were offered alternative accomodations, but at that point I didn't trust what those might be so we declined them. Place has tons of potential, but before booking I'd just ask for the Welcome Guide they send to vacationers so you can look it over prior to making any quick decisions like we did.

It is an old quaint cottage right on the lake and on a cul-de-sac! The managing group is very helpful and really helped us out when I made a mistake on dates! Great place for dogs and family to all meet.

It is an old quaint cottage right on the lake and on a cul-de-sac! The managing group is very helpful and really helped us out when I made a mistake on dates! Great place for dogs and family to all meet.

We had the best weekend ever. The house was amazing. We will be back to enjoy this again

We had the best weekend ever. The house was amazing. We will be back to enjoy this again

It gives me little pleasure writing a bad review, but there is a lot of comments I could make. I tried my best to come to an amicable solution with Frank but he is often slow to respond and difficult to deal with. The photos in the listing include images of numerous other properties, some neighbouring, some I was unable to find. The cottage I booked was filled with mouse droppings, especially in the kitchen cupboards around the dishes - Frank's response was that this is normal for cottages but I would have to disagree. The last straw was when the water from all faucets cut out intermittently the morning after we checked in. Frank was helpful in sending someone to look at it (although delayed and begrudgingly) but we had already packed up to leave. The maintenance guy was not able to replicate the issue by running the water for a few minutes, but I am confident that it will happen to others. When renting a cottage, you certainly shouldn't expect the same luxurious experience as a resort, but this was below reasonable health and safety requirements. Rent at your own risk!