One of the best parts of having my blog are the people I’ve met because of it! Over the summer, one of my followers reached out to me about a vacation home she and her husband had recently purchased and renovated in Union Pier, Michigan. In addition to loving this home themselves, they’re hoping to rent it out when they aren’t using it. She thought of me because of the proximity this house has to Notre Dame…it’s about 45 minutes from campus. So, after the recent Notre Dame night game versus USC, she offered their home to our family to stay in with the hopes that I would share our experience if it was positive. I’m thrilled to tell you about it.
Typically, our family just powers through game day at Notre Dame. It’s about a two-and-a-half hour drive for us and we’ve done it so many times–it’s just what we do. The only time it’s really tough is for a night game, so we were very happy to just have a short ride “to the country” and stay at a home that its owners call “The Bright Side.”
First off, always most important to me is cleanliness. This home is immaculate! Beyond! And it feels like home from the jump with the most welcoming public areas with plenty of seating, and loads of books, magazines, and games stashed everywhere that the homeowners would love guests to use.
This home has a kitchen ready to be used with all of the amenities–coffee maker, stand mixer, pots and pans, and cookie sheets. Also, no need to bring olive oil, spices or coffee filters, etc. The homeowners are happy to share that kind of thing so you don’t have to worry about bringing it with you or running out
for it.
The homeowners provide guests with complete instructions for enjoying their home where every detail has been carefully accounted for.
This cute cottage easily sleeps nine people and has two full bathrooms for guests to share. The bedrooms are so cozy, with the comfiest beds (my whole family commented on how well they slept!) and there are extra sheets and blankets if necessary. At the end of our stay, we were just asked to strip the beds and leave our sheets and towels outside the bedroom so they can be laundered.
While we weren’t able to enjoy the grounds because our stay was brief, the homeowners have a wonderful deck with ample seating and fire pit that are available to use. And because of their closeness to the lake, this home is also completely outfitted for you to enjoy some time at the beach.
There is so much to explore nearby, including Three Oaks and New Buffalo that are both filled with cute restaurants and shops. On our way back to Notre Dame on Sunday morning to have breakfast with our kids, we stopped at the cutest coffee shop called Issa Vibe Cafe in New Buffalo. The coffee was delicious!
“The Bright Side” is a wonderful alternative to South Bend’s not-so-great hotel scene. On top of this darling house, the homeowners provided detailed instructions for being at their home prior to your arrival so there were no questions at all when we arrived after midnight. They even explained how to navigate to their home in the dark.
We felt very cared for on our stay and I can’t recommend this sweet little cottage enough. Click here to check availability and more information. And as always, you can ask questions of me.
xo,
