The Frankfort Surf Cottage

3 bedrooms1 bathroomSleeps 8

Popular amenities

Washer

Dryer

Kitchen

Barbecue grill

Outdoor space

Explore the area

Frankfort, MI

Betsie Lake2 min walk
Frankfort Beach8 min walk
Point Betsie Lighthouse9 min drive
Manistee, MI (MBL-Manistee County-Blacker)46 min drive

Rooms & beds

3 bedrooms (sleeps 8)

Bedroom 3

1 Double Bed

Guest Bedroom 2

1 Queen Bed

Main

1 King Bed

1 bathroom

Bathroom main

Bathtub or shower · Toilet

Bathroom master

Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Deck or patio

Porch or lanai

Kitchen

Garden

Dining Area

About this property

Come visit the pure beauty of one of Northern Michigan's favorite small coastal beach towns- Frankfort. Frankfort is situated on the gorgeous shores of Lake Michigan. This splendid coastal beach town has plenty to offer for your perfect family get away! Frankfort is the gateway to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Lake Michigan, Surfing (yes surfing), Charter Fishing, the Bestie Valley Bike Trail, Shopping, numerous eateries, and countless adventures. The pristine dunes, beaches, and spectacular sunsets over the vast open freshwater sea will keep you in awe of what our family calls, Northern Michigan Surf City.
Once you arrive to the cottage, there is rarely a need to drive. Simply grab the towels, chairs, and a cooler. As it’s a mere 5 minute stroll down a treelined Victorian home sidewalk to one of Lake Michigan's most beautiful beaches. Bring your Bikes, Paddle-boards, Kayaks, and beach toys. Or rent surfboards, paddle-boards, or bikes at Coastline Bikes or Crystal Lake Adventure Sports, both downtown.
The cottage is a mere 50 yards away from downtown main street where you will find numerous restaurants, bistros,
breweries, and shopping. Again, all within walking distance.
Sit on the covered front porch and relax with a glass of wine while watching passers-by on our treelined Victorian street that leads right to the water. Or choose to lounge on the back deck and bask in the sun. There is a flagstone fire pit area in the backyard with several Adirondack chairs for your night time enjoyment.
The cottage sits on a corner lot with room for the kids to play. The cottage has wireless internet for connectivity. Please note: by design there is No T.V. This is one of 120 licensed rental properties in Frankfort.
In the lower level walkout there is a Ping Pong table, foos ball table, and video arcade games for those seeking refuge from the sun.
As with most Northern Michigan cottages there isn’t Air Conditioning as the nights are generally cool. However, there are ceiling fans in all 3 rooms, as well as stand up fans placed in the closets for use if need be.
We recently added a Culligan reverse osmosis water system to our kitchen sink so no need to bring or buy all those plastic water bottles.
Over the years this cottage has provided our family and friends with countless wonderful memories. We are certain it will do the same for you and yours.
Sincerely,
The Mackey Family

Property manager

Michelle & Todd Mackey

Premier Host

Amenities

Kitchen

Washer

Dryer

Outdoor space

Barbecue grill

Kitchen

Washer

Dryer

Pet-friendly

House Rules

Check in after 4:00 PM

Minimum age to rent: 25

Check out before 11:00 AM

Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17

Events

No events allowed

NO Parties Allowed.

Pets

No pets allowed

Absolutely no Pets allowed on Premises

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Absolutely No Smoking allowed Inside property

Guest represents himself/herself to be an adult 25 years or older & must be a traveler at the property for the entire duration of the reserved dates.

Noises to a minimum outdoors after 11PM as this is a dense Victorian neighborhood.

Use of indoors Fireplace prohibited.

Damage and incidentals

You will be responsible for any damage to the rental property caused by you or your party during your stay.

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy

Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges

Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed

On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited

Note from host: NO Parties Allowed.

Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property

Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property

Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit and a deadlock

About the area

Frankfort

Located in Frankfort, this cottage is in the city centre and near the beach. The area's natural beauty can be seen at Lake Michigan and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Take in the nearby slopes with skiing, or try out other outdoor activities such as snowmobiling.

Frankfort, MI

What's nearby

Betsie Lake - 2 min walk
Frankfort Beach - 8 min walk
Elizabeth Lane Oliver Center for the Arts - 10 min walk
Elberta Beach - 7 min drive
Point Betsie Lighthouse - 9 min drive

Getting around

Manistee, MI (MBL-Manistee County-Blacker) - 47 min drive

Restaurants

A&W Restaurant - 15 min walk
Stormcloud Brewing Company - 5 min walk
The Hotel Frankfort - 5 min walk
Frankfort Dairy Maid - 10 min walk
Port City Smoke House - 10 min walk

Frequently asked questions

Is The Frankfort Surf Cottage pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

What time is check-in at The Frankfort Surf Cottage?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at The Frankfort Surf Cottage?

Checkout is at 11:00 AM.

Where is The Frankfort Surf Cottage located?

This family-friendly Frankfort cottage is located near the beach, within a 10-minute walk of Betsie Lake and Lake Michigan. Frankfort Beach and Elizabeth Lane Oliver Center for the Arts are also within 10 minutes.

9.8

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.

Learn more

9.8/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Check-in

9.8/10

Communication

10/10

Location

9.8/10

Listing accuracy

10/10 Excellent

Carrie H.

29 August 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Another great stay at Surf Cottage

My family and I enjoyed another great summer stay at Surf Cottage. The cottage is spacious, well equipped and perfectly located. And Michelle is a fabulous host - so easy to communicate with. We hope to return next year!

Stayed 14 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Ray A.

27 August 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

August 2023

Location is great. Short walk to beach and one block off the main street of Frankfort. Very nice house with a great kitchen, front porch, deck and yard.

Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2023

6/10 Okay

Eric S.

7 August 2023

Liked: Check-in, location, listing accuracy

Disliked: Communication

Awning ower sun deck or umbrella table

Back Screen to deck was already torn at lower left corner . Not as big as as we left it, but still torn. Perhaps tape across face will help with visability?

Stayed 14 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

David B.

24 July 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

2023 summer vacation

It’s a great place to stay and a wonderful summer getaway.

Stayed 14 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

CATHERINE N.

16 June 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Frankfort vacation

Beautiful cottage with everything we needed to have a wonderful vacation even though the weather was very uncooperative.

Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2023

About the host

Hosted by Michelle & Todd Mackey

We are a family of seven (7) Five kids, 3 girls and two boys. Our children, now grown are off to college and beyond. Our family cottage now sits awaiting to make you and your family life long memories like it has ours.

Why they chose this property

We purchased this cottage as a get-away for our large family (5 kids). It has provided us with countless memories and experiences over the years.
We have always loved that fact that once you park the car there is really no need to use it again. In fact, it only a 2 min walk to downtown stores, shops, and the beach.
Our kids loved the water, the beaches, the downtown, etc. A typical day for our kids would be a big breakfast at the 10 ft kitchen table, possibly a morning bike ride on the BVT trail, maybe some tennis at the public park, a skateboard session at the skate-bowl park, and of course Beach Time playing in the waves, Sand volleyball, and who can forget jumping off the Frankfort city pier. If the winds are 20kts or more out of the South or SSW it means waves- Surfing Waves! Yes you can surf Frankfort when the conditions are right. Each of our children became proficient surfers learning on Lake Michigan. (If the surf is up there will be numerous surfers in the break as the secret is now out).
After a long day playing outside, our routine typically involves a stroll downtown (50 yards from our back yard) to eat at any one of the downtown restaurants. This is always followed by Ice Cream at one of four (4) downtown ice cream shops. Finally, a must-do is watching the Sunset over Lake Michigan at the Beach. In the summertime this may be as late at 10:30pm in June/July. There will definitely be a crowd, and yes they do clap each night when the sun sets into the water. Finally, in the evening we often pull up an Adirondack chair encircling the flagstone fire-pit and enjoy a warm fire under the stars with family and friends.
You're going to love it here!

What makes this property unique

Frankfort, located on the gorgeous beach shores of Lake Michigan. This splendid beach town has plenty to offer for your perfect family get away! Frankfort is the gateway to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Lake Michigan, Surfing (yes surfing), Charter Fishing, the Bestie Valley Bike Trail, Shopping, eateries, and countless adventures. The pristine dunes, beaches, and spectacular sunsets over the vast open freshwater sea will keep you in awe of what our family calls, Northern Michigan Surf City. Once you arrive to the cottage, there is rarely a need to drive...just grab the towels, chairs, and cooler. It's a mere 5 minute walk down a treelined victorian home sidewalk to one of Lake Michigans most beautiful beaches. Bring your Paddle Board, Bikes, and beach toys, or, rent surf and paddle-boards at Adventure Sports downtown. The cottage is a "stones throw" away from downtown where you will find restaurants, breweries, and shopping, again all within walking distance.
Sit on the covered porch and relax with a glass of wine while watching passers-by on our main street that leads right to the water. Or choose to lounge on the back deck and bask in the sun. There is a flagstone fire pit with several Adirondack chairs for your night time enjoyment.
Wedding guests...there isn't a better spot!! Located kitty-corner (across street) from the First Congregational Church.
The cottage sits on a corner lot with room for the kids to play. The cottage has wireless internet for connectivity although by design..NO T.V. In the lower level walkout there is a Ping Pong table, Foosball table, and arcade games for those seeking refuge from the sun.
Over the years this cottage has provided our family with countless wonderful memories and we are certain it will do the same for you and yours.
The Mackey's