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Charming 3/2 Bungalow: Bay Views & access, Minutes to town Tart tail, Beaches

Photo gallery for Charming 3/2 Bungalow: Bay Views & access, Minutes to town Tart tail, Beaches

Aerial view of front of house.
Property video
NIce home on 1.8 acre lot with views and public park and access to West Bay.
Fall is a great time to visit with 3 day minimum (June, Sept, Oct)
Bright Fall day. Sun on the porch and fire in backyard at night. Plenty of wood.

Reviews

9.4 out of 10
Exceptional

Highlights

  • On the beach
    A rare beachfront property in the area - enjoy direct access to the sand and sea.
3 bedrooms1+ bathroomSleeps 6

Popular amenities

  • On beach
  • Garage parking available
  • Dog-friendly
  • Kitchen
  • Washing machine
  • Air-conditioning

Explore the area

View map
Traverse City, MI
  • Place, Brengman Brothers
    ‪4 min drive‬
  • Place, Great Lakes Children's Museum
    ‪5 min drive‬
  • Place, beach near Bingham Road
    ‪5 min drive‬
  • Airport, Traverse City, MI (TVC-Cherry Capital)
    ‪20 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

3 bedrooms (sleeps 6)

Bedroom 1

1 King Bed

Bedroom 2

1 Queen Bed

Bedroom 3

2 Single Beds

1 bathroom, 1 half bathroom

Bathroom 1

Bathtub or shower · Toilet

Bathroom 2

Toilet

Spaces

Deck or patio
Porch or lanai
Kitchen
Outdoor play area
Garden
Dining area

About this property

Charming 3/2 Bungalow: Bay Views & access, Minutes to town Tart tail, Beaches

Charming 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom country bungalow on a 1.8 acre lot with a partially forested secluded backyard: fire pit/grill /pergola/forest table. Air conditioned, just in case you need it. Beautiful views of West Bay with water access across the street at charming roadside park. 1 well behaved/trained dog allowed. Great location 5 minutes to TC & 3 minutes to: Tart trail, Beautiful Harbor Park beach area, Supermarket, & Elmwood Marina and Ceder lake to launch a boat. Short drive north up the Peninsula to Charming Suttons Bay-Lake Leelanau-Leland or Old Mission Penninsula wineries. High speed internet. Sleeps 6 comfortably with a King, Queen, two single beds. Fully stocked kitchen, laundry area in basement. Detached two car garage and plenty of parking. Hickory and oak hardwood floors. Cellular blinds throughout the home including blackout in bedrooms. Two kayaks/life jackets, and 5 bikes/helmets Catch the tart trail 2 minutes away and bike to Suttons Bay or Traverse. Great place for a couple (s) or family vacation. New Upstairs' work area if you need to stay connected. Sorry not a Party home as we want to respect our neighbors and respect str license requirements. Make some great Memories! I hope this home is part of that. As A native of the area, 50+ years, I'm happy to share with you all the great spots and activities in the area that make this place so special. For a wealth of info go to:chrisjcreamer.com You will run out of time long before you run out of things to do. Rents Saturday to Saturday during the summer and 3 day Minimums in June, September, and October. STR License # 2026-45

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House Rules

Minimum age to rent: 25
Check out before 10:00 AM
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Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17
Children are welcome but should be supervised when
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Events

No events allowed
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Pets

Pets allowed: dogs less than 9 kg per pet (limit one pet total)
No cats, please.
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Smoking

Smoking is not permitted
You are welcome to smoke outside on the deck, rear

Check-out instructions

The host requires you to complete the following before checking out:
Load and start the dishwasher
Strip any used beds and gather used towels
Remove personal items, remove leftover food and drinks and take out the rubbish
Turn off the lights, lock the doors and return the keys
Failure to complete these may result in a negative review from the host.

Important information

You need to know

Property # 808951vb
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
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 and a first aid kit

About the area

Traverse City

Located in Traverse City, this holiday home is near a water park and on the beach. Shoppers can check out Front Street, while everyone can enjoy the natural beauty of Lake Michigan and Traverse City Beach. Great Lakes Children's Museum and Great Wolf Lodge Water Park are also worth visiting. Enjoy the area's slopes with cross-country skiing and snowboarding, and don't miss out on the ice skating and sledging.
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Map
Traverse City, MI

What's nearby

  • Brengman Brothers - 4 min drive - 2.9 km
  • beach near South Carol Ann Drive - 4 min drive - 7.6 km
  • beach near Boughey Park - 5 min drive - 8.3 km
  • Great Lakes Children's Museum - 5 min drive - 6.5 km
  • beach near Bingham Road - 5 min drive - 8.7 km

Getting around

  • Traverse City, MI (TVC-Cherry Capital) - 18 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Water Bearer Coffee - ‬8 min drive
  • ‪North Peak Brewing Company - ‬8 min drive
  • ‪Barrio - ‬9 min drive
  • ‪Mari Vineyards - ‬17 min drive
  • ‪Lil Bo - ‬8 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is Charming 3/2 Bungalow: Bay Views & access, Minutes to town Tart tail, Beaches pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows dogs (limit 1 total) with a maximum weight of up to 9 kg per pet.

How much is parking at Charming 3/2 Bungalow: Bay Views & access, Minutes to town Tart tail, Beaches?

On-site parking is available at the property.

What time is check-out at Charming 3/2 Bungalow: Bay Views & access, Minutes to town Tart tail, Beaches?

Checkout is at 10:00 AM.

Where is Charming 3/2 Bungalow: Bay Views & access, Minutes to town Tart tail, Beaches located?

Nestled on the beach, this Traverse City holiday home is 0.1 mi (0.2 km) from Lake Michigan and 1.5 mi (2.4 km) from Brengman Brothers. West End Beach and Clinch Park are also within 6 miles (10 km).

Reviews

9.4

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 40 out of 53 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 10 out of 53 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 53 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 53 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 53 reviews

9.2/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Check-in

10/10

Communication

9.6/10

Location

9.6/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

Verified

8/10 Good

Nancy E.

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Bayshore Memories is a true bungalow getaway. Perfectly located on the NW side of TC and the bay. Very easy to navigate and enjoy all the area has to offer.
Stayed 14 nights in Jul 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 21 July 2025
Glad you enjoyed your stay and always encourage guests to pls let us know how we can improve. Tks for leaving our home is such good condition.
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Benjamin M.

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

Great location

Great house and location.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 13 June 2023
Thanks Benjamin. Enjoyed having you stay with us. Chris
Verified

8/10 Good

Angela W.

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

Nice Stay

Our family enjoyed our stay. We liked the location between Suttons Bay and Traverse City.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2023
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Shain R.

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

Close to amenities

Great location and Chris is great!
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2023
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Mary O.

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

Traverse Bay House

Lovely two week stay in Michigan to escape our Louisiana heat.
Stayed 14 nights in Aug 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Ryan B.

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

Great week up north

We had a great week up north and staying at this house. This was a great location for a great price. The view was great across the street and it was very easy to take the kayaks out.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 9 July 2022
Glad you had a good time😀
Verified

10/10 Excellent

gail C.

Great cottage

Very clean house with comfortable beds. We had a lovely time with the kayaks and bikes. The beach towels and bottle of cherry wine were nice touches!
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2018
Response from VrboOwner on 21 March 2020
Thanks Gail, I’m glad you enjoyed your stay in Traverse and our little home!
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Stephanie F.

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

Cute Home in Great Location

I have family in the area and have visited Traverse City many times - This is a very convenient location to downtown, and both Leelenau and Old Mission Peninsulas. Cute house that’s cozy and well maintained. Also dog friendly! I’d absolutely stay here again!
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 21 October 2022
Thanks Stephanie! Glad you enjoyed your stay. Chris
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Christy B.

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

Perfect Location and Great Host

Chris is the best. Very informative, great suggestions about the area. We had never been to the area before and he gave awesome suggestions of drives and places to see. House was cute- perfect for our stay. Will definitely be back!
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Rich S.

Nice Place for a family trip!

My family and I recently stayed here for a week in Traverse City! It worked out great for us! Plenty of stuff to do around town! There were also bikes, and kayaks that were available for us to use which was awesome! I would definitely recommend this for a stay in Traverse City!
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2018
Response from VrboOwner on 21 March 2020
Glad you are your family enjoy your stay Rich. look forward to hopefully seeing you guys again, thanks from all the family! Chris/ Mariana
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Anna K.

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

Bayshore Marathon

I have only great things to say about Chris’s property. It was a convenient location for our marathon, had everything we needed, and absolutely beautiful sunrises!
Stayed 3 nights in May 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 7 June 2022
Thanks😀 Glad you enjoyed your stay. It was a pleasure having you as guests..
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Jada B.

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

Great location

Our family loved the house and location. The kids (5 and 12) really enjoyed the bay access across the street and having a fire pit in the backyard for the evenings. It was nice of the host to provide the ingredients to make s’mores! The location is a short drive to many great places to explore and eat. Would love to come back in the further!
Stayed 6 nights in Jun 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 27 June 2022
So happy you had a nice stay. I know how important a family vacation is. Thanks again😀
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Leslie B.

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

Great location

This was a great cottage rental. Close to everything that you would want to see. Traverse Bay view. Gorgeous sunrises. Public access across the street. Very nice backyard area. The only disadvantage is that it is on busy M-22, but location, location, location.
Stayed 10 nights in Oct 2023
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Julie H.

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

Summer family vacation

Our family came up for the 4th of July week to stay. Great place to stay. Enjoyed our coffee every morning out back and watched all the birds. Enjoyed the fire pit in the evening and was nice to have wood provided! Extra nice to be able to store our bikes and kayaks in the garage. Chris was alway a pleasure to speak with and always willing to help! Great location for all the hot spots in the area! Made for a great weeks vacation!!
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Richard L.

Very nice vacation home

A very neat and comfortable vacation home. We enjoyed our stay with lots of room for our family get together. The owner's agent was very helpful and returned phone calls quickly. A plumbing problem developed and it was taken care of promptly. It was a great location minutes from Traverse City and right across the road from a small park on the shore of west bay.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2018
Response from VrboOwner on 21 March 2020
Hi Richard, Glad you enjoyed our home and your vacation in Traverse City. Sorry about the problem and really appreciate your understanding and appreciation that we handled it immediately. we enjoyed having you stay at our home. thanks, Chris & Mariana
Verified

8/10 Good

Jordan G.

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

Good location

We were up for Memorial Day weekend and to run the bayshore half marathon. Perfect size for the 4 adults and 2 children we had and a good location to go explore the peninsula or head in to downtown or the other peninsula easily. We were able to use the kayaks one night and enjoyed the fire pit another night and the kitchen had all we needed to make some meals at the house. Great sunrise view across the street if you’re up early.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 30 May 2023
Jordon, Sounds like you enjoyed your stay. Appreciate you leaving the home in good condition and glad to hear you had a chance to enjoy the amenities. Hope things went well in the Marathon.
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Kelly H.

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

Wonderful hosts

Chris was an amazing and attentive host! Very quick to respond to all of our questions. Check-in was a breeze and the house has everything you need while on vacation. This is a vintage property so there are some small quirks but I think that adds the the charm of the house. The location of the home is perfectly situated with easy access to everything. We always enjoy our trips to Traverse City, and I would definitely stay in one of Chris’ properties again.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2020
Response from VrboOwner on 13 July 2020
Thanks Kelly, It was a pleasure to have you stay with us and get a chance to meet your family Very nice group of people. You were excellent guests.
Archival

10/10 Excellent

Ronald S.

Excellent value

We had a wonderful time during our recent vacation to northern Michigan. The house was well prepared and comfortable. We had three couples staying and the house accommodated us very well. Plenty of dishes and glass ware. Gas grill out back work splendidly. I would definitely recommend this home. Thank you Kim! Ron and Donna
Response from VrboOwner on 21 March 2020
Thank you for your review! We enjoyed having you as our guests and hope to see you again next summer! Kimberly
Verified

8/10 Good

Dennis M.

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

House across from the lake

The house is in an amazing location, you can sit on the porch and see the lake across the street. The check in process was easy and Chris was readily available and flexible with our travel plans. There was s’mores ingredients and firewood waiting for us on arrival which was a nice touch! The only thing I would say that could be improved is that the shower had some mold on the wall that was triggering some allergies in our group and seemed like it should be cleaned prior to the stay but overall it was a great place in a great location!
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 11 June 2022
Glad you enjoyed your stay but surprised to hear about the bathroom as this is cleaned with the rest of the house thoroughly. We'll bring this to our cleaning services attention..
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Justin K.

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

A Wonderful Traverse City Getway!

Truly loved our time in Traverse City and one of the reasons was our wonderful lodging. a perfect location! When we arrived one of the people in our group responded with "this place has everything!" Enjoyed the house and the property, the outdoor fire pit and plenty of firewood was great for the cool September nights. There were 5 of use that stayed at the house and it was perfect and easily could have had two more. Chris is a wonderful host with great communication - he left us when a great guide of things to do. We will definitely book this place again when coming back to Traverse City.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2020
Response from VrboOwner on 14 October 2020
Thanks Justin, you guys were perfect guests and we really enjoyed you staying with us. Glad you enjoyed your stay. thanks, Chris
Verified

10/10 Excellent

dorie s.

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

Great little place....

Quaint and comfortable bungalow with a great view of the bay and easy driving access to downtown TC, beaches and wineries. The property is on the main highway so there is a lot of traffic and traffic noise, and no walking or bike path. We did cross the road and used the stairs at the roadside park directly across the street, to access the bay and had a great time kayaking and swimming. Chris was easy to work with and very responsive.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2019
Response from VrboOwner on 21 March 2020
Glad you guys enjoyed your stay. we certainly enjoyed having you stay at our home. next year we are expanding the backyard and putting in hammocks in the wooded areas. we just put in a new stone fire pit. Was a pleasure to have you stay .with us. All the best this summer for you and your family. Chris/Mariana
Archival

10/10 Excellent

Jennifer u.

Charming home, perfect for families and great location

Very cute and charming house. Was perfect for our families needs. Traveled to Traverse City for a Softball Tournament with my family including my parents. My mom uses a walker and was able to get around the house without any difficulties. Home is close to lakes and just a short drive to Downtown Traverse City. Home owners were very responsive to emails! This house is perfect for small and large families. Beautiful area, lakes nearby....Inner tubes and Kayaks were available for use! Absolutely loved staying at the house... I'll be sure to return and rent again!!
Response from VrboOwner on 21 March 2020
HI Jennifer, I'm glad you had a good time and liked our home. Hope to see you again soon! thanks, Chris & family
Verified

8/10 Good

Julie F.

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

Memories ad Bayshore

Our stay at this property was easy going. We had no plans or places to be, so one shower was fine for 5 people. The house was clean, but it is an older home so you have expect some imperfection's. We arrived during a bit of a heat wave, and though the house has a/c the upstairs bedroom was hot. We had to freeze the people on the lower level to get it tolerable upstairs. The heat also caused the house to be musty. Once the temps cooled that got better. We had a problem with the grill, but Chris remedied that same day by showing up with a brand new grill. He is super responsive and easy to work with. Our only real complaint is that 4 out of 5 us woke up with backaches. The mattresses really need to be replaced. The location was fantastic. The beach across the street is very rocky. You have to go way out to swim. We saw people swimming, but we mainly used it for rock hunting.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 2 August 2025
Enjoyed having you stay with us and appreciate your feedback as it helps to know how we can make our guests vacations the best possible. You're right the temps were very high. As our reviews show we haveny had issues with beds. Had one comment once on queen bed but replaced with new mattress immediately. Rest of beds fairly new.
Verified

6/10 Okay

Jeffery R R.

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

Overall good stay but some TLC is needed on this house.

This house is located very close to downtown and various wineries. Overall, our stay was good. The house contained everything we needed in terms of cooking, towels, beds, furniture. The toilet seat in the main BR broke mid stay; we reported it but it was never repaired. Both sinks in main and upstairs were pulled from the wall and swayed if you leaned on them. The downstairs shower curtain fell down several times and there were no visible shelving to set toiletries. The back doorknob fell off the first day making the door to the car parking unusable. Bottom line is for the price we paid off season our expectations were not met as problems I spoke of were reported but never resolved during our stay. The master bath is in dire need of a complete update and various other TLC projects need to be completed. We also own a VRBO on a lake in Austin, TX and know you must keep things fresh and working.
Stayed 11 nights in Sep 2019
Response from VrboOwner on 21 March 2020
We’ve been renting our home for 9 years and this was one of the more unusual experiences, Met our guests when I drive 30 minutes to drop off the face towels they requested. home was left dirty , this stay was in high season and our first poor review in 9 years..bathroom was really something,. towels left on the floor in various rooms. What was most curious was how furniture had been moved throughout the home.We did have a few items That broke which were fixed the day they checked out which I informed them of and which we apologized for.
Verified

8/10 Good

NANCY TOM D.

Cozy cottage

The cottage is cozy, and although it looks pretty new on the outside, it is a 'vintage' model, meaning a bit creaky, and a bit of a musty smell, especially in the kitchen. The upstairs was nice and spacious with a sitting room area, half bath, but there is no electrical outlet in the bathroom (for hair dryer). Full bath on the main floor with bathtub/shower was fine. We used two of the beds (downstairs double and upstairs king) and they were very comfortable. The house is a bit 'musty', likely due to age, and also it was warm and a bit rainy for several days that we stayed there which could have accounted for the stuffiness. M-22 has quite a bit of traffic so be aware of that if you go across the road to the public park area, although it was quiet after about 8 pm. The kitchen was adequate (gas range, dishwasher), and dishware and pots and pans provided were fine. No ice maker or ice cube trays in the freezer, so we bought a couple for our stay. The white fence was a good marker to locate the house especially the first few times driving in.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2018
Response from VrboOwner on 21 March 2020
Thanks Nancy for your comments. Very much appreciated as we are always trying to make your stay better. Sorry about the ice cube trays.We did have them before.You are right we had our first major rain of the summer and everything was humid. Hope you had a nice stay and enjoyed Traverse and the surrounding area. Thanks, Chris/Mariana and family

About the host

Hosted by Chris Creamer

Host profile image
I grew up in the area and met my wife of 20 years in Buenos Aires Argentina and we have 3 kids together. We know how important a nice family vacation is and the sacrifices it often takes to have a vacation so we want to do everything we can to make your vacation enjoyable. Our family handles everything from the boys mowing the yard to my wife and daughter handling the gardening and all of us pitching in. We are always trying to improve the home. We really appreciate your comments and suggestions.

Why they chose this property

We loved the iconic M-22 and this property as it was just charming and has a great location with bay views and close to TC. We tried to keep that charm while making changes and improvements such as hardwood flooring and a large country (eat-in) kitchen, and furnishings. The rear yard is large, wooded backing up to a hill.(over 1.8 acres) and private. We extensively remodeled and refurnished it, and added all new windows, screens, Air conditioning, and siding. We created a master suite (with sitting area and half bath) on the upper level. Every year we try to add something. Last year we added a white picket fence, French doors and stairs off the kitchen.

What makes this property unique

Minutes to downtown Traverse City and old mission peninsula and all that it has to offer. A few minutes to Harbor Park/Marina where you can launch a boat or enjoy the beach/grills/play area.
West Bay access across the road - take a kayak (two included) and enjoy the waters of West Grand Traverse Bay. 5 bikes included if you want to hit the tart trail, 2 minutes away, or bike to town, Leelanau County has a plethora of wineries for fine wine tasting, countless inland lakes to explore, home of the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Park and many other amenities too numerous to mention! You'll run out of time but not things to do. This property has met the strict licensing requirements for Elmwood township including: smoke detectors in all bedrooms, Monoxide detectors on each floor. STR License # 2024-85

Languages:

English, Spanish
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