Lakefront Cottage - 25 Steps to Water, Dog-Friendly, Kayaks & Private Dock

Discover the charm of The Dragonfly, our vintage lakeside cottage nestled on the shores of Intermediate Lake. Immerse yourself in stunning panoramic views from the comfort of our backyard or through the expansive windows that bring the outside in. Designed to accommodate your family or a large group of friends, The Dragonfly features five cozy bedrooms and two full bathrooms, ensuring everyone has space to relax and unwind. Dogs welcome & encouraged!

Highlights:

✩ Private Beach: Enjoy your very own private lake access, just 24 steps from the backdoor. You’ll have a small beach as well as shallow, sandy water entry.

✩ Water Toys: Use our kayaks, canoe, and paddleboat to explore the lake – or use our dock and bring your boat. Public access boat launch less than a mile away.

✩ Lakeside Hammocks: Curl up with a book on one of two lakeside hammocks – or make a fire by the water while you watch the sunset.

✩ Yard Games: We provide many yard games to keep you entertained all day - chip in, cornhole, ladder ball, basket toss & more.

✩ Wine Tasting: Just a few minutes to spirits, wine, cider, and mead tasting.

✩ Firepit + Smores: use the lakeside firepit to close out the day. We provide wood and S'mores kits to guests that stay between May 20 and September 15.

✩ Indescribable Sunsets: the cottage is west-facing, which means it gets the most beautiful sunsets. Sit on the Adirondack chairs and enjoy the peaceful view.

MORE DETAILS:

✩✩BEDROOMS✩✩
The Dragonfly offers 5 bedrooms and 8 beds. The Primary Bedroom is on the main floor and has a king bed, ample storage, and uninterrupted views of Intermediate Lake. Two more bedrooms adorn the first floor, each with a full bed, brand new mattresses and linens, and closets. The final two bedrooms are located on the loft - don’t worry, they have doors and are not open to the downstairs. The first upstairs bedroom offers a king bed and dresser. The other upstairs bedroom offers two queen beds and a dresser – perfect for the kids. All bedrooms have new linens and are equipped with luggage racks and USB charging alarm clocks. Bonus daybed / trundle bed in the loft!

✩✩GREAT ROOM✩✩
At the heart of The Dragonfly is the open-concept living, kitchen and dinning areas. Featuring 20 foot sloped ceilings, expansive windows facing the lake, a large cozy sofa, and more. The knotty pine ceiling and stained beams create a rustic ambiance as you step back in time to this 1960s cottage. Thoughtful updates in this space provide a modern feel while still keeping the vintage charm. Utilize the electric fireplace on chilly evenings while you watch your favorite streaming service via the 1-gig high-speed wifi on the 55” smart tv.

✩✩LOFT✩✩
The loft is open to the living room below and offers a sitting area with a chair and daybed. The daybed doubles as a trundle and offers two twin beds, in case you want to spread out! The loft also has a game table with checkers built right in, and a pinball machine - try for the high score! The pinball machine is a star wars pinball game with over six games to choose from. The competition is fierce for the high-score.

✩✩KITCHEN✩✩
The kitchen has original vintage charm and really feels like a step back in time, but offers modern appliances. It is fully equipped with an electric stove/oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, toaster, blender, and more. In the kitchen you will find a coffee & tea station fully stocked with ground coffee, powdered cream, flavored cream, sugar, flavored syrups, and tea. Additionally, you’ll have all the cooking essentials provided, like cooking oil, over 20 spices, utensils, pots/pans, baking supplies, etc. If you plan to cook at the cottage, you will find everything you need.

✩✩BATHROOMS✩✩
The Dragonfly offers two full bathrooms that include shower/tub combos and are fully stocked with fresh towels, clean makeup towels, hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion. Additionally, we have “forget something” jars that help ensure you feel at home, even if you forgot something!

✩✩BACKYARD✩✩
The backyard offers a large grill, so you can cook up some burgers and eat outside at the picnic table. In the evening, use the firepit to cook smores (wood provided) and star-gaze. Use the provided kayaks, canoe, or paddle boat to explore Intermediate Lake. You’ll have a private beach area right in the backyard that is perfect for kiddos, dogs, or just relaxing. Curl up in one of two hammocks located right near the water, for the most peaceful setting. There is a private 90 ft boat dock that allows you to bring your boat (or rent a boat from nearby). You can fill your boat up just down the lake at the on-lake gas station. Enjoy swimming, boating, and fishing right from your backyard. We provide a kayak and a paddleboat for your enjoyment. The cottage is perfect for fishing with a 75 foot drop off just past the dock - we also provide fishing poles and tackle for our guests to use. Additionally, lawn games are provided - cornhole, ladderball, chip shot, and more. Water toys available Memorial Day through Labor Day.

✩✩DOGS WELCOME✩✩
We love dogs - so we hope you bring yours with you if you have one! We have most of what you’d likely need for your dog. A family vacation isn’t complete without the whole family.

AMENITY HIGHLIGHTS:
◈ two Kayaks
◈ Paddle boat
◈ 16 foot canoe
◈ Fully equipped kitchen
◈ Dedicated workspace
◈ 1 gig high speed Wi-Fi
◈ Record player with albums
◈ Bluetooth speaker
◈ Alarm clocks with USB charging ports
◈ Gas grill with grill utensils
◈ Hammocks
◈ Board games & card games
◈ Pinball machine
◈ Fishing poles & tackle (bring ice fishing gear)
◈ Beach towels
◈ Coffee & tea bar
◈ Adult and children’s books
◈ Boat dock
◈ Firepit and marshmallow skewers
◈ AC + heat + extra portable electric heaters
◈ 4 adult life jackets & 2 child life jackets
◈ Lawn games (Chip-in, Ladderball, Cornhole)
◈ Dog Amenities
◈ Dog bed
◈ 2 collapsible dog crates
◈ Collapsible dog bowls
◈ Dog toys
◈ 2 slow feeders
◈ Extra leash
◈ Potty Bags

Please note: There are only two TVs on the property - one large 55” HD TV in the living room and one small TV in the primary bedroom.

The Location:
You’ll be close to ski resorts, excellent golf courses, wine tasting, cider tasting, a famous brewery (Shorts) and more. The Dragonfly is just 8 minutes from downtown Bellaire – which is home to some favorite destinations, including Short's Brewery, Bee Well Meade, The Corner Bistro, Mammoth Distilling, and more. Just a few miles from the Torch Lake public boat launch. 13 minutes from Shanty Creek. You can also take short day trips to Charlevoix, Petoskey, Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, Mackinac Island, or Traverse City!

Cider and Wine Tasting: Traverse City is known for its wine, but Central Lake and Bellaire have some great cider and wine. too. Drive less than 10 minutes to try some amazing cider and wine. Stop by Bee Well Cider & Mead, Cellar 1914, Torch Lake Cellars, or Short’s Brewery to try some local wine, cider, and mead.

Golfing: The Dragonfly is centrally located among many golf courses like A-Ga-Ming, Shanty Creek, Belvedere, Antrim Dells, and more.

Take a day trip: If you’re looking for more adventure, you can make day trips to some of Michigan’s top attractions like Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, Traverse City (45 mins), Mackinac Island (1.5 hours), Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Charlevoix (25 mins), or Boyne Mountain (30 mins).

Things to Note:
Please note: absolutely no parties are allowed at the property. Small gatherings for things like birthday dinners OK! This is a lakefront property and there is no life guard on duty. All guests acknowledge they will be swimming, boating, and enjoying the lake at their own risk when booking. Lastly, we have quiet hours between 10pm and 7am - it’s very important this is followed, so our neighbors continue to be supportive of The Dragonfly!

VINTAGE CHARM: The Dragonfly was built in 1964 and was used as a seasonal cottage for over 60 years! In 2021, it was renovated for use year-round. Your hosts are the third owners of this cottage, and all owners have kept the original vintage charm! This also means the cottage has quirks – the kitchen and bathrooms are original to the cottage, the stairs can be a bit squeaky, and sometimes the humidity makes the doors stick. The cottage is on a well and septic. If you are not used to well water, we recommend bringing drinking water with you.

Security cameras are installed on the front and back doors. The light on the front of the house is on a timer, for convenience.

The roads to get to the cottage are paved; however, Northern Michigan does get a lot of snow in the winter. Please plan to have a four-wheel-drive vehicle if traveling to the cottage during the Winter.