There's a guestbook in The Artist's Cottage at 2452 Lakeshore Drive in Fennville, Michigan 49408…read morethat I intended to sign, but my daughter did it for me better than I could anyhow. It was like something out of 'The Gilmore Girls' in that it also made no sense to me, but was cute and ultimately worthy of preservation. I'd perused the earlier entries to the guestbook - many enthusiastic about their bed's proximity to Lake Michigan and listening to the waves at night. I sleep with a fan. I left it at The Artist's Cottage on the nightstand by my bed in the upstairs. By the time the van broke down outside Friendship, Arkansas I'd convinced myself I also left three towels and my favorite pair of almost nice boots, but at this point all but the fan's been accounted for. Consider it my gift to those of you less enthusiastic about waves crashing into your otherwise perfectly ordinary dreams. But I digress... This is, afterall, supposed to be a review of something other than me, myself, or I. The proprietor - the Don, if you will - of The Artist's Cottage is sharing his dad's story with you; inviting you to immerse yourself in it. It's a completely unique experience and I guess I simply felt honored to be in it. Everywhere is the art and artistry of William Carr (aka, also known as, "Bill") Olendorf (1925-1996). Bill was an advertising salesman in 1951 when he spent part of his vacation at Ox-Bow, a summer art school in Saugatuck, Michigan that I think is still around. Of it Bill later said when at Ox-Bow that he was "enveloped in the art world." He also said that "the world is filled with beauty and art should record something of that beauty." You can see these sentiments in his art. You get to experience it firsthand as a guest in The Artist's Cottage. Awesome! Bill Olendorf became well-known for a particular pen-and-ink technique he called "formula drawing." He described it as starting with a single line with all others connected to it. Using this technique he illustrated scenes in Chicago and other places as well. There's examples throughout The Artist's Cottage that almost look like etchings, and are quite muted compared to the other pieces adorning the walls. Spend some time after being lucky enough to find one on the wall and follow its lines. These pieces have a specific sense of motion special to them. There's a sketchbook on the coffee table as well, but I prefer scouring the walls myself. I'm no expert but Bill's paintings, much more obviously featured throughout The Artist's Cottage on all the walls, strike me in the style of the Impressionist, and I found myself looking in them often. One upstairs bed is positioned in a kind of nook between two paintings and feels like its own magical oasis unto itself following a day of searching for more beach glass along the shore of Lake Michigan. The studio-cottage was built in 2003 to honor and maintain Bill's artwork by his son, Don Olendorf. Get it? The Don? There is information displayed among the paintings regarding Bill's career. If you really like Bill's artwork they have affordable prints, serigraphs, drawings, and books available for purchase. And if you really really like Bill's artwork, there are a limited number of acrylic paintings on hand, too. The Artist's Cottage is ideally located for easy access to Saugatuck, Fennville, and South Haven. Grand Haven, Holland and St. Joseph are also just a little bit further away. We spent quite a bit of time in Portage, Michigan and visited Grandville, Michigan with ease as well. Grand Junction, Michigan has an old bridge worth seeing, and folks tell me the Pullman Tavern in nearby Pullman, Michigan has become a respectable establishment you can be proud to be seen drinking in. You kind of have to find traffic to get stuck in if you are missing it visiting from a big city, and watchout for the deer especially if driving at night through the Allegan County Forest for which Fennville has been long recognized as a gateway. The beach at The Artist's Cottage is accessed via private stairs. There's a Bocce Ball set on the main deck, and you can use the kayak (at your own risk) and build a beach fire (on calm days) in the beach's fire ring. There is a hose outside The Artist's Cottage you can use to rinse the sand from your feet before entering. It can work for other soilings as well, so long as easily water-soluble. I am so biased you don't even know but even if I weren't I'd still give The Artist's Cottage top marks. 5 out of 5. 10 out of 10. Mostly because the proprietors care. They want you to have a good time. All you have to do is not be a jackass and you're going to have a great time at a once-in-in-a-lifetime experience in an under-appreciated location that your friends don't even know about yet. You don't deserve this, but you can get it anyway if you hurry.

Unpretentious hospitality. We very much appreciated Kathy's suggestions and felt at home. This is a…read morebargain with rustic unparalleled and unobstructed views of Lake Michigan. Such a relaxing weekend. We will be back!

DaniLyn did great! She took beach photos of my family on our Lake Michigan vacation. She was…read moreflexible and did a wonderful job with the toddler in the family. I couldn't be happier with the sunset beach photos. She is highly recommended!

Kim was our photographer for our very large family reunion. She captured beautiful and creative…read moremoments of both smaller groups and the entire family together. And what a joy to work with! She was great with eliciting cooperation in the children, and fun and respectful with the whole group. We're all very happy with our photographs, and her prices are very reasonable. We would definitely recommend hiring Kim for your event. She's truly a talented professional!

I have had the absolute pleasure of working with Kim on many weddings in the last few years. Her…read moretalent is only surpassed by her kindness and and concern of capturing the perfect photos. She is an amazing photographer and our community is completely enriched because she is here.

Fantastic! Love their catering and wonderful recipes. I often stop in and buy Pasties, very UP…read morelike and Dan takes care of you.

Our daughter's sweet 16 party was over the top at this venue! The place is gorgeous and the owners…read morewere amazing to work with! Highly recommended for any event!

We received accomodations at 818 Golfview. I think the accomodations were excellent. However, the…read moreonly part that I did not like was the fact that the checkin crew gave us the wrong keys for the house that we rented initially, so we had to drive all the way back to get the keys. Also, be warned that you need to get the keys before 6pm as their office closes by then. Also, if you are driving from Chicago to Michigan, the time changes to an hour ahead so keep that in mind when you are obtaining your keys.

Stay away from this management company or you loose money…read more There are lots of issues with the rental unit and it shows clearly the bad management. The water is not hot enough to take shower, both showers had issues with water. there are lots of aunts and spiders in the house and many of them went to our luggage. The fire place was broken. The beds are not comfortable. The kitchen equipment was not enough to make food. Dishwasher was not working properly. We called th hem multiple times and no one answered. Even their rental units have the highest price and their units have many unacceptable issues, they don't return most of your security deposit because of stupid reasons like you left the towel on the floor or you didn't clean the dishwasher. Their units looks good only in photos. Stay away from this management company or you loose money.

Lovely property and accommodations Staff were very friendly…read moreand available to help Highly recommend

We just spent a weekend there as Happy Campers for a Wedding. Our accommodations exceeded our…read moreexpectations! The food was wonderful! They were very accommodating to everyone's needs! My family loved all the gluten free & vegetarian options! My daughter who is vegetarian, usually gets stuck eating beans, potatoes, and salad at weddings. She couldn't get over all the wonderful options and how yummy everything tasted!!! The fresh fruits and vegetables from a local farm were so good! It was such a fun weekend / wedding! Where else can you hike, eat, drink, dance, play games, and roast marsh mellows over an open fire,all while celebrating a newly married couple in the same night! They were even very helpful in returning something I left behind! Forever grateful! Wonderful memories! Thank-you!