Is Explore Sleeping Bear: The Big House pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

Where is Explore Sleeping Bear: The Big House located?

Situated on the beach, this holiday home is steps from Platte Lake and within 6 mi (10 km) of Lake Michigan and Champion Hill Golf Course. Crystal Lake Golf Club and Betsie Valley Trail are also within 9 miles (15 km).

Explore Sleeping Bear: The Big House Reviews, Deals & Photos 2026

10/10 Excellent

Kelly M.

31 Aug 2025

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

We loved our stay! Our extended family booked the other two cottages on the propertyEverything was just as described.

Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Sheryl R.

21 Jul 2025

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

Beautiful Platte Lake

Our family of 6 were very comfortable. The home was clean. The kitchen was well stocked. We really enjoyed the patio and the breeze off the lake. We enjoyed swimming and we liked the mooring for the boat. We would come again.

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

susan s.

13 Jul 2024

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

Family vacation

Place was great.

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Shannon H.

7 Sept 2023

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

Beautiful location

The cottage Sat on a pretty lake with use of the kayaks it was great! Owner was very responsive and place was cute. We enjoyed our stay 😊.

Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Steven (Mark) G., Chicago, IL

4 Sept 2023

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

Gateway to Sleeping Bear Dunes

We had a great stay at the Big House - Dan and his family were communicative and understanding (we lost the house key at one point - sorry again!), and even provided an impromptu dinner one evening!

Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kaya K.

8 Jul 2023

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

Great stay on Platte Lake!

I’ve been coming up to Platte Lake every summer for my whole life and this was the perfect spot to share the lake with my family (4y, 2y, newborn) for the first time. The house was very clean and had everything we needed. The lake access on the property was awesome - the beach was big enough for kids to play in the sand and walk right into the water. Owners were responsive and very friendly. We loved our stay here and can’t wait to come back!

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Mary P.

28 Aug 2023

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

Sandbar shores Big House Platte Lake

We had an amazing time. Lake house was perfect for our family. Clean and well organized. We want to consider a future return. While the weather was overcast we enjoyed the lake with our kayaks and activities around the area. Side note- Window screens would help with ventilation. We look forward to a return visit.

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Patrick M.

26 Jul 2023

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

Great location

We’ve stayed at a number of lake houses up north and I think we all agree that this location on Platte Lake is one of our favorites. Very convenient to many amenities and activities while also being able to feel remote and private on this beautiful lake with access to the pristine river and wetlands. It’s less than ten minutes to beautiful beaches on the big lake, fifteen to Beulah, and twenty to Frankfort. As for the house, the beds are very comfortable with new mattresses. The space worked great for our two families as the parents could sleep in the downstairs bedrooms and the upstairs made a perfect retreat for all the kids. The second floor is more of a “half story” with low sloping ceiling. Not a very comfortable area for tall people (ie anyone over 6 feet tall) but really great for kids. The house and other furnishings are quite dated, but we really didn’t spend much time inside the house other than preparing meals. The kitchen is adequate, not great. It was not possible to run two appliances (ie microwave and coffee maker) at the same time without tripping the circuit breaker. We were able to prepare basic meals in there, but I wouldn’t plan on anything complex. There is also no dishwasher so plan on either doing a lot of hand washing or using paper plates. Having a single bathroom was a bit of a challenge (especially since the old toilet seemed to be struggling with each flush). Overall, great spot on Platte but the house needs updates.

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2023

8/10 Good

Bob M.

27 Jun 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, communication, location, listing accuracy

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Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

James R.

25 Jul 2022

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

Excellent Vacation on the Lake

We enjoyed staying at this lakeside home. We stayed in the “Big House”. We were able to make use of the kayaks and peddle boat. The house was fully equipped with all that we needed in the kitchen, bathrooms, and even had plenty of sand toys and a few adult life jackets. The lake was very clean and shallow for a great distance which was fantastic for our kids. They had so much fun playing in the sand. The chairs by the beach were great and fire wood was provided for our evening campfires. We were able to use the grill each night as well. This home was perfect for our needs! We would certainly stay again!

Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Manjusri N.

20 Jul 2022

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

Wonderful location

This was the perfect place to stay. It was close to sleeping bear dunes trails and bigger towns for dinner. The house had kayaks and paddle boat which we all enjoyed using it on the crystal clear lake in back yard. Would definitely stay again.

Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Ann S.

3 Jul 2022

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

Perfect Stay

The three cottages (big house, beachfront, & roadside) accommodated our extended family beautifully! The 2 washers and dryers and all the beach toys enhanced our stay. The beautiful lakefront setting can’t be beat!

Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2022

8/10 Good

Julie F., Springfield, IL

28 Jul 2021

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

Great location with lake access, if you can live with one bathroom and no air conditioning main

My husband and I and my nieces brothers and dad rented this property for four nights in the middle of July. Love the location! The lake is very nice, and the property has a small pier and a small sandy area where you can easily get boats in and out. The property is older and you do have two other small cabins on the same property but the people staying there were nice and respectful. Shared laundry in the basement with the other cabins. Nice to have laundry. The landlord provided extra lawn chairs benches a fire pit, games beach toys, some small kayaks and a paddle boat. I really enjoyed sitting on the porch with the wicker furniture but if it’s raining and windy the porch may get wet. We did not have extreme temperatures while we were there so the temperature inside was manageable with fans, but if it was hot I’m not sure you could be comfortable inside during the day. Also, only one bathroom and that could be challenging depending on the number of people. The kitchen had average cooking supplies and utensils, All the appliances worked well. Would stay here again except one bathroom with seven people is challenging.

10/10 Excellent

Adam U.

3 Jul 2021

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

Awesome Place

We had an awesome time. The house is setup perfectly for a family.

Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2021

10/10 Excellent

Amy F., Montclair, NJ

26 Jun 2021

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

Excellent rental

We had an excellent stay at the Big House! The house was perfect for our family, surrounded by spectacular places to visit and beautifully situated on Platte Lake. Our kids fished and explored the waterfront. Sleeping Bear is in walking/jogging distance and there is much to explore from Honor (Traverse City, Empire, Glen Arbor). We love to cook and found everything we needed in the kitchen. Dan was super responsive and helpful, offering lots of water toys, yard games and plenty of wood for the outdoor fire pit. There were two other families renting the other two houses on the property but we hardly saw them and had no problem with the shared laundry in the basement (two sets of washer/dryers). We will definitely return in the future.

Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2021

10/10 Excellent

Joanne C.

6 Nov 2020

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

Great stay

love the property. Its right beside the lake and the view is amazing. It has fire pits and barbecue grill on the property. We had an amazing time here.

10/10 Excellent

Hannah W., Michigan

29 Sept 2020

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

Nice house with plenty of space

We would stay here again. Nice clean house on a lake.

Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2020

10/10 Excellent

Robin S., New Orleans

24 Sept 2020

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

Great stay at the Big House

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. So nice to spend our days and nights outside in this Covid time. The house was equipped with everything we needed and then some. Yard games and kayaking were our favorite activities. Great location for wineries, breweries and recreational activities.

Stayed 6 nights in Sep 2020

10/10 Excellent

Nick E.

22 Sept 2020

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

Rainy

The place was great but went a week that it rained every day.

10/10 Excellent

Jeff M.

16 Sept 2020

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

Nice stay

We rented the Big House with one other couple. It is a very nice older cottage/cabin with a great "up north relaxing by the lake feel." We only used the main level which was very clean and well maintained, but there is a upstairs that would be great for younger family members to use as well. This place does share a property with two other, smaller cabins. Each place had its own firepit and wood supply, along with its own gas grill and picnic table. Shared space includes the house basement for laundry, yard games, and extra yard chairs as well as the dock and a couple of provided kayaks. The property was very clean, well maintained, and well lit. Owner was great with communication before, during, and after our stay. Very pleasant experience.

Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2020

10/10 Excellent

Dawn B.

4 Sept 2020

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

Sleeping Bear Dunes Getaway

We loved our stay at this property on Platte Lake! Older home with a very cool, vintage vibe. House was very clean and stocked with everything there that you need for a comfortable stay. All you need is your clothes, food and drinks! Tons of room for a large family and a couple of friends. Dan, the property owner, was very accommodating to our needs and very quick to respond to messages. There’s a couple of other smaller cottages on the property but the contact with the other guests was very minimal and when we did everyone was super nice. We were too busy sightseeing to spend a lot of time on the lake, but the couple of times that we did, the water was nice and shallow, sandy and water super warm. There’s even a small little beach for kids to play in the sand. We will definitely be back again! Loved it!

Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2020

10/10 Excellent

Laura B.

25 Aug 2020

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

Great Location for Sleeping Bear Dunes!

This property was perfect for exploring Sleeping Bear Dunes! Nice, clean house with a great back porch to enjoy the view of Platte Lake. Easy to get to so many other fun towns along M22. The owner is very friendly and answered all our questions. We would definitely stay again!

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2020

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