The location is fantastic! If you are not familiar with the Congregational Summer Assembly (CSA), it is an association of cottages established in 1918. There is a common activity building, tennis/pickleball courts, a private beach area on Crystal Lake, private beach access to Lake MI, and daily activities (tennis, swim lessons, crafts, etc.). The cottage is within walking distance of both Lake MI and Crystal Lake, which makes for the ultimate MI lake vacation. It is a 30-minute drive to Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, which is filled with hikes with amazing views of Lake Michigan from high on the bluffs.
The cottage is rustic (e.g., no drywall in the place), but was very clean. If you are looking for luxurious or modern accommodations, you might want to look elsewhere, but this suited my family just fine. The beds were comfortable. If you are into cooking, it may be helpful to know that the kitchen is quite small with a diet-sized refrigerator and skinny stove. However, there is a grill! This wasn’t mentioned in the listing, so we were delighted to find one. There a plenty of places to sit in the cottage, but the furniture could use a little updating. The house provided plenty of linens, but you will need to have other household supplies upon arrival—soap, paper towels, toilet paper, and trash bags (there were no “starter supplies”).
Again, if you are looking for a fantastic location and a clean (but basic) cottage, we highly recommend this place!