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Q: Where is Lakemore Retreat located, how far is it from Traverse City?
A: Lakemore Retreat is located 15 minutes from Traverse City, about 25 minutes to Downtown. We are in the southeast quadrant of Grand Traverse County with easy access to the rest of the area, often while avoiding the high traffic areas.
Q: Didn't Lakemore Retreat used to consist of three homes?
A: Yes, Lakemore Cabin is no longer associated with The Retreat, but it is still available to rent individually on VRBO. Visit the new listing www.VRBO.com/7566523
Q: Do you have to rent each house separately?
A: Each house does rent separately, via its own VRBO site listing, however we do have a simple way to rent both The Lodge and Cottage together! You can do so by signing one rental agreement, and making one payment by visiting our VRBO listing #7566523, or by clicking here: "Reserve Now". We also do direct bookings, outside of VRBO. Please contact us directly if you are interested. (231) 947-6673 or by submitting a inquiry form on this website.
Q: How big is Arbutus Lake and what is the water quality?
A: Arbutus Lake is a nearly 400 acre inland lake that hosts swimmers from May through October. Made up of 5 smaller lakes, all connected by channels, many refer to each section of the lake by numbers 1-5. Lakemore Retreat is located on the eastern shore of Lake 2 (the largest of the the 5 lakes), on some of the most naturally sandy areas on the entire lake. We also boast one of the few lots on the lake that is at lake level, with few or no steps to get down to the lakefront. Guests will enjoy a sandy bottom and a gradually increasing depth, which provides the perfect play area for kids and young swimmers. Arbutus is an all sports lake big enough for skiing and tubing, but small enough to enjoy the calm waters for stand up paddle boarding, kayaking and fishing.The wonderful water clarity is best seen in our drone videos posted in the photo galleries on this website.
Q: How busy is Arbutus Lake?
A: Arbutus Lake is a relatively unknown lake in Traverse City and has a reputation for being serene, quiet and relaxing. A local ordinance is enforced by the Sherriff's Marine Department that restricts high speed boating on the lake between the hours of 7:30 pm until 11 am the next day. This allows our evenings and mornings to be quiet and calm, while still leaving plenty of time to enjoy high speed boating activities. Tickets are issued for violations of this ordinance. Follow this link to a map of Arbutus Lake
Q: When were the houses built, and how are the houses different from each other?
A: Lakemore is comprised of two homes. Their relation to each other is best represented in our Retreat Map. Built in 2015, Lakemore Lodge and Cottage (the red and green homes) have identical floor plans and room dimensions, just mirror images of each other. They do offer very different interior design and style, but bedrooms, and sleeping capacity are all the same.
Q: How far in advance can you book?
A: Our calendar opens up to the public 12 months in advance. Reservations further in advance of that are available by request.
Q: How do we book, and what is required for payment? What is the cancellation policy?
A: You can book direct with us by calling (231) 947-6673 or by sending an inquiry form. You are also able to book online via VRBO by clicking the "Reserve Now" links on the house of your choice. After selecting your available dates, a quote will be generated for the week you choose. Remember, rates vary greatly throughout the year. In order to get a correct quote, dates need to be accurate. During our prime season (June, July and August), weekly rental is required, with check in and check out occurring on Sundays only. Reservations are secured by providing 50% payment upfront with the remaining 50% due 60 days prior. 1st payments are fully refundable up until 60 days prior, but after that date, refunds are not available. $500/house will be collected as a refundable damage deposit.
Q: How far is Lakemore from area wineries?
A: Traverse City wineries are located primarily on either Old Mission Peninsula or the Leelanau Peninsula. The closest Old Mission winery is 25 minutes away, with more wineries farther out the peninsula. The closest Leelanau winery is about 30 minutes away, with more beyond that. Click here to visit our "Play" page for more information.
Q: Is boat rental available?
A: Starting in the summer of 2020, a sister company called Lakemore Marine, became available for Lakemore guests to utilize for boat rental. Early reservations are recommended, but daily and hourly rental will also be available. Dock delivery, unlimited gas, covered storage and a daily staff presence are some to of the services Lakemore Marine provides.
Q: How do you access Lakemore Retreat, what is the surrounding area like?
A: Evergreen Ave. is a single lane road maintained by its residents. It is a beautiful one lane road that wanders through the woods and down a relatively steep and curvy hill. At the bottom you arrive almost immediately at Lakemore Retreat. Because of the winding, steep and narrow nature of the road, along with the limited amount of places to pull off due to many trees and obstacles, drivers must use caution. Please enjoy the scenery, but drive slow and be aware of traffic coming in the opposite direction. Arbutus Lake is known to
Our local township requires short term rental homes to apply for a permit. That permit process requires us to inform our guests of our good neighbor guidelines, which we ask all guests to read.
Q: Is Lakemore Retreat open in the winter?
A: Yes, The Retreat is open all year round. In the off season, we offer close proximity (5-15 minutes) to mountain biking, hiking, in-town bike riding, X-C skiing, downhill skiing, snow tubing and snowmobiling trails. In the winter months you can snowshoe right from the front door. We are only 15-20 minutes from Traverse City, which offers amazing dining options.
During the winter months, please be aware that Lakemore Retreat is on a steep one lane road. This road is maintained by our staff, but at least one vehicle that is AWD or 4WD is required, and good winter weather tires are recommended, especially during active winter weather events. Limited parking is available at the top of the hill for those guests without AWD or 4WD.
Evergreen Ave. is a single lane road that is maintained by its residents. Evergreen has been around for many years and until 2008, was home to only summer cottages. After some improvements were made to the road, several of the seasonal residents have moved in year round. Because of the winding, steep and narrow nature of the road, along with the limited amount of places to pull off due to many trees and obstacles, drivers may need to pull off to make room for others to pass. Please drive slowly and do not block the single lane drive, even briefly. During the winter months all wheel drive and snow tires are recommended to drive up and down Evergreen Ave.
Arbutus Lake is a relatively unknown lake in Traverse City and has a reputation for being serene, quiet and relaxing. A local ordinance is enforced by the Sherriff’s Marine Department that restricts high speed boating on the lake between the hours
of 7:30pm until 11 am. This allows our evenings and mornings to be very quiet and calm while still leaving plenty of time to enjoy high speed boating activities. Tickets are issued for violations of this ordinance. Evergreen Ave has a similar culture and we ask that our Lakemore Residents respect our neighbors and keep noise levels to a reasonable level. After 10pm, noise needs to be at a minimum. We are asking our Lakemore residents to respect the decades of tradition that so many have come to love about Evergreen Ave.
