Having spent my career in museum work and historic preservation I am hesitant to rent historic houses. My experience is that such listings have often been stripped of character and "modernized" to look like a Home Depot ad. Or the reverse: Architectural details have been retained but so have the decades old mattresses, fixtures and systems. Charm can only take a guest so far if the house is uncomfortable...
But these hosts have struck the perfect, rare, balance of giving guests a feel of gracious "old Charlevoix" with the 21st century conveniences we've all grown to expect.
Importantly, everything works! The water is hot when you need it, the kitchen appliances are first rate, the beds/baths are equipped with high end mattresses, linen and towels. The gas insert fireplace is a welcome feature. Also appreciated is that the decor is obviously "curated", selected with great care and expertise. The hosts have achieved a feeling of warmth and heritage, not at all stuffy or prissy. Again, a rare balance. Kitchen utensils, cutlery, etc. are modern and functional not a hodgepodge of dull knives and yard sale finds. We did not use the washer/dryer but it, too, is conveniently located and appears new and high-end. And there is a garage, in addition to convenient street parking. There are ample spaces to work remotely. The floor plan also offers both private and group conversation spaces both inside and out.
The 4-star rating for "Location/Neighborhood" is based solely upon traffic noise. The house is a stone's throw from a busy highway. But the trade off is that the busy highway is also downtown Charlevoix's main street. So guests are just steps from restaurants, shops, people watching and boat watching. These hosts have several other equally impressive rental listings. If guests prefer a quieter neighborhood I have no doubt that one of these other houses will be perfect.
Communication with the owners was prompt and curteous. In summary, we celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary here. Rather than wasting time with the usual "what were they thinking" comments of another desecrated or unimproved historic house we celebrated our good fortune to find this listing!!!!