**New 2024 dates released!** Welcome to our Forest Lake beachfront cottage! Come enjoy our year-round lake cabin. We have beautiful sunrises from our 3-level cottage and sunsets from the dock or anywhere on the water. Enjoy 80 feet of private, sandy beach into the lake, which is great for kids of all ages. Our long dock is available for your private use May-September (weather permitting) and has plenty of space to pull up your own boat. We have 2 kayaks and a paddleboat for you to enjoy, and you can also rent a motorboat nearby at “Your Boat Club”. (Note: The motorized boats on the property are not for rental use.) The lake is quite shallow and usually very clear. For your safety, do not dive from the dock. The bench on the end of the dock is lovely for enjoying the lake at any time of the day!
We are walking distance to downtown Forest Lake, including the Dairy Queen and a great ice cream shop, Coffee shops, and multiple restaurants. The city park and the city beach are a short walk as well. The bike trail is across the street and steps away, and we have a bike for your enjoyment. If you are here on a summer Tuesday night, you won’t want to miss Arts and Crafts in the park with food trucks and live music. Don’t worry about parking - you can walk to the park in about 7 minutes! We are conveniently located about 30 minutes north of downtown Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Our cottage sleeps 8 comfortably (10 max with extra-person fees for guests 9 and 10) in 4 bedrooms (2 Kings, 1 Queen, 1 Bunk, and 1 Twin in the hallway [Twin has no closet]). Note: We welcome children but do not have a Pack’n Play or crib, nor is the home setup for the safety of small children. Please feel free to bring your own children’s items. If you should need some necessities and/or groceries, we are an easy drive to Target and Walmart. We are close to Cub Foods or Aldi for groceries, and there are plenty of fast food places near the interstate. The Keys Cafe is also a favorite and only a short drive away. If you are here for the 4th of July the parade goes right past the house on the street and the fireworks are on a barge in the middle of our lake.
Amenities included:
Home internet and free Wifi. A full bathroom on each level. Whole house boiler heat, if needed and bedroom AC window units (May-Sept only)
-Main Level: Full kitchen with New dishwasher and microwave, gas range, microwave and fridge. Flatscreen ROKU Smart TVs in the eat-in kitchen and Queen bedroom, in-room window AC units in the bedrooms, ceiling fans in the kitchen and dining room and some portable fans too. There is a lakeside desk to get your work done if you need to do any work on your getaway.
-Upstairs: Flatscreen ROKU Smart TVs in each of the 2 King bedrooms and in-room window AC units
-Lower Level: Large Flatscreen ROKU Smart TV in lower-level family room with a futon, kitchenette with fridge, sink and microwave, washer/dryer. Full bathroom with shower is just inside the lower level door for easy cleanup after playing at the beach. (NOTE: The infrared sauna in the bunk room is not for rental use.) For cold nights there is a gas fireplace for use when you are in the family room. This is not meant to heat the basement, so please turn it off when not enjoying the ambiance.
Parking: Plenty of parking on our over-sized gravel area when pulling in at an angle. There is no parking inside the garage but you can park on the pad in front of the garage, which is handy for easy unloading. (Important Parking NOTE: We share our driveway with our neighbors to the north. Please Do NOT BLOCK the cars from coming in/out of the neighbor’s garage. Please stay entirely on our side of the driveway.)
Enjoy outdoor living in a number of areas: 1.) Deck lakeside off the living room, 2.) Side patio area with a swing and outdoor eating area and BBQ, 3.) Fire pit in the grass near the beach (perfect for s’mores), 4.) The sandy beach and of course 5.) the lake!
Please note, our home is close to both our neighbors. We have the utmost respect for them and expect the same of our guests. No parties/events, no loud music/noise, no smoking/vaping (owner is severely allergic to smoke and pets and has asthma), and no drugs or illegal activity is allowed. As stated, NO PETS! Please respect our neighbors' privacy!
Note: The house does have 2 outdoor ARLO cameras monitoring the front door and the beach from afar for security purposes. There are no cameras in the home. You will be charged for any damages, inside or outside or for excessive messes left by you or your party, those fees will be added on top of the standard cleaning fees and start at $500.
Note new June 2024: We did have some ice damage to our beach over the winter/Spring. It is still sandy but the beach is a little steeper than last years' photos. Also, with all the rain this spring the lake water level is very high and at the bottom of our dock. Waves go over it so it can be slippery. The lake water level will most likely fluctuate during the season.
Also, the VRBO site assumes if you have any exercise equipment, you have a "gym". We only have a stationary bike and some hand weights in our lower level, and 1 bike for outside for your use. We do NOT have a gym or hot tub.
In addition to our cottage being close to MSP/ St. Paul we are about 20miles to Taylor's Falls thru Chisago City and the cute Swedish town of Lindstrom (great bakery too). We enjoyed a fun day trip up there sightseeing and hiking recently.
Please take care of our home as if it were your own and enjoy your time at Forest Lake!!!