Ellis Lake Resort — Local services in Green Lake Township

I rented two cabins at this resort, the Pine and the Cedar, both as advertised... rustic. My son's wedding was next door at the Frog Pond (EXCELLENT, by the way.) When I rented the cabins, by phone, I explained I needed two cabins to in case family members attending the wedding needed somewhere to stay. For the price I paid for the two cabins, I could have rented the Chalet that accommodates more people, is off the highway, is much nicer and more modern. This was never offered as an option. I should have done my due diligence and explored their website. My bad. However, a conscientious resort owner should have offered this option. Further, a conscientious resort owner would not cause a guest (me) to wait five minutes to check in, while she made an appointment and described her maladies to her health practitioner.

Other than emptying trash and mowing the grass, there seems to be very little actual maintenance being done. Screen doors had holes in them or didn't fit the frame (leaving a 2" gap at the top.) The toilet in one of our cabins ran all the time - this was explained to me by Becky, the owner. Instead of explaining the problem to guests, FIX IT!

Two of my friends attending the wedding also rented cabins at the resort - calling it a resort is like calling a can of Spam a gourmet dinner. Their "cabins" were actually a duplex. Their feelings are similar to mine. One of my friends had to "persuade" the owner to shock the hot tub because of the color of the water.

On the plus side, there were barbecue grills and fire rings behind both cabins and firewood available, making an enjoyable first night sitting around the campfire. Wood was on the honor system and was added to my bill.

Overall, I would not recommend this place. For the money I spent, the value received was poor. Because the cabins are "rustic," I think the owners reason that little to no maintenance is required. Extension cords abound as a means of distributing electricity. Little effort seems to be made in improving the grounds. For example, none of the flowerboxes attached to the cabins actually had any flowers - perhaps it was too early. Nonetheless, the overall impression is that the owners are milking it for all the revenue it can generate with little thought for improvement. Indeed, as another reviewer wrote, these (the cabins)...

No frills accommodations next to a (loud) busy highway. To be fair, we were warned in advance about the adjacent busy road but in our naïveté we thought, “how loud can a road be?”. This is not a typical relaxing “resort”. The “Cedar” cabin we stayed in for 1 night was $146 plus $10/dog per night (we had 2) plus taxes and fees, for $187 for 1 night. The cabin was basic. The floor had not been vacuumed and was filthy with dirt, and the bathroom was not clean. Beds were moderately comfortable and linens were clean. The cabin had two queen beds and one futon, a small kitchenette, a bathroom, a wood stove, and a dining table. My primary gripe with this “resort” is this: the price was quite steep for having the mandatory rules of us being responsible for stripping the beds, putting dirty linens and used dish and bathroom towels in a bag, cleaning the kitchenette and any used dishes (washing and putting away or else we would be charged a fine), and bagging up the trash and depositing in a dumpster. Also, there was an envelope left on the table for us to provide tips for housekeeping staff?? Bewildering. Additionally, despite paying an extra fee for pets and staying in one of the designated pet-friendly cabins, there were instructions to keep pets off of beds and furniture “as much as possible”. They provided “pet sheets” and “dog towels” for covering furniture and wiping dirty paws. It did not feel “pet friendly”, it felt “pet tolerable”. While we were told about the loud busy road, we were not told that we would be responsible for housekeeping tasks (did not feel like a resort vacation) that, again, were mandatory or we would be charged fines. We stayed warm and dry despite a heavy rainstorm and cool weather, but I do not think the steep price is warranted for basic...

We thought this would be a great place to stay when our niece graduated from Interlochen because we brought our dogs and the location was perfect but the cabin made the trip completely miserable. On surface the cabin appeared clean but the furniture was old, dirty & musty and I could not breath every time I walked in the door. The chair was broken. Our dog found unidentifiable obstacles and there was no grass around the cabin for our dogs. When I told the owner I was sick and could not stay there she told me they could not give us a refund (even though she had not yet charged me for the week) and suggested I go buy some Allegra. We finally moved to a hotel and paid for both the cabin and a hotel by the end of the week. The cost of the hotel was less than the cabin even though the hotel provided adequate soap, toilet paper, cleaning service all of which the cabin did not.

The owners are exceptionally nice. Somebody needs to contact Hotel Impossible to help teach them how to run this business. We felt totally raped and ripped off...