A rustic getaway on the shores of Lake Michigan

Thank you for visiting our website. Phoenix in the Dunes is not taking rental reservations currently. However, it is being offered for sale! For more details, read on.

The Gardner-Mancini family has mixed feelings to announce that we are selling our long-time getaway in Castle Park, Michigan, on the shores of Lake Michigan, just a 2.5 hour drive from Chicago.  Our other obligations don't allow us to get away nearly often enough, and we would love to find a buyer who will be able to settle in regularly with family and friends and fill the house with happy times.

The Phoenix was built with great love and attention to every detail. It is comfortably far from neighbors, but comfortably near civilization. We  have used it as both a vacation retreat and a place to work remotely.

Our asking price is $1.1 million. We are also open to separate negotiations on some or most of the contents, if you want to move right in. We can close any time with a couple of weeks notice.

Our agent is Andrea Crossman. Please visit this link and contact her for more information or to arrange a showing.

Though we are not formally accepting rental bookings as we normally would at this time of year, some potential buyers have inquired about renting the Phoenix for a few days for a "test drive." We're happy to arrange such stays, schedule permitting, with our usual rates, deposit, and rental agreement. Our spring rate is $425 per night. Drop us a note through our contact form if you're interested in pursuing such a stay.

If you prefer shopping on general real estate listing sites, the Phoenix is listed on all of them, including Redfin, Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com.

Our location, 700 feet from a large private beach shared by just nine houses, is remote enough to give that “get away from it all” feeling, yet just a short walk or ride from the quaint charm and unparalleled amenities of the historic resort community of Castle Park, including eight green-clay tennis courts, salt-water swimming pool, community library, Saturday night dances, Thursday bingo, and other pleasures of a bygone era. Oak timbers and cedar and plaster walls provide rustic ambience. Built in 2005-6, the house has many pleasing modern conveniences, including Holland city water, natural gas, and solid Internet for working remotely. The house is also a member of the South Dune Corp., a separate association within Castle Park that offers enhanced amenities, including the aforementioned deeded beach access, a marked swim area in the summer, and use of the paddle tennis court at the base of the SDC gated beach road.

Vital stats:

• Setting: 2.29 acres of wooded duneland, with deeded access through the South Dune Corp. to 885 feet of private Lake Michigan beach. We share a private beach path with one neighbor. SDC common area access also includes several additional acres of wooded duneland and a gated road to another beach access, along with use of a paddle tennis court and outdoor space to store kayaks, sailboats, and other non-motorized watercraft during boating season.
• Square footage: Approximately 3,300
• Construction: Timberframe and conventional, slab on grade. Exterior is brick with cedar board and batten and a standing-seam metal roof.  Fully insulated. Interior features oak beams and woodwork, cedar wainscoting, plaster upper walls. Downstairs and bathroom floors are slate tile. Upstairs floors and stair treads are milled from antique barn beams.  Andersen windows.
• HVAC: Two-zone forced-air heating and air conditioning. Two 40-gallon hot water tanks. Ceiling fans in all bedrooms and living room.
• Three fireplaces, piped for gas if desired. Currently used for burning wood.  Fireplace in master bedroom has glass doors; living room and dining room fireplaces have custom screens.

• Bedrooms:  5 (1 king, 1 queen, 2 with 2 twin beds each, 1 with bunk-beds, daybed and sleeping loft) Sleeps 12.
• Bathrooms:  3 1/2.  Master bath has two-person whirlpool tub with hand-held shower.  Downstairs bath (adjacent to queen bedroom) has walk-in shower with grab-bar, seat and hand-held shower, plus rain-head.  Second upstairs bath has kid-depth bathtub with shower.   Extra upstairs powder room means no one ever has to wait to brush their teeth.
• Kitchen:  State of the art gourmet kitchen and adjoining pantry with soapstone counter tops, hickory cabinets, gas cook top, electric oven, microwave, french-door refrigerator, dishwasher, garbage disposal, and all standard counter-top appliances.    Kitchen window seat and farm table look out on deck and wooded ravine.
• Dining room:  Farm table seats up to 12.
• Living room:  Comfy couches, fireplace, TV with DVD player and gaming system.
• Outdoor living:  Back deck and patio put you in the treetops, with excellent morning sun and terrific bird-watching.  Another deck wraps around the house on the upper level, with a bump-out overhanging the hill--spectacular yet peaceful. Hammock area across the parking lot is another great place to get away from the crowd.
• Views: We like living in the treetops, but a view of Lake Michigan is obtainable from the upper level window seat and balcony with some strategic tree-trimming. All the houses in the South Dune Corp., our nine-house homeowners' association, have the right to trim trees as necessary in South Dune common areas to maintain their lake view.

 in