Castaway

The house was clean, and well stocked, parking was directly at the front door, and it was easy to unload our belongings. The slope to the water is steep from the rental. Due to the drought conditions, there is no access to the water. We requested the property owner release us from our contract for this reason, as the vacation rental staff offered to move us to another rental with water access, but the property owner refused to release us from the contract. A fisherman with a sonar depth finder reported the middle of the cove was 17 feet. The dock had a ladder 6 rungs above the water about 6 feet, we tried once to get in the water via the ladder, but it was too difficult to pull yourself back up to the dock. We are athletic and in good shape and have been coming to SML for 40 years. The floating swimming platform steps from the main dock were not accessible, as they had sunk due to the drop in the water level. We got into the water by climbing over a bank of Rip Rap (large, heavy jagged stones placed to maintain the shoreline). The Rip Rap ended in about 4 feet of mud we walked thru and finally could get in the water wearing life jackets and water shoes. We could not carry our dog across the Rip Rap to get her into the water; it is very dangerous to walk over as the rocks slide. Elderly, children, pets and anyone with issues ambulating cannot access the water. Yes, we knew about the water level being low but as we traveled around the lake, we saw that homeowners had put ramps over the Rip Rap and built more steps on their floating swimming platforms. We could find no 2026 reviews for this property prior to our visit and the rental did not have a guest book.

The house was really clean, which I appreciate so much. Had a lot of privacy also. My only complaint was there was no easy access to the water. I know the lake level is low but we had to slide down to get to the step for the floating dock. There were retaining rocks along the waters edge so my grandkids and senior dog was not able to get to the water. The only way into the water was at the ladder at the end of the dock where it is deep. The water is very clear and deep at the end of dock.

Clean home, beautiful lake view

Everything was fine. House could use some updating in the kitchen

We found the house to be very comfortable and enjoyed our stay overall. The slope to the dock is definitely noticeable, but we treated it as a bit of cardio on the way back up. The boat docking setup was ideal, especially being in a no-wake zone, which made it easy and stress-free. A few things could use some attention. The kitchen could use a few more basics, like a spatula and a cutting board, and a second kayak would make it easier for couples to enjoy the water together. One of the dock chairs had a broken strap. On the maintenance side, there's an active wasp nest on the west side of the house, and the pivot joint on the deck umbrella is hard to work with. That said, we’ve been renting at SML since 2019, often more than once a year, and this home offered a fair value for the money. With a few minor updates, it could be excellent. We would consider renting it again through this company and may stay here.