Location. Location. Location. North shore of Houghton Lake is 3 feet deep for more than 100 yards out, no exaggeration. Perfect for kids and adults to frolic safely for hours everyday. (Our kids are 13, 10, 8, 7, & 7.) Views from the large south windows of Due North Cottage were always stunning. There's a little store down the road less than a quarter mile, which is perfect for cold drink runs, icecream/treat runs, live bait, fresh baked items, pizza, etc, etc. Also, Walmart, restaurants, coffee shops, laundromats, mini-golf, movie theater, etc are all just a 20 minute drive. There are State parks and forest preserves (great for hiking and mountain biking) within just minutes drive in every direction. We went tubing on the nearby AuSable River twice, just a 20 minute drive away. Due North Cottage is well kept and cozy. It slept 7 of us no problem. Kitchen had everything we needed. Lots of frig space for vacation groceries so we didn't have to run to the store very often. Little window AC ran hard to keep it cool on hot days but Mark & Christa have little fans in every room so it stays comfortable. Internet and cable worked great. Great gas grill which we used almost every evening. Absolutely picturesque bench swing and fire pit by the lake. Mark & Christa provided great communication from start to finish. We loved it. We would highly recommend it and we would love to spend another 2 weeks here again someday, maybe even next summer.