I stayed here the weekend of 3/9/2013 and if you are considering staying at Cloud Nine Cottages, I would take your business elsewhere. There are better, nicer accommodations in the Paradise area for the same if not less money.
Jim, the owner, is an older gentleman who doesn't seem like too bad of a guy at first. He said he was going to charge my credit card for the first night upon booking. Most places take your info down and don't actually charge you until you are standing in the office. I explained to him that I had a crew cab long bed pickup pulling a 4 place in-line trailer and would need some room. He told me where I could park and said that there was plenty of room and the end of the drive to make a loop and get out. He was absolutely right - with his Hyundai there is plenty of room to make a loop and get out. I was able to make a 6 point (or so) turn around and get myself parked without a problem. I found it very odd that there is a stump in the middle of the driveway. It seems like he would hire someone to remove it to make full use of the small space that he has there.
Upon checking in Jim charged my card for the second night and gave me the keys to the cabin. He showed us his large selection of DVDs and VHS tapes and explained that the TV "does not get reception." Yet he was scanning channels without a problem in his living room while we picked out a movie to watch. This is the first place I have stayed where the owner is too cheap to pay for satellite TV, especially when renting a cabin.
We stayed in cabin 1 and paid 85/night. (There are 4 cabins, only 2 of them open in winter) It was a little small, but manageable for two people. The loveseat and chair looked like they had been there since the 70s. There was a queen bed that may as well have been a sheet of plywood laid on saw horses. I realize there are some dated accommodations across the UP, but this is the worst I have found - especially in this price range. The kitchen was small but had the essentials. There was a 2 burner propane stove on the counter next to the sink, leaving virtually no counter space. The counter around the sink was some nasty green laminate from back in the day that was all cracked and in terrible shape. The bathroom did have a new vanity top and faucet. The heat is terrible. There is a wall mounted propane heater on the front wall with a thermostat wired to it that was terrible. We set it on about 72 degrees and my thermometer that I sat on the kitchen table ranged anywhere from 66-80 over the weekend. The bedroom is cold but there is a small heater to help supplement.
As we settled in Friday evening I told myself it wasn't that bad. Upon looking around at all the signs and regulations it became apparent the Jim is one of those nitpicky old guys that no one likes. Most of the rules apply to summertime guests. 'No guests' and '10 AM checkout' were a couple that I found slightly out of the ordinary. As the weekend progressed I decided that I would probably not stay there again because there are better options in the area. I also found 5 spiders (alive) over the course of the weekend - far more than I have seen anywhere else. Of course, with the cobwebs strewn about the cabin, why should I be surprised?
On Sunday, Jim really made up my mind for me. We stayed there in early March, snowmobile season was almost over. We woke up to rain Sunday morning and opted not to ride Sunday because the warm weather had taken its toll on the trails. So we decided to sleep in a little, make breakfast, and watch another lovely movie. We were evicted at noon. Jim knocked on the door and questioned why we were still there. He said we "needed to get out so he could get that place cleaned up and get it rented." This is when I realized Jim really wasn't in touch with reality. I don't really think many people are going to be beating the door down on a Sunday afternoon to rent a cabin and go snowmobiling in the rain. I asked if he had people coming in that night. The answer was no, but I could pay for another night if I wanted to stay the afternoon. I explained to Jim that out of all the places I have stayed in the UP, not one of them has ever had a problem with late check out on Sunday. That didn't matter to good old Jim. We were to pack up and leave immediately or hand over my credit card.
This really blew me away. Rather than trying to accommodate, Jim pissed off the ONLY CUSTOMERS that he had that weekend in hopes that some other schmucks would be wanting to rent the overpriced cabin I had been staying in on a Sunday afternoon. I will never stay there again. There are other options in Paradise - with nicer cabins, more room to park, better views of the bay, better hosts, and cleaner for the SAME PRICE (or a little less)
Out of all the places I have stayed in the UP, this is one I will absolutely not patronize again. read more
