Sailing on Desire

We were looking for something unique to do during our visit and this fit the bill perfectly. The…read moreretro boats are electric and adorable. The place sales beverages and snacks for the ride. The instruction were thorough and we felt prepared for our ride. It was a very pleasant experience and I highly recommend it.

Best priced boat rental for the value. In the baseline 90 minute rental, you can make it down to…read morethe entry to Lake Michigan, to the harbor, and then back to the rental dock. I was able to make a same day reservation about 2 hours in advance on a Thursday, but it seemed like the weekend filled up faster. Right before going out, we bought drinks and snacks to bring out with us. Retro boat rentals gave us a cooler and ice to take them out in and offered us a Bluetooth speaker if we didn't have one. I would definitely rental from here again if I was in town. Some of the boats are also equipped to dock and allow the passengers to swim out- but you need to do the longer rental option for this.

Gorgeous homes along the shore

Happy me

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Star of Saugatuck Boat Cruises

3.9

(56 reviews)

What a sweet and charming tour! I live in Chicago and the river cruises garner hundreds of visitors…read morefor each cruise. The Star offered a totally different kind of cruise. The quaint town is the perfect way to begin. The boat house for check in was just as charming. The staff and captain offered lovely hospitality. We called last minute for tickets and the woman on the phone was so helpful. The captain was not only knowledgeable but had a wicked sense of humor too. I love that you are assigned a specific table. It was so comfortable and felt like a dinner show. The vessel was clean and in perfect shape. The tour itself offered a beautiful view of the town, new and old homes, a beach and Lake Michigan. We even saw an eagle's nest with cute little babies. I didn't want it to end.

We did the sunset cruise. It was very enjoyable. We liked that we had assigned seating. Everything…read morewas explained really well, like when they would blow the loud horn. We enjoyed beautiful scenery. To rough for them to go out to Lake Michigan, but we got pretty close. It was really fun very clean. You can buy snacks and drinks on board cash only. There is souvenir shop and bathroom before you board.

Leaving the Kalamazoo River.

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The Old Boat House

(15 reviews)

This is a great first stop coming into Saugatuck. Parking in the area is easy and you can walk all…read morethroughout the main strip starting from The Old Boat House. The bar has a good variety and you can rent the retro boats directly from here. They provide everything- buy drinks and snacks from them and they pack a cooler with ice to store them. They have Bluetooth radios to borrow if you need one. Following the water from Lake Michigan to the boat harbor takes the full 90 minutes of the baseline rental going at the top allowable speed. It is a great way to spend an afternoon and see the sights. If you are not looking for a rental- there is a great back patio to enjoy food and drink and take in the sights of boaters. There is lots of sun shade as well.

This was such a fun experience! We had a group of nine and rented a donut boat for two hours. The…read morestaff were friendly and knowledgeable. They made us feel welcome! The staff prepare a cooler for you that you can fill w drinks and snacks purchased from their shop. They had a great selection of beer, wine, prosecco, sodas, juices etc. They also had ice cream. The staff was helpful in explaining how to work the boat and gave us a speaker for music. Our group had a blast! We went in the evening and stayed out until around sunset. The donut boat was easy to operate. You sit in a circle with a circle table in the middle. Everyone in our group had so much fun! The circle set up was great for talking, laughing and socializing! I would love to rent one of the adorable retro boats next time! This is a must do in Saugatuck!

Inside bar

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Back dock patio

Sweetwater Sailing of Saugatuck

(8 reviews)

1.1 mi

Well, Capt. Mort is still goin' strong it looks like. This review is for 35 yrs ago when he took…read moreour 3 boys and 3 adults out to sea! I was a beautiful day but when we got out the wind died. He stopped and let us dive in because it was sooo hot. It was a beautiful day years ago. -good to see it's been a good life!

We LOVED our experience with Sweetwater Sailing and Captain Mort! It was hands down the highlight…read moreof our trip. We were 5 friends on our annual trip and we had the best time sailing with Mort. Everything was well communicated, him and his wife were super sweet, and the boat was beautiful. I found Sweetwater through some extensive internet research and I was so pleased when I did because not only were their prices some of the most affordable but the reviews were some of the best. We will absolutely sail with them again when we return to saugatuck and we have been recommending them to everyone. Thanks for an amazing sail, Mort!

Relax and tune in, sailing on Lake Michigan along the beautiful coastal dune shoreline.

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TFD Adventure

4.0

(2 reviews)

0.3 mi

Super chill atmosphere on the sunset cruise with great vibes and a captain who was accommodating of…read moreall guests. A big bonus was being allowed to bring your own drinks and snacks on board as you took in a relaxed evening on the water. The boat was comfortable and everyone had room to spread out. Will definitely book again when back in Saugatuck.

Basic. Slowly travel across the wide part of the river on a pontoon boat. Get to the mouth of Lake…read moreMichigan, go out a bit on the lake weather permitting. Uncomfortable stools to sit on for 90 minutes. Listen not to any kind of tour information but loud samesame cheesy country music. Tight seating among your fellow captive audience members.

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Big Lake Outfitters

On our recent trip to Saugatuck, we decided to rent a pontoon boat to check out the city from a…read moredifferent perspective. We rented the larger of the two boats and had plenty of room for our party of 10. Gas comes included in the price of the rental and the boat was in great shape. Only suggestion would to be modernize it some to allow for plugging in USB charging cables, etc.

I posted a picture of their website that advertises moped rentals. The reviews are positive and the…read moreprices seemed reasonable -- so I took a brisk walk into Saugatuck and walked to the counter, only to be told:"Oh, we used to rent mopeds but we don't anymore." I know modern technology can be challenging to some, but please -- hire a grade school student to update your website to reflect your current policies. This is the era of instant communications.

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Saugatuck Wooden Boat

(4 reviews)

1.1 mi

The service was friendly and attentive. We enjoyed the ride and would recommend…read more The donut boats are fun for adults and children in the area is very scenic and interesting

Chris is a great captain and local. His beautiful boat is a treat for an afternoon or evening…read moreexperience. As someone with some boating under her belt, this is a worthy treat when visiting this part of the world.

Saugatuck Wooden Boat Cruises and Tours on the Kalamazoo River at Saugatuck by Captain Christopher Carr

Old Sailing canoe restoration started at Saugatuck Wooden Boat

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Mostly stripped of interior paint

Unsalted Boat Rentals

(6 reviews)

Had a great time renting a boat from Unsalted Boat Rentals. Weather was great. Staff was very nice.read more

We rented an Economy Pontoon from Unsalted Boat rentals - we had a great experience!…read more I made the reservation and paid through their website. We showed up to the location at our reserved time and a young guy was there to help us load on to the boat and gave us the informative run down. We didn't have any issues, the boat was clean and well maintained.

Jordan familiarizing customers with the 17' Bennington pontoon.

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Saugatuck Yacht Club

(2 reviews)

0.3 mi

Great club with a great feel. Awesome sailing program!…read moreGreat facilities with a friendly membership.

Great friendly place to keep your boat. Nice that it is within walking distance to downtown…read moreSaugatuck. Also next to a nice new restaurant called the Southerner. In the basin it is nice and calm (wind protected and no current) so it makes for easy docking!

Sailing With Julie

(2 reviews)

0.3 mi

A great sailing experience! My family of 5 booked a sunset cruise with Captain Tom aboard the…read moreJulianna, and we enjoyed the entire trip. Tom is easy to get along with, knowledgeable about sailing on Lake Michigan and the nearby waterways, and is happy to answer your questions. He will teach you the basics of how to pilot the ship and adjust the sails, and you get to view an amazing sunset. This is the perfect way to spend an evening.

Thank you, Captain Tim, for a day our family will never forget! Right off the bat he was very nice…read moreand welcoming. And told us about the history of Saugatuck. We got to jump off the boat into the water, which was very fun! He let us sail the boat. Captain Tim was very nice, and the boat was well kept! 5 stars a great experience

A sunset I captured from aboard the Julianna.

The choice is yours: learn some sailing tips & tricks from our experienced captain or take the time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the waves.

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Journey with us for a day of adventure, tranquility, and unforgettable memories.

Oval Beach

4.4

(109 reviews)

1.0 mi

My favorite beach in Michigan…read more I've been to: Douglas Beach (wonderful neighborhood beach nearby) West Side County Beach (a bit south of Oval and lots of rocks to collect) as well as North and South Beach in South Haven, and a few other neighborhood ones there. Oval wins for me for a lot of reasons. Great, abundant parking ($15 per car for the day, $75 for the season as of 2026). Good restrooms, snack bar, but most importantly, lots of space on the beach to spread out and enjoy. Vibes are immaculate here. We had several days on our trip where this was it. We set up a beach tent, packed sandwiches, and had a blast. The waves were big a few days which I thoroughly enjoyed. It's kind of a roll of the dice whether the water is fine or a bit too chilly, but it's fun nevertheless. So, to sum it all up. SUN. WAVES. EASY. BEAUTIFUL. I will dream of the time spent here, especially come mid-February when we'd give nearly anything for a nice weather day.

Oval Beach is STUNNING and I'd love to give it 5 stars, but two things keep me from doing that…read more Primarily this is because the beach is not totally accessible to all visitors. We came here with my mother and she has MS, which affects her legs. The only way down to the beach were fairly steep sand dune paths that were incredibly difficult for even able bodied individuals to navigate. We tried finding stairs but came up empty, so that's a big deterrent here. The other is a more petty one, but it's parking. There seems to be a great amount of parking available here, especially on weekdays BUT it comes at a cost of $15, which seems more than we paid at other beaches. The beach itself is crisp and clean, with beautiful sand and shoreline, and some of the cleanest water we saw while on our visit to the lake. As a family with kids, this would be a great beach to visit, but you do need to factor in the difficulties of getting down to it, especially with your groups ability level and your beach gear in tow.

Sunset

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Kayak-Kayak

(6 reviews)

8.8 mi

Skip and Nate were a breeze to work with and we had a great time out on the water. I called Kayak…read moreKayak to reserve two single kayaks and I received a text confirmation right away. We got to the meeting spot and our kayaks were ready for us to enjoy a morning of paddling on Pigeon River. It was $35 per kayak for a half day rental. I highly recommend this company to anyone looking to kayak in the Holland area.

This was an amazing find! Skip and Mark were amazingly easy to work with and incredibly kind. My…read moreparents and I were just looking for a fun quarantine activity to do on the 4th and were pleasantly surprised when we were told they would be available on such short notice and on the holiday no less! When we arrived they were already there and ready for us.The Pigeon River was beautiful, clean, and super relaxing. I would 10/10 recommend renting from Skip and I will definitely be a regular with these awesome folks! Thanks again guys!

Waiting for paddlers at Hemlock Crosssing on the Pigeon River.

On the beach

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The Old Boat House

(15 reviews)

This is a great first stop coming into Saugatuck. Parking in the area is easy and you can walk all…read morethroughout the main strip starting from The Old Boat House. The bar has a good variety and you can rent the retro boats directly from here. They provide everything- buy drinks and snacks from them and they pack a cooler with ice to store them. They have Bluetooth radios to borrow if you need one. Following the water from Lake Michigan to the boat harbor takes the full 90 minutes of the baseline rental going at the top allowable speed. It is a great way to spend an afternoon and see the sights. If you are not looking for a rental- there is a great back patio to enjoy food and drink and take in the sights of boaters. There is lots of sun shade as well.

This was such a fun experience! We had a group of nine and rented a donut boat for two hours. The…read morestaff were friendly and knowledgeable. They made us feel welcome! The staff prepare a cooler for you that you can fill w drinks and snacks purchased from their shop. They had a great selection of beer, wine, prosecco, sodas, juices etc. They also had ice cream. The staff was helpful in explaining how to work the boat and gave us a speaker for music. Our group had a blast! We went in the evening and stayed out until around sunset. The donut boat was easy to operate. You sit in a circle with a circle table in the middle. Everyone in our group had so much fun! The circle set up was great for talking, laughing and socializing! I would love to rent one of the adorable retro boats next time! This is a must do in Saugatuck!

Inside bar

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Back dock patio

Douglas Beach

(7 reviews)

0.4 mi

Nice spot. Limited parking. The stairs aren't as bad as they look. Small beach bc most is private…read morebeach.

Everyone pretty much has the same opinion about this: a beautiful, "neighborhood" beach that has…read moreextremely limited parking. Ideal if you're staying around it, I'm sure. We arrived on a day with intense wildfire smoke, the kind where the air quality was the worst in the entire world that day and you could feel it. We'd held the girls inside most of the day, but finally snapped in the evening and told them we wanted to catch the sunset here. Fortunately we were earlier enough to slide right into a spot (tried to come back two other times and had no such luck). After being cooped up in the AirBnB, we said screw it and all got in and swam around for a bit. It was glorious. The only unique thing is there are a lot of rocks to step on/bang into within the first 10 feet or so of the water. If you go out a little further, it shifts back to soft sand. It's such a cool visual both ways; the great lake, of course looking west, and then the towering stairs and cliffside neighborhood over to the east. Up top, there's a foot rinse for knocking off sand and a public restroom. I love this spot, and really the only knock is if you don't luck out on parking there's almost no alternative to getting here.