We had a great stay the 100 year old stone cottage, it had a really great kitchen and common area for our group. The Pontoon boat access over to The Bishopâs Island and the rest of the lake made our stay relaxing and peaceful. As an added bonus, we were just a couple minutes from the Sylvan Cellars Event center for a full weekend of fun. Highly recommend!
This is a private historic home with all the modern conveniences. Outside is private with room to roam, swim, boating, and kayaks.The owners are very friendly and helpful. The kids especially loved everything about the island. Being over 70, I had issues getting from the boat to the house. The steep incline of the pathway made it especially difficult to haul our coolers etc. to the house. A wagon or pulley system would solve the problem. Overall this place is beautiful, private,and relaxing.
Overall a great experience for a quiet getaway. The views were amazing and having a boat made the trip so much more fun. The facilities themselves were a mashup of rustic and modern. Providing old country charm with modern appliances. The only concern is the cleaning fee/check out. Despite a 300 cleaning fee we had to empty all the garbage, take it to the main land, wash all the dishes, strip all the beds, and move all the towels.
Our family had a great time on Grape Island. The accommodations were great and having access to a boat for the week was wonderful. Being on an island is not as challenging as you imagine because the trip to the mainland is 2-3 minutes. We would recommend this location to everyone!
My family and I had a great time at this island lake house. The kitchen and living area is great. The kids loved the swimming area. Game nights on the porch overlooking the lake were perfect. The owner was very responsive.
My family of 11 had a great time. We took advantage of all the amenities the island offered. The owners were very accommodating.
It is a great place to create many family memories.
This is a beautiful and historic property. Itâs like stepping back in time, but with all the modern conveniences. The house itself is beautiful and spacious. Having the whole private island to yourself is amazing. The use of the pontoon to explore Sylvan Lake, go fishing or make a trip to the store was so nice. Highly recommend for a family getaway!
We had a great time on the island making memories with our grown kids and grandkids. The littles enjoyed swimming, fishing, and playing in the sand. My sons-in-law even set up a "treasure hunt" for the kids to find a treasure chest with fake jewels buried in the sand. They loved it. It was a great place to relax and fun to explore the lake.
We enjoyed our stay so much. The home was perfect for our late family of 12. The kids had a blast as well as the adults. The only issues we could mention to improve on would be the outdoor furniture was not really useable and the beach area could use some seating. Nothing that impacted the overall experience. Four stars all the way, we would book again! This family recommends this property!
This is an amazing spot - we had three couples and a couple younger children and we thoroughly enjoyed the island. It was so fun to explore the lake on the pontoon, which you can take to the market or ice cream shop (when it's open, we were late in the season). The nice big yard is great for playing ball and we spent every dry evening by the fire pit - a wonderfully relaxing spot at night. Beautiful kitchen, plenty of spices and pans and things I don't expect to find at a VRBO. Quick responses from owner when little questions came up - we hope to be back again!
Awesome Lake - Great Renovation on a Private Island
Great host. Great check-in process. Boat pickup and access to the island was quick and painless. The internal renovation was done very well. Top of the line appliances. Plenty of room. Huge screened in outdoor patio. Pack your gear and coolers with food and drink - you are on an island. Easy on and off access to the boat and kayaks.
Location is very private which was perfect for us. Cars are parked right across the lake on an easement & pontoon was waiting for us.
Nicely stocked house. Everything you need in the kitchen, plenty of towels for the lake etc.
First impressions:
pontoon is so dirty & absolutely covered with cobwebs and spiders.
House itself was cleaned but porch area could have used a broom to it.
Couldnât figure out how to work oven - it wouldnât turn on. No instructions for it.
Water leak from en-suite bathroom upstairs- coming into dining table area
Very warm upstairs
Need water shoes for beach area - lots of sharp rocks
Dishwasher doesnât clean dishes very well
Dishes sitting in cabinet were dirty. Had to wash everything befor using.
Very small hot water heater - everybodyâs showers were cold
It would have been nice if Beds were made
We had a wonderful time on Sylvan Lake. The house was perfect for our family of adults and toddlers, much more roomy than I thought it would be. Kids liked the "beach" and eating lunch on the boat! The lake was very quiet during the week- which we loved, gave us time to kayak, fish, and sit by the fire. I will say only one adult got poision ivy (she is highly allergic) all the kids stayed on the paths and were able to avoid that. We did have an issue with bees getting into the house- but I am sure that can be remedied easy enough. There was enough sleeping room for everyone- the house was pitch black a night- great for sleeping. Kristy and crew could not have been more responsive to my question pre trip and while we were on the island. We had a great trip and made lots of memories.
We had a wonderful time at Grape Island. The boat was easy to use and the island isn't too far from shore, so even though it took us multiple trips to unload it didn't take terribly long. The big yard, trail around the island, and screened in porch were amazing spaces for the kids in our group to play! It is worth noting that the staircase is rather steep and narrow up to the second floor. If anyone in the group has trouble with stairs they should plan to stay in the master on the first floor. We had to change our sleeping arrangements because my grandpa couldn't do the stairs safely. I would also recommend this trip to be an offline experience. Two members of our group had to jump on several work calls during the week and the wifi was not strong enough to support their connection. They ended up working from the public library in Kendalville. Overall, the space was a ton of fun and the old stone house is gorgeous!
Kristi was so gracious and available throughout the booking process and our stay. The wood and stone of the house make it homey, and the renovations make it comfortable. We had enough comfortable beds, bathrooms (showers, no tubs), and living space. The huge screened-in porch was great for relaxing, and the kids could play safely. We grilled on the large back deck for one of our meals.
How exciting to stay on our own island for the weekend, and the use of the pontoon and kayaks was a real treat. We brought our bluetooth speaker and lunch to the docked pontoon, and looked around at the kids swimming and kayaking in a moment of feeling like "this is the best".
The only thing that would have made our stay more enjoyable would have been usable yard space and paths to explore the island. There was so much poison ivy that we didn't let the kids leave the path from the porch to the water. The beach was a small stretch (like, couldn't put a chair or towel on dry sand) only reachable by boat at the back of the island, so we didn't get a chance to use it.
We know this place is still being renovated, so we hope that the yard will be ivy-free by next time! Thanks, Kristi!
Idyllic private island stay on Sylvan Lake in Rome City, Indiana July 2019
We rented Bishop Island for our small family reunion (11 people) and couldnât have been more excited with this property. This home features modern conveniences with its 2018/2019 remodel, while maintaining many of the beautiful 1900 era home features. Absolutely love the expansive front porch, stone walls, original windows and doors including a âDutchâ door- I had forgotten these. Being on an island was a unique experience, loved the privacy while being in the middle of the lake. The island is mostly undeveloped with beautiful large trees, lovely birdsong, chipmunks, and great firefly (lightening bug) shows at night.
Having 3.5 bathrooms is definitely convenient. The 4 bedrooms are large, furniture is laid out well, & the bedding is comfortable. I even had to ask what brand of mattresses these were as we plan to buy one for home since we slept so well. The kitchen is well-equipped with very modern appliances and great space for a large group to eat together while we share our favorite recipes. We only left once to go out to eat and explore a little Amish country.
Loved looking at old lake property maps & reading some of the history of Rome City & the lake that are present in the house. Sylvan is a beautiful all-sport lake. Even though it is smaller than the lake I grew up on, it has several fantastic bays for your favorite water activities. During the week, you may even have a bay all to yourself. Sylvan is now my favorite lake â out of several in Indiana, Michigan & New Mexico. Just wish there was a marina on the lake to gas up. There are views of the lake from both the front & back deck of the house, and a sandy area for swimming just off the shore on the backside- a short kayak or pontoon ride away, both of which were provided for our stay. For July 4th, the fireworks were amazing over the water, one of the best shows ever!
Kristi was great to work with and always responded quickly to our questions. It is obvious that she loves this home and that many of the residents of Sylvan Lake are excited to see this house renovated and occupied again. Canât wait to come back!
Shelley C.
The overall stay was very relaxing with little to worry about. Privacy and quiet were every moment. The owner very responsive to our questions. The web description said extra refrigerator and hot tub. When asked about it was explained by owner. This did not disrupt the fun that we had and great experience at the house and lake.
House was great. The outside / exterior wasnât quite as nice. Loved having a boat, but it was very dirty and full of cobwebs and debris. There was a swing on site, but it was old and rusted. Wouldâve rather not had one. The dock pad used for jumping in the water had a screw sticking out of the steps. Overall the stay was great, but would have loved to see these little things fixed.
This place was amazing! The inside of the house was way better than we thought it would be. The only way to make this place better would be to clear out more weeds along the shore line. Overall it was perfect!
A group of 8 adults and 7 kids under the age of 4 stayed here for our annual trip together. We loved swimming at the beach and hanging out on the screened porch. There is plenty of space to spread out in the house. The amenities are abundant, and having an extra fridge on the screened porch was a lifesaver with so many of us there. My only suggestion is a good spray down with a hose or at least wiping away cobwebs on the boat as it was covered with webs and spiders when we arrived, but we had a wonderful stay making memories with our families.
Pleasantly rustic, ample embellishments, sports equipment, lots of things to do, great environment with many nearby points of interest. great lake for cruising with lots of interesting coves and basins.