ISLAND COVE on beautiful Sage Lake

Island Cove on Sage Lake | Private Beach, Pontoons, Tiki Bar, Game Room & Fire Pit
Welcome to Island Cove, your own waterfront getaway on beautiful all-sports Sage Lake in Hale, Michigan!
Surrounded by water and connected by a small land bridge, this unique lakefront property offers incredible water views from nearly every window and everything you need for an unforgettable Northern Michigan vacation. Spend your days swimming from the private sandy beach, exploring Sage Lake by pontoon, kayak or paddle board, and your evenings relaxing around the lakeside fire pit or enjoying drinks at the custom-built tiki bar.
With multiple living areas, a separate climate-controlled game room, private beach and swim area, two outdoor patio areas, a large dock, water toys and multiple pontoon boats to choose from, Island Cove is perfect for families and groups looking to spend their vacation together on the water.
IMPORTANT MAY–SEPTEMBER BOOKING REQUIREMENT: A pontoon rental is required for the entire duration of all reservations from May through September and is an additional cost separate from the accommodation rate shown on VRBO. We have multiple pontoon options available at different price points. Please see the Pontoon Rental section below for additional information.
🌊 THE WATERFRONT
The outdoor space is one of the highlights of Island Cove.
The property features a large private sandy beach and private swimming area right outside the house. It’s perfect for swimming, building sandcastles with the kids, relaxing in the sun or simply sitting back and enjoying the views of Sage Lake.
Just steps from the water is a separate brick-paver patio with a built-in lakeside fire pit, creating one of our favorite places on the property to spend an evening. Pull up a chair, start a fire and enjoy the lake as the sun goes down.
The property also features a second outdoor patio with comfortable patio furniture, a BBQ grill and our custom-built tiki bar—a great gathering area for cookouts, drinks and afternoons by the lake.
Guests also have access to the large private dock on the back side of the property.
🚤 PONTOONS, KAYAKS & WATER TOYS
Sage Lake is an all-sports lake, and having your own pontoon available throughout your stay is a big part of the Island Cove experience.
We maintain multiple pontoon boats at different price points for our guests to choose from. For all reservations from May through September, a pontoon rental is required for the entire duration of your stay. The pontoon rental is an additional charge and is not included in the accommodation price displayed on VRBO.
Once you’re here, you’ll understand why the boat becomes such a great part of the vacation. Keep it docked right at the property and use it whenever you’d like—cruise Sage Lake, find a swimming spot, explore the shoreline or take an evening ride around the lake.
You can even take the boat to Kenyon’s Lakeside Resort for food and drinks at their lakeside bar and grill. Kenyon’s is accessible from the water and is also a convenient place to get recreational fuel for the pontoon without having to trailer or haul fuel back to the property.
Also included for guest use:
• Kayaks
• Stand-up paddle boards
• 2-person paddle pontoon boat
• Cornhole
• Ladder ball
• Other outdoor/yard games
🔥 TWO PATIOS + CUSTOM TIKI BAR
Island Cove gives your group several different outdoor spaces to enjoy instead of everyone having to gather in one place.
The main patio features comfortable outdoor furniture, our custom-built tiki bar and BBQ area for grilling and entertaining.
Closer to the shoreline is the separate brick-paver patio and built-in fire pit, with additional patio furniture and beautiful views across Sage Lake.
Whether you’re having morning coffee overlooking the water, grilling dinner after a day on the lake, having drinks at the tiki bar or sitting around the fire at night, the outdoor areas are designed to let you enjoy the lake from morning until night.
🎮 CLIMATE-CONTROLLED GAME ROOM
We converted the garage into a dedicated game and entertainment room, giving guests another great place to hang out—especially at night or on the occasional rainy day.
The game room includes:
• Pool table
• Bubble hockey
• Arcade games
• Couches and seating
• Smart TV
• Mini-split heating and air conditioning
It’s a great hangout for both adults and kids and gives larger groups another completely separate entertainment space.
🏡 INSIDE THE HOME
The home offers plenty of room for families and larger groups to spread out.
The main level features a comfortable living room with a Smart TV, dining area, kitchen with bar-top seating, master bedroom and multiple bathrooms.
Upstairs you’ll find additional sleeping areas as well as a second living room with its own Smart TV, sofas and sleeper sofas. This makes a great separate space for kids and teens while the adults enjoy the main living area downstairs.
Sleeping Arrangements
Main Level
• Master bedroom – 1 King bed
Upstairs
• Large bedroom/sleeping area – 3 Queen beds and two large walk-in closets
• Separate sleeping area – 1 Queen bed
• Upstairs living area – 2 sleeper sofas
• Additional sleeper sofa in the home
With multiple bedrooms, sleeping areas and living spaces, the house provides plenty of flexibility for larger families and groups.
🛁 BATHROOMS
The home includes:
• Full upstairs bathroom with tub/shower
• Master bathroom with walk-in shower and double sinks
• Half bathroom conveniently located off the kitchen
☀️ A TRUE NORTHERN MICHIGAN LAKE VACATION
Island Cove is the type of property where you don’t have to leave to have an incredible vacation.
Wake up overlooking Sage Lake. Grab a kayak or paddle board and head onto the water. Spend the afternoon swimming from the sandy beach or cruising the lake on your pontoon. Grill dinner at the house, have drinks at the tiki bar and finish the night around the built-in lakeside fire pit.
There’s plenty of grassy yard space for playing catch, tossing a Frisbee or enjoying the yard games, while the beach and private swimming area keep everyone close to the water.
📍 THINGS TO DO NEARBY
If you decide to venture away from the lake, there’s plenty to explore throughout the area.
We’re approximately 25–30 minutes from West Branch and close to the Rifle River for canoeing, kayaking and tubing.
Golfers can check out The Dream and The Nightmare golf courses, both within approximately a 20-minute drive.
Or leave the car parked and spend your vacation enjoying everything Sage Lake has to offer.
🏝️ TRAVELING WITH AN EVEN BIGGER GROUP?
We also own Zeron’s Private Island, another one-of-a-kind vacation property located nearby on Sage Lake.
Zeron’s Island offers a completely private island experience with additional accommodations, beautiful lake views and its own collection of amenities.
For larger family gatherings, reunions or groups traveling together, Island Cove and Zeron’s Island can be rented together, allowing everyone to stay nearby while having two unique waterfront properties to enjoy.
👋 GUEST SERVICE
We have local help available should anything come up. We take great pride in our properties and work hard to provide our guests with a great experience from check-in through checkout.
IMPORTANT BOOKING INFORMATION
Minimum booking age: 25+ and valid ID is required.
Check-in: 4:00 PM
Saturday turnovers: We do not allow Saturday check-ins or checkouts.
Rental agreement: Our rental agreements must be signed and returned before the reservation is considered complete.
🚤🚤 REQUIRED PONTOON RENTAL – MAY THROUGH SEPTEMBER

All reservations from May through September require the rental of one of our pontoon boats for the entire duration of the reservation.

The pontoon rental is mandatory and is an additional charge separate from the accommodation price displayed on VRBO.

We have multiple pontoon boats available at different price points, allowing guests to select the boat that works best for their group and budget. Current pontoon options and pricing will be provided through VRBO so guests are aware of the additional cost associated with the required pontoon rental.

The pontoon requirement applies even if you plan to bring your own boat.

Our guest pontoon rates are intentionally priced below what we typically charge non-guests and are structured differently from commercial one-day boat rentals. Because the pontoon remains with you for your entire stay, you can use it whenever you’d like without having to return it each evening or repeatedly rent a boat by the day.

Having the pontoon docked right at Island Cove is one of the best parts of staying here and gives your group the full Sage Lake experience.

July reservations: Weekly discounts do not apply to week-long reservations during July.