Vacation rentals with a kayak in Illinois River

I used to live on Vandalia Lake, so I knew what to expect from the location - but the house is much nicer than pretty much anything else you'll find in Vandalia. It was the perfect place to spend the weekend while celebrating my granny's 82nd, and it's very likely we'll rent it again in the future, assuming it remains available for that purpose. The main living/kitchen/dining area is wide open and great for hanging out without feeling cramped, and the screened balcony/patio is a lovely place to enjoy the outdoors without being forced to "enjoy" the bugs. Everything is light, airy, modern, and well-maintained. This isn't one of those listings where the photos look great and the reality is worn and dirty - what you see is what you get.

My family rented the house for a couple of days for a quick family reunion. The house was great, had plenty of space for all of us. It had everything you could need and was well equipped. We are hoping to make this an annual event and this is our house of choice.

Third time staying. It has exactly what we need in the location we need. Julie responds to questions quickly and the updates to the screened in porch are great!

This place is amazing! Lots of room to spread out, games to play for kids and an amazing water front and back yard. Will definitely recommend to family and friends in the area.

The place continues to be a peaceful retreat while visiting a chaotic family. We always check for this location first when planning a trip to the area.

Thanks cya in the future!

George (Captain Alex) is a SUPERB host!!! Great communicator, extraordinary features inside and outside the home, very relaxing vibe, above and beyond expectations!!! Beautiful place for families to hang out and have fun!! Highly recommend!!

We had an incredible time at the lake house! I almost don’t want to say too many good things incase it becomes too popular! The access to fishing, kayaks, the incredible view - there was nothing more we would have asked for! Very relaxing trip!

Had such a great weekend with my friend, we watched movies in the beautiful living room and got to enjoy the beautiful view outside when it wasn’t pouring out. The home was very clean and provided everything we needed to enjoy our stay. I would definitely stay here again!

Amazing private location with awesome views of wildlife a mere 100 feet from the back patio. Very easy to access once you've checked in! The TV quit working during our stay which was a bummer, but we asked the host for any possible options and there was a new TV installed within hours! Amazing customer service. Will be staying again!

We really enjoyed our stay! I wish we would have known prior to booking that cabin # 4 was a connected unit. We have two young children and worried about disturbing our neighbors if they woke up late at night. This very well may have been a lack of research on my part however. The staff was wonderful! The space was perfect size for our family of 4! We are planning to revisit when we have more time!

Loved the views and how serene it was.

It was a beautiful place to go to. Would have loved to use that time to go walking around. If you love going outdoors, you would like this.

Beautiful location and a great deal as it includes access to the park. Check in was easy and the staff was so friendly and responsive. Wish we’d stayed longer!

We would stay here again!

Our little family had a peaceful weekend getaway at Kristen’s cottage enjoying kayaking and the beach playground that is nearby. Lovely lake house!

Excellent. A great secluded spot up on the hill to listen to the nature around you.

I cannot begin to put into words the beauty of this place and the amount of peace that was restored while visiting. Stacy kept in contact often and was very responsive. she was open to being flexible with the n8mber of guests we had arriving on 2 different days. she was very flexible regarding out pets. and our pets LOVED the ability run and run and run around the home and the pond.

Was a beautiful place to stay for the weekend. Definitely worth the visit!

Great location ! Located between Chicago and St. Louis so about a 3 hour drive to get peace and quiet. Cabin appears to be newly built and the place is SPOTLESS !! 10 minute drive to Walmart or Kroger or if you prefer get some local good eats !! Also plenty of Firewood for us city slickers :)... Has a smoker and a Blackstone griddle that are really good. Only thing if one prefers , bring a charcoal grill if allowed ..?? Place was awesome !! Thank you Jennifer and siblings. 5 STARS !! We'll be going back !!

This place was great. There isn’t much around here to do, especially in the winter, but we were looking to mostly disconnect from the outside world for a week and this was great for that. Aside from laundry there is really is everything you need to live here full time including a fully stocked kitchen with various helpful appliances like a crock pot and toaster stashed away but accessible. Perfect for a few days or a full week! It was a little dusty in some spots but otherwise clean and well kept. Had a great time. Hoping to come back when the weather is warmer and take advantage of the lake!