South Haven vacation rentals
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Top-rated vacation rentals in South Haven
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- Entire loft
- South Haven
Amazing downtown loft in beautiful downtown South Haven, Michigan - in the middle of everything, restaurants, shopping, the river, the beach and more. Free parking across the street in the city parking lot. Do not park on the streets overnight during winter. Discounts are automatically applied by airbnb based on availability (no special discounts will be given). No early check in or late check out as our cleaning crews have to have time to clean.
- Entire rental unit
- South Haven
Join us for a relaxing stay on our ten acre homestead and flower farm, nestled just off the Lake Michigan Shoreline with easy access to beaches, breweries, wineries, golf courses, farmers markets, antique shops, nature preserves and more. Our guest suite is a fully finished apartment located in our barn with private access through an exterior door. Enjoy our peaceful setting as your base for exploring nearby lake shore communities including South Haven (5 mi.) and Saugatuck (10 mi.).
- Entire cottage
- South Haven
The Sommerhaus is a complex of 3 cottages situated on one property [see profile for all listings] perfect for individual stays or family gatherings. Each cottage has its own unique name & feel. This listing is for The Packard – a 1920’s clapboard cottage inspired by Scandinavian coastal design. 1 minute walk to Oak Street beach and a 15-minute walk (2-minute drive) to downtown South Haven.
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Your guide to South Haven
Introduction
A beach town and working harbor for more than a century, South Haven is one of the most agreeable getaways on the Lake Michigan lakeshore. The most famous of its stretches of soft sands is South Beach, where visitors swim in sight of its famous red lighthouse. You can tour the Michigan Maritime Museum’s exhibits, or make a reservation to sail out onto the lake on its tall ship. Inland, the bike and hiking trails stretch for miles, and they’re as popular in autumn as they are in the snowy winters and the flower-filled spring (Holland, Michigan’s annual Tulip Time Festival is just 30 miles away, after all). Active travelers can also spend a day away from the water at the raceways, horse stables, and golf courses. Or do what most people who escape to South Haven do: simply slow down.
How do I get around South Haven?
Traveling by car is the easiest way to get to and around Lake Michigan’s southeastern shore. If you’re flying in, you can easily rent one at an airport. The major airport closest to South Haven is Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), 125 miles away. A closer option is Kalamazoo Airport (AZO), 38 miles to the east, connected to Chicago, Detroit, and Minneapolis by regional flights. Motor coaches from Chicago and Detroit also pass through South Haven, and one Amtrak railway line from Chicago stops in Bangor, just to the east. Once you’re in South Haven, if you’d like to stay out of the car, a number of companies rent bikes by the day or week.
When is the best time to stay in a vacation rental in South Haven?
Summer is definitely the ideal time to visit the Lake Michigan shore. The temperature varies from the 70s through the low 90s Fahrenheit from June through August, but the lake tempers the heat. As you may expect from a land of lakes and rivers, in late summer the humidity spikes, and rains are frequent, so pack rain gear as well as sunblock and mosquito repellent.
April and May are cooler — think high 50s and low 60s Fahrenheit — but still pleasant, and autumn, which begins mid-September and lasts through November, is glorious, with crisp air and brilliantly colored foliage. Winters stretch from early December to March. During those months, temperatures below the 40s Fahrenheit are the norm, and the lakeshore effect brings freezing winds and snows.
What are the top things to do in South Haven?
Saugatuck
Just 20 miles north of South Haven, Saugatuck has the air of a perennial resort. Its charming downtown is the culinary capital of the coast, and between meals you can stop in at craft breweries and art galleries. The city is also considered the Provincetown of the Midwest, with numerous LGBTQ-friendly campgrounds, vacation rentals, and gathering spaces.
Kal-Haven Trail
This flat, wooded trail extends 33 miles between South Haven and Kalamazoo, with bridges and towns along the way. A former railroad, its crushed-rock surface is free of steep inclines and easy for bikes and wheelchairs to navigate. In the winter, cross-country skiers leave their stripes in the snow, and some snowmobiles travel as far along the route as they can go.
Fruit picking
Southern and western Michigan is the Midwest’s fruit bowl, providing three seasons’ worth of berries, stone fruit, and apples. U-Pick farms are scattered around South Haven, and the city hosts an annual blueberry festival. Even if you can’t fill your suitcase with fresh cherries, you can pick up pastries and jams for the journey home.