Minn Haven, lakeside retreat cabin, an hour or so from Cities. Relax... breathe.

A comfortable cabin (Cabin 1 of two) with lake views close to the water on 163" of lakeshore. ... Lakes Louisa-Marie, on Clearwater Chain of Lakes, fed by Clearwater River. Beautiful cabin and meticulously maintained. Tucked on end of private road, shaded by trees, overlooking glittering water. Lake is quiet, not a loud party lake. Eagles reside nearby. Loons. Herons. Ducks. Deer. Otters. Peaceful.

NOW Accepting Reservations for 2022 and 2023. Currently May 1 earliest, possibly early as third week in April. See calendar for openings.

Excellent fishing lake, even right off the dock: Super bass lake, and some Big pike, nice crappies and sunnies, some walleyes of good size. The lake doesn't get too much pressure... most fishing tourists go to bigger and more well-known lakes. This is a lake mainly for the locals and their guests... even though it's on the Clearwater River Chain...

This is a superior weekend (or mid-week, or weeklong) retreat. You can relax here. Minn Haven is available for singles, a couple, or a couple with up to two children. I'd also consider the possibility of a longer-term lease, for a Writer or other artist or intellectual, who wants a private place for some productive time, or a couple of snowbirds-retirees... please do enquire. (Possibly a teacher Sept-May long-term lease...)

Close to the Twin Cities (cabin is about an hour or so from the cities, ten miles west of Annandale, just off Hwy 55 in Kimball). Only twenty minutes south of St. Cloud, but it feels like you're away off in the woods. Reality is: this is much more convenient than Brainerd or other "up north" getaways. Once you see this place, there won't be much reason to drive so far and fight so much traffic on a weekend. Just an hour or so northwest of the cities; it's just seventy miles from MSP airport... easy drive. Relax. Enjoy your time. Spend more time at the cabin and less time on the road.

In addition to the canoe and two kayaks that come free with the place, there also is an aluminum 16' Lund fishing boat with Honda motor for rent. Enquire.

Cedar plank interior siding. Vaulted ceilings with big lake-facing windows. Four zones of heating. Fully furnished. Full kitchen gear. One super relaxing bedroom with excellent queen SleepNumber bed. Sofa bed in living room for kids, perhaps a guest. Living room opens up (literally... large sliding glass doors) to big screened porch, with high-quality furnishings, overlooking the lake. Breezes off the lake. Sit inside, or sit on the sheltered porch; either way, you are gazing at the water. It's mesmerizing, really.

Plenty of peripheral activities nearby. Excellent golf courses, including the inexpensive and very nice Kimball Golf Club (open to public) less than four miles away, nearby. Whispering Pines Golf is thirteen miles, less than twenty minutes, by Annandale. Famous Swappers Meet. Farm markets. Places to eat (even in Kimball... sometimes there's even fishfry and the like happening... also Annandale, St. Cloud...). Basic grocery supplies in Kimball, two miles or so from cabin, or bring 'em with you... there's grocery, like Cub, along the way here. So, go out IF you even want to...

But there's a kitchen and an excellent newer Weber gas bbq at the cabin, all the utensils and quality pots and pans and even some spices and such, and it's really quite nice here, so it's entirely possible you won't feel like leaving once you get here. Just stay put and cook! Enjoy the sunset. Go to bed early... or drink wine out on the screen porch... whatever ;)

Panasonic plasma TV (yes, real quality plasma) with big diverse video library of several hundred movies of all types and dozens of TV series on DVD, if it's raining or night or whatever. Smart TV: stream netflix. Stream music from your Pandora app bluetooth to the integrated Pioneer sound system. Yes, free WIFI, of course. Guest internet laptop (15" Chromebook) for email, etc., provided for your use. (Just take care of the nice stuff, is what I ask; I spent a lot of time and effort to pick out the best stuff for the place.) So, all that kind of tech thing if you even want to use it. Maybe you might want to just stare at the water and listen to the breezes through the trees, though, instead... it's up to you.

And... ahhh.... good books to peruse.

You would be renting Cabin 1. There are two cabins on the property, and the rooflines and porch system were integrated when Cabin 1 was added, though the cabins are separate: no shared walls of cabins, and privacy wall makes your porch your own. Cabin 1 is the newer guest cabin, with four zones of heating; Cabin 2, the older cabin, is the owner's cabin when he is there. The owner lives in California, but visits this beautiful Minnesota property for the same reason you do: rest, relaxation, stress-relief, health.

NOTE: Much of the summer I, the owner, will stay in the older cabin (Cabin 2) on the property, so there might be some modestly shared areas, like the yard, the dock, There's separation and privacy, but we'll probably see each other a little bit and just say "Hi" or chat. During summer, there also will be two cats, Ranger and Tiger, on premises; they love the screen porch and they like people and are quite friendly IF you'd like to share. Be aware the cats are there, doing their cat lives, though they don't have to come into your porch or Cabin. My family also might be here occasionally with me in my cabin, enjoying lakeside. The screen porch and other the space is divided. I have my own separate porch on other side of complex. I have my own bbq. That being said, I am a conscientious nice person and would expect you to be as well. And, if I'm at my cabin (Cabin 2) at property, I won't need to hang out with you, though the cats would like to if you want; I have my own areas. Both cabins have their own privacy, so it hasn't been an issue, for most people. I have had a couple guests come and then be "surprised" when there's cats, or when they realize the cabins rooflines are interconnected although the cabins are separated like it says here in my description and that I might, and during the summer months probably will be, there in my own private Cabin 2... even though I had already stated such (see the paragraph below). For full disclosure, I want you to know and know clearly. Summers, I'm probably around but not intrusive, just a friendly quiet neighbor. Unlike a resort, there aren't other renters around.

> If you are allergic to cats or to the idea of the owner being in Cabin 2, then look elsewhere.

So, spring, fall, I might or might not be there in Cabin 2 next door, on the weekend. In summer, I most likely WILL BE there in Cabin 2 with my cats and my books, maybe my own guest or guests, enjoying life at MinnHaven. If you desire absolute privacy isolated in some cabin all alone in the woods, look elsewhere, is what I'm saying. For the price and for what this is, if you can realize that on this double lot the quiet scholarly -but-relatively-friendly owner and his own guest or couple of guests might be staying in cabin 2, a separate older structure but with an integrated roofline, then go ahead and book and enjoy yourself at this beautiful property. I'm not trying to fool anybody about anything here, I don't need the money that badly, I just do VRBO on the side, so if you have any other questions please do ask before you arrive.

If you're an intelligent cool tolerant person or couple looking for an extraordinarily nice and affordable place to unwind, and are fine with a similar neighbor next door who also happens to be the owner and can thus also help you if things come up, then you are welcome to book here. You will like it very much, I believe... but if you're a self-entitled narcissist, then you need to not book this cabin because I deal with that stuff at work. This is Minn Haven, the Place of Peace, as one honest reviewer noted.

Even if I am staying in Cabin 2 next door, though, this property is way more private and quiet than most resorts, and far more beautiful and serene than most, and cheaper than most, too. [And, most of the spring (April/May) and most of fall (Sept, Oct) I'm only there on a limited basis. I probably will be there from June- Aug, in Cabin 2.]

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS or CONCERNS, please JUST ASK.

so, NOTE: I am no longer accepting reservations from groups of adults like people who start with four guests and end up brining six, or drinking buddies - men or women - who are looking for a "friends weekend away" to party and then complain that actually the owner is at the property in the other cabin like he said he would be, and he has cats shockingly. So, new criteria is this property is for singles, one couple, or one couple with up to two children ONLY. (Thank the only people with whom I had any problems: like the lady who wanted "privacy" and showed up w six people and were allergic to cats after all Surprise!!! or the guys who "are not big drinkers" who drank and played music on the porch til 3a.m., or the "girls weekend away" who decided that geee having Curt there in his own cabin next door wasn't what they had in mind after all even though they knew in advance that I would be there...) Sigh... anyway.

Conscientious owner wants you to be happy. 2020 was my fourth season, with this VRBO, AirBnB thing, and I'm always working to improve, but I am an experienced property owner/landlord other places too... MinnHaven is a beautiful quiet well-equipped place, and I'm happy and grateful to be the owner. Possibly, I could rent out both cabins, too, for two families sometimes, when I or my family aren't using it... With the two separate spaces, the property would be awesome for a two-family get-away, or just two couples each with their own cabin. Enquire about such scenarios. Ask about anything, in advance, and pretty quickly I'll answer you as best as I can.

Sincerely, Curt

This cabin offers its guests barbecue grills and a garden. The front desk is open around the clock.

This South Haven cabin is smoke free.