La CHIARA™

Property grounds
2 bedrooms, free WiFi, bed sheets
Combined shower/tub, towels, soap, shampoo
Smart TV, books, printers
Fridge, microwave, oven, stovetop

About this villa rental

Situated in Buchanan, this lovely villa for $206 per night is a great option for your next vacation. https://www.mlive.com/news/2023/09/a-vintage-plane-custom-treasure-hunts-await-guests-at-this-michigan-airbnb.html?utm_campaign=mlivedotcom_sf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1gr0nrMAPUk5CzutB8AtsINHIWw076vZqPUAay9w1Sa7cBnm3B4ReTAK8 Somewhere between an artist’s working studio, a rotating museum wing, outdoor grounds for sculpture, and a wonderspace for creating art yourself, you can find our beloved inn, La Chiara™ perched on the beautiful downtown bluff of Buchanan, Michigan. La Chiara™ is a 4 unit complex that we’ve built into 2 lodging offerings plus our Innkeeper’s Quarters. The first lodging offering (this listing) is an entire half of the vertically split duplex; the upstairs and downstairs units combined, and is one of the postal addresses which sleeps 6 in queen beds. The second lodging offering is the upper unit of the other postal address which sleeps 4, opening later this month. Rates will be the same/similar. So La Chiara™ can accommodate groups of 10 willing and able to book both lodges. I’m happily available to help with any issues that arise as your innkeeper as I live on premises with my wife Katrina and daughter, Chiara, year-round. While the properties are separate (separate postal address, parking, entrances, etc.) you may come across a fellow happy traveler smiling and waving from their own private balcony overlooking the Plane Courtyard or strolling the grounds for sculpture and art. Boasting over two dozen works of art in media including photography, water color, sculpture, digital prints, laser, woodwork, printmaking, and repurposing, La Chiara™ aims to serve as an expanding, multi-faceted lodging and recreation wonderspace. In addition to art, there is great kayaking on the St. Joseph river. La Chiara™ is located 1.2 miles from the Buchanan dam which lends itself to a spectacular downstream paddle or float from Buchanan to the Berrien Springs dam. Outdoor activities include laying in the hammock, walking the grounds for sculpture and art, chilling on the porch swing, enjoying the breeze on your private balcony, creating original outdoor art yourself, corn hole, bocce, and the Plane Lounge. The last two listing photos are of the playground across the street and is open and available during the summer! The Plane Lounge is a great place for coffee, wine, beer, provision or even an aviation-themed cocktail (alcohol and provisions not supplied). The Plane Lounge is a repurposed 1966 Mooney M20 fuselage - generally open from dawn till 12pm. Mooney aircraft are part of a family of piston-powered, four-seat, propeller-driven, general aviation aircraft, all featuring low wings and tricycle gear, manufactured by the Mooney International Corporation. Here at La Chiara™ however, the Plane Lounge is known for its exposed guts of tubes that now echo adventure with a Bluetooth speaker, a Stanley cocktail shaker set, phone charger, LEDs, and a mini-fridge. Feel free to stock the mini fridge accordingly for your stay. We hope you find the Plane Lounge fruitful as a refreshing ambiance for conversation and ideas. La Chiara™ is located 27 minutes from Lake Michigan and 25 minutes to The University of Notre Dame. One of our favorite aspects of living in Buchanan is access to the public kayak/boat launch 1.1 miles away that is free to use and is also free to park. Safety for you, us, the surrounding community (most especially the Elementary School and our neighbors) is paramount. We’re honored and extraordinarily grateful to unofficially partner with the Buchanan Police Department to assist in making the neighborhood the safest possible drop-off and pick-up location for children that we can during the calendar school year as well as through their Summer programming. We have five outward facing security cameras in use: at the front doors, side windows and overlooking the Courtyard Plane Lounge. We do not allow smoking cigarettes. There is no smoking cigarettes inside, and no smoking cigarettes outside anywhere on the property. It’s not uncommon to see an officer parked in a corner of the property so they can more easily direct school traffic and we consider ourselves very fortunate to be in a position to greater safety efforts for the Elementary School population. Taking its name from our first grader daughter, La Chiara™ is as much of a creative, de-risked, development tool as we could design to guide our daughter through the adventures of entrepreneurship; from the janitorial to the curatorial art direction, and finance. Chiara does everything with me from properly cleaning the toilets, to supplying the art program. She currently has 5 works of art on display and from what I’ve gathered, we should expect surprise installations. Our family is on premises and very grateful to host you as Innkeepers. We believe strongly in remediation if any issues arise. In fact, our policy for any issue that arises is for me to handle it asap, but I also share every communicated issue with my daughter Chiara. It's actually a great policy for life too; if something is wrong, what words would you choose knowing a little girl will hear them and do her best to find a solution? Our family moved here in 2021 and it’s easy for us to see why Buchanan, Michigan was named, “Nicest Place in America 2020.” We truly hope to be a lit doorway showcasing Buchanan and adding to its growing fascination. We wish you double the adventure and quadruple the safety! "La Chiara: What’s rad to you?"™ Frank, Katrina and Chiara

Amenities

Air conditioner
Pets allowed
Kitchen / Kitchenette
Internet / Wifi
Parking
Balcony / Patio
TV
Garden
Family friendly

Map of Buchanan, MI

Reviews

5.0/5.0
Outstanding(14 Reviews)
5.0
Oct 2023
This was quite the unique place to stay at. When first finding out stays near South Bend for the Notre Dame game weekend were all but gone, I luckily chose this one from the choices a bit further out (~25 mins). We hadn't seen quite this much effort put into a rented stay, with artistic pieces inside and out. While the weather didn't allow us to hang out in the "plane bar" as much as we might have liked, we still were able to do the "scavenger hunt" and find some goodies! Appreciated the stay, and if you're on the fence with its distance from South Bend or for some other reason, it certainly is worth checking out.
5.0
Sep 2023
The stay was wonderful! Our hosts were more than accommodating! The place was adorable with all the sculptures in the yard and even a scavenger hunt!!! Thank you so much! We would stay again and recommend to people as well!
5.0
Sep 2023
It is hard to put into words how wonderful our stay at La Chiara was. We arrived at the house which had a fridge stocked with food and drinks, a pebble ice maker full of ice, and even a scavenger hunt set up for our 5 year old. The basement was also stocked with toys and activities for her to play with. The location was very conveniently located. About 20 minutes from Notre Dame and about the same from beaches and parks on Lake Michigan. Buchanan is full of character as well. Throughout our visit, Frank was readily available to answer any questions we had or offer advice and suggestions, even calling ahead to a restaurant he suggested to let us know what to expect for a wait to be served. It is clearly evident he loves being a host. The property itself has a wonderful screened in patio just off one of the bedrooms which gives a great view of the backyard which is filled with art, including the airplane lounge which is an experience you can’t get anywhere else, and something I will make a point to enjoy more the next time I visit.
5.0
Aug 2023
We had a great time here! It's the first rental we've stayed in where my kids' socks weren't black on the bottom by the end of the day. So nice how clean everything was including the floors. The play room was a huge bonus that my kids loved, along with the treasure hunt and decorations around the property. We'll definitely stay here again!
5.0
Jul 2023
My husband & I stayed here and we loved it.
5.0
Jul 2023
My adult children, a couple of their friends and I stayed here for a whirlwind weekend! The beds were very comfortable! The artistic vibe inside and out was so fun! The stocked fridge with all the goodies was such a hit for all of us! Such generous and thoughtful hosts! We wish we had another day to stay at the house more to enjoy the space! Thank you so very much La Chiara!
5.0
Jul 2023
I am very impressed with this location. Me and my children love to go on short trips to new places. This is located in a clean nice little town, but also close to New Buffalo and other Lake Michigan beach areas. Me and my adult children loved the rental. It was very clean and we loved the back patio area and the screened in porch. The artwork and airplane were a great touch. It had a great vibe to the place. Frank was an amazing host and would do anything to make our stay great. I loved that there were 3 stocked refrigerators with drinks and food. I can't say enough on how great of a place this was and how great of a host Frank was! 5 stars all the way around!!!
5.0
Feb 2023
My small dog and I stayed for 2 nights to get out of the city and relax. I was looking for a place I’d have my own space, but would be near others as I was traveling alone. We had a fantastic stay! The place was immaculately clean, and the hosts provided some food, snacks, and drinks. Little perks like this are always very exciting :) The neighborhood was quiet and the beds were comfy- we slept very deeply. The master bedroom with the balcony was bright and cheerful- my dog loved looking out of the window. There were phone chargers and outlets all around, which was very handy! The TV was very large and nice, in our down time we watched movies. The spacious entryway had a large bamboo cabinet and chairs that was perfect for setting all my winter things & purse on when coming in. The plane and art installations were a neat feature of the property. My dog and I enjoyed peaceful walks around the neighborhood. The hosts were incredibly communicative and the logistics were very easy! Buchanan is a charming small town- my dog had an AMAZING time at the Field of Dreams dog park and we walked the McCoy Creek Trail a couple times. There are many other trails nearby. I hope to come back and check out River St Joe brewery. We drove to Jean Klock Park in Benton Harbor (~30 min), and had a great long walk around the beach and golf course (it’s February- off season- so dogs seemed to be okay). This was for sure the best vacation rental experience I’ve had!

FAQs

How much does this villa cost compared to others in Buchanan?

The average price for a rental in Buchanan is $129 per night. This rental is $77 above the average.

Is parking included with this villa?

Yes, parking is listed as an amenity at La CHIARA™. For more information, we encourage you to contact the property about where to park.

Is there a pool at this villa?

We didn’t find pool listed as an amenity for this villa. It may be worth double checking if a pool is important for your stay.

Is La CHIARA™ pet friendly?

Yes! This villa is pet-friendly. For more information, we recommend contacting the booking provider about animal policies.

What amenities are available at La CHIARA™?

We found 9 amenities for this rental. This includes air conditioner, pets allowed, kitchen / kitchenette, internet / wifi, and parking.

Explore similar vacation rentals in Buchanan

Explore all rentals in Buchanan

Buchanan travel inspiration

Read our blog

Keep exploring