A Cottage by the Lake

Mark and I just returned yesterday from my sister Cindy's lake house in Northern Michigan, just down the road from Barton City. It was a great trip - beautiful scenery and the road trip gave us some time to think about where we wanted to live when we retire in the next 15 years or so. We came up with a list of what we want for our next home

Must haves:
On water - lake river, doesn't matter, but we want to be near water. Would like to have a sandy beach. If on a lake less then 200 acres (unless it is one of the great lakes of course)
Location in Minnesota, Wisconsin or Michigan, but not too far north or east. We don't mind the winter, but would like to be in a more temperate climate. Living in or close to a small town is also necessary, but only if it has a good medical facility.
House - we want a house with 3 bedrooms, at least 2 1/2 baths and of course a garage (3 car would be ideal). We would need a hot tub with an optional sauna, master bedroom suite preferable on the main floor and a separate family room. A walk out basement would also be a plus.

Our plan is to take the next couple of years and explore possible locations. We figure there has to be a lot of small towns around Lake Michigan which would fulfill our needs. Perhaps we will take the Lake Michigan Circle Tour and see what we can find.