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You are here: Home / Lifestyle / Travel / REVIEW: Renting a cabin for our mountain getaway

REVIEW: Renting a cabin for our mountain getaway

September 13, 2020 By Michelle Rogers

Our cozy rustic cabin was comfortable and decorated in a very mountain-y “antlers” motif.

Recently my husband and I took a few days to get away to the mountains in the southwest part of our state, North Carolina. We wanted a quiet and private place to stay, but nothing that was too far away from things.

And being that our state is still operating under COVID-19 guidelines, it was also important to us that we be as “socially distanced” and safe as possible. I really didn’t want to stay in a hotel or bed & breakfast during this time. (Did you know coronavirus can spread through air conditioning?)

In addition to that, because of our dietary preferences my husband and I also really prefer being able to cook our own breakfasts and some of the other meals so that we don’t have to eat out 100% of the time.

I figured that renting a mountain cabin would probably be far out of our budget, and besides we were only staying for a few days on this trip. I thought that there would be a week’s minimum stay and a pricey security deposit. But I’d heard great things from relatives who had rented from Airbnb, so I thought I’d at least go browse their website and see what it would be.

I was so surprised! For about the same price as what a hotel would be, we could rent a place! When I saw this adorable cabin that was in the location we wanted to be — near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway — I was immediately hooked. The nightly fee was reasonable for the dates we were staying, and there wasn’t a long minimum stay or security deposit required (this varies by property, however).

This particular property is managed by a vacation rental company called Carolina Vacations/Mountain Joy Cottages in Maggie Valley, N.C., and they have a staffed office not far from the cabin. We completed our reservation online through Airbnb, and picked up the keys from their office. Checking out was a cinch as well — we just dropped off our keys at the office on our way out of town. I also like the fact that they provide an after-hours number and local staff I could call for service or maintenance issues if it were needed (it wasn’t, everything was great).

We stayed in the cabin called “#11 Antlers” which is a studio with one king bed, jacuzzi, shower, kitchen, and a porch with a lovely view with two ponds. Here’s a photo tour!

Airbnb review by Michelle Rogers Health Living
Our cozy cabin had parking right next to it.
The cabin had Wi-Fi, cable TV, and good cell phone signal.
The furniture was comfy. We didn’t light a fire in the fireplace because it was August. The cabin had good air conditioning and we were comfortable.
The kitchen had pots, pans, plates, glasses, utensils, etc. We brought our own food, drinks and paper towels.
The decor was all done in antler themes. The cute stuffed moose by the bed was a nice touch.
What’s not to like about a jacuzzi bubble bath? That was one of the first things we did when we got settled in!
The porch featured a nice swing to relax in with your morning coffee or tea.
A pretty view from the porch. The complex has several cabins.
Imagine my surprise when I went out on the porch and there was a real, live ELK there in the yard!
We saw this big guy several times. He likes to eat the apples from the apple tree at the pond. He didn’t seem to mind at all that I was watching him. He seemed very gentle, but I stayed on the porch to observe and let him enjoy his apples in peace.

 

Look how big the elk is, standing next to our pickup truck!
Maggie Valley is close to the access to the stunningly gorgeous Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

See my photo tour of visiting the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Seeing and hearing the elk really added something special and unique to the cabin experience. If we’d stayed at a hotel, we sure wouldn’t have had that or been able to fully experience the beautiful early mornings and evenings on the porch.

If you’re looking for a private getaway to the mountains, beach or anywhere else, I recommend giving Airbnb a try. We had a great experience and I would definitely do it that way again.

Enjoy your getaway!

©2020 Michelle Rogers, Inc.

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Filed Under: Reviews, Travel, Wellness Tagged With: fall, hiking, mountain, North Carolina, outdoors, summer, travel

About Michelle Rogers

I'm a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Health Coach, Certified Group Fitness Instructor, and a Senior Fitness Specialist. Visit my fitness services website!

About the Editor

Welcome to my healthy living blog! My name is Michelle Rogers. I am a Certified Personal Trainer, a Certified Health Coach, a Certified Group Fitness Instructor, and a Senior Fitness Specialist. I … Read more

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With God, all things are possible.
Matthew 19:26

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