Romantic European Cottage-Private Floral Garden-Pet Friendly-Incredible Nature!

• Such a wonderful place to stay and relax

  Such a wonderful place to stay and relax

  • Guest Jane C.
  • Date of stay 05/03/13
  • Review Submitted 05/08/13
  My friend's family and my family stayed in the Painted Hills vacation homes for two nights. We enjoyed every minute of it. And when it was time to leave, the only regret we had was that we were leaving too soon. My 4-year-old son said to me on the way back, "We will come back again, and this time we will stay for TEN days." My friend's family took the Painted Hills cottage, as they have more people. We stayed in the Hollyhock Guest house. The house is quite old, I give you that. And the bedroom is a bit small. The bed is comfortable, but a bit small for us, because my son co-sleeps with us. We even tried to make him sleep in his friend's room in the bigger cottage, where the two boys can each have their own bed but share a room. Though he prefers to spend every minute of waking time with his best friend, when it's night time, he wants mommy and daddy. So, the size of the bed is not what I liked most about the house. But that is no problem. Not when everything else is so perfect. The garden is breathtaking! I could spend all day just walking in the garden and taking in every inch of beauty and freshness in every corner, or simply sitting on my front porch, enjoying all the pleasure that sunshine, breeze, a masterpiece of a garden, food, family, and great friends can give you, feeling so free and relaxed, Our children had a blast! They spent most of their time exploring the fenced-in ground, chasing each other, chasing the neighbor's cat, running soaking wet around the lawn sprinkler, playing hide and seek (a lot of times not intentionally, the place is just too big for them to keep track of each other). The garden and the two houses and the game room became a maze, a palace for them. They were boys in Wonderland! The owners are so friendly and nice. They made us feel very welcomed. And a lot of details in the homes and the garden show their thoughtfulness. They make their guests feel at home and at ease. Things may not be in the best shape or the most luxury, but they are comfortable. Before we went there, we weren't sure if it was going to be a good trip. Because we weren't sure if there were going to be many interesting things to do or see in the area to justify the 4.5 hours drive to get there. But now we wish we stayed longer. We had a great time hiking at Painted Hills and digging for fossils. But for me, the vacation homes alone would draw me back again, and again.

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• Wonderful place!

  Wonderful place!

  • Guest Maria F.
  • Date of stay 05/09/12
  • Review Submitted 09/26/12
  the very special landscape in Easter Oregon. My daughter and I stayed at the Hollyhock Guest House, a very comfy and adorable cottage and were absolutely in love with the place. Just to sit on the porch in the morning, looking into the colorful floral garden and watch the birds and butterflies was magic. The owners were very helpful and gave us fresh eggs from there chickens for breakfast and the best grapes fresh from the little garden surrounding the cottage. This is the greatest place to stay when you're coming this direction to explore the Painted Hills and the other units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. We will be back for sure!

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• Hollyhock Guest House

  Hollyhock Guest House

  • Guest Don J.
  • Date of stay 09/21/12
  • Review Submitted 09/24/12
  A lush and lovely oasis in the high desert. The cottage is cozy and comfortable. The bed is excellent, the bathroom spacious and the water hot. The kitchen is fully equipped with everything one might need. The trees and gardens offer seclusion even though the cottage is in the middle of a small residential neighborhood. The yard is bright with flowers, butterflies, and a hummingbird so continuously present we had to give her a name! And the owners have made it easy to enjoy it, placing tables and chairs on the front and back porches as well as the side patio. There is even a bench beneath the trees on one side. You can't go wrong with this delightful cottage.

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• Cosy, comfortable and enchanting!...

  Cosy, comfortable and enchanting!...

  • Guest Janine E.
  • Date of stay 08/31/12
  • Review Submitted 09/05/12
  I very much enjoyed my relaxing stay at the Hollyhock Guest House. The guest house was cosy, comfortable and enchanting. I felt at home as soon as I walked into the door. When I first arrived, the neighbor's three dogs formed a welcoming committee. They were all off leash, but friendly, and after the initial meet & greet with my dog was over, they seemed to know that they could not follow us into the gate that lead to the guest house. The gate offered complete privacy to enjoy the lovely garden and cosy cottage. The location of the guest house is only 6 miles from the Painted Hills Unit, which was the main objective for my trip. The proximity enabled me to visit the Painted Hills several times, at sunset on arrival day, at sunrise the following morning and middle of the day on departure day. I was able to take lots of pictures! In the guest house, I found quite a bit of information about the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, the main (and only) attraction in the area, including a hand drawn map of a scenic loop of all three units, which I did: Painted Hills, Sheep Rock and Clarno. The guest house picked up an unprotected wireless network that I used initially to connect to the internet because the instruction manual did not provide a password for the guest house wireless network. But Aruna, the owner provided me with her secure password when I called her from the landline (there is no cell phone reception in the area), providing a full wireless signal. The town of Mitchell is a tiny speck on the map (population: 170!!). It doesn't really capitalize on being 'Gateway to the Painted Hills'. The word that comes to mind to describe Mitchell is: 'dilapidated'. But there is a general store, a bar/restaurant and a small coffee place. I didn't go into any of these places because I brought my own supplies and was out and about for most of the time, but the few locals I did speak to were very friendly. All in all, I would recommend a visit to this fascinating and beautiful area. It takes you back 40 million years in time!!... and offers many amazing 'photo ops'. I got a new Facebook profile pic + cover photo out of it! :)

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• The Perfect Getaway

  The Perfect Getaway

  • Guest Krissy H.
  • Date of stay 08/29/12
  • Review Submitted 09/03/12
  I had an amazing time at the Hollyhock Guest House. The cottage and surrounding gardens are peaceful, relaxing and absolutely beautiful! The owners take great care of the property. There is plenty to do in the area (hiking, swimming, rafting, fossil hunting...) but you could spend the whole day just kicking back, on the porch, listening to the birds, among a wide variety of gorgeous flowers, plants and trees. I highly recommend this rental to anyone who wants a true vacation.

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• Relaxing escape from home and the city

  Relaxing escape from home and the city

  • Guest betsy m.
  • Date of stay 06/25/12
  • Review Submitted 07/31/12
  Yet again we had a fabulously relaxing time in Aruna and Barbara's calm lush oasis. The well kept and stocked house were lovely and the birds and fresh air abundant. I cannot wait to go back to Mitchell!

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• Hollyhock Hideaway

  Hollyhock Hideaway

  • Guest Karen D.
  • Date of stay 07/01/12
  • Review Submitted 07/05/12
  My discovery of the Hollyhock House came about in an odd search for a place to bring my 2 dogs that hate fireworks. After searching the state, I found the Hollyhock House and contacted the owner, who assured me my dogs would have peaceful time here over the 4th of July. My other criteria were that the yard be fenced and I have good places to walk the dogs. These needs were met and then some. I arrived to a delightfully clean and charming cottage, with all the amenities I could desire -- a fully equipped kitchen, cotton bedding, lots of places to sit and laze about, books on local history, movies and internet. My host procured more of my favorite old movies with no effort. I was plied with farm-fresh eggs, apricots and greens. Accurate and abundant information as to excellent hiking opportunities came with the asking in addition to what was provided by way of hand-drawn and other maps. For dog guardians: there are endless places to hike -- the Painted Hills National Monument allows dogs on leash and trails abound in the National Forests. At the cottage, your host gives you towels for your dog, treats, food and water bowls if you need them and lots of understanding. Be aware that the yards between the 2 properties are not separate -- there is a very loose hedge that won't keep curious dogs out of the other rental's yard. I remedied this with some blockading in a couple of areas and my host offered to reinforce it if need be. If other dogs were at the other property, I would need this offer as one of my rescues doesn't like other dogs. The gates to the street and herb garden don't latch but I was able to remedy that with bits of twine. Once these issues were solved, we were able to relax totally and the dogs had a lovely time poking about the yard, sleeping and hiking. If you have a prey-driven dog, be aware that you will want a good leash as there are rabbits, deer, squirrels, cows, and countless other critters and carcasses to entice your hound into disappearing over a ridge. The gardens around the cottage are a delightful place to while away a hot afternoon. If your dogs like to dig, you need to prevent that. Plastic bags are provided and keeping poop out of the herbs and berries is requested. There are only reasonable requests. Mitchell restaurants don't yet cater to vegetarians. I came fully stocked. I'd recommend Hollyhock House to anyone! I will come back next year! I love it!

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• Lovely Retreat

  Lovely Retreat

  • Guest john m.
  • Date of stay 05/14/12
  • Review Submitted 06/01/12
  I spent a lovely, quiet week in the Hollyhock cottage and loved every minute of it. As a writer it was wonderfully quiet, as a bike rider i found great, long empty roads and trails to explore... rafting the John Day was an adventure. As a lover of paleontology i found Mitchell to be perfectly situated for exploring a vast span of life's perdurance. My hosts were outgoing and gracious. The combined marriage of location, mild weather, friendly people and geology was marvelous!

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• *****

  *****

  • Guest patricia f.
  • Date of stay 05/28/12
  • Review Submitted 05/31/12
  We thoroughly enjoyed and loved The Hollyhock. So cozy and quaint. Everything we needed was there. The gardens were lovely and fresh eggs for breakfast. Thank-you so much and we will definitely return.

  Owner response: Thank you for your generous words. Our guests always comment on the eggs we provide . Fresh country eggs from very happy chickens seem to fit more to our place then the usual pillow mint.

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• A Great Location for Exploring

  A Great Location for Exploring

  • Guest Nanci L.
  • Date of stay 05/24/12
  • Review Submitted 05/29/12
  Mitchell proved to be a great location for exploring all three units of the John Day Fossil Beds. The cottage was a comfortable base that allowed us to unwind after driving, hiking and fossil hunting. The gardens provided just the inspiration for journaling and sketches of daily excursions. Our family would definitely recommend a stay at this home.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

Payment is usually accepted in the quoted currency ($) unless the currency and the amount is specifically agreed in advance with the owner / advertiser.

Additional information about rental rates:

Fees and Taxes:

• Tax Rate 1%
• Cleaning $50