Excellent Time had by All!

Guest: AveDog (United States)
Date of Stay: 12/27/11 Review Submitted: 01/01/12

Two families converged on this charming property in the forest, not quite sure what to expect. We all walked away vowing to return. Seven people (four adults, three children) were very comfortable here. One King, One queen, two rooms with twin beds, and a futon in another room. The littlest one wound up in a very tight, but adventurous loft above one of the twin bedrooms on a mattress we put up there. Two very comfortable bathrooms. We had been warned about water conservation, but felt no restrictions, or discomfort. One tip. Bring bottled water. The imported water at the cabin is fine, but we brought bottled water, and re-filled with fresh spring water at the Grand Canyon. We had planned to dine out at least once, but liked this place so much that we wound up just relaxing there and using the nice kitchen to prepare meals, and dined at the table looking out at the forest. Firewood was there as promised, and the pot bellied stove kept us warm at night. We especially loved the taller than normal counters. It is a bit out of the way, and yet, somehow in the middle of it all. Nothing but beautiful forest for our back (and side) yards. We were about 20 minutes from Williams, and about an hour from the Grand Canyon. It is also about 30 minutes from Flagstaff, and an hour from Sedona. We took the Grand Canyon railway on day one. (Fun, if you want to slow things down and get a quick feel for the Canyon. If you take it, the railway is very kid oriented, and bring money for tips). We spent the next two days exploring spectacular Grand Canyon vistas on the West side, then the East side. We also swung through Bearizona, a great 1 1/2 hour diversion, especially for kids. They say a great vacation is when you leave wanting more. We want more. Fun that is.

Owner response:I'm so glad that you took advantage of the fully equipped kitchen. That's one of the nice parts about renting a house vs. a hotel -- you can relax and eat what you want to, when you want to. You're right -- the view from the dining room table is spectacular! Thanks for choosing the Elk Meadow Cottage. We hope you will return when you can.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Perfect vacation cottage

Guest: Julio M.
Date of Stay: 12/16/11 Review Submitted: 12/29/11

This was the perfect vacation cottage. With all the amenities there is no reason to come prepared you walk in and never miss a beat. My family and I were very pleased and would not hesitate to return, definitely would recommend.

Owner response:Thank you! We pride ourselves on making your stay in our home unbeatable! We have furnished our home the way we would want a vacation home set up when we are on vacation.

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Exceeded our expectations

Guest: Marie V.
Date of Stay: 08/20/11 Review Submitted: 08/29/11

Our visit to Elk Meadow Cottage far exceeded our expectations! The home is beautiful, kitchen was fully furnished, the beds were AMAZINGLY plush and comfy. We loved the peaceful location. There is a hiking trail nearby which we enjoyed each day. We had a party of 7 (4 adults and 3 kids) and it worked perfectly for us. We enjoyed playing games, putting together puzzles, sitting on the deck, hiking, and taking day trips to Flagstaff, Williams, and the Grand Canyon. We found the property easily in the dark with the awesome driving instructions we received. A few things others might appreciate: 1) gas was less expensive in Parks than Williams and 2) our elementary aged kids really liked Bearizona as did the adults!

Owner response:Thank you so much for the reminder about Bearizona. It is one of the newest attractions in the area. Another favorite of younger kids is the Deer Farm Petting Zoo.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Wonderful Summer Getaway - Centrally Located

Guest: Jeff (Port Washington, Wisconsin)
Date of Stay: 08/06/11 Review Submitted: 08/14/11

We just got back from a wonderful week in Northern AZ at this immaculate and centrally located home. We would definitely recommend. Just be prepared to really be out in the boonies, away from everything! It is very secluded and quiet. If you need/want wireless internet service, you'll have to take your phone down the road a piece - it was actually kind of nice to be forced to disconnect for a while. Activities that we did with our 9 and 13 year old while we were there:- - Ski lift ride up Humphrey's Mountain in Flagstaff (Arizona Snowbowl): Would definitely recommend. Great views and relatively cheap. - Lowell Observatory: Just OK, but then again we're not big telescope buffs. - Bearizona: Was actually our kids favorite place. Get to ride through in your car and get up close and personal with different animals (Bear, Bison, Wolves, etc.), then go to a 'zoo' and see a bunch of baby animals. Good time. - Grand Canyon: Obviously a must see and one of my favorites. About an hour from the cabin. Hiking a trail - while tough - is a great idea. Gives you a different perspective on the Canyon. Did Kaibab and Bright Angel Trail - both were good. If you have kids, have them participate in the Junior Ranger Program - our learned a lot and got badges and patches for their efforts! - Meteor Crater: Just OK - was on our way to Petrified forest, so was a convenient stop. - Petrified Forest and Painted Desert: Probably my favorite - wasn't expecting it to be, but it was really cool. Great scenery. Highly recommend hiking the 1 mile Blue Mesa trail - best place in the park. There are some decent places to eat in Flagstaff (about half hour away) - Beaver Street Brewery was our favorite - but we actually did most of our meals in the cabin. Flagstaff has both a Wal-Mart and Target with groceries - much cheaper than eating out and the cabin has everything you would need for preparing meals. Are also a bunch of games in the game room and movies for us to watch. Our evenings were spent playing Clue, Uno, making puzzles and watching movies. Great family time. Again, we would highly recommend staying here - it was a wonderful getaway for our family!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Great Summer Vacation House!

Guest: Lisa + 6 (Kansas City, MO)
Date of Stay: 07/31/11 Review Submitted: 08/07/11

We just got back from our fantastic trip to the Grand Canyon area. This home was great. All bedrooms were nicely done with very comfy beds. The kitchen was perfect for cooking in the evenings after long days seeing the sites. If we did it all again, we would plan more time to stay and enjoy the home and relax in the pines. Our only disappointment was the lack of Elk appearances around the house. They remained elusive for bulk of our stay. For those considering this home I would highly recommend it! Bring some comfortable chairs to sit out on the expansive deck...With one cushioned folding chair we found ourselves wanting. For the owners of this house some additional towels would be great!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Arizona rest tour

Guest: Vincent B.
Date of Stay: 07/17/11 Review Submitted: 08/07/11

Having organised our trip from France for our familly which includes 3 young children (5, 9 and 12 years old) and their Grand'ma, the challenge was to find a comfortable and robust place to leave with no bad surprise or contingency: everything was as described and in a perfect state. The kitchen was fully equipped and we were able to cook according to French standards for all of our 6. The place (Coconino forest) fits well for a rest place: temperature is cool in comparison with Grand Canyon summer heath. We have already recommended this place to our colleagues and friends.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with young children, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Nice Easter Getaway

Guest: London (United States)
Date of Stay: 04/21/11 Review Submitted: 04/28/11

We spent this Easter at the Elk Meadow Cottage and had a great time! Very appropriate name because we arrived late at night and saw 5 Elk standing next to the road. The kids loved that. There were 7 of us total and we were all very comfortable. My husband is very picky about things being clean and fortunately this house was impeccable. We never cooked in the kitchen but I saw that everything was there if we wanted to do so. Our baby loved watching all the Disney movies there, my dad loved reading in the game room while the rest of us played games. There is a cute bookshelf with novels, travel books and also puzzles and games. Williams is a cute town that is close. We ended up going to the Little America hotel in Flagstaff for Easter brunch and that was excellent. This is a great house to unwind, connect with family and get away from it all. Bring shoes to hike because there is a trail right outside the property:)

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amazing cottage

Guest: fab5 (Toronto)
Date of Stay: 03/11/11 Review Submitted: 03/23/11

We just came home from a great week at Elk Meadow. The cottage was clean, had more than enough space for the five of us and was in a great location. Our children loved playing in the games room and in the loft area. There is so much to do around the area. We went to the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Petrified Forest, Walnut Canyon, Meteor Crater and there was still so much that we could have done. Thank you Jody for your advise and recommendations. The kids loved getting the junior ranger badges. The Parks in Canada don't offer these, I wish that they did. If you have time to listen to the ranger talks, you should. If you stay at this cottage, you will not be disappointed!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Wonderful Home

Guest: Scott and Laura (Georgia)
Date of Stay: 10/21/10 Review Submitted: 12/10/10

We really enjoyed staying in this home while visiting the Grand Canyon. It was a very welcoming and relaxing home. Everything was in perfect order. My parents stayed downstairs and my husband, daughter and I stayed upstairs. Our daughter loved the game room. There was plenty of room and we had everything we needed. We spent a week seeing the sights. We took the Grand Canyon Railway to the Grand Canyon on our first day because it was rainy and cold. The next day we returned to the park by car. We spent the next day on a LONG trip to the North Rim. It was oh so worth it. Beautiful, and something we really wanted to do. We spent a day seeing the sights around Flagstaff--Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater, Wupatki Monument. We spent a day at The Petrified Forest. We were able to do everything we planned to do. Special thanks to Jody who made this trip possible for us. We really appreciate your help!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, sightseeing, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Great Weekend at Elk Meadow Cottage

Guest: Jenni (Arizona)
Date of Stay: 10/15/10 Review Submitted: 10/28/10

Our family enjoyed a wonderful weekend at this property. This is a very nice place with lots of upgrades and lots of space. Our kids loved the outdoor and being so close to hiking trails and fishing lakes. This would be a fantastic place for a winter getaway as well.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, pet owners, romantic getaway, age 55+.