Vacation Rentals by Owner

The Ultimate Creative Retreat

Guest: Melissa R.
Date of Stay: 04/28/12 Review Submitted: 05/04/12

This little oasis in the desert is the perfect place to soothe the soul and inspire the artist’s heart. There is such peace here, with the Painted Hills only minutes away. In the spring, the scent of soft rains in the desert are intoxicating. I cannot wait to return to work on my novel while I sit in front of a large window overlooking the colorful garden where bees, hummingbirds, blackbirds, doves and woodpeckers go about their business. This is a very cozy and unique retreat designed to make every corner and every room a place of discovery, renewal and inspiration.

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Great place to stay in the Painted Hills country of Oregon.

Guest: Dick (Gasquet, Ca.)
Date of Stay: 10/16/11 Review Submitted: 11/01/11

My wife and I spent 4 nights in this great little cottage in late Oct.2011. This small botanical wonderland in the basalt canyon country made a great base camp to tour and hike the area. The cottage was very comfotrable, homey and well stocked. We took advantage of the apples and pears that were ripe to make a cobbler, also enjoying late crop tomatoes and lots of flowers. The little town of Mitchell, unfortunately, is well beyond its 'hayday' but there are basic services, good food at the cafe and the people are friendly. Thanks Barbara for providing such a nice place to stay.

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

A Magical Week!

Guest: Kerrie J.
Date of Stay: 07/23/11 Review Submitted: 08/08/11

Arriving at the cottage we were stunned and exhilarated by the quaint beauty surrounding us. The cottage grounds are absolutely amazing – so many wonderful nooks to lounge and explore – and raspberries galore! The cottage itself is clean, cozy, interesting, fully stocked and downright homey! The beds and linens were so fresh and clean. Loads of fun to be had for children - the game room was a big hit for us. There is a great video collection for a cozy evening "in" after a long day of sightseeing. We loved cooking in the kitchen – all the essentials were readily available. The farm fresh eggs from Aruna and Barb were such a special touch- we enjoyed them every day! We can’t say enough about our fantastic stay at the Painted Hills Cottage – we will definitely look forward to making it back here again next year! Barbara and Aruna, thank you kindly for your wonderful hospitality – it made for a remarkably memorable vacation! We plan to tell all our friends and family about this fantastic piece of heaven! I could go on and on and on :-)...

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

Family-friendly rental in stunning eastern OR!

Guest: The Ferrante Clan (Portland, OR)
Date of Stay: 05/21/11 Review Submitted: 05/27/11

This rental house worked perfectly for our family during our visit to the John Day Fossil Beds! Conveniently located for visiting many of the area's attractions (of which there are many!), the house is nestled up on the hillside in Mitchell. With it's beautiful garden, you feel as if you're in an oasis in the desert. The house also has many artistic touches throughout it... it was just very pleasant to relax there after a day of outdoor adventure! The house is also very kid friendly...there's the magical garden, a seperate 'secret' play/gameroom, etc. There are also some games, videos, and art supplies available for use. Fun, fun, fun! We also loved having a kitchen so that we could cook meals. Great place from which to explore the area! We'd definitely go there again!

Owner response:Thank you for your generous words, Family Ferrante. We're always so happy when we see children opening up to nature and come to live with all the adventures,wild life spotting, and freedom out here. We always have the kids in mind when we improve our cottages and gardens. The spacious"secret barn room" is a special hit for the kids and exploring the gardens too with all the birds and butterflies, and abundance of soft green grass to run barefoot. For special adventures with children of all ages, we recommend a trip to the fossil beds or to the Lucky Strike Mine to have them dig for their own treasures. The Thomas Condon Paleontology museum is also great as it is specially kid friendly with amazing murals of ancient times,audio sounds of forest noises, and lots of dinosaur fossils- big teeth and all. Yes, yes, yes - bring the kids!

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

the perfect retreat, a very special place

Guest: munkienuts (portland)
Date of Stay: 05/13/11 Review Submitted: 06/01/11

This was my best trip so far here in Oregon. The cottages are so cute and the garden is what really made it for me. We arrived in spring and there were tulips everywhere, stunning. The place has so much character and was perfect for our group as we were able to cook and eat together, both in the garden and in the common room, which I adore, perfect. The beds were comfortable and the peace and quiet was priceless. Also it's location is fantastic for walking and fossil hunting! some of the most incredible landscapes you could ever hope to see, it blew my mind. Thank you for making us so welcome, I want to live there!!!. Jason Stalman xxx

Owner response:Thank you Jason and your bundle of wonderful friends and your positive energy. It was great to meet you all and see that our cottages can accommodate so many people so comfortably. I could see that you really made it your home in such a short time and this is how it should be. I'm sure we meet again and am looking forward. Aruna

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

A Great Getaway!

Guest: M&G (Portland, OR)
Date of Stay: 05/13/11 Review Submitted: 05/27/11

I have stayed in these cottages a handful of times over the past few years with different groups of friends. We have always had a great experience in every respect. This will continue to be my first choice for a place to stay whenever I escape to the Painted Hills area.

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

A Hidden Oasis

Guest: George (Portland)
Date of Stay: 05/13/11 Review Submitted: 05/23/11

A stunning Oasis in the high Dessert. We have just been back for our fourth visit.

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

like staying in your friends' house

Guest: Marya (Portland, OR)
Date of Stay: 03/20/11 Review Submitted: 04/04/11

I don't know if you're like me and you sometimes rent a vacation house only to feel like it's been decorated by a midwestern hotel chain owner, with white carpets and a sanitary strip over the toilet and flowered polyester chintz everywhere, plus an array of china bric-a-brac. If you've done that and you have small children you may possibly feel like you can't relax for a minute because your children are probably breaking some shepherdesses and putting handprints on everything. The Painted Hills cottage is pretty and arty and deeply comfortable: clean but not antiseptic, stuffed with interesting objects but not unnecessarily cluttered or staged, with plenty of interesting things to read and watch (house clearly owned by readers) and plenty of pans to cook with. Staying there feels like staying at your old friends' house, if your friends happened to be readers and cooks and gardeners. We especially loved the garden, the "secret room" (game room) and the sleeping porch. The hillside setting is gorgeous and there are sheep living a block away. No one wanted to leave.

Owner response:Thank you for your warm review, Marya and family. We're so glad you enjoyed all the details. We've decorated both our cottages with all the art brought home from our various travels around the globe as well as with the landscape paintings by my father and my sister. Mom is the big gardener and has created such a beautiful oasis over the years with some rare and exotic plants. There is always something going on in the garden, and even the cold season has its own beauty.We hope that many more travelers will discover this still a bit too well hidden secret in the future. Warm regards to all Aruna

Recommended for:Families with young children, girls getaway, sightseeing.

Painted Hills Cottage..a sweet get away!

Guest: Not rockhounds! (Oroville, California, US)
Date of Stay: 08/02/10 Review Submitted: 08/11/10

Our experience in this cottage was divine! It was a great home base for us as we explored central Oregon and attempted to be rockhounds. The garden was beautiful and the house offered many ways to socialize or have privacy. We were comfortable and would recommend a stay here to friends and family.

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

A Great Place for Curious and Adventurous Kids !!

Guest: Cedar (Seattle)
Date of Stay: 06/24/10 Review Submitted: 08/17/10

My 9 year old daughter Izzy and I spent a few days in Eastern Oregon this summer at the wonderful Painted Hills Cottage located in Mitchell. It was a great adventure for the family to see so much wildlife such as deer, lizards, frogs, and hawks, to swim in the John Day River, to dig for fossils, and to explore this amazing region. We went to the Ochocco Wilderness to hunt for thunder eggs in the Lucky Strike Mine, saw the Thomas Condon Paleontology museum, and had spectacular hikes in the Blue Basin and Painted Hills. We enjoyed coming back from our trips exhausted to the cozy cottage with a beautiful and cool garden in the middle of a desert, which was in itself a treat.The owners were very helpful and gave us the best tips in where to hike and swim as well as some delicious tomatoes and zucchinis from their garden. We’re already making plans to come back in October bringing our friends, including the kids. I want to share this gem with everybody and definitely will make this beautiful rental a regular part of our future summer vacations.

Owner response:We are always happy to have families with children come to our place because it is such a great adventure with so much to discover. Especially kids from big cities are always so excited to be out and about, and be so close to nature. The Museum of Paleontology, the Fossil Beds, the John Day River, the Lucky Strike Mine,are all fantastic places for children, just to name a few. And of course the cottage itself with the big garden is perfect for kids, dogs, and parents to hang out and relax.

Recommended for:Families with young children

A Peaceful Place with a Beautiful Garden

Guest: Living on Travel and Dreams (Leavenworth, WA)
Date of Stay: 05/12/10 Review Submitted: 05/23/10

The Painted HIlls Vacation Rentals are the best place to stay near the Painted Hills. Aruna and Barb go out of their way to provide a comfortable stay, and coming back after a day of sight-seeing, the garden was a lovely place to relax. If you visit during off-season, be sure to stock up on groceries, because the cafes in town may not be open. But the cottage is equipped with everything you need to make a meal--and savor it while watching the birds, either outside or in. The cottage reminded us of places we have stayed in England and Wales, and the book and video collections are extensive.

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

A pleasantly surprising find in the area!

Guest: PhotoJack (Seattle, WA)
Date of Stay: 05/09/10 Review Submitted: 05/12/10

As nature & landscape photographers, 4 of us sought reasonably-priced lodging generally centered in vicinity of 3 separate John Day Fossil Beds / Painted Hills National Monument locations. Although initial impressions driving up to the propery had us guarded, upon entering the Painted Hills Cottage we were pleasantly suprised by it's general cleanliness, order and space including not just a full roomy kitchen, dining/living area, 2 full bedrooms, adjoining porch with bed and living room futon, but a bonus large backroom/gameroom heated with firelogs; the more rusticated could use this as another bedroom. The living room has an efficient gas heater which quickly heats up the area. Bathroom is roomy and clean with large shower stall, multiple-use showerhead and well-heated. Plenty of hot water and water pressure for 4 people. Clean linens. Of the 2 other options we saw in Mitchell, Skyway Motel and Oregon Hotel, we believe this is the best-valued lodging especially for a group. Plenty of music CD's, Videos and books to sample. Only a few caveats: directional street signage leading to the place is not very distinctive and easily missed even in daytime, so if you arrive at night, you'll need luck finding the place! You might wish to bring your own bath soaps and shampoos. Internet/wireless connection was intermittent; there was no cell-phone coverage while we were there.In town there are 3 basic eateries and small general store. The gas station isn't open Sunday or Monday and while we were there, opened around 8:30 AM+. Good photographers always return to their locations for different lighting and serendipity; will we stay here again...definitely!

Owner response:Now it's a year later and I'm happy to report that the Wifi service is much better. We also have organic shampoo, conditioner and soap since a while, and we have replaced the old direction signs with much bigger and brighter once, very artsy! You see, we listen to the comments of our guests because we want you to be happy while you're here. Aruna Jacobi (Owner)

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

Enchanting hideaway

Guest: Paul M. (Coast Range, Oregon)
Date of Stay: 09/13/09 Review Submitted: 09/25/09

When we decided to spend almost a week in the John Day area, I began looking online for homes to rent as it's my favorite way to travel. I have stayed in John Day several times and camped in the hills but this time I wanted a house and found one for three of the days that provided the kind of energy I love as well as a base from which to drive out. It was on the hills above Mitchell and in a narrow alley if you can call gravel roads like that alleys. Once parked, you open a gate and enter into a magical garden created by the owner of the home. There were colorful flowers, fruit trees, lawns, gardens, flagstone steps leading to the door. The house itself is one of two, both for rent, with a combined room between to use for playing games or just enjoying. Everything was set up for intellectual and emotional refreshment. We had the opportunity to visit with the owner of the home and her daughter who has been helping manage the rentals. The family originally came to the John Day country from Seattle where they saw what they considered for years to be the perfect vacation retreat for the husband who is a painter and the wife who is a writer and master gardener. Eventually they moved to the area. The vacation rental came into being when they found another home farther out from town. Frankly that home today is way beyond where where you'd expect an older person to want to live unless you met the older person and saw her total love of nature and the rugged landscape of the John Day. The view out there goes beyond words. The rental cottage is very homey, full of the husband's paintings but also books and movies to watch-- no television which was fine with us as we aren't much for TV anyway. It did have wireless internet which was worth more to me than cable TV. From it, we could easily drive out to the Painted Hills National Monument, which is the kind of place you could be for years and never feel or see it all. Although we only had three days at the cottage, I have every intention of getting back for more time in more seasons. N

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Romantic getaway in central eastern Oregon

Guest: tausyankee (Brisbane, Australia)
Date of Stay: 07/24/09 Review Submitted: 09/02/09

I recently had the great fortune of being able to spend a week staying at this wonderful garden cottage, one of the hidden gems of the high desert in Eastern Oregon. A green oasis situated in a canyon above tiny Mitchell, the delightful (and decidely green thumbed) German owners have created the perfect artist weekend gateway to the Painted Hills. One of the greatest ways to see the hills is at its best, early in the morning, when the low desert sun paints the ancient clays bright yellows, reds and black and its not yet scorching hot. I can think of no better way to get an early start on exploring the natural wild beauty of this corner of Wheeler county than waking up to a riot of songbirds outside my window and getting myself a nice breakfast with local fresh peaches and apricots in the fully equipped kitchen, and to return from a day of exploring to collapse in one of the comfortable beds. Everything that is needed for a weekend - or a week - is there at hand. There's even a wide selection of interesting DVDs. Everything is spotless - the perfect place to unwind in Eastern Oregon.

Owner response:We are always happy to hear from our guests how much they enjoyed their stay with us. This area is so unusual and wild - Mother Nature at her best! It seems like the secret of how special it is, is slowly getting out as we get busier every year, many of our guests returning. We like to share our favorite spots to hike and swim,where to make the best photographs, and find fossils. There is so much to discover! And then, after an adventurous day, the guests return to the sanctuary of the garden and the cottage. Its so peaceful here.We love it too!

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

Guest: Dervisha (Germany)
Date of Stay: 05/26/09 Review Submitted: 05/26/09

This is the second time we have stayed at the Painted Hills Cottage, and it just gets better and better. The owners have put a lot of time and energy into each detail, from the amazing garden to the art on the wall, the comfy beds and the great DVD collection. Everything was perfect and made our stay in this fantastic area even more memorable. We will be back again and again.

Owner response:We're always happy to hear compliments from our guests for our unique place out here in the magic world of Eastern Oregon. We hope that many more people will discover the beauty of this area and come to stay with in our special little cottages to make their trip even better.

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