Top of the Line

Guest: Farnum (Puyallup)
Date of Stay: 12/19/09 Review Submitted: 01/06/10

Every Christmas our family stays at a house/cabin near the mountains. We snowshoe and enjoy the company. What this means is that we have stayed at a lot of vacation homes. Simply put, the Olympic Foothills Lodge is by far the best of the lot. Everything about it is welcoming, from the pre-cut firewood for the stove, to the description of where things are in the kitchen, to the very gracious and thoughtful instructions on what is expected in cleaning up. I especially appreciated the very comfortable beds and the cleanliness of the outdoor grill (a weakness at many cabins.) But I have to mention that the thought that has gone into the safety of the guests is absolutely outstanding. There are instructions for every event, flashlights and extra batteries almost everywhere in case the electricity goes out, a backup generator. There is even extra cut firewood in the garage, a thoughtful touch, but a significant contribution to safety. It is not surprising that an owner who cares this much about the safety of his guests has put so much attention into making their stay fun and comfortable.

Owner response:Thanks for your review. I'm glad your stay at the Lodge exceeded your expectations. I have also stayed in many vacation places over the years and have made mental notes about all the things that bugged me during those stays, so as I planned and and then built the Lodge I applied what I have learned. It's one thing to stay in a Motel where if you need something you can call the front desk but when renting a house, you are mostly on your own. Just the thought of something going wrong can begin eroding the relaxed atmosphere you were looking for by renting a place all to yourself. Again, thanks for confirming that we have done a good job of making you feel safe during your stay. Steve

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, age 55+, sightseeing, families with young children.

Beautiful house, great location, perfect getaway

Guest: DocHop (Portland, OR)
Date of Stay: 01/06/12 Review Submitted: 01/19/12

I recently spent a "Girls Weekend" away at the Olympic Foothills Lodge and was blown away by the comfort and organization of the house and the attention to detail the owners clearly have. They provided detailed information about what to expect during our stay before we even arrived and the house was fully stocked with binders full of guidebooks and maps for whatever adventure we were looking for. The house is incredibly spacious providing a number of different areas for groups of people to lounge. Between the fully stocked kitchen, the spa-like jacuzzi tub, and the wood-stove there was no lacking in ways to indulge and relax during our fantastic weekend away. I will definitely be returning to the Olympic Foothills Lodge as a basecamp for more Olympic Peninsula adventures!

Owner response:Thanks Sara, Really glad your group could get together for this trip. Your experience at the Lodge is what we intended when we built it. Thanks for the feedback. And yes, it would be great if you could come again sometime. Steve

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing, people with disabilities, families with young children.

Wow!

Guest: Bean (Portland, OR)
Date of Stay: 01/06/12 Review Submitted: 01/19/12

The Olympic Foothills Lodge is FANTASTIC! It has everything a group would need: a large kitchen with every appliance imaginable (including plenty of fridge space), plenty of incredibly comfortable beds, a large common space, a soaking tub built for two, not to mention the amazing setting.... I HIGHLY recommend this lodge experience.

Owner response:Thanks Cathy, I'm glad you liked the Lodge and had a chance to experience it with some new friends. I hope we can find time to build some trails together on the other side of the creek. I hope your group can come again sometime. Steve Steve

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, pet owners, adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children.

A home away from home with gorgeous details!

Guest: Tara (Portland, OR)
Date of Stay: 01/06/12 Review Submitted: 01/19/12

This house is simply amazing. Our stay was easy and beautiful because of each and every detail at the place. The kitchen tool location guide was awesome, and we had fun racing to find items before someone read their locations aloud. We loved the history built into the home, and shared with us as visitors. We had a group of 11 and we were easily able to cook and serve meals together, play games, and sleep comfortably. Some of us chose to relax at the house while others went out to explore Dungeness Spit, and the removal of local dams - a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness. The only thing missing was a hot tub, but we hear that there will be one someday. I've already told my friends and family about this place, and I can't wait to return! Thank you, Steve and Alice.

Owner response:Thanks Tara, I appreciate knowing that the Lodge had all the kitchen tools you needed and that what is becoming Steve's famous "kitchen tool locator" was so much fun for you. Can you tell my college studies were in engineering? Anyway, so glad you and Cathy could spend some time there together with your friends from Portland. Come again, anytime! Steve

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children.

MOMcation Retreat a Success!

Guest: Chandra (Sequim, WA)
Date of Stay: 10/21/11 Review Submitted: 10/25/11

I rented this AMAZING home for myself and a few other local Mamas of young ones to get away, but be close enough to run home in case, The Husbands weren't up for the task. Fortunately they were, and all went well. The home is remarkably spacious and comfortable, tons of love went in this place. I had a different vacation rental booked and after talking with the owners here, I switched. Some friends are definitely eying it, to rent for when out of town family visits. It was difficult leaving this amazing rental. Nice to be rejuvenated and I'm a better Mommy for it. Thank you so very much for creating the PERFECT retreat! We're hoping it will be available for MOMcation 2012.

Owner response:Thanks Chandra, We get a lot of groups from other states expecially during the summer. I've been waiting for the "locals" to find us for winter retreats and you are the first group from the Peninsula to do so. Thanks for your positive feedback. When our kids were very young I spent a lot of time in motels to "recharge" but a motel room was just not the same as having your own space. That's why we built the Lodge and it's also why we decided to share it. I look forward to your next visit. Steve Kunkel

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing, people with disabilities, families with young children.

A house built with love

Guest: The Crazy Germans on Tour (Germany)
Date of Stay: 07/17/11 Review Submitted: 08/17/11

I would like to thank Steve and Alice for renting their beautiful house to us. The house is even nicer than the pictures already suggest. It is really built and filled with love and makes all guests welcome. It is spacious enough for a large group to enjoy privacy and open enough to encourage coming together at all times of the day. The kitchen is just amazing and the way it is sorted might suggest that Steve is even more german than I am. Thanks again for giving us this wonderful place to start our vacation. We will always have sweet memories.

Owner response:Thanks Petra, Many of the features you enjoyed during your stay at the Lodge are ideas I got from building custom homes here in Washington State during the past 30 years. Of course the surrounding forest would help to make any home special. I'm so gratified that my vision for providing a place for people to slow down and rejuvenate has become a reality. Please come again. Steve

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

Great home for family reunions

Guest: todd m.
Date of Stay: 05/28/11 Review Submitted: 06/22/11

Everything about this rental is first class, from the owners' helpful instructions, to the beautiful accomodations. There is plenty of room in the 4+ bedrooms and baths for everyone to feel comfortable, and the large kitchen made it easy and fun for all of our family to join in with meal preparation. The area is one of great scenic beauty, and we enjoyed day trips to Hurricane Ridge, the Hoh Rain Forest, Ruby Beach as well as closer trips to Dungeness Spit and Sequim. A day trip to Victoria via the Port Angeles ferry was also enjoyed. The lodge is so welcoming that you'd be very content with just sitting in front of the fireplace or woodstove with a good book (on those rainy days) or enjoying the deck and backyard. We were adults-only on this trip, but the loft would be a fun place for older kids to sleep. Thanks for sharing your home with us!

Owner response:Thanks for the positive feed back. It's nice to know that our original vision for the Lodge is being fulfilled by groups visiting the North Olympic Peninsula. We wanted it to be a great home base for day trips to the many local scenic places. Steve

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing, people with disabilities, families with young children.

German hikers Base camp

Guest: wolfgang ( 55585 Oberhausen, Germany)
Date of Stay: 09/13/10 Review Submitted: 10/22/10

What a great place for our group of 12 hikers of the German Alpine Club ( DAV-Nahegau). Olympic FoothillLlodge is an ideal and luxerious "base camp" from where we started our daily hikes in the Olympc Nat`l Park, e.g. to the trailheads at Deer Park road. After the hikes ( 4 - 6 hours ) we felt in the lodge like at home - the well equipped kitchen enabled us to cook delicous meals, the spacious lounge was ideal for the group to sit together and let the day again passing along. Also there is lots of space for those in the group who are looking for privacy . All together a phantastic place for our group and real " Gemütlichkeit" ! We would like to come back !

Owner response:Thanks for your feedback. I'm not much for backpacking and sleeping on hard ground anymore. We definitely built this place to be a "base camp" as you called it. Glad you put it to good use. Please do come again. Steve

Recommended for:Age 55+.

great place

Guest: The Lidford Ladies (TACOMA)
Date of Stay: 09/30/10 Review Submitted: 10/05/10

This was a great place for our womens weekend away. The house has 1st class accomadations and the kitchen was fully stocked with top notched appliances and it was like being in our own kitchen. The house is large but still felt very cozy. There is directions for everything fireplace,heat and lights there was even a drawer with all the instructions for everything f you had a problem. The outside deck has a big bbq and table and chairs both lounging and sitting. We didnt use the fire pit but it has all the wood already split and ready to enjoy. The game room had alot of games and cards. We really enjoyed every aspect of this house.

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

Great Retreat

Guest: PJ (El Paso TX)
Date of Stay: 07/24/10 Review Submitted: 09/18/10

It was everything promised and more. Communication beforehand was very welcoming. Lots of information about the house and the area. We had a great trip, and the home made it even better!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing, people with disabilities, families with young children.