Traveler's Nook, a Room of One's Own on Lake Monona

• 7th stay at the Nook

  Guest comment entered by owner

  7th stay at the Nook

  • Guest Mary and Jeff
  • Date of stay 07/07/12
  • Review Submitted 03/01/13
  This is our 7th stay at the "Nook" and we always look forward to our visits at what feels like home away from home. We discovered this gem when we decided to compete in Ironman Wisconsin taking place each September in Madison. The Nook is perfect for our racing and training visits - the hospitality is warm, cozy, and friendly. Only one mile from Monona Terrace where the Ironman starts and finishes making it a perfect location for us. Better than a hotel, we enjoy it immensely and gratefully. Thank you! We'll be back to achieve our Ironman goals!

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• Lack of Integrity

  Lack of Integrity

  • Guest tm
  • Date of stay 11/08/12
  • Review Submitted 12/17/12
  This property is in a very nice location. Very close to downtown, the near east and near west sides of town. You don't really feel like you are in basement. The owners provide coffee, cream, a snack basket and bottled water. The dirty grill apron on the porch was a turn off but hey it's a home. I would give this property more stars except for the fact that I was unable to reach the owners by phone on my first night there. Their voice mailbox was full on the phone number I was had. I couldn't figure out how to make the tv and cable work. I don't have cable at home so I was very excited to have so many viewing choices. But I read my book instead. That was my first clue that the owners are eager to take your calls during the booking process but not eager to talk to you once you are there. The second night at 3am the soft water recycling unit turned on and it sounded like a very loud broken toilet and it ran for hours! The soft water unit is only 6 feet from the bed. That alone was very distressing but add to that on the last night two bugs that looked very much like cockroaches crawled across the floor. Once again I called the owner but there was no answer. I had to send an email asking them to call me. They did call and were shocked when I told them I though there were cockroaches. A few minutes later the owner called me back and offered me a refund for that night. I was reluctant to take it because I really believe he was horrified at the though of cockroaches but I said thank you. Mostly because the loudness soft water machine was so out of line. It is now more than a month and no refund has appeared on my statement. My email inquiry has gone unanswered. So if integrity is important to you, you can definitely find another rental for the price. Even if they did nothing for me but answer my calls and emails I might give them more stars.

  Owner response: When we received this review, my wife and I were extremely upset; not with the guest’s right to give her opinions, but with two obvious misstatements of fact. I immediately sent to her the following email, asking her to make corrections as to her mistaken facts: I processed your refund several days ago. Please check your credit card records and make sure it has gone through. If not, let me know. I apologize for being late with the refund. I have received a copy of the review you are posting. I acknowledge and also apologize for your making calls that were not returned. The reason is not that we wished to ignore you, but that they were being accepted by my cell phone which at the time had full messages so that I did not receive the calls. I do not offer this as an excuse, but as an explanation. You certainly should have been responded to promptly. I would ask you, in respect to your posting, to consider rescinding it to make the following corrections. There was no “dirty apron” on the porch. It was a canvas wood carrier to service the fire place which we leave there for the convenience of our guests, and of course it has wood chips, etc. on it. There were no “cockroaches”. What you saw were two box elder beetles. These are very common in Southern Wisconsin and are perfectly harmless. You are correct that I was “shocked” at your report; we have never had anything like it. I offered you the refund not because I thought the report was true, but because you were upset and we did not want to be accepting payment for a guest who is unhappy with the premises. We provide a complimentary gift basket because we want you and others to enjoy their stay with us. If you look back over our reviews, you will see that in four years we have never received a negative review, and some of our guests have stayed with us nine or ten times. Nevertheless, we obviously did not serve you well enough and apologize for it. She did not respond to us, nor did she correct her statement. We invite prospective guests to read the comments of other guests, which are overwhelmingly positive. There are no similar negative comments. We do not think that voluntarily making a refund to a guest, even when the guest was mistaken, indicates a “lack of integrity”. Quite to the contrary, it was a gesture on our part to make her feel better even though what she was most upset about did not even exist. If you have questions, please feel free to call us.

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• 12/30/11

  Guest comment entered by owner

  12/30/11

  • Guest Nandini and Rajesh
  • Date of stay 12/30/11
  • Review Submitted 01/20/12
  We had a wonderful weekend. We came here to have a nice, peaceful New Year's Eve and it was beyond what we expected. My husband enjoyed the sauna. The closeness to the city made it possible to visit all the places. Festival of Lights, and New Year's party at Monona Terrace were really great. Thanks for the complimentary basket. We will come back to visit again in the summer. Happy New Year!!!

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• 10/3/11

  Guest comment entered by owner

  10/3/11

  • Guest Steve and Lynn
  • Date of stay 10/03/11
  • Review Submitted 01/20/12
  This nook was just what we needed to unwind after a hectic day at Expo. We loved the work space/table and fireplace to unwind and enjoyed the evening in privacy. We will return again for some R & R as well as business.

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• 8/28/11

  Guest comment entered by owner

  8/28/11

  • Guest Jim & Kay
  • Date of stay 08/28/11
  • Review Submitted 01/20/12
  Everything was great, just as we had anticipated from the pictures on the internet. Very close to everything, including bagels/doughnut for breakfast (Park St.)& downtown restaurants like our daughter and son-in-law's "Nostrano" on the square, and found a real good fish place - Sardines. Great alternative to the traditional motel set-up!

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• 8/13/11

  Guest comment entered by owner

  8/13/11

  • Guest Ted and Vee
  • Date of stay 08/13/11
  • Review Submitted 01/20/12
  Just what we were looking for, an alternative to the standard hotel setup with a terrific location. Great conversion of the basement space with all the the light/ventilation from the surrounding windows. Very pleased with everything and we will be back when heading for Madison.

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• 7/13/11

  Guest comment entered by owner

  7/13/11

  • Guest Lindsey
  • Date of stay 07/13/11
  • Review Submitted 01/20/12
  The Traveler's Nook was a great spot for our family. It was close to everything and a cozy retreat. My little one said it was a great fort! We enjoyed the gift basket too!

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• Comfy stay in capital city

  Comfy stay in capital city

  • Guest Elaine M.
  • Date of stay 07/02/11
  • Review Submitted 07/23/11
  For our first visit to Madison, we could not have chosen a lovelier and unique location on the lake. We walked to the capitol building and the UW campus. Watching the fireworks over the lake on the Fourth of July were a lovely treat. The apartment was clean and comfortable. The owners were very helpful and communicated nicely before the rental period. We loved the welcome basket. We would definitely recommend this rental to our friends.

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

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• Guest comment entered by owner

  • Guest Barry & Lili
  • Date of stay 05/23/11
  • Review Submitted 07/14/11
  The Traveler's Nook was perfect for our nostalgia visit to Madison. We loved the location and view across the lake, and enjoyed the fireplace on slightly chilly evenings. As VRBO owners ourselves, we appreciated the "welcome" basket and all the supplies, even toothpaste - very thoughtful! Thanks so much - we'll recommend you.

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• Guest comment entered by owner

  • Guest Lynne
  • Date of stay 07/11/11
  • Review Submitted 07/14/11
  Fantastic, well-appointed, thoughtful, peaceful, comfortable, private, convenient - I could go on and on with adjectives about the Traveler's Nook! I'm completely enamored of this little hideaway, and of Madison in general - the food, the bike trails, the Capitol, Overture Center, all of it is just fantastic. I will be back!!

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Starting at $125/night (2 night minimum)
Rates vary depending upon number of persons, length of stay and dates requested.
Please call or e-mail for specific rate information.
Full refund given if canceled outside of 60 days from reservation.

Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.