The Mountain House is an enviro-friendly refuge for nature lovers.
Location: Bethlehem, White Mountains, New Hampshire, USA (Boston-150 miles, Arlington Hotel, Bethlehem-4 miles)
Accommodations: Chalet, 2 Bedrooms + Convertible bed(s), 1 Bath (Sleeps 4-6)
Nestled amidst of Cannon and Bretton Woods, the classic AT hikes in the Franconia, Zealand, and Crawford notches, fishing in the Amonoosuk, swimming at Forest Lake State Park, the shops, cafes, and gristmill of Littleton's award-winning Main Street, the antique stores and regional crafts shop of Bethlehem, bird watching at Pondicherry Reserve, and much more is the Mountain House.
The Mountain House is my private home that I open to guests when I am not using it. Snug into the hill for enviro-friendly insulation, this is an easy living chalet and retreat for people who love to be close to nature. We sit on ten private balsam fir, maple and birch acres, with sunset views across three ridges of unbroken forest.
The home of an amateur cook, the kitchen features solid cookware and real knives. There is no TV, but the closet full of toys and art supplies, a boombox, a bookshelf stocked with local nature books and guest-written novels, glass-faced wood-burning stove and outdoor fireplace, hammock, VCR, sunset-facing deck (perfect for evening meditations), the natural gardens around the house, a telescope and sleeping bags for evening star watching, the irresistible "nap couch," outdoor toys, and the summer birdsong concert are usually entertainment enough.
The main bedroom is graced with a mountain view and a brand new pillow-top full bed. The second room overlooks the moss garden and features a full bed. There are several extra futons and mattresses for additional sleeping. Some guests even pitch tents in the meadow to accommodate adventuresome extras. A spiral staircase connects downstairs and up - though most canine friends prefer to take the deck stairs to the second floor.
Guests have made the Mountain House even better - they have left books, recordings, poems, paintings and photos of moose, reset the stone fireplace, and contributed wonderful ideas on making the house even more comfortable. See the guestbook for their comments
Vacation Rental Features
- Amenities
- Parking for RV/Boat/Trailer
- Wood Stove
- Beds
- Double Bed
- Entertainment
- VCR
- CD Player
- Stereo System
- Music Library
- Kitchen
- Full Kitchen
- Cooking Utensils Provided
- Refrigerator
- Microwave
- Outdoor Features
- Gas/Electric BBQ Grill
- Deck/Patio
- View/Location
- Mountain View
- Communications
- Telephone
- Other Amenities
- Hammock, Outdoor Fireplace, Water Toys, Snowshoes, Ten Acres of Private Woods full of moose and deer and songbirds and smells that intoxicate canine friends, Adjacent Horse Boarding Stable, Out-the-door Snowshoeing and Walks to Spectacular Hilltop Views, Out-the-door Four-mile Loop that takes in Mountain Views and Riverside Explorations, PRIVACY
- Suitability
- Pet Friendly
- Kid Friendly
- Activities (on site and nearby)
- Golf
- Tennis
- Shopping
- Sightseeing
- Restaurants
- Boating
- Swimming
- Biking
- Mountain Biking
- Cross Country Skiing
- Downhill/Alpine Skiing
- Snowboarding
- Snowmobiling
- Sledding/Tubing
- Wildlife Viewing
- Hiking
- Fishing
- Rock Climbing
- Antiquing
- Cinemas/Movie Theaters
- Live Theatre
- Miniature golf
- Horseback Riding
- Other Activities
- Nature Centers, More - See Above
Rate Details (In US Dollars)
2009 Early Summer
June - July, Sept-Oct: Friday - Sunday Weekends: $375*
Sunday - Sunday Weeks: $800*
August: $950* Sunday - Sunday
Return guest discounts available! Well loved pets welcome.
* Guests add 8% NH room and meals tax. Guests bring their own linens. Dogs okay
Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.
Owner's Profile
Owner Description
Year Purchased: 2001
I'm a former technology executive, current musician, gardener, and outdoor person who considers herself very fortunate to be the current caretaker of this quiet, private mountain retreat.
Why the Owner Chose Bethlehem
I bought this house from my friend, who built it himself, and only sold it to finance the adoption of his lovely daughter from China. I have loved being the caretaker of the woods, wildflowers and wildlife that surround this property, and have taken great pleasure in working up some of the gardens. It is my favorite place to be, in every season. I have been really lucky to have great guests who have left me photos, paintings and poems from their Mountain House stays.
The Unique Benefits of this Chalet
In the summer, I love to listen to the birds, cook with my garden herbs, sunbathe on the deck, swim at Lake Forest Park, hike the AT, watch the lingering sunsets, have bonfires and roast marshmallows right outside the house, hang in the hammock and listen to Red Sox games, and generally enjoy the quiet of the place. In autumn, the foliage view over three ridges is stunning, migrant birds sometimes fly by, and it is quiet. In winter, I hunker down in front of the fire at night, sleep late and snowshoe up Kimball Hill in the late afternoon sun. I love turning off technology and just being quiet. I also sometimes host music jams - the 'cave room' is really nice for that in the winter.
Property Photos
- The Mountain House is an enviro-friendly refuge for nature lovers. - Bethlehem, NH - New Hampshire Chalet Lodging near Littleton in the White Mountains
- You never know if a moose will wander by... The meadow is sunny and welcoming - Bethlehem, NH - New Hampshire Chalet Lodging near Littleton in the White Mountains
- he 'Nap couch' and glass-faced woodstove make for comfy, easy living. - Bethlehem, NH - New Hampshire Chalet Lodging near Littleton in the White Mountains
- There's a spiral staircase between floors - MOST dogs take deck stairs
Guest Comments (89)
First (10) of (89). View all comments
Vacation Rentals by Owner Listing #39693
There have been 25190 visitors to this page since the counter was last reset in 2004.
This listing was first published here in 2004.
Date last modified - June 20, 2009
Positive Rating
Thank you so much for renting your house to us. We had a great time. It was very cozy and my husband liked cooking in your kitchen.
Positive Rating
We loved the Mountain House. Even though the temperature dropped to -12, the house was warm and comfortable. No frozen pipes. Thanks.
Positive Rating
so everything went fine, the weekend was as beautiful as the house. The leaves are just about to turn red up there, and this weekend the Bretton Woods area was best. The weather was actually very good to us and we enjoyed the nature tremendously. If you like, I will recommend the house to our friends.
Positive Rating
I don't think we could have picked a better place for our short vacation. The house was great, and your information packet was very helpful.
Positive Rating
Dear Jacki, Thanks for the Mountain House. We truly enjoyed the weekend, Your decor was refreshing and comfortable - I loved the upstairs bedrooms - cozy and pretty. Yes, we tried to follow your trails, but no, we did not find your little waterfall.
Positive Rating
Dear Jacki, Thanks for the Mountain House. We truly enjoyed the weekend, Your decor was refreshing and comfortable - I loved the upstairs bedrooms - cozy and pretty. Yes, we tried to follow your trails, but no, we did not find your little waterfall.
Positive Rating
Hi Jacki, I've been meaning to email all day... we had a great time. the weather (and the mountains) couldn't have been more beautiful. the wildflowers out front are absolutely gorgeous. makes me want to do something more with my yard! everything was great. thanks again for having us! you have a wonderful property!
Positive Rating
Just wanted to send a note now that I have come back to reality. The wait to be able to use your fabulous mountain house was certainly worth it!! This was the nicest retreat i have had into the area. It is that area that I have come to love to 'recharge' so to speak. Thank you once again for the opportunity to share your little piece of the mountains!!!
Positive Rating
We would like to thank you for opening your mountain house to us. We had a wonderful time. Your directions lead us right to the house without difficulty. The men shoveled off the deck (my husband even had an opportunity to sit on the deck with a cup of coffee and enjoy the view). So much snow!! We made an attempt to use our snow shoes and toboggan, but the snow was too light and fluffy. We just sunk. We failed to make dinner reservations Saturday night so we had to settled for the Littleton diner. If you like diner food it was just ok. Sunday, Feb 18 each did their own thing - some went snowmobiling for the day. Others spent several hours cross country skiing. We spent the day snowshoeing around the ground of the Mount Washington Hotel, enjoying lunch at Fabyan Station. Great Food. We had some time to explore Littleton and Sugar Hill area too.
Positive Rating
Happy new year to you and your family. It is really poor form of the Bailey`s that it has taken us 2 weeks to drop you a line since our return to the UK! I actually write this to you on a train down to london on the way to a meeting! Anyway, we had a wonderful and magical Christmas at the Mountain House, and we had the snow, lost of it, especially in the last week. We have never seen snow like it, and the the sledging was brilliant! The mountain house is so wonderful, so cosy and we have wonderful memories of stoking up the fire and eating good food and playing your board games. Your place is by far the best self catering accomodation we have ever been to, and we will be back! The guy at the post office said `where are you staying` we said the mountain house on maple street, he said, ah yes I know jacki katzman - he and the guy at ma papias (the bagel place) couldn't believe we had found your place on the web. Top marks to the WREN shop and cold mountain cafe, plus angeliques the fish restuarant, they were all so welcoming. We stumbled across a british couple in the littleton book store, said they were just their for the day but would love to visit for longer - we had one of you postcards in our bag, so we passed on your details - we hope to drive your transatlantic bookings for you! To put it in perspective, what we paid you in british pounds was about 900 pounds, over christmas it would cost this for a week in the UK! Will email some photos when back in the office, sorry about the one bag of trash we left, hope the money we left covered off phone and any other costs. Here's to plannimg our next trip, maybe a few years away, but it will be a definate. Talk soon