Wonderful Experience

Guest: KK (Saint Paul, MN)
Date of Stay: 08/01/11 Review Submitted: 09/11/11

Loved our week's stay at the Cedar Chalet. Home was impeccably clean and contained all of the amenities that anyone would need. The owner was helpful in arranging the booking, and the caretaker was very friendly and attentive, and offered a lot of helpful information about the Whitefish area and Glacier National Park. Deer and turkeys seen in the yard daily. Private location, but very close to the restaurants and shops in Whitefish. Still wishing we were there! I would highly recommend this property to anyone considering a summer or winter vacation in the Whitefish area.

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

Wonderful, peaceful mountain house near Whitefish, MT.

Guest: Pam (Stanfield, OR)
Date of Stay: 08/16/11 Review Submitted: 08/22/11

Grandparents taking two granddaughters to Glacier National Park found this house to meet our needs. Two bedrooms with two baths was super nice - we've had less in the past. The hot tub was a bonus we all enjoyed. The proximity to Whitefish was good. If you were a skiier - then it's a very short distance to Big Mountain's many lifts and ski area. Very clean and well cared for home. Owner was helpful during the time I was selecting a place to stay in Whitefish and continued to stay in touch with me. Caretaker takes good care of place and is helpful with information about the area. Would return and would expect anyone staying there would enjoy the house and area. I would recommend the property to anyone seeking a place to stay in the Whitefish area.

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

Beautiful home

Guest: Mary (Jamestown, ND)
Date of Stay: 07/23/11 Review Submitted: 08/08/11

Our family of 4 had a wonderful time in Glacier and Whitefish thanks to our stay here. Beautiful home, spotless, friendly owners and an attentive and super helpful caretaker. Hot tub was a big plus. Watched wildlife (deer, turkeys) from the deck. Kitchen well stocked, everything we needed.

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

Great place, though Owners are a Hassle

Guest: Mike D (Seattle)
Date of Stay: 07/01/11 Review Submitted: 07/06/11

The Big Mountain Cedar Chalet is a very nice place. Located just a couple of miles outside of the town of Whitefish, it's really convenient, especially for summertime fun in the nearby wilderness. The home is immaculately clean and the groundskeeper is friendly and does an amazing job of keeping everything in great shape. The house has a bedroom, two full baths and a sleeper loft. Perfect for two couples or larger families. My favorite part was the nice deck off the back with a great hot tub! The only reason I didn't give this property 4 or 5 stars is the owners. They need to get into the 21st century and understand how to work with their customers, who are often busy professionals. My spouse and I have traveled all over the world renting private houses or b&bs and have never run into an owner that was more of a hassle than this cabin. They take only cash and are pretty uptight about when and where you pay. You must reserve the cabin with a check and pay with cash upon arrival. Since we were staying for 5 nights, this was a pretty substantial sum of money that we didn't want to just carry around with us in the airport. We planned to get it in town on the way to the house. However, due to travel delays and broken cash machines (only in Montana!), we arrived and explained that we would secure the funds the next day when the banks reopened. They already had more than 2 nights deposit from us, so we didn't think this would be an issue. The groundskeeper was pretty flexible and seemed to have little issue after we explained the circumstances. However, after he spoke with the owner on the phone, he came back over the house at 11:30PM that night to tell us we had to leave to stay at a hotel and that he would lose his job if we did not. He said the owner's policy was "no pay, no stay" - even though they already had plenty from us to cover the first two nights! Luckily, we had been to town earlier in the evening and found a working cash machine to take several withdrawals from to cover the cost. We handed over the money, just 4 hours after our initial arrival and all was well. However, we were stressed out about the midnight confrontation and lack of basic human trust. We really took offense to the treatment and the assumption that we were some sort of losers looking to screw them out of money. Moreover, we would have gladly paid in full ahead of our visit if they were willing to take paypal or credit cards. Get into the modern age already!!

Owner response:We were one of the first people to list our vacation rentals with VRBO about 12 years ago & have had wonderful renters with no complaints until now. After driving his Pathfinder from Seattle, Wa. this young man intentionally showed up with no money for his (4) night stay over the busy 4th of July weekend & told the groundskeeper he would pay for his rental in a few days.The deposit was only for incidental damages & not nightly stays. This young man was well aware of the method of payment & signed the rental contract months prior to his arrival that stated total due upon arrival by money order, cash or cashiers check. We also phoned him (2) days prior to arrival & reminded him of the payment method. Upon arriving the groundskeeper gave him the option of going down to the local lodges & hotels & tell them he has no money & see if they will let him in or go down to the ATM machine & get the money for your rental...He got the money & there was no problems. I wonder why such a worldly traveler would want to check-in without paying first ?

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, families with teenagers, girls getaway.