The Watauga River Cabinito

First, the pros: it's a great spot. Right on the river, lots of kayaks and gadgets to play with; zipline was a little too iffy to feel comfortable trying. You're not really aware of the neighboring homes. The cabin has wi fi that worked great. Quiet and peaceful .

Cons: The road the cabin is on is more of a really long single lane driveway. Not a big deal by itself, but wattch out for the dog halfway back, he attacked our car every time we drove past, not great when you have a dog of your own in the car. The grill at the cabin is nonfunctional, so plan for another way to cook outside if that's the plan. There is zero cell reception. That shouldn't be a surprise in this spot, just plan ahead. The deck overlooking the creek and the path down to the water and the ropeswing is doable, but I'd leave the small children and elderly folks at home. It's definitely a fun spot, but safety might not have been the first priority in building it. Watch your feet down by the water too, we almost stepped right on a 4 ft snake enjoying the sun right at the base of the stairs.

It's a really nice spot, just needs a few touch ups.

Were do i start?!! I was not contacted by the owner regarding how to get into the cabin. I emailed him 2 days prior to my arrival asking how to gain entrance. Key being left? Lock Box code? Door unlocked? I did eventually get an email with the code. After a 12 hour drive i found it difficult to drive down a very unkept dirt driveway as our VW Jetta bottomed out. As we approached the cabin i noticed 2 lock boxes. I attempted to enter the code that was given to us several times as did my boyfriend. Neither box would open. Looking into the window of what i assume was the master bedroom there were no sheets, blanket or pillows that we could see. From what we could see in the bunk-room the bedding looked disheveled. Was someone staying there or was it just not cleaned from the prior renter??? We attempted to contact the owner several times and was unable to leave a message because his voicemail stated "mailbox full". We were unable to contact Homeaway as well because i could not find a number on the website. This property was a mess! Bushes, lawn and trees around cabin could use some TLC. After several attempts to call i also emailed the owner about being unable to get into the cabin and was looking for some type of refund. I was forced to look for other accommodations. I did not hear back from Mike or Nova until MONDAY evening as my checkout was for Tuesday morning ! The email from Mike and/or Nova stated they were there all day preparing the cabin for the upcoming rain and that check-in was at 4pm. According HomeAway website check in is at 3pm. We were there at 2:30 for at least a half hour! NO-ONE IN SITE. The only positive thing i can say about this discusting cabin and disasterous weekend was that we found a beautiful cabin to rent in Elizabethton, TN called BEE CLIFF CABINS. The owner, Norine, was a pleasure to SPEAK with and very accommodating.

Trash dumped off driveway in bushes, tried to contact owner on Saturday to let them know we were leaving on Sunday which was a day early and it is now Monday night and still no response! Terrible experience but we made the best of it! We left it cleaner than we found it because that's how we were raised! The owners should put a little TLC into this place and it could be cute!

The kids enjoyed the river. I'm not too sure about the zip line! Don't expect anything luxurious, but if you are looking for a simple cabin with lots of things to do outside...this is it. Not as hard to find as I thought, but it could use a sign off of 321 to let you know you are on the right path.

I wouldn't recommend if you have toddlers.

Maybe, trim the bushes back off of the back porch so you can see the river.

All in all, enjoyed the stay.

Secluded rustic cabin in a fairly remote location with little to no cell service. We had a slight issue with checking in because the cabin was not cleaned after previous visitors. Also because of poor cell service in the area it was quite difficult to reach the owners. Home away was able to get ahold of Nova and connect us she was very apologetic and offered us a refund for the night. She also invited us to have a meal at her restaurant while we waited. A few hours later cabinito was cleaner and we were checked in. I would say this cabin would be perfect for someone enjoys camping but wants modern comforts or someone seeking seclusion. My teenagers really enjoyed area unfortunately due to mother nature the area had huge floods and we’re not able to take advantage of the river behind the cabin much. We actually left a day early because it was scary rapid. The river rose so high overnight it took the entire deck, patio chairs, and kayaks away! Hopefully things are okay over there.