Great things:
1. AMAZING view
2. Hugely spacious kitchen and living room area
3. Massive scenic deck with a grill andb
4. Close proximity to swimming holes, hiking trails, waterfalls, etc
5. Wildlife viewing of deer and possibly bears right from your deck!
6. Secluded spot
Things left to be desired:
1. There is no cooling in the home, and it was very hot (we went in June)
2. The spacious property wasn't usable because the grass was over knee high length; the secluded spot lends itself to many ticks if the grass is not low enough to use the yard
3. Certain amenities, like the hot tub room and the extra fridge, are closed in the summer.
Notes on the experience:
The property owner is communicative, which is great! As a group we wanted to make sure we took care of the property. At times it seemed difficult to do that, as the owner's stress over the property being handled properly were starkly apparent in interactions with him, almost as if he expected us to not respect the home- so the interactions often felt preemptively punitive or like we were walking on eggshells. We did feel his stressbat times, even with our sincere desire to follow the owner's regulations. The owner emailed the regulations, about a 4 page document; those interactions occurring outside of the VRBO app was not something I have experienced before, my assumption is that it was due to the abundance of information and dos and don'ts on the property. Our group included families with young children so I had to request some changes at one point before the trip, and although the owner was considering approving the change, he did not seem comfortable with young children coming with a group the size of ours. We sensed his apprehension and felt it may be more stress than it was worth to bring the kids and manage owner expectations, so based on his responses we ultimately modified the trip which unfortunately resulted in some parents and kids staying home that had been planning to come on the weekend retreat, including my own wife and kids.
We certainly enjoyed our stay and made some great memories!