I'll start by saying I've rented homes a Smith Mountain Lake for several years. The lake has become our getaway destination for a summer vacation and, more recently, the winter holidays. Therefore, I feel I have a reasonable context for evaluating this property. Overall we enjoyed our visit to this cabin. It had all the important qualities, but lacks a few details that could make this a better property. I would probably stay here again.
Pros: It has a rustic, authentic feel to it, creating a warm, cozy feeling. Everything upstairs is real wood. It has full length upper and lower decks which are great for socializing, reading, relaxing, etc. The home has an easy, intuitive layout. The kitchen is large and well suited for cooking for a full house. The interior furnishings and decorating match the log cabin feel. The bedrooms are about the right size, not too small. The large boat dock also has a canoe for guests to use. The lower level is a walkout basement with a large open area with a pool table a television viewing are. For us, the kids played downstairs, the adults socialized upstairs - worked out really well.
Cons: A week before our stay began we found out we needed to bring our own queen size sheets. I feel this should have been communicated in the property description or before we booked. We don't own any queen size beds, so this was somewhat of an inconvenience. I felt as if the $120 cleaning fee should have included washing sheets. It's the first property I've stayed at that didn't provide sheets. Once we arrived we found out that were lots of other things not in the house. We needed to make a couple trips to grocery store for small things like toilet paper, dish washing soap, hand soap, paper towels, cleaning spray, wash clothes, scrub brushes etc. You'll need to bring all your own cleaning supplies and toilet paper. Again, this is the first property I've stayed at that didn't provide these necessities.
