For anyone seeking a very special place away from the business of the day-to-day, where each morning begins with a slightly different variation of "wow, look outside - I can't believe how beautiful it is or how fortunate I am right now@" - you can't go past Cecily and Mark's comfy, cozy, idealistic Paradise Cove home on the shores of Mud Bay, Haines.
The home itself has a more lived-in feel, but that doesn't mean uncared for or scrappy by any means. I'm more referring to a home that has the comforts and space you would need, but is homely, not overly-glamorized or modern. It's a house that's been shown some love. In fact, the small touches - from the telescope pointing toward the stars above, or the binoculars available to guests to watch the towering ice of the melting Rainbow Glacier directly across the bay transform into aa pair of constantly running waterfalls that dissect the tall craggy mountains, to the well-kept gardens, the green green grass and especially "my favorite" the hammock swinging between 2 tall trees with a view to die for - this place was heaven!
It's just a quick 10-15min easy and scenic drive into town, so no problems there and instructions for finding the place and our arrival were easy so no hassle there. The hosts were wonderful people who checked in on us occasionally, but were never "in our face"... And the whole small town of Haines was friendly and free and unpretentious and picturesque in that way that you would expect Alaska to be.
We booked for 10 days, which for 2 current LA-urbanites, I worried may be too long to handle in such a small, isolated town without going just a little stir crazy. But as the days drew to a close, we knew if circumstances allowed, we could have stayed another month happily without getting bored by any of it.
We saw so many bears at the nearby Chilkoot River, and bald eagles every day. There are wonderful hikes around the bay and trail-heads further along and fishing and kayaking and all sorts of outdoor adventures for those seeking that level of activity. Or you could just happily stay in, watch the ever-changing view, snuggle up, read a book, write, paint, chat, cook and drink - if that's more your thing.
Most importantly, the Paradise Cove house is a place that reminds you the world is bigger than its current troubles and I highly recommend a visit to anyone of any age.
Thanks so much Cecily and Mark for a trip we won't forget.
Sandy and Irina.