We stayed at the Settler's Roost cabin…read more
NOTES:
-If you're coming here while it's rainy or icey, you'll likely want a 4-wheel drive vehicle. My little 2-wheel drive sedan did okay after two days of rain (and lots of mud), but it there would have been any ice or a ridiculous amount of rain, there's no way we were getting out of there. Lots of tight, steep hills and gravel don't play well together.
-Neither US Cellular nor Sprint customers seem to have service out here. The cabin has Wi-Fi, which helps, but make sure to plan ahead. It isn't often that I find myself in a "genuine" deadzone. No roaming, no nothing.
-There are some small, cement blocks leading from the gravel driveway to the front door of the cabin. It's not a lot, but it's a little bit. However, if it's been raining or wet, expect quite a decent amount of mud from your car to the front door (there's a nice doormat right inside the door that helps with that problem, though).
PROS:
-It's decently spacious. You wouldn't want a family in here (or more than two people, really), but you won't feel like you're constantly on top of your cabin-mate either.
-The bedroom is pitch black in the evenings. Absolutely pitch black. If you love sleep like that, you'll love it. Otherwise, cracking the bedroom door a bit lets the ambient light from the microwave and oven display provide a bit of direction in the room.
-The cabin has Wi-Fi. I know, I know, we're escaping from nature, but without phone service OR Wi-Fi, I would have felt a bit uncomfortable in case of an emergency. Plus, the Wi-Fi will let you watch some romantic films on the TV or other things like that.
-The cabin sounds so lovely in the rain. It has a thinner roof than most homes, so you can definitely hear all of the raindrops. No leaks, though, so that's nice.
-The cabin is close enough to nature that you'll likely see nature. There were two deers nomming their way through our backyard grass while we were there. Expect to hear lovely bird sounds and everything. As we came in winter, there were virtually no bugs, but I'm sure that isn't the case in summer. For enjoyment of the summer animal sounds, though, the windows are open-able and do have screens on them.
-The cabin was rustically decorated. In addition to being a full wood construction, the small decor additions add to the rustic feel - not detract. That's nice.
-The fireplace was used a heat source for the cabin. It was directly attached to the thermometer for the room - and it does put out heat! I wish it was able to just turn on and look beautiful without so much heat, but it definitely has the "real fireplace" feel to it, so that's a nice addition.
-Hot tub on the back porch was perfectly warmed with clean water and no debris in it. Hot tub lid was easy to get on and off.
-No laundry. However, the cabin does provide four full-sized towels, some washclothes, and some hand towels. With all of the hooks around the cabin, it's easy to let things airdry and reuse them as necessary during your stay. There was also 4 rolls of toilet paper and an extra roll of papertowels. We didn't run out of anything during our stay.
CONS:
-No dishwasher. This is likely just a silly expectation on my part, but I was surprised to see no dishwasher in an otherwise-equipped cabin. This wouldn't be a huge problem on its own, but as the cabin only has two copies of most things (bowls, teaspoons, etc.), you'll be doing dishes pretty regularly throughout your getaway.
-The promotional photos make it look super private. That's only somewhat the case. When you come in, you'll notice lots of cameras and signs about how the property is under video supervision. And when you make it to the cabin itself, you'll see that you definitely have neighbors. Not to the point where you share a driveway, but to the point where I ended up waving at them while we were both loading up our vehicles at the same time. This is not really a "super private" cabin.
-While the cabin is "full plumbing", the hot water is a bit on the "has character" side. To get the water to stay warm in the shower, you'll need to turn on the bathroom sink at the same time. This only manages to get the water to a tolerable lukewarm temperature. To get the kitchen sink to a hot temperature to wash dishes, you'll have to turn on that bathroom sink at the same time as well. It's not the end of the world, but it's a bit of trial and error you'll figure out as you go.
-You have to be a bit careful around some of the wood areas. While the floor and some of the walls/areas of this full wood cabin construction have been sealed, it's clear that some of the areas were sanded but not painted with sealant. After getting a small wood sliver dragging my hand along a drawer front, I was a lot more careful.
