This is a really cute dog-friendly spot for a weekend getaway in the mountains. It is old and…read morerustic and walking distance to the town center. Located on South Circle Drive, there is no sidewalk or side pavement, and the road is curvy as you enter Highway 243 to go into town. Managed by Vacasa Rentals, we received several confirmation emails after booking the cottage, including one closer to the trip date that listed items available for our use in the cottage.
I also really appreciated that while standard check-in time was 4pm, we received an email 24 hours prior to our trip date that notified us we could check in early at 11am. That made a huge difference to us in terms of planning and being able to get a head start on traffic.
It's easy to miss on South Circle Drive, but the property has a horseshoe shaped driveway. With a dark green exterior, they allow access via a key in a lockbox. We liked this because it saves time from having to check in with management or a person who at other places, may or may not be present when you drive in.
They provided linens, towels, basic kitchen tools and supplies, including tiny dishwashing liquid bottles. The interior is really cute with old lantern decor, and it has a fireplace, though we obviously did not need one in September.
There is one bed and a couch, and it has a nice deck with a hot tub, which is really nice to use after a long hike at the nearby Humber Park.
The cottage is a lower level ceiling so if you are over six feet like my dude, you will want to take care in some parts of the kitchen and especially the bathroom.
The reason why I give it 3 Stars is that the shower area is not efficient, very small, and the shower head kept falling off, hitting me in the head more than once while I was shampooing my hair. It is very disconcerting to be wet, eyes closed due to shampoo rinse, and then being hit with an object on your head that swings around and flies water everywhere. I texted me friend during my vacation to tell her that the shower is better than some parts of Africa that I have traveled to, but not by much :)
Also we were excited to use the old school coffee maker, but there were issues with the filter and water leakage. My dude tried to use it three times, and then we gave up and got coffees to go at the Mile High Cafe down the street (over-priced and sub par for $5 each cup), while the second time we made it to Higher Grounds Coffee in town center where for $17-$18, they give you a box of coffee and provide cream and sugar with cups to go.
Overall, I think it is a nice and decent place to stay for a short term rental, but I would not want to be in the cabin for a week, due to it being pretty old and lacking in certain amenities. The back of the house opens up to a wooded area, and it is a great spot for the dogs to take care of their business in the morning and parts of the day.
While using the hot tub on the second day, we noticed that there was still blue floating chlorine object in the water. My dude called the Vacasa agency because we were not sure if it was during a cleaning cycle and if we could use it. Thankfully someone answered and said it was part of an automatic 12 hour self-cleaning feature but okay to use.
There is a grill out front with a Propane Tank, and it was awesome to grill food for both nights, in addition to walking to town and trying the local wineries and brew pub. My dude was in charge of the grill and said the heat was weak, so it affected cooking times and should probably be replaced with a more modern one, especially if the owners want to compete with surrounding properties.
I recommend also bringing your own cooking oil and spices as they won't have that available to help save you a trip from running to the store, especially if you live within a 1-2 hour distance and can drive up with some of your own food and goods. Rather than one big fridge, it has two mini fridges. The skillets and pans have seen better days, so if you are picky about those things, bring a large skillet from home if you are motivated to make a morning scramble.
We were happy to see people visiting the area after the recent fire, and it is important to revitalize the local economy.