Mountain Lodge: Fireplace, Heated Pool & Great Views

We had a wonderful stay at this beautiful mountain home! The house was clean, very spacious, and the beds were comfortable. There were so many great spaces to gather as a family or enjoy some quiet alone time. The deck was perfect for watching sunsets and spotting deer, and we loved all the thoughtful touches like games, books, beautiful flowers throughout, and even the super-friendly resident cat. The decorations made the home feel warm and inviting.That said, a few things kept it from being a full five-star experience. The property is advertised as a “hiker’s dream” with 78 acres, but hiking with dogs required extra caution due to barbed wire fencing (understandably for cattle, but it didn’t quite match the hiking experience we expected). Communication could also be improved. I didn’t receive responses to some of my questions before arrival, the check-in code came a minute after the official time when I had to ask for it, and the house rules weren’t sent until the afternoon of our second day. The trash instructions were also unclear. It seems like some of the automated messages just need better timing and explanation so guests know what to expect.Overall, we truly enjoyed our stay and would love to return! Knowing these details in advance would have made the experience even smoother.

We loved our stay! The place was big enough to accommodate a lot of people and a bunch of young kids. The pool was a life saver for our hot summer vacation, and the house was close to everything we wanted to do (hiking at Natural Bridge State Park and the Virginia Safari). We roasted marshmallows, grilled out, and had plenty of room to eat big family dinners and have nightly game nights. We had a little leak problem happen in the basement game room, but the weather was nice enough to not need to use it and the owners came to check it out and help manage it while we were there. Would highly recommend this for a large group or family coming to the area!!

Kitchen was great. plenty of pots, pans, dishes, glasses, etc.Our only complaint was receiving the code for the lock to the front door 5 minutes before our arrival.

The house was exactly as advertised and spacious. We paid a little extra for the pool to be opened early. The water really wasn’t heated as expected, but the kids didn’t care…they forged onward. I’d definitely suggest making sure you have bug spray, for any walks by the stream. All-n-all it provided a nice secluded place where the kids could run and yell and scream and not bother anyone…which is what spring break is about.

Overall, the property was a good find for a large group including teens. What the listing doesn’t tell you is that you do have to go over a small bridge/ford that is actually part of the driveway. Ordinarily that would not be a problem except if you are experiencing a lot of rain or snow melt that is running off into the streams. Our group was concerned that we would not be able to get out on our checkout day because of the flooding over that area. We did manage to get out however, that included going through about 7 inches of water. Again, it would just be nice if the listing stated something about that. In addition to that, one of the selling features for this house for us was a game room, which is set up in the garage of this house. Unfortunately, again, with all of the rain, the garage had water that entered it and was anywhere from 1 to 2 inches deep so the game room could not be used for the majority of our stay.With that being said, our group had a great time. It’s obvious that the property is a work in progress and updates are being made as time and money allows. It’s rustic yet comfortable. The kitchen area seemed to have everything that we needed and accommodated our group of 13 well. The beds are comfortable and the 3 1/2 baths was very convenient.