As it can be with any decision, the decision of
which cabin to rent can be a difficult
one to make. The options are almost limitless and,
to a great degree, are based on the individual
renter’s tastes and desires. Whether you become one
of our happy renters at Nature’s Dream or not, there
are some basic characteristics or attributes that
everyone should take into consideration and
questions that everyone should ask before renting.
These include location, cleanliness and general
upkeep of the cabin, amenities, pricing and
discounts, private owner and rental versus company
owner and rental, and other personal factors.
Location is often the first and most important
factor for many cabin renters. Is the cabin
accessible in all types of weather conditions? Are
all the roads leading to the cabin paved? Will you
need a four-wheel drive vehicle to reach the cabin?
The last thing you want is to plan a wonderful get
away and have to cancel due to inclement weather
because you have rented a cabin that is
inaccessible. Besides being difficult or impossible
to get to, cabins at higher elevations can also have
water issues due to having to use well water.
Sulphur water is often found in well water at the
higher elevations. Well pumps can malfunction or
there can be a power outage that could interfere
with the water supply. Also cabins at these high
elevations do not have cable television options,
only satellite. This limits the television choices a
great deal and restricts access to the local
networks. Of course, to many the "view from the top"
is what their visit to the mountains is all about.
Again, these are all personal preferences, but
should know what you are getting in your rental
cabin and if it is exactly what you desire. Sometimes you will not be given this
information unless you ask. Other location related
questions include: Is the cabin centrally located to
all the other activities, events, or areas that you
will be visiting? Will traffic be an issue or are
there alternate or “back routes” that you can take
to avoid heavy tourist traffic areas? How far will I
need to travel to get supplies such as gas and
groceries? How far to restaurants? While there are
other location related issues, these should give you
an idea of the type of questions you should ask
before you rent.
Next, you will want to look carefully at the cabin
itself. The cleanliness and general upkeep of the
cabin are very important factors to consider. You
are probably asking, “How can we know that before we
rent it and see the cabin for ourselves?” While it
is impossible to determine these conditions in every
case, there are definite clues that you can look
for. First is there a website, and is the website
nicely done? Are there pictures on the website? If
so, how many? Are there inside pictures as well as
outside pictures? Is the cabin nicely decorated? Is
the number the cabin sleeps proportional to the
number of beds listed in the information given? Is
the number of bedrooms the same as the number of
bathrooms? Is there a non-refundable deposit for
damages? Is there a no pet policy, a non-smoking
policy? Is there an age restriction on renters? For
example, renters must be twenty-one (21) or older in
order to rent? Is the cabin being rented by the
owner or by a large rental company? Are there any
guest comments relating to these issues on the
website? Is the cabin new? If not, how old is the
cabin? Has it been recently redecorated with new
appliances? Cleanliness and sanitization of the
hot tub, if the cabin has one, is another issue that
should be considered. The hot tub should be properly
cleaned and sanitized between every rental as this
is vitally important in today’s health conscious
society that is concerned with bacterial related
diseases and infections that can be spread in this
manner. This is one question that you should always
ask whomever you are renting from. While the
appropriate responses to these questions does not
guarantee a clean, well-appointed cabin, it does
offer you clues to the type of people you are
renting from and the quality of the rental property.
After you have determined that the property is
properly cleaned and well maintained, you want to
make sure it has all the amenities you desire.
First, will it comfortably sleep everyone in your
party. This usually means a private bedroom and
bathroom per adult couple. What size are the beds?
Are there other sleeping areas such as fold-out
sofas or loft areas with futons or bunk beds? Are
the linens supplied for these other sleeping areas?
Is there cable or satellite television? How many
televisions are there? Is there internet? Many of
today’s travelers take “working vacations” and need
to stay in touch with their employers or employees
or just want to maintain contact with family and
friends through e-mail. Is there a pool table, hot
tub, Jacuzzi, video library, book library, DVD
player, VCR, any board games? Are there outdoor
living spaces such as patios, decks, porches with
rocking chairs or porch swings? Is there a grill or
Bar-B-Q? Are beach towels provided for hot tubs? Is
the kitchen fully equipped with all appliances
including microwave, coffeepot, toaster, blender,
and hand mixer? Can you cook and serve a complete
meal with the utensils and pots and pans that are
available in the cabin? The last thing you want is
to rent the cabin over Thanksgiving and not have a
roasting pan for your turkey!
Is there a washer and dryer in the cabin? Most
quality rental companies and privately owned rentals
will provide you with a detailed list of amenities,
a list of what is provided in the way of paper
products and hospitality items, a list of all the
items that you should plan to bring in order to have
everything you need and want for the perfect cabin
vacation. Again, this is just a guideline for you to
use as you think of the amenities that are important
to you.
Another important factor to consider is pricing and
discounts available to you. Many privately owned
rental properties as well as some larger rental
companies offer discounts. However, you have to be
careful and remember that old saying “you get what
you pay for” applies to this situation. You should
always ask about extra charges that may be applied.
For example, some may charge extra for any persons
that are in addition to a certain standard number.
This may even apply to children. Others may add a
cleaning fee or charge for a mid-week cleaning.
These are both pretty standard practices and are not
considered to be out of the ordinary charges. You
should always ask about discounts or “specials” that
might be available to you. Most cabins rented by
owners have some flexibility and will often offer
deals or specials to their repeat guests or for
referrals who book with them. Establishing a
personal relationship with a private owner is a much
more probable way to know the condition
(cleanliness, well maintained) and amenities of a
property. It is also an excellent way to know that
you will usually, be offered the best possible
pricing available at a particular time. When looking
at pricing, remember the absolute lowest price may
or may not represent your very best option. There
are many factors to consider.
Last, you should always consider your own personal
tastes and preferences. Do you want a mountain or
valley view or does it matter? Are easy
accessibility and good roads more important? Do you
want total seclusion miles from anything or will a
private, wooded lot around the cabin be enough
privacy? Do you want true lodge or cabin decor,
really rustic decor, Victorian cabin decor, or some
other type of decor? Do you want or need everything
to be on one level in the cabin? You should think
through your own personal preferences carefully and
know what you desire before you search for that
perfect cabin.
As you can see for yourself, there are many
questions you will need to answer as you begin your
search for that perfect vacation cabin. Hopefully
this will give you a place to start and will be a
guideline that will help you to find the cabin that,
in the words of Goldilocks, is “just right” for you.If you have any additional questions please feel
free to contact us.
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