Greer Cabin Keepers, the Molly Butler Lodge and Hindman's Retreat Cabin.
First the good. Everyone we dealt with was fantastic. We initially booked our getaway more than a year ago but had to reschedule due to a massive wildfire in the area last year. The staff accommodated us perfectly, and everyone from Molly Butler and Cabin Keepers was friendly, professional and welcoming.
The scenery in the area is what you'd expect from any pine forest mountain area. Gorgeous.
That said...
The value of the experience was more than lacking. Cost before dog surcharge and tax was $185 a night with no break for weeknight vs. weekend. While pricey, the cabin is listed as dog friendly and includes a dog run. More on that later.
I'll get to the worst part first, just in case you don't want to read the whole thing: Despite the fact that there was a card that said, "This cabin was cleaned by (Person A, Person B and Person C)," cabin rules mandated that guests getting ready to leave vacuum the floors, wash and replace the towels and bedding and clean the counters and surfaces in the bathroom and kitchen. They also tell guests to bundle and take their garbage with them.
I'm sorry, but when I'm paying the same cost as a good room on the Vegas Strip, I expect basic housekeeping to be part of the fee, particularly when they name the people who supposedly handle cleaning and have the audacity to state, "Gratuities Appreciated." I, myself, like getting paid for nothing, but I never expect it to actually happen.
When renting a cabin, you expect things like super cheap paper towels and toilet paper, but you don't expect to have to do all the housekeeping or to put up with things like no dish soap (The mini bottle of original Palmolive had long since been refilled with dollar store hand soap), for example.
I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, to an extent. Maybe they do a thorough cleaning on top of what they ask of the guests, I thought. Looking around didn't bear that out. There was a half millimeter of dust on the fireplace mantle, for example, and items on the shelf were perfectly outlined, indicating they hadn't been moved in at least a year, maybe more.
Other gripes...
One of the reasons we chose Hindman's was because it was dog friendly and listed a dog run as a feature. We gladly paid the surcharge because one of the reasons we planned this vacation in the first place was because we wanted to take our dogs with us.
Well, I wouldn't have put a plush dog in that run. The fencing was loose and not embedded in the ground. Sure, it's the owners' responsibility to keep an eye on their pets, even in a run, but when a dog of any size could get out in fewer than five seconds, or an animal of any size smaller than a bear could get in in the same amount of time, it would be irresponsible to use the feature unless you were sitting inside with them.
The cabin is in something of a state of disrepair. The outer deck had a couple sections that were threatening to collapse in the near future. The tree nearest the deck had a branch directly overhead that was threatening to fall in the next good breeze.
Hindman's Retreat Cabin is divided as a duplex. We'd booked B last year, but were "upgraded" to the larger A unit this year since B was being renovated and was unavailable.
The B side had, indeed, been refurbished. I know because I had to go through it to get to the water heater and laundry area. While it's basically one large room with a loft, it was nicely done.
The A side didn't appear to have had much work done since the 70s.
There was no dishwasher, which is no big deal, but there wasn't even a dish strainer to put dishes you'd hand washed.
The stove was easily the oldest I've ever seen outside of a museum. Being a cook and a food hobbyist, I'm somewhat familiar with the history of cooking tools. This one, while functional, dated from the 1950s. Here's a picture of a similar control panel. http://www.flickr.com/photos/thedeutschgirl/5182262009/
The master bed tilted downward so your feet were higher than your head, and the "mattress" was an ancient bag style that was like sleeping on a sack of laundry. I'd guess it also dates from the 70s as, apparently, did the pillows.
So, in conclusion: The staff and website are great. The scenery is as pretty as you'd expect from a mountain pine forest. The cabin borders on the dreadful, the cost is exorbitant, the guests are expected to do maintenance/housekeeping staff's job for them and the value is next to nonexistent.
As I mentioned above, I wasn't expecting luxury hotel style pampering, despite paying the same price, but I certainly expected much more than we got in terms of facilities and amenities.
If you're in Phoenix, I'd recommend you save yourself the 5 hour drive and buckets of cash. Go to Prescott and rent a cabin there. The rates will be cheaper, the scenery comparable and the experience likely better. read more