Dear Nancy,
This is the first opportunity that I've had the chance to write to you about our fabulous experience in your lovely cabin. Wow, the peace, the energy there, the gorgeous views, and the wonderful hot tub.
I especially want to thank you for taking the time to make a truly accurate representation of your cabin on VRBO. I felt so prepared and so welcomed in your sweet cabin. Your blog was wonderful and I took many tips from it as well as some from your former guests who had written in your guest book. I read the entire thing!
I have some suggestions that I would like to share with you as well! We went BACK to My Father's Pizza but unfortunately, we didn't realize they weren't open on a Tuesday. However, we had lunch at the little restaurant across the street called, The Veranda. My, my, my! What a find! I had perhaps the best roast beef sandwich that I have ever had in my life! It was served on cibiatta bread with swiss cheese (or maybe it was provolone) and a generous wonderful horseradish sauce. I dipped it into the au jus for a little bit of heaven!
In downtown Asheville I had been instructed by a friend to pick up some brews at Bruisin Ales. They were a laugh riot in there as well as a big help getting some locally unattainable brews to bring home to my Ale Club. We also had dinner at a place called LAB (Lexington Ave Brewery). They don't sell anywhere but onsite and their chocolate stout was superb! All their brews were a paltry $3.50/pint! And the food, fabulous! My partner had the pork shank and it was falling off of the bone.
Lastly, on our trip to Brevard, we found a little place on Main St. called Marco Trattoria. This was perhaps one of the best meals that I have ever had. They serve their meals on artwork that the proprietor's wife makes herself! My partner had a seafood orcheitte that was enough food to serve 4 people! He said the scallops were to die for. I wanted to try one even though I am allergic! The salad we shared, a heart of romaine with a warm gorganzola & cherrywood bacon was sublime.
We definitely would like to return to Tree Top. We are dying to see the NC Arboretum in bloom. We enjoyed it immensely anyway but can only imagine what it looks like at the end of spring.
Thank you again, Nancy, for making such a glorious getaway for others to share.
With much appreciation,
Sage
Searching for a place to stay when my husband and I are ready for a getaway is a tedious task. We are both hopeless romantics, and we each have our own (wonderful) way of dreaming up impossibly romantic weekends, and then driving ourselves a little crazy trying to find a place that meets our expectations. I scrutinize the listings on vrbo.com, playing detective, putting together a floorplan based on the clues I find in the photographs, and trying to determine how a place might feel. This can take days, sometimes weeks.
When we went to the mountains of NC in 2008 I knew exactly what I was looking for. I wanted lots of windows so that we could enjoy the mountain views. I wanted a hot tub with no roof overhead so that we could count the stars. I wanted a comfy place to cook and eat local food, and I wanted privacy, to enjoy all of the above.
For that particular trip, I found Treetop Mountain Vista, “Asheville’s Coziest Cabin.” It has become one of our favorite places on earth. When we visit, we venture away from the cabin during the day, for a hike on the parkway, a swim under waterfalls, a nap after a picnic lunch, or to pick blueberries. But we’re always happy to return to ‘our cabin’….the place where I found the courage to paint, and to write again. The place where my husband and I reconnect with each other, and with the source of our creation.
We sleep with the windows open…the crickets and frogs sing us to sleep. We awake in the morning to leaves rustling in the breeze, and birds singing outside the window. We lose count of hours in the hot tub as we watch shooting stars, and find ourselves in awe when we, once again, realize that the stars aren’t spinning, we are! We sit on the simple deck, bathed in candle-light, enjoying each morsel of food we’ve prepared together. Need I mention privacy?
There are times when I set myself up for disappointment by creating expectations that I’m not willing to work for. Maybe I even expect someone else to do the work, search the listings for me…I wind up frustrated. Then there are times when I know exactly what I want, and am willing to take the time to find it. Every now and then, when the stars are aligned and blessings abound, I discover something even better than I’d imagined.
(PS….even before Frank knew I was working on this post, he was chatting online with Nancy, the owner, about this coming weekend. We’re having a last-minute getaway, and there’ll be snow in the treetops! Can’t wait!)
More information about Treetop Mountain Vista can be found at:
http://www.vrbo.com/150727
