We always book a property that allows us to travel with our 8-yr old Irish Setter. She's basically a person in our family. I love that this property had a HUGE backyard, all fenced in, with plenty of room to run. The views of the French Broad River are indeed splendid. The reason for 4 vs 5 stars is that there is a large industrial storage plant that covers the entire far bank of the river. We were there in Nov, when the leaves are off the trees, so it was highly visible and took away from what would have been a really idyllic view. Otherwise, great location on a quiet hill top. The other reason for 4 vs 5 stars is that the kitchens were too sparsely provisioned if you plan to cook full meals. There is both an upstairs and downstairs full kitchen, and we had to try to find enough cookware and implements for a basic 5-person dinner. It may be just a personal preference of our family, but when we VRBO, we like to cook meals. I don't mind buying a throw-away roasting pan for a turkey, but everything else should be there (decent implements, decent pans of various sizes, non stick large fry pan, large serving bowls for side dishes, ovenproof casserole dishes, etc). Bakeware would be a bonus; there was none so we bought cake pans. Also more kitchen linens would have been good - there was only one kitchen towel. The house has a full downstairs and the stairway is a bit steep, which was not an issue for my family, but if you have someone who is infirm, aged or who cannot navigate stairs be advised. Parking was fine - there was plenty of room for our two cars. The location was great for access to Asheville - an short ride down to the river, over a small bridge and you are close to the main highway or river access roads.