The property has the potential to be GREAT! The hot tub, view and amount of beds were perfect for our needs. It was advertised as kid friendly, but there was an electrified bear mat on the porch, the lawn was not mowed by the play set and the railings on the porch were very loose. The remote feel of the cabin was great and it was close to a ton of outdoor activities. The maintenance of the property and its assets were lacking in cleanliness, expected amenities and luxury feel for the price tag. We love the outdoors and backcountry experiences (we did see 3 bears), but we would have loved to enjoy family time around a larger indoor and outdoor dining area.
We showed up to an unplowed drive way in a less then safe manner to pull in. The heat in the house was off and was 46degrees in the home and the thermostats batteryâs dead . We rented the house for my birthday and were excited about the hot tub which was empty of water and running on an off with no way to turn it off. Very upset with this experience
This property was secluded, living true Alaska style. The yard was not groomed. The hot tub was low on water, had to fill it after we bought supplies to fix the hose. Three of the four buckles were broken on the lid, and it was windy making the lid open on its own. We wired the lid down to eliminate getting charged for damaged property. Inside the floors were not vacuumed, the bedding was not changed, the pillowcases still had drool spots on them. Spiders were all over the place. We spent the first day of our trip cleaning the house to be able to comfortably stay there. We were instructed to not strip the bedding, and now I understand why.
The cabin was exactly as described, very comfortable with gorgeous views from the back deck. Property manager responded immediately to a minor inconvenience and was very helpful. 5 stars all the way!
This beautiful home is what us Alaskans call a true luxury gem! When i hit retirement age, this is the type of home and location i would love to wake up to everyday! My family thoroughly enjoyed our week long stay. We saw black bears in the yard 4 out of 7 days of our stay. There was a big bull moose in the little valley below the back deck then a cow moose the next day. That being said, do not take the breathtaking views for granted. I had indirectly put myself in harms way one night picking up a Starbucks frappe bottle cover and an empty bubble solution bottle that blew off the back deck. I climbed down the hill in the back. Once i got back on the deck, i looked down to see a black sow literally in the spot i was just standing not even a minute later during the time it took me to climb back up. As an Alaskan born and raised, we have a level of awareness sort of instilled into us regarding the wildlife and safety, yet i still almost faced a dangerous encounter. There is bear spray in the entry way for a reason. Take it with you when you spend time outside. A day before we saw the large bear, my kids had been playing in the back on the play set. Then 2 hours later upon our return there was a black bear cub leaving the driveway. So there may be a den nearby as we saw the mother during that evening for the first time. She popped up 3 more times after that on different days.
the view is stunning, with the windows and Hot tub taking advantage of that. The property hadnât been cared for in some of the details and in keeping up with things such as shoveling the stairway entry from snow and ice, no mattress cover on our bed and some lack of cleaning, organization and amenities in the kitchen. But it has a lot of potential and we still had a beautiful time together.
View is excellent. Could use more dishes, cups, pans, plates, cooking utensils, distowels etc. Also towels. I would have given it five stars if a little more care was given to the cleaning and upgrading the sheets, pillows, towels and furniture. Everything is cheap and it shows. However, we enjoyed our stay and the area.
Overall our experience was nice, we stayed 7 nights.. Cabin is roomy. The window with the view was beautiful! Beds were descent. Kitchen very well equipped. It was very clean. We had an ice storm that knocked our lights out and made us unable to leave; driveway is twisty and was impassable until we used the road grip on the road. Several hours later we were free. Our neighbors were extremely helpful, but unhappy with this rentalâs neglect for the trash situation. I put the van on the street and they still never picked it up, so I had to leave bags in garage. Bears after winter are very frequent here due to (as multiple locals told us) the rental lack of responsibility to take care of the problem. The hot tub was not usable although we tried, but it hadnât been tended to in a long while. We were compensated a little for this, but this was my wifeâs 50th and hot tub was mandatory. My message to the owner, you have a wonderful cabin. You need to be a âgreatâ deal more responsible with the bear situations. Alaska is beautiful do better! Plus, CLEAN that trash can! It has bear spray all over which I found the hard way!
The location of this house was amazing! Last house on the street, so it was very quiet and peaceful. The views were so beautiful it truly picture perfect! The house was spacious and had ample accommodations for making meals (dishes, utensils, pots & pans). It was just two of us staying so the lack of dining table did not bother us. The TV âs were smart, so it was easy to log into our own accounts. The king bed was a little firmer than what we like, but thatâs just personal preference. The view was the true star of this property!!! Highly recommend!
Our stay was great. We stayed in early November and dealt with some snow while there. Make sure you have studded tires or chains as the road up to the cabin is very steep and difficult to drive up in the snow. However, once at the cabin you are isolated from the neighbors and have a gorgeous view of the mountains from the deck and hot tub. It had everything we needed kitchen wise. One big disappointment was the wood stove. Itâs featured in the photos and assumed you can use it⊠immediately inside the front door is a board of notes and one of them states itâs only for show, not use. Kind of silly when there was a stack of firewood right next to it. Thatâs really the only detractor from our stay. Otherwise it was a great spot to be alone and enjoy the view and time alone.
Overall we enjoyed our stay at the cabin. Great location, excellent scenery, close to town and plenty of hiking nearby. The house had plenty of room for the family to spread out and relax. The kids enjoyed the arcade games, deck, and play area.
The kitchen was a little light on basic cookware and utensils, but not too big of a deal. One odd thing was no dining table, but there is a bar at the counter with three stools.
So many positives regarding this home:
-Location in Eagle River is quiet with great views of mountains
-25-30mins from Anchorage and we drove to Palmer, Whittier, and other locations
-Clean home and worked for our group of 7: 4 adults with 3 kids
-Relaxing area, saw wildlife
Not 5 stars for these reasons:
We stayed 10days, so in an extended stay, these things were not ideal:
-Only provided 6-8 plates, cups and bowls, so we had to wash dishes with every meal--couldn't use dishwasher. Also minimal towels (1 per person) and no kitchen towels.
-Dryer barely works--have to dry clothes multiple times, even small loads.
-Not great pillows
-Fans were very dirty so couldn't use those to circulate air
-Can't use the fireplace--it's only for "decoration"
-Would recommend the owners rearrange the sitting/dining space to incorporate more sitting area or TV trays for eating. Our group had to sit on floor for watching a show together or eating.
If these simple changes were made, would definitely recommend for short or longer stays.