The host was very quick to respond to any questions or concerns we had and was very friendly and helpful. We had some minor issues, which she addressed promptly. She did warn us about ensuring doors and windows remain closed to keep bugs from coming inside. Unfortunately, despite being careful to keep doors closed, some bugs made their way inside anyway. I do not blame the host though. The house is in the woods, and she had already had an exterminator come out and planned to do so again after we left.
We had two families sharing the home. The creek was pretty to look at and soothing to hear. We enjoyed having the extra long table that allowed everyone to sit together for meals and to play board games and put together puzzles. The kitchen is on the smaller side, but it helps that there is a walk-in pantry for storing food items. The main downside for our group was sharing the Jack-and-Jill bathroom with the queen bedroom and bunk room. Having separate vanities and an additional half-bathroom downstairs was a big help. The negative was that the tub and toilet area upstairs has pocket doors on both sides, and we couldn’t get either door to lock, which created a privacy issue. The homeowner did say she is planning to address this issue though when I made her aware of the situation.
We also explored some of the amenities of Big Canoe: hiking trails, parks, pools, and the marina. To our disappointment, Lake Disharoon with the rock slide and beach were closed for maintenance. The host let us know as soon as she found out about this before our trip, so thankfully we were not taken by surprise when we arrived. We also found out that the marina no longer rents canoes, but they have kayaks, pedal-kayaks, stand up paddle boards, and more available, which were a lot of fun. The amenities were well-maintained and fun to enjoy. The challenge for us was finding them. Cell phone service isn’t great, and some of the amenities are not listed in Google or Apple Maps to get driving directions. You have to drive to all of the amenities, so it would be helpful to have driving directions available in the binder and for the community to list more amenities with internet map providers. It would also be nice if Big Canoe offered an all-inclusive guest pass to purchase instead of having to pay at each amenity. Some also require reservations, like bocce ball and I think tennis.
Overall, we had a lot of fun and made some good memories!