Asheville NC Cabins, Questions. Article #1-Locations?
It is definitely the intent of www.carolinamountainrental.com to give the best answers to tourist during the reservation process, so that all the guests are happy when they arrive at the accommodation. With a 99% guest approval rating we feel qualified to list the dos and don'ts of renting a vacation cabin, cottage, or chalet in Asheville. This, 'Ask Asheville NC Cabins' blog series is meant to help expose the myths and the gotchas of mountain vacations!
Locations In The City I started investigating "location statements" of cabins advertised on the Internet after a potential guest called up to say, "Well, I saw a ---cabin that was in the city and it was ---dollars". The outcome of the inquiry resulted in a gotcha. The reality is that it is impossible for a short-term vacation rental to exist inside Asheville city limits. So, anyone claiming on the Internet to be inside downtown Asheville or even 5 minutes from it would send up a red flag for me. There are a few commercial property types that do not fall under cabin rules. They are bed and breakfast, hotels, motels, and campground accommodation types that can be located in or within very close proximity of the city. The no cabins allowed inside city limits law is not a new phenomenon. For at least the past 10 years it has been illegal to use a home or cabin in city limits as a vacation short-term rental. What does this mean for an unsuspecting tourist puts a deposit down in August for his family of eight, to see the leaves change in October? It simply means that if the owner is caught and shut down, the key the tourist has won’t fit the lock when the family drives up to unpack their suitcases. That would be more than embarrassing; it would be a tragedy!
What About The Big Vacation Rental Sites?
Free newspaper ads for short-term vacation rentals should be questioned, just like everything else in free papers. If you think the cabins on big tourist Internet sites are all legitimate because of the site, Gotcha! I have called and researched at least five large real estate owned site that list, ‘by owner vacation rental cabins’ and posed the question. One legal department was very courteous but said, legalities like codes, insurance, laws it is not their responsibility. The owner pays a fee to list, that’s all. It is up to the owners to make sure that their cabins follow the laws of the state and city that they are located in and equally the renter’s duty to look it up if they are concerned. (Caveat Emptor). Independent sites that are owner operated like www.carolinamountainrental.com are the safest to rent from. Everything is honest and up front. The owner is in plain site and easy to access. There is no one to pass the buck to.
My Super Simple Map For Asheville
Asheville highways are easy to figure out once you know the secret. Imagine the area is a soup bowl; Asheville sits at the bottom of the bowl. Hwy 240 forms a circle around the top ridge of the bowl where the mountains are. It takes at least 30 minute to get to all the little towns at the top of the soup bowl where you find most of the short-term vacation rental cabins. The town of Black Mountain is unique in the fact that, I-40 east (not west), actually cuts a diagonal chunk off the side of the bowl from east to south where the Biltmore Estate is. That is why www.carolinamountainrental.com can honestly say that it truly only takes 15 minutes to get from the cabins in Black Mountain to downtown Asheville. This brings us to finding the Biltmore Estate location. Notice, earlier I said the diagonal line cuts from east to south where the Biltmore Mansion is located. If you look on the google map you will see the Biltmore Estate appearing to be in downtown Asheville. The map represents south of Asheville as, 'downtown Asheville'. So what that means is all the cabins that are listed on the google map or location directory, as downtown Asheville are really not. This could be another gotcha! For some south locations it can take longer to get to downtown Asheville than from other directions because of heavy traffic and the actual driving distance. For example the Asheville Airport is a building located south of Asheville. It is not as far south as the town of Hendersonville but definitely south. So buyers beware! Ask for the location of the cabin before you book then look for it on a regular map. Remember the soup bowl. An inch on a map can take a long time to drive if it is a curvy mountain road. As a person that is affected by motion sickness like some children, this point of interest is important. It could compromise having a good time.
Another embellished interpretation of location is easy to spot by looking for key words. I noticed on one Internet site a claim that mountain cabins were 15 min from downtown Asheville and simultaneously located at the entrance of the Pisgah National Forest. This is what is called an oxymoron. It turned out that the cabins were at the far west side of the town of Candler almost to Canton. So these cabins called themselves Asheville Cabins but they were located two towns west of Asheville. It looks to be at least a 40-minute drive off the west side of I-40. I hate to say it but the advertised 15 minutes could even be more than 40 minutes. After a half an hour of trying to locate the cabin, I decided that the cabin company did not want me to really know where it was until I was on my way to the front door. I deciphered this from a vague map and a few morsels of words about location that were offered as well as the words, ‘leave a message for help’. Always look for websites like www.carolinamountainrental.com where there is a clear map posted on the website with video pictures of the cabins and their surroundings. When you call the number, a real person answers to give you directions and a full description of what the visitor is booking. I think it would be fair to use the word Asheville if you were only 15 or 20 minutes away but 40 minutes is a stretch of one's imagination. Remember, I mentioned earlier that the west side of I-40 was very different than the east side. Candler and Canton are on the west side of Asheville off of I-40, which can also be the way to Waynesville. The other location aspect that was questionable was "near Canton" where the paper mill is. What would the area smell like? There was one more loose word in the name Asheville Mountain Cabins. It was the word "cabin". The accommodations were trailers for two with wood siding on wheels. They looked cozy and they were cabins. There is a difference, however in the word log cabin and cabin. Always ask for a definition of a type of cabin when booking.
What Area Maps Are Accurate In The Mountains?
I have found that GPS and auto navi-systems work well until the visitor gets off the main highways. Then specific directions provided by the cabin owner to actually get to the front door of the accommodation will be needed. Mountain roads do not have overhead light posts so traveling in the dark without directions can be challenging.
Specific Locations Determine The Type Of Vacation www.carolinamountainrental.com offers two types of cabin locations. One is a cabin with open rolling hills. This is a rural log cabin for the stay that is specifically for time at the cabin to sleep, sun, rock on the porch, enjoy the view and watch pet buffalo graze. It is set in a rolling hills farm type location.
The second kind of cabin is close to things to do, priced by the location, not by the person. This means kids and grandma always stay free. These cabins have grills, hot tubs. Bonfires, etc. They are located for the guests to have breakfast, then choose from things like hike, white water raft, visit the Cherokee reservation, ride on a 'who done it mystery train', climb Chimney Rock, go to a free music festival at Lake Tomahawke, swim or boat at the beach in Lake Lure, go to the Biltmore Estate. Then, it is back to the cabin, light the grill, hot tub, visit with family, snuggle into cozy blanket and sleep sound. The next morning the guests get up to does it again, only with different activities, the next day. Yes there are more fun activities in this area than one can imagine.
Coming soon!
Asheville NC Cabins, Questions. Article #2
