Postcard Cabins Shenandoah North, Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy — Hotel in New Market

This was our first tiny cabin experience. Overall, it was a success and we loved it. The cabins were clean and organized - easy to find everything we needed. The bed was actually super comfy and didn’t hurt my back, like I anticipated. The shower was small but not unmanageable. They even left a great note for my husbands birthday and treats for our pup! The biggest issue we had was with a service request we made. On the first night we got there, the cord to adjust the blinds on the huge window decided to disconnect when I tried to close it for sleeping. There was no way to adjust the shade without it. My husband had to manually move the shade down to cover the window, which was a slow process. The next morning, he texted the service number and asked someone to come by (you know…because we couldn’t open the shade and the window is the main feature of the house…) Anywho…the person responded and said someone would be there between 9 and 10, it was currently between 8 and 8:30. We had breakfast and waited. Around 11:15, we decided to go out for the day. We texted the service number to let them know we were leaving and to feel free to come into the cabin to fix the shade. The person responded and said they were on their way over now - this was almost 11:30. We went to Lake Laura and got some lunch. By the time we got back, between 12:30 and 1, it was evident no one had come by and the shade was not fixed. I’m not annoyed at the fact that something went awry, I’m annoyed that the service call was essentially ignored. We texted and told them to forget coming by and we basically rolled the shade up over itself so we could use at least part of the window. Whomever was monitoring the texts stated they would follow up with their team but we never heard back from them. We did hear from them pretty quickly when they charged us for items we used while staying in the cabin, so that’s something. Staff was clearly on site because we watched a pickup truck drive around replacing/checking the firewood stores. Whatever the case, we loved the area and most everything about the cabin was amazing. Would recommend going here, just hope for no...

We stayed a weekend at Postcard Cabins and were left intrigued to visit other locations in the future. The cabin itself is nice and is generally well maintained. You're paying for the giant window, and it doesn't disappoint. Having a bathroom in the trailer is a plus, as was the Wifi and induction cooktop. The bluetooth speaker was also a welcomed inclusion.

The bed was fine. Not the best bed, but far from the worst. The included fire making tools were inadequate, but a trip to the community store fixed our issues. I highly recommend bringing a firestarter log with you. There is also no freezer, so ice is out of the question. The knives in our cabin were as dull as the plastic scissors you used as a kid. If you want to do any of your own cooking, either bring a knife sharpener or your own kit.

They ask you to take off your shoes when inside your cabin, which I assume is to keep mud off the floor, however the floor is also incredibly dirty - so your feet quickly turn black from the accumulated dirt. They also don't really communicate the normal "hotel stuff" with you. They don't take out your trash, they don't make your bed or clean your cabin until after you're stay is over. They also don't confirm after you checkout. You just set the code in the door and drive away. The two times we chatted with customer service over text message they were friendly and remedied the issues right away by sending a person to our cabin.

The town of Basye is very small - just a general store and a restaurant. We didn't get a chance to try the hiking trail directly next to the cabins, but we were able to walk around Lake Laura which was lovely. We also visited a local winery and Mexican restaurant near Mount Jackson which were both nice.

Overall, these cabins are what you make of them. If you're looking for shared amenities, you won't find much. But if you're looking to spend a quiet weekend in the woods with family or friends, it should be a pretty pleasant experience. I wouldn't recommend staying in these for more than a weekend at a time, as there isn't a ton to do...

I had a wonderful solo 3-night stay here! Beautiful, quiet, easy to get to, and less than 2 hours from DC. And no steep hills for my tiny car to climb. I went during the week in October and it was very affordable for glamping! The accommodations were immaculate, luxurious (beautiful shower, comfy bed), and had wonderful amenities. Every cabin has the same bed setup of a Queen next to a huge picture window. My favorite part!

Before I went, I had a number of questions that were not answered on Airbnb. I should have gone to the actual Gateway website, which I later found had all the info I needed: Such as what is at the cabin and what to pack. Highly recommend doing that because I overpacked on some things and underpacked on others. I recommend bringing a small, folding camping table to help while cooking near the campfire. There's a big picnic table but I still needed a prep-type table.

It's not clear on Airbnb, but some items listed as amenities have a small fee if you use them. I took advantage of the convenience of having wood already there for $9/bundle, plus a fire starter for a few dollars. Water, s'mores kits, and hot chocolate were in the cabin with a small fee: I used what I wanted and they charge you post-stay. I was happy w/ all that for convenience's sake.

The free wifi was excellent!! It was very fast and I streamed music to the provided bluetooth speaker. The speaker was a nice amenity I didn't know about and sounded great.

The only reason I gave service only 4 stars is because I texted both numbers I was given for help the 1st day and no one replied. I then sent a message through Airbnb and got an immediate reply. For whatever reason, they didn't get my texts. Luckily, it wasn't super important.

Note that dogs are allowed and they are not capped at 1 dog per cabin. It's a very quiet environment so if 2 dogs are barking nearby, it detracts from your peace. Just the luck of the draw if you have neighbors who bring dogs that bark a lot. That said, it's totally worth going no matter what.

I can't wait to...