This was our first time staying in Anita’s Cozy Mountain Cabins. While the views were absolutely breathtaking, we immediately noticed several issues with the cabin that dampened our experience.
On our first night, we were in the hot tub when a bear walked up to the porch, which was both fascinating and a little nerve-wracking. We actually saw a bear almost every morning during our stay, and seeing the local wildlife was one of the highlights of our trip.
However, the cabin itself had many problems. When we arrived with groceries, we discovered that the pantry was dirty and filled with loose rocks falling from the fireplace. We soon realized that this was where bats were entering the cabin, as we found them flying around the living room at night. This made it difficult to sleep, as we had to check the rooms every evening to ensure no bats were inside. Unfortunately, Anita seemed unconcerned when we mentioned these issues.
The “Dancing Bear Cabin” also had numerous maintenance problems. Instead of repairing broken items, the owner left typed notes explaining how to use them despite the damage—for example, instructions for flushing a toilet with a broken handle or locking a door with a faulty knob. The water pressure was extremely poor, making it impossible for two people to shower at the same time. Also, the lighting in the bathrooms were terrible because the lighting fixtures are installed upside down.
The beds were uncomfortably hard, and I had to purchase a mattress topper just to sleep, which Anita seemed to take issue with. The washing machine smelled like mold, and the dryer made loud clanking noises that made it impossible to run overnight. The pool table had holes in the pockets, causing balls to fall onto the floor. Overall, it felt like we were paying a premium price for a property where very little is reinvested in maintenance.
The outdoor areas were also neglected. The windows were dirty, cobwebs covered the porch, and the patio furniture was so filthy that it left stains on our clothes.
My husband always carries a large, unopened bag of dog food in our truck for feeding strays. On our way home, we had far more items to pack than we did when arriving, and we couldn’t even close the truck bed cover with the dog food inside. Since the outdoor garbage bins were already full, we decided to empty the dog food at the end of the driveway, away from the house.
We had no intention of attracting bears. We assumed that some wildlife might eat it, but it was simply a practical decision to free up space—not to lure animals onto the property.
Later, I received a rude text message from Anita, and she even posted insulting comments about me on her Facebook, calling me “stupid” or "you can't fix stupid" over the dog food incident. This behavior was extremely unprofessional and left us with a very negative impression of the host. I had already left a decent review on of the cabin on VRBO because it is beautiful in spite of the flaws but dealing with the owner is a nightmare. Apparently others have had a similar experience with her.
In short, the scenery is beautiful, but the cabin is poorly maintained, and the host’s attitude is unwelcoming. For the price, we expected a far better experience.
8/22/25 (to your response)
I enjoyed our vacation so much that I didn’t want to nitpick anything about your cabin. However, after you publicly criticized me on social media over the dog food incident—which I apologized for and even paid you an extra hundred dollars to resolve.
You’re also lying about the supposed urination issue because you have nothing else negative to say about me besides the dog food. We didn’t host a frat party; this was a family vacation. Nobody urinated on beds.
You told me that the previous guests had encountered a raccoon eating their food on the kitchen counter, which had entered through the back of the fireplace where rocks were falling off due to the house settling. That's were the bats entered.
I would never rent from you again. I don’t deal with people who are mean, dishonest,...
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