(Not sponsored)
If you haven't heard of the Getaway cabins, they're tiny houses outside of major cities across the county made to help people unplug for a while and connect with nature. They're small swiss style (minimal) cabins, with only the essentials. Outfitted with large picture windows including amazing views and the perfect place to get that insta shot. They're marketed as being super secluded and in thick forests. It's the ultimate place to enjoy your surroundings.
If you haven't heard of the Getaway cabins, they're tiny houses outside of major cities across the county made to help people unplug for a while and connect with nature. They're small swiss style (minimal) cabins, with only the essentials. Outfitted with large picture windows including amazing views and the perfect place to get that insta shot. They're marketed as being super secluded and in thick forests. It's the ultimate place to enjoy your surroundings.
When I first saw ads for Getaway Cabins I was completely enthralled. They're the perfect aesthetic of clean, minimal design inside and amazing nature outside. I was looking forward to enjoying time in a private part of the woods and some beautiful scenery through the giant window. When I got there I didn't have that exact experience.
When we got there (I went with my husband, Mason) and stepped inside our tiny cabin, it was actually hotter inside than outside (on a sunny June day in Georgia). They leave a smores kit for you when you get there (so nice) and the chocolate in it was completely melted. After a little investigation, we found that our air conditioning was broken. (I feel like this was an anomaly and it doesn't happen all the time, but I wanted to include it in my review). We texted the number given to us (great service) and they responded right away, sending a staff member to check out the situation. It took an hour for someone to get there, but again, I don't think you'll have this experience when you go, so don't count it against them. Their staff was so nice and found a quick solution to the problem, getting the A/C running again.
It did take a bit for our cabin to cool down but we were able to hang out around the fire pit just outside our cabin until then. It was a lot of fun making a fire and cooking dinner outside. They have firewood for purchase if you have trouble finding it yourself, or want to get things going quickly.
The biggest difference from the expectation we had built after seeing the ads/social media is that we weren't in secluded woods at all. They tell you, if you read up on the cabins, that you might see other people during your stay, but we were able to see 2 other cabins from ours and people sitting at their firepits (not out of the picture window, just from outside our cabin). We weren't even really in the woods, the land the cabins are on has been mostly cleared. Our picture window had a view of a bunch of trees masking a fairly busy road (at least busy for how far in the mountains we were). We could hear cars and loud trucks going by as we roasted marshmallows and could hear the occasional conversation from neighbors (although they were very respectful and as quiet as they could reasonably be). Most of the cabins I saw were that close together, but I think we just got one of the lesser desired cabin because of the placement by the road and lack of view.
I don't think any of these things are so terrible for a campsite, in fact, we really enjoyed our stay. Waking up to the natural light coming through the large window was magical but it's definitely not the private enchanted forest getaway the ads lead you to believe (at least the Atlanta site isn't). I think I would have enjoyed my stay more if I had a better idea of what the cabin space was actually like.
3 Tips for a better stay:
1. Go in the Fall: you won't have to worry about your cabin being too hot, and the mountains in the fall are beautiful.
2. Request cabin Casper or Doreen (in the Atlanta site): From what I could tell these are the two that have mountain views from the picture window. (Casper is for 2 people)
3. Bring a book or cards to play during your stay. It's great that there isn't a tv or wifi, but make sure you are prepared to entertain yourself in other ways.
10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Booking:
1. They're not secluded.
2. They're not even in an actual forest.
3. They give you free smores!
4. The air conditioning struggles to keep the cabins cool. (it's a dark metal box that sits in the sun all day)
5. If you don't want to pack groceries they have everything for you there (for purchase)
6. The texting service to get help with something is amazing.
7. No mirrors, wifi, or coffee maker
8. There's a door on the bathroom (I kept searching online for the answer to this and couldn't find it anywhere)
9. There's shampoo, conditioner, and body wash available in the shower (smells amazing)
10. There's a large picture window in all of the cabins.