Relax & recharge at Hope's Haven, our cozy mountain retreat surrounded by 5 acres of woods. Breathe the fresh mountain air and enjoy our fast wi-fi with Roku, fire pit, & hot tub. Connect with friends and loved ones, put your feet up on the screened-in porch, or unplug and commune with nature. Try our board games, use our art supplies, and have fun with two scavenger hunts, including one on our new nature trail! Our guests love the coziness and amenities of our cabin, and we love sharing it. Hope's Haven has everything you need for a relaxing stay in the mountains. Have your morning coffee, espresso, or tea on one of our two porches. Enjoy the adventures of the day, then come home to a full kitchen with all the equipment you need to cook a delicious meal. Dine inside at the kitchen island or casually outside on the porch. Play board games, make art, enjoy the hot tub, or make s'mores at the fire pit. When you're thoroughly exhausted, bed down in one of the three bedrooms. The Loft is open to the staircase and has a king bed, dresser, closet and vanity. This bedroom is air conditioned. The Wren's Nest has a queen bed and The Mountain Laurel has a full bed. Our cabin is also a super-cozy place to work remotely. We have wifi, comfy swivel chairs, an adjustable laptop tray to use as a standing desk, and high-quality coffee and tea to keep up your energy. Pets are welcome. We are working on accessibility features as described below. Note: Our home is not yet set up for infants and toddlers, but older children are welcome. At Hope's Haven we're stocked with: *Board games, books and brochures *Art supplies *Yoga mat, resistance bands, hand weights and fitness dice *A full-sized washer and dryer *Nespresso Vertuo coffee machine, water boiler, toaster, and InstaPot *Nespresso Vertuo coffee & espresso, tea, salt & pepper, spices, sugar, and a few simple snacks *Charcoal grill (BYO charcoal) *Firewood for our fire pit *Pots, pans, dishes, glasses (including wine and champagne!), mugs, kitchen utensils and bakeware *Food and water bowls and a tie-out for your canine companion *A hammock chair and patio swing *Binder with details of fun things to do in the area *Directions to our community's private river access and private walking trail *New: Two scavenger hunts with easy and hard-to-find hidden treasures, and a short nature trail! Our cabin is not fully ADA-accessible, but we do have solid-surface access to a porch (3 steps up), as well as single floor access to bedrooms, bathroom, and kitchen. The bathroom is very large and has room for someone to help with transfers, but does not yet have grab bars. Nature trail: We've created a short nature trail for you to explore on the property. The scavenger hunt makes it even more fun. However, this is not a level-surface trail! Make sure you're fully prepared with sturdy shoes with good traction or hiking boots. You will have access to the entire cabin, the hot tub and 5 acres of woods. After booking and once we receive your email address we will send you our rental agreement. It will be emailed directly to you from our direct booking site. Once agreed upon and submitted back, you will receive your arrival instructions prior to your stay, which will include directions and access to the cabin. We will interact by phone and messaging, and our local co-hosts are available should an emergency arise. We ask that guests read our House Manual below carefully before booking or sending a booking request. House Manual: This is our home, and we're happy to share it with you! We ask that you treat our cabin with the same respect that you do your own. Feel free to help yourself to the food and drink, and make use of the books, games, and art supplies! Check in time is at 4pm and checkout is at 11. Late departures will be charged an additional fee unless arranged with us ahead of time. Only guests who are on the original booking are allowed to stay overnight. Please respect the quiet and calm of the neighborhood—our neighbors are happy to let us know when guests are too loud! No open flames or candles are allowed on the property except in grill and fire pit. We have many rechargeable candles for your use. This is a non-smoking/non-vaping home. If you do smoke, we ask that you do so outside away from the house and that you properly put out and dispose of the cigarette outside. Our cabin is in the woods—please be careful! Please don't leave cigarette butts on the property. Our hot tub is disinfected with chlorine, and we check and adjust levels of chemicals between guest stays. If we are unable to balance the chemicals after a guest stay, the hot tub will be closed for at least 12 hours so we can correct the chemical balance for your safety. Only three things belong in the hot tub: Water, people, and sanitizing chemicals. Under no circumstances should soap, bath bombs, shampoo, or other products be used in the hot tub (we learned this the hard way!). Guests must follow CDC safety guidelines for hot tub use; these can be found online and in our printed house binder. • Do not enter the hot tub if you have diarrhea or have been vomiting within the past 24 hours. • Don’t swallow hot tub water or even get it into your mouth. • Shower or bathe with soap before entering the hot tub. • Don’t let children less than 5 years of age use hot tubs. • Don’t drink alcohol before entering the hot tub or during hot tub use. • Pregnant people and people with chronic medical conditions will consult a physician before hot tub use. Please contact us if something breaks or stops working, or if you can't find something you need. We should have everything you need! Please lock doors every time you leave to ensure the safety and security of your valuables. To lock the electronic lock, just push the button that looks like a lock. Please enjoy your meals and drinks in the kitchen or living room or on one of our covered porches, but not in the bedrooms or hot tub. We are so happy to have pets at our home, but sometimes they do cause problems. Please do make sure your pets are leashed when outside the house. It's not just ticks you want to worry about, but also bears, bobcats, coyotes, other dogs, snakes, spiders, and wild mushrooms that might look appetizing (see The Sickener in our scavenger hunt!). Also, please make sure their flea and tick protection is up to date--they'll need it in the woods! And please bring their beds - the guest beds are for 2-legged guests only. Please use the provided throw blankets if your pets tend to jump on the furniture, and only dry the pooches with the provided dog towels. If a pet has an accident or damages something, please let us know immediately (another lesson learned for us). Please stick to the property boundaries, which are marked by pink ribbon around trees. Super important: Our rural trash haulers hate when trash is loose in the trash bin and will refuse to pick it up. This also invites critters; we have come home to find trash scattered across the property a few times. All trash must be bagged in a standard kitchen garbage bag, tied shut, removed from the cabin and placed in the red bin at the end of the driveway. Please be careful that the bag doesn't break and that there is no loose trash in the bin. If you read through to this point, please include the words trash panda in a message to us! Please follow the checkout instructions in the binder, including removing used sheets from the beds and leaving them on the floor, and note that our checkout time is 11am. These will also be sent to you on the day of checkout. Relax, exhale, and most importantly, enjoy your stay. Enjoy exploring the 5 acres of property that go from just behind the house & barn down to Rock Ford Road and Calypso Trail (marked by fancy pink tree ribbons). Try one of our two scavenger hunts: See if you can find the fairy garden, the dinosaurs, the lost hula girl, and the glass farm, or use the printout at the cabin to spot plants and animals on our nature trail. Great for kids (but wear sturdy shoes or boots!). For longer trails, you can hike at the nearby Eidolon Nature Preserve (about 10 min., but keep away from the bears) or drive to Coolfont (15 min.) or Cacapon Resort State Park (20 min.) for miles of trails. For those who like hunting, or just target practice, you’ll find nearby opportunities to hunt, but be sure to hunt with appropriate licenses and follow all local and state regulations. Be mindful that neighbors can choose to hunt as well or do some target practice on their own properties, so you may hear that during your stay. Enjoy the River The Cacapon River offers a great paddling experience. The map above shows our private community access to the river, just south of the dam—renters are welcome to use this private drive. You can also contact an outfitter to rent kayaks or tubes. Pamphlets in the cabin show the extent of the Cacapon River Water Trail, from Capon Springs all the way to Great Cacapon. One of our favorite things is to use the public river access at Great Cacapon to walk under the green bridge and hike north a few minutes to see the junction of the Cacapon and the Potomac, then drive north to Hancock, rent bikes at C&O Bicycle, and ride down the C&O Canal. This roughly follows the Potomac, and if you get out at the Cacapon Junction campsite, you can look across and see where we were standing an hour or so ago! Canoe/Kayak/Tube rental --Cacapon River Outfitters - 20m south --Three Otters Eco Retreat - 42m south Ride If you’re a hardcore gravel or mountain bike enthusiast, you’ll enjoy the miles of hills in the neighborhood. You can also try out the mountain biking trails at Cacapon Resort State Park, but don’t bring your road bike unless you’re planning to go to the Western Maryland Rail Trail, accessible just about 20 minutes north in Hancock. Hancock also offers the C&O Canal trail for those who prefer gravel and history. Best of all, if you don’t have a bike, you can rent one at the very well-appointed C&O Bicycle shop. Explore There’s a lot to do in lovely & historic Berkeley Springs (AKA, The Town of Bath) ! Visit the Old Roman Bathhouse to soak in the mineral springs, or get a massage or other spa treatments in the Main Bathhouse of the park. Bring your water jug to fill up on the famous mineral water! The springs that run through the park are a popular place to sit and imagine people taking the waters throughout history. You can learn more about the town from the Museum of Berkeley Springs just above the bathhouse. The town has a movie theater and plenty of shops as well as many private spas. Don’t miss Inspired Chaos for great gifts and unique clothes, or the Berkeley Springs Antique Mall for a wide selection of memorabilia. There are regular events in the park and a farmer’s market on Sundays in the summer. Hancock In nearby Hancock (a few minutes north of Berkeley Springs), walk or ride on the Western Maryland Rail Trail (paved) or the C&O Canal trail (gravel). You can rent bikes in town at C&O Bicycle. There are a few small shops here as well, but few choices for food outside of Jimmy Joy's Log Cabin Inn (great for Maryland crabs!) and Buddylou’s Eats, Drinks & Antiques. You will need a car to get around. If snow or ice are predicted, 4WD vehicles will be needed for the gravel road and driveway. This is our home, and we're happy to share it with you! We ask that you treat our cabin with the same respect that you do your own. Feel free to help yourself to the food and drink, and make use of the books, games, and art supplies! Check in time is at 4pm and checkout is at 11. Late departures will be charged an additional fee unless arranged with us ahead of time. Only guests who are on the original booking are allowed to stay overnight. Please respect the quiet and calm of the neighborhood—our neighbors are happy to let us know when guests are too loud! No open flames or candles are allowed on the property except in grill and fire pit. We have many rechargeable candles for your use. This is a non-smoking/non-vaping home. If you do smoke, we ask that you do so outside away from the house and that you properly put out and dispose of the cigarette outside. Our cabin is in the woods—please be careful! Please don't leave cigarette butts on the property. Our hot tub is disinfected with chlorine, and we check and adjust levels of chemicals between guest stays. If we are unable to balance the chemicals after a guest stay, the hot tub will be closed for at least 12 hours so we can correct the chemical balance for your safety. Only three things belong in the hot tub: Water, people, and sanitizing chemicals. Under no circumstances should soap, bath bombs, shampoo, or other products be used in the hot tub (we learned this the hard way!). Guests must follow CDC safety guidelines for hot tub use; these can be found online and in our printed house binder. • Do not enter the hot tub if you have diarrhea or have been vomiting within the past 24 hours. • Don’t swallow hot tub water or even get it into your mouth. • Shower or bathe with soap before entering the hot tub. • Don’t let children less than 5 years of age use hot tubs. • Don’t drink alcohol before entering the hot tub or during hot tub use. • Pregnant people and people with chronic medical conditions will consult a physician before hot tub use. Please contact us if something breaks or stops working, or if you can't find something you need. We should have everything you need! Please lock doors every time you leave to ensure the safety and security of your valuables. To lock the electronic lock, just push the button that looks like a lock. Please enjoy your meals and drinks in the kitchen or living room or on one of our covered porches, but not in the bedrooms or hot tub. We are so happy to have pets at our home, but sometimes they do cause problems. Please do make sure your pets are leashed when outside the house. It's not just ticks you want to worry about, but also bears, bobcats, coyotes, other dogs, snakes, spiders, and wild mushrooms that might look appetizing (see The Sickener in our scavenger hunt!). Also, please make sure their flea and tick protection is up to date--they'll need it in the woods! And please bring their beds - the guest beds are for 2-legged guests only. Please use the provided throw blankets if your pets tend to jump on the furniture, and only dry the pooches with the provided dog towels. If a pet has an accident or damages something, please let us know immediately (another lesson learned for us). Please stick to the property boundaries, which are marked by pink ribbon around trees. Super important: Our rural trash haulers hate when trash is loose in the trash bin and will refuse to pick it up. This also invites critters; we have come home to find trash scattered across the property a few times. All trash must be bagged in a standard kitchen garbage bag, tied shut, removed from the cabin and placed in the red bin at the end of the driveway. Please be careful that the bag doesn't break and that there is no loose trash in the bin. If you read through to this point, please include the words trash panda in a message to us! Please follow the checkout instructions in the binder, including removing used sheets from the beds and leaving them on the floor, and note that our checkout time is 11am. These will also be sent to you on the day of checkout. Relax, exhale, and most importantly, enjoy your stay.