Long Weekend Getaway to Western NC

I stayed at this place for 3 nights with two of my girlfriends, and we did the "Girls Night In" special. I was really impressed with this fabulous, tucked-away mountain resort. The cabins are very minimalist on the outside and even somewhat on the inside, with no phones or TVs. But there is a kitchen in each cabin equipped with enough utensils and equipment to make a basic meal (we made pasta, appetizers, etc.).

The towels and bed linens are very high quality, and the duvet comforters on the bed are thick and very warm. The sheets are very clean, with a crisp look and feeling---all white linens.

Our "Girls Night In" package really helped make the trip. All three of us had a gift bag of wonderful French products, along with some Aveda products, waiting for us in our rooms when we arrived. Also waiting for us upon our arrival was a bottle of Yellow Tail Cabernet, candles, and wine glasses. On our second night there, La Tisha (one of the owners) brought us a fabulous chocolate cheesecake dessert.

Everyone working there was so nice, and overall, it was a very relaxing place. It was great to get away and just read and enjoy nature.

This restaurant isn't in Bryson City, but we happened upon it when returning from our Chattooga White Water Rafting. The BBQ was really good, along with the fried okra and iced tea. It has been featured in Southern Living magazine.

We chose to go with the Nantahala Outdoor Center guiding the trip (www.noc.com). They have a post in a small area in north Georgia (only about 45 minutes from the N.C. border). The guide was really friendly, and it was his "part of the year" job to guide rafting trips.

We did section III of the river, which provided a couple of "big" dips for us, but I would have preferred a little more action with some class IVs. It was about $60 per person, and they provided all the equipment, wetsuits, and a nice picnic-style lunch that we had on a sandbar after about 30 minutes of rafting. I was there in mid-October, and it was definitely a little chilly when the sun started going down, but otherwise it was good and lots of fun.