Nestled between Lake James and Black Mountain in the Blue Ridge Mountains, this vacation rental named ‘Casa del Lago’ invites you and your loved ones to sprawl out and unwind. This 4-bedroom, 2.5-bath lake house delivers a picturesque backdrop while you grill out on the deck, cozy up by the fire pit, or take the kayaks to the water. Explore the nearby wineries, discover the Linville Caverns, and hit Appalachian Ski Mountain. Return to a full kitchen, 3 Smart TVs, a fireplace, and more!
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: Marion Lake Club (3 miles), Lake James State Park (6 miles), Lake James Marina (6 miles), Catawba River Outdoors - river tubing (8 miles), Silver Creek Golf Club (12 miles), Wolf Pit Trailhead (15 miles)
NATURE ATTRACTIONS: Gem Mountain Gemstone Mine (21 miles), Linville Caverns, Inc (25 miles), Emerald Village (25 miles), Linville Gorge (33 miles), Wiseman's View Scenic Overlook (33 miles)
WINE + BREWS: Mica Town Brewing Nebo Location (2 miles), Keeper's Cut Meadery (6 miles), South Creek Winery (6 miles), Fonta Flora Brewery - Whippoorwill Farm (7 miles), Silver Fork Winery (11 miles), Perry's Berry's Vineyard & Winery (13 miles)
DAY TRIPS: Grandfather Mountain State Park (42 miles), Chimney Rock State Park (44 miles), Mile High Swinging Bridge (44 miles), Sugar Mountain Resort, Inc. (46 miles), Downtown Asheville (46 miles), Appalachian Ski Mountain (56 miles)
AIRPORTS: Asheville Regional Airport (58 miles), Charlotte Douglas International Airport (86 miles)
Overall, we greatly enjoyed our stay. The customer service contact was very accommodating and cordial, even when I asked a very obvious question late at night.
With regard to the house, it was very clean and everything was in good shape. However, the quality of the furniture left a lot to be desired. We expected more from the furniture all around for a $400+/night rental - all the furniture felt like Walmart quality, including the upstairs, downstairs, and deck furniture. The master bed felt very rickety and the mattress felt cheap. The deck furniture was also very dirty and grungy, so we did not get to enjoy the deck as we had hoped.
Additionally, we thought the steepness of the driveway was downplayed in the listing. The driveway was so steep that my girlfriend was too afraid to drive down it in our all-wheel-drive vehicle with brand new tires. For reference, the top of the driveway is above the roof on the three-story house. We never traversed the driveway while it was raining or wet, but this would be very difficult as our tires were skidding on the driveway when it was dry. The listing also does not indicate that the entire house is not accessible by renters, which concerned us our first night. It was not until the morning after our first night that we found out it was an unfinished basement.
The trash facility for the neighborhood is also not open on Sundays. This meant that we had to drive hours with trash in our vehicle after our weekend getaway. Thankfully we didn't have anything smelly, but this was another minor inconvenience.
Last but not least, the house was for sale at the time of our stay. We were not told this when we booked, so it was a bit of a surprise when we saw the for sale sign in front of it. Thankfully, our guest services contact assured us that there were no showings scheduled during our stay.
As previously mentioned, we still greatly enjoyed our stay. The house is in an incredible neighborhood and geographic location - within one hour of an endless amount of breweries, restaurants, and local coffee shops. The Lake James area is gorgeous and we will certainly be back in the future.