Lustrous Lakefront Cabin Oasis near Lake Ferndale in West Virginia

The property is charming and in character for the area, with a welcoming feeling. The lake absolutely thrives with wildlife; within minutes of stepping out of our car, we even spotted a bald eagle! I fell asleep the very moment my head hit the (very comfortable) pillow, and I had the most restful and refreshing sleep I have had for years.

Long story short, I did have a few issues. The wifi works very well, thankfully, but not every cell phone has wifi calling or messaging capability. I was surprised and dismayed to learn that my 2 year old phone is not. That wouldn't have been an issue, but the landline mentioned in the listing did not work. Fortunately, my kids' older cell phones were able to use wifi calling and I could send messages via Facebook messenger. This wasn't helpful for me when I had a problem with the oven not working. My teenager texted with the management company since I could not, and it took a full hour for them to offer the suggestion that I check the breaker, which is exactly what the problem was. I had already cut a frozen pizza into quarters and cooked it in the toaster oven by then to feed my kids. Maybe it was not particularly clever of me to not consider the breaker myself, but I also shouldn't have had to wait so long for the answer. Another few gripes I had were related to the cost of the stay; for what I paid for a single night, I think it was overpriced. There's a fire pit outside and a wood stove inside, but they didn't stock firewood. That is stated in the house manual, so I was aware of that, but at the last minute, my husband wasn't able to go with us and I didn't have time to get firewood. For the price point, it doesn't seem outrageous for them to keep some on hand. I had inquired about early check in and they replied with a "limited time offer" to get two hours early check in for an additional $49. Since I was already paying $400 for a single night, that was exorbitant in my opinion. All told, I would stay again, but not for a single penny more than what I paid in any season (it was the end of February, so I can't imagine what they might try to charge in the warmer seasons). The house is also not large enough to accommodate more than one family, so bear that in mind.