BESIDE Habitat

The quiet setting and roomy chalets keep bringing us back. This was our second stay at BESIDE, and we really like how much space there is and how well equipped the kitchen is. The little extras make it especially comfortable: big fleece blankets, a manduka yoga mat, washer and dryer, lovely smelling handwash and lotion, a good espresso machine, and free coffee. There was also a Christmas tree, presumably just for the holiday season. We had a couple of issues during this visit, but customer service got back to us quickly with answers and fixes. On our first stay, we forgot a few things, and the staff arranged for us to collect them on a later day over the holidays. We appreciated that. We love coming here and will probably be back soon. Thanks for everything!

The main draw for us was the calm, well-planned setting. At night it was completely quiet apart from the fridge humming. The cottages are stylish and practical, and the self-serve check-in is easy: enter your door code and you're in. Every cottage I saw had an EV charger, and dogs are welcome, with bowls and poop bags provided. There's WiFi, which I measured at 260 Mbps. We only played music on it, so I can't say how it does with movies. There's no TV. There are pleasant forest trails with manageable slopes and elevation, and a walk down the "main" road leads to a pretty lake with viewpoints. Some people find the area too quiet, especially in winter, since there isn't much to do nearby. That wasn't an issue for us, and it's easy to check the map before booking so the location shouldn't come as a surprise. A couple of things could be better. Our cottage number was hard to find, so we drove past a few places before locating ours. The next day we spotted the sign nailed to a fallen tree, flat on the ground and buried in snow. The outdoor seating and firepit area hadn't been ploughed, which meant we couldn't use it in winter. A fire on a snowy evening would have been nice. And unless we missed it, there was no microwave, which seemed odd in a place otherwise so well equipped.

I've been coming here for a few years, and staying has turned into a bit of a ritual. The cottages are gorgeous, have what you need, and make it easy to feel close to nature. The team always gives great service. I'll be coming back even more often.

For two years running, we've had lovely stays in the cabins at Beside Habitat. They're clean and well kept, though one cabin was an exception, and we heard they plan to refresh it soon. The customer service is great as well. When we ran into a problem, the team responded quickly and sorted it out. You don't get this kind of help from Airbnb or anywhere else!