Our cabin is 55 minutes from the gate to the Waterton Lakes National park and 25 minutes from Lethbridge. We are closer to Lethbridge but chose to list the cabin under Waterton because Waterton has beautiful scenery and we believe that the view from our cabin is just as beautiful as anything you will see in Waterton.
Our best feature is that your children can stay at no extra cost. (17 years of age and under)
Note: The website charges for children so you need to declare 0 children or the computer will ask you to pay more than you need to.
Our second best feature is that we have queen sized beds in the five regular bedrooms and another queen sized Murphy bed in the basement great room along with a day bed that has two single mattresses that can be used for two singles or it can be used as a king sized bed. The Murphy bed and the day bed in the basement great room are separated by curtains. When you book you will see a $1.00 laundry charge however if you bring your own Queen sized sheets pillow cases and towels you will save the cost of 140.00 cleaning them. Our cleaning agent charges us $20.00 for each bedroom that she gets laundry from. If you don't use her services for some of the bedrooms I will return to you the difference between the $140.00 and the number of rooms where you used our linens and towels. The VRBO computer doesn't keep track of this information so you must text or email me if you are expecting a laundry reimbursement.
We also have 7 or 8 foam pads for those who don't mind sleeping on the floor in their own sleeping bags.
The web site says that the cabin will sleep 24. That number is based on 12 adults @ 2 per bed and 12 children who will sleep on couches, on the daybed or on mats that are in the master closet. You can book more adults but we remind you that the price increases and you won't be as comfortable.
We once had a 30 amp outlet for Motorhomes but air conditioning would trip the breaker at the telephone pole so now only 15 amp outlet plugs are available outside of the cabin.
What you should bring with you?
We do supply sheets pillow cases and bath towels at an extra cost but because most would rather save the money you may want to put those items on your "to-bring" list. Some bring sleeping bags but that will be your choice.
In order to make your 'to-bring' list a little shorter we provide fresh hand towels and bath mats for each of the 3 bathrooms. We also provide dish towels and dish-cloths for the kitchen. We will launder these items after you leave at no extra cost to you.
You may use our blankets and comforters but please put pillow cases on the pillows.
Rental Rates
Check the website calendar for base rates. The base rates are based on 7 Adults so the price goes up if you have more than 7 adults. Don't forget to enter 0 children or VRBO will charge you for them. We recommend that you not bring more than 12 adults because 12 gives everyone a bed if you sleep two to a bed. That leaves the daybed for children and if more they will need to sleep on the floor. The reason we don't recommend more than 12 adults because the 12 will always be comfortable and the children who are staying for free anyway will remember the fun times they had rather than the fact that they were sleeping on the floor. If you have more adults than 12 the daybed pulls out into a king sized bed and there are 3 couches and one fold up cot downstairs. That covers 18 adults and the rest are on their own.
Please be aware that VRBO sometimes show the prices in US funds. When they do so, they use the daily exchange rate so if a price is not rounded off to the nearest dollar it is likely in US funds.
Youth Groups - youth under 18 stay at no extra cost. However, we still require the base rate minimum number of adults.
Other Charges
Two other charges you should be aware of are our cleaning charge of $200.00 plus a refundable deposit of $250.00. As of the spring of 2020 the Alberta government established a 4% tax on short term stays. VRBO also charges you something based on a percentage but the percentage varies with the number of adults so check the quote before you book.
At the end of your stay we ask that you do some exit duties. Those duties are not difficult however if you choose not to do them our agent will do them and her costs will be deducted from the damage deposit. You are not asked to do any cleaning. The duties are taking out the garbage and putting the cabin back in the order you found it. Our agent will do the cleaning after you leave .
Cancellations
If you cancel 60 days or more before arrival VRB) will reimburse you all of the funds you have sent us. If you cancel after that time contact us then we will advise how some of your funds can get returned if someone else rents your dates.
PRIVACY
We don't live in the cabin so you and those you bring with you will have the place to yourselves. There are those who know that the gate to our farm leads to the river. Some of our guests keep the lock on the gate during their stay to keep them out. Two farmers in the neighborhood have the combination. One rents the field and the other rents the grass. They may come onto the property but will not bother you. In the spring when the water is high, Kayakers sometimes finish their trip down the river at our property. It's a kilometer walk through the property to their car parked on the main road outside of our gate. They will not bother you.
Since we will not be present, we ask that one of your group enforce our rules which are:
1. No smoking in the cabin (Outside is OK)
2. No pets inside the cabin.
3. Before you leave please complete the exit duties. They do not include cleaning.
The Top Floor
Contains the master bedroom along with a 3 piece bathroom. You'll find 7 or 8 camping pads in the upper bedroom closet. You will need them if you you have more children than we have beds.
The Main Floor
There are 2 bedrooms on the main floor and there is a bathroom complete with tub and shower. On this floor there is also a great room with a fully loaded kitchen as well as a dining area. Outside of the front door on this level is a deck that wraps around the front of the cabin and ends at the back door.
The Basement
Our walkout basement has two regular bedrooms and the 3rd bathroom which is equipped with a tub and shower. The basement has a great-room that can be divided into 3 parts by curtains. The first part includes a hallway and the children's play area. The second part contains a wall bed and the deep freeze. The third part contains a couch and a daybed with 2 mattresses that together can create a king sized bed. The basement door takes you to the lower patio and deck. Make sure that your children keep this door closed. The cabin is mouse free but it won't stay that way if you leave an outside door open. On windy days we like to sit on the lower deck because it has protection from the wind.
Bed Sizes
Six of the beds have Queen sized mattresses. The 7th is a daybed with two single mattresses that can be pulled out to the size of a king sized bed. You can also sleep a couple of children on the two upstairs couches with another on the downstairs couch.
The Play Area
The basement is designed with children in mind. There is a 9 foot high tube slide that starts near the top of the stairs. It winds around a two level playhouse and exits into the basement great room.
The River
Many of our guests love to spend time at the river. It's catch and release for trout. We can't promise you'll catch a fish but many do. In the spring the river is often high, rapid and dangerous. Around the end of june it often warms up and is the right height and speed for swimming, tubing and fishing. There have been years however when the river speed and height is unpredictable. The best fishing is in the fall.
What To Expect When You Arrive
The pillows for each bedroom are in plastic containers under or by the bed. Hand towels are usually in each bathroom under the sink however if previous guests left the morning you came, you may find them in the clothes dryer. The blankets and comforters are in each closet in plastic bags. The wall bed blankets are in the closet by the deep freeze. All the beds are Queen sized except the daybed. Some of our guests bring sleeping bags rather than bring sheets but that is your choice. Don’t forget to bring bath towels. We don’t expect you to wash blankets and comforters.
The two kitchen tables can be expanded to seat 16. If you push them together they seat 12 and if they are pushed together and each leaf is removed, they will seat 10. (The leaf folds under the table.) The kitchen counter can be used to seat another 5. An extra table can be found upstairs. We also keep a booster seat downstairs that can be brought up for a small child. Extra chairs can be found downstairs in a closet.
Kitchen Appliances
The Kitchen has a stove, a fridge, dishwasher, toaster, electric griddle, crock pot, rice-cooker, mix master, blender, microwave, electric roaster-oven, electric tea kettle, coffee maker and an electric knife. The kitchen is fully stocked with bowls cutting boards, knives, pots, pans and cookie sheets. There are place settings for 24 people. You will find a freezer in the basement great room. You will usually find it with the lid up and unplugged.
Washer and dryer
The washer and dryer can be found next to the hall on the main floor. We try to keep detergent and softener sheets available.
Internet.
An internet connection is available with unlimited access. The cell phone access must be good for most plans because we haven't had any complaints.
Darrel and Janae.
