Luxe rustique, une vue imprenable sur la Continental Divide, isolé mais proche

As you can imagine, we hate it when people are not enamored with the Dancing Aspen Cabin. We have such a great time with family and friends there and are disappointed you didn't. I spoke to your adult daughter, she specified there were bowls left out on the counter and the griddle was not clean. She did say there were several other things you did enjoy including a kitchen equipped with everything you needed for your Thanksgiving supper. We apologize about the cleaning. Our housekeeper had just arrived from Germany and in her rush she didn't check the work of her helpers. She assured me it will not happen again. I sent you a $50 check for the inconvenience. I hope it was some consolation. Mea culpa on the refrigerator. The drawers were broken last summer. When I became aware of it I ordered a new frame and two new drawers. I told our maintenance crew to replace them when the parts came in. I didn't follow up. Your mention of it was the first I realized the parts didn't arrive. A local non-profit said they will take this perfectly working refrigerator. They appreciate the ice machine and large capacity. I've ordered a new one for the cabin. It will arrive January 12. The dining room/kitchen area is the center of activity for the cabin. It was years before I gave in to some pressure to put in our 3D TV. The games played, food enjoyed and conversations shared are the heart of mountain entertainment (that and the hot tub on the deck, of course). The TV will never be the focus. All the pillows on the Parson's Chair are supplement the couches and are great for kids enjoying the fire. Some love the overstuffed leather couches. I mentioned I was thinking about getting rid of them and received resistance from those who use it most. I love sitting there with my grandchildren. They're great for snuggling. I wouldn't have them in my home, except perhaps in the den. My family is at the cabin for Christmas. I've asked them to tell me about the mattresses they are sleeping on. I hadn't noticed it before, even though I sleep in the master bedroom every time I'm at the cabin, but the mattress could be more comfortable. I am having it replaced. Everyone else says their's is fine. Perhaps, when I'm at the cabin, by myself, I can sleep in them all. I'm a pickier sleeper than most. Again, sorry you were disappointed. It is certainly not the typical reaction we receive.

Great having you and your family Avenir! Hope we get to see you again.

“Thou dost protest too much, me thinks.” It has become fashionable to call someone a liar to validate our perspective, but reasonable people understand the value of weighing evidence. Since I wasn’t there for your experience let me write about what I do know. 1)We spend tens of thousands of dollars on maintenance. We have a full-time caretaker responsive to guest needs. The best cleaning service in the valley charges $200 after every guest to clean and do laundry. 2)The night of your arrival we communicated, you were happy and said so. I did not hear from you again until you received your deposit back, then a flurry of complaints. 3)The caretaker and cleaners said the cabin was damaged. I have ordered a new couch which they said was torn by your group and saw the scratched refrigerator. They say your group drank much and damaged the property. You say you drank a lot but didn’t damage anything. I didn’t charge you in the hopes of avoiding unpleasantness but, alas… 5)The next guests were delighted and said all was well. After them, the guests, on their 3rd stay, said the same and added they wanted a summer stay. My family was next, we saw the damage but the rest of the cabin was in great shape. The drain, on an expensive Jacuzzi tub with Kohler parts, is quirky, not broken, as is the bottom drawer on the dishwasher when loaded with the heavy plates. 6)The hot tub is emptied after guests depart. There are minerals in the water as it comes from a well underneath tub, this is not dirt. I wouldn’t get in a dirty hot tub nor would I expect you to but, if you want privacy, add the chlorine on the deck yourself. if not our caretaker is glad to handle the chlorine. 7)In the instructions for the six-burner Viking Stove the convection application is mentioned. One has to let the oven ignite and warm before turning on the fans. When used correctly not only will there be no smell one will be amazed at the efficiency of this professional oven. I will make the instructions clearer.

Dear Regan, Please accept, again, my sincere apology. We try very hard, and are usually quite successful, to exceed our guest's expectations. Your request caught me off guard (more on this below) but in just the few minutes of speaking, to your apologetic husband, I had both of your concerns solved. 1) My son was happy to take a long weekend, on me, in Denver. 2) All he had to do was get his tools put away and take-off (I did request, because it was evening, that he come back the next day and finish up but that wasn't necessary and I told you so). Your husband told me, "I'm sorry. It is not your son. We had a bad experience last year when someone was arrested on a property where we were staying in Boulder." The only thing I couldn't fix was your previous experience. You caught me off guard because 1) My son is a fine fellow, studying botany in college. In that, he's like his brother who worked for us a couple of years then went back to school and is an Emergency Room physician in Placerville, CA (one of the reasons we built the lodge, over 20 years ago, was to give our children an opportunity to work in a beautiful area of the country). 2) He makes friends quickly, has a beautiful girlfriend and for the summer is living in an apartment totally separate, including the driveway, from the cabin. 3) Because our winters are long we do maintenance on the cabin in the summer. The porch he is building, on a shed near the woods, cannot be seen from the cabin and nothing was being done "around the house." 4) Our cabin is isolated but our neighbors, across the road, down the road, at the horse ranch below us and the Christian School across the valley, you passed as you drove in, all work for us on occasion. We only make it so it feels isolated. Our guests are in good hands without knowing it until something is needed. We also have caretakers during the winter and a cleaning crew. I mentioned, in my directions to the cabin, you would be greeted by a caretaker. If you would have told me then you didn't want a caretaker I could have had my son gone and my neighbor across the road (you cannot see the home but it is there), Tammy, greet you and see if you had needs. As the proprietor, I removed the obstacles for you to have a relaxing weekend. On that big concert weekend I could have rented the place out three more times but not at the last minute. You chose not to stay. Your husband felt bad you were beyond reason. So did I.