Excellent Rental

Enjoy (southeast)
Review submitted: December 13, 2008   Date of arrival: October 31, 2008

The Pond is an excellent rental home with everything you can possibly need at your disposal. Beautiful scenery, beautiful surroundings, and a beautiful home make it the perfect getaway. Nicely decorated with all the amenities you will need and offers complete privacy. Close proximity to Highlands and lots of hiking possibilities. We rented bikes at a local shop and enjoyed their beautiful park in their quaint town! Perfect for a quiet and relaxing escape!

Recommended for: adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers, girls getaway, sight seeing, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 7 / 7

Woderful Mountain Retreat

James S. (Millburn, NJ)
Review submitted: September 9, 2012   Date of arrival: August 20, 2012

It is clear from entering this home the owner cares about providing you the most thoughtful and relaxing vacation. When we met Tony on the first day and were given great recommendations on activities and restaurants, to the owners cataloging of every possible thing to do, this was a great place to stay. The home itself is very well kept and the owners pride is quite evident translating into a wonderful and worry free stay. They have thought of your every need before you do! Waterfalls, hiking, golf and gem mining are all close by. We would recommend Caffe REL as one of the best places to eat and the talking to the owner just adds to the pleasure of the meal. This was our first trip back to this area in a number of years but I am sure it will not be so long next time.

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Helpful votes: 2 / 2

Dream Vacation of a Lifetime

Marsha B. ()
Review submitted: November 3, 2011   Date of arrival: October 3, 2011

If you're looking for a vacation home to cater to your every wish or dream, then this is the perfect house for you to choose. We spent ten of the most relaxing, peaceful, comfortable, fun days in this absolutely beautiful house and our only hope is that we have an opportunity to return at some future date. The views are spectacular, the house is so amazing and absolutely spotlessly clean, with every detail imaginable to make a dream vacation come true. My husband loved relaxing with a good book on the screened in porch with a crackling fire in the fireplace and the Wi-Fi that made it possible for him to access work with his laptop. He could keep up with his emails and take care of things as needed so he knew it wouldn't all be piled up waiting for him when he got back. I loved having my coffee on the back deck with it's beautiful ever-changing fall views and cooking our meals in the fabulous kitchen. The beds are wonderful and I really loved the jucuzzi tub in the upstairs bathroom! Franklin has great places to shop downtown (I found some wonderful Christmas gifts) and we had some of the best food we've ever had at several of the many and varied places to eat, especially the ribs at Fat Buddies BBQ and the pizza at Rana Rinata Italian Grill. (Thanks for the gift certificate, Pam.) This area of North Carolina was so beautiful with it's winding roads, waterfalls and beautiful fall colors that we both agree this is the best vacation we've ever taken and mostly because we were fortunate enough to have chosen "The Pond House" to stay in. Thanks so much to Pam and her husband for making this house available for those of us who now have these wonderful memories of a perfect vacation experience! We would recommend this property to anyone out there who is looking for a dream vacation home that more than lives up to your expectations and is even more spectacular than the pictures of it on the website. We promise you won't be disappointed!

Bill & Marsha Barks
Independence, Kansas

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Helpful votes: 2 / 3

WOW !

David & Mary1 (Deland FL)
Review submitted: June 17, 2011   Date of arrival: June 4, 2011

What has not already been said about this home, from the moment we were welcomed by Tony who acted as our guide of this wonderful home till the day we left. we found new things every day from the well thought out binder of things to do, places to eat, hikes to go on.This home is beautifully decorated with art work from local galleries, comfortable furnishings. Everything you could need was in the home.Every detail had been carefully thought out to make sure you have a wonderful vacation. My wife and I fell in love with the kitchen a cooks dream, we found ourselves wanting to return to the cabin early just to hang out and enjoy the sun sets from the huge balcony, loved the out door fire place this would be great in the fall, close to every thing but far enough away to enjoy the peace which we were blessed with each and every day. We look forward to our next trip back to the Pond.

Recommended for: adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, sight seeing, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 1 / 1

Christmas in Franklin

Review submitted: January 31, 2010   Date of arrival: December 21, 2009

We have loved every moment of our second Christmas here at The Pond. Your generous gestures of personal Christmas decorations make us feel so at home and at peace the moment we enter. Our son loves Christmas at "the Carolina house". It was such a pleasure to meet you and we look forward to our next visit to you home and Franklin! Our favorite memories other than snuggling by the fire and playing in the snow were: Great Smokey Mountain Train with our 2 yr. old, snow filled drive through the Smokies, horseback riding at Chunky Gal Stables, making s'mores, cookies for Santa and a gingerbread house in your lovely kitchen and restaurants Caffe Rel and Frog & The Owl.
Your southern hospitality and charm are unmatched here and we appreciate you making our Christmas and our special family time so lovely. Blessings for 2010.

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Helpful votes: 1 / 1

Thanksgiving Memories

Review submitted: January 31, 2010   Date of arrival: November 22, 2009

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The house is truly amazing and the view breathtaking. We will definitely be back to visit again. Thank you for allowing us to share your beautiful home.

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Helpful votes: 2 / 2

A great place in any kind of weather

Review submitted: January 31, 2010   Date of arrival: September 18, 2009

We had a wonderful relaxing time. it rained cats, dogs & bullfrogs almost the entire time we were here - but what better place to be rained in. We loved the private setting and even though we were alone we felt pampered by the way your home was set up. It was so perfect. I looked and many, many places before I found this place and the second I saw it I said this is it my search is over! I was not disappointed in any way. Thank you so much this is the best. We hope to return soon!

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Helpful votes: 1 / 1

Reality Check

Review submitted: January 31, 2010   Date of arrival: September 7, 2009

What a much needed break from reality! Your home and setting are spectacular. We had an amazing time. Thank you for all the consideration you put into your accommodations. What a treat!!

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Helpful votes: 1 / 1

Our guests are the Best

Review submitted: January 31, 2010   Date of arrival: August 18, 2009

We've had a great time this week. Between this fabulous house view and the many places to visit in the surrounding areas, one definitely needs a week to enjoy it all! I can't say enough how the Pond House made us instantly feel such peace within. The hours spent on the back and side porch and will leave us memories forever. Thank you for all you did to provide our family with a definite return vacation plan.

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Helpful votes: 1 / 1

Review submitted: January 17, 2010   Date of arrival: January 17, 2010

From the Guestbook:
We have really enjoyed our stay at this beautiful house!!
Although we really didn't want to leave the house, we did get
out to see the frozen waterfalls, go out on a few hikes and
snow tubing. My favorite = relaxing by the fires. Thanks for
making this a very relaxing and enjoyable stay. Lots of fun
memories were made.

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Helpful votes: 1 / 1

Review submitted: December 31, 2009   Date of arrival: December 31, 2009

From the Guestbook:
We have loved every moment of our second Christmas here at
The Pond. Your generous gestures of personal Christmas
decorations make us feel so at home and at peace the moment
we enter. Our son loves Christmas at "the Carolina house".
It was such a pleasure to meet you and we look forward to
our next visit to your home and Franklin! Our favorite
memories other than snuggling by your fire and playing in
your snow were the Great Smoky Mountain Train with our 2
year old, our snow filled drive through the Smokies, our
beautiful horseback ride at Chunky Gal Stables, making
s'mores, cookies for Santa and a gingerbread house in your
lovely kitchen, and yummy meals at Caffe Rel and Frog & The
Owl. Your southern hospitality and charm are unmatched here
and we appreciate you making our Christmas and our special
family time so lovely. Blessings for 2010!

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Helpful votes: 1 / 1

Review submitted: November 27, 2009   Date of arrival: November 27, 2009

From the Guestbook:
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. This house is truly amazing
and the view is breath-taking. We will definitely be back to
visit again. Thank you for allowing us to share your
beautiful home.

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Helpful votes: 1 / 1

Review submitted: October 31, 2009   Date of arrival: October 31, 2009

From the Guestbook:
We had a wonderful time! Your home is beautiful, it had
everything we could have possibly needed & more. The views
were fabulous. We want a special vacation for our mothers and
we got everything we wanted. Thank you for opening your home
to us. I hope we can visit again.

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Helpful votes: 1 / 1

Review submitted: October 24, 2009   Date of arrival: October 24, 2009

From the Guestbook -
We had a wonderful time. The house is wonderful, the woods
are gorgeous. It's the perfect place for friends to gather
and share good times. Our only complaint is that a week isn't
long enough to take in all the activities in the area! Thanks
so much for a perfect house!

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Helpful votes: 0 / 0

Review submitted: September 18, 2009   Date of arrival: September 18, 2009

From the Guestbook -
We had a wonderful relaxing time. It rained cats, dogs &
bull frogs almost the entire time we were here, but what
better place to be rained in. We love the private setting
and even though we were alone, we felt pampered by the way
your home was set up. It was so perfect. I looked at many,
many places before I found this place, and the second I saw
it I said this is it, my search is over. I was not
disappointed in anyway at my choice. Thank you so very
much, this is the best! We hope to return soon.

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Helpful votes: 0 / 0

Review submitted: September 7, 2009   Date of arrival: September 7, 2009

From the Guestbook -
What a much needed break from reality! Your home and setting
are spectacular. We had an amazing time. Thank you for all
the consideration you put into your accommodations. What a
treat!!

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Helpful votes: 0 / 0

Review submitted: August 15, 2009   Date of arrival: August 15, 2009

From the Guestbook:
We've had a great time this week! Between this fabulous
house & view and the many places to visit in the surrounding
areas, one definitely needs a week to enjoy it all! I can't
say enough how the Pond House made us instantly feel such
peace within. The hours spent on the back porch and our
time with the cozy fireplace on the side porch will leave us
memories forever. What wonderful place to gather around
family, over meals, rain and early morning fog as it lifts
at dawn. Thank you for all you did to provide our family
with a definite "return vacation" plan.

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Helpful votes: 0 / 0

Review submitted: June 13, 2009   Date of arrival: June 13, 2009

Written in our Guestbook
From the first glimpse as we took the road down, the house has truly exceeded our expectations in every way. Grilling out on the porch, doing puzzles by firelight in the screened room, cooking in your "chef's dream" kitchen, and just relaxing, all are taken to a whole new level here at The Pond at Featherstone. We never found ourselves wanting for a thing this week, a real treat to just enjoy every day.
Caffe' Rel was outstanding, definitely worth the stop, and as one of us lived in New Orleans for 7 years, Cajun Connection was a welcome surprise for truly authentic cajun all the way up in the mountains! Mining at Cherokee Mine, hiking to some of the many waterfalls, sliding rock, Biltmore Estate, this is a week none of us will forget. Thanks so much.

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Helpful votes: 0 / 0

Review submitted: April 1, 2009   Date of arrival: April 1, 2009

Written in our Guestbook
We are so privileged to be here. The house is absolutely fantastic and now we are spoiled because nothing will compare to this!
You were very kind and nice to talk with and now I understand the real meaning of detail-oriented because you covered everything here!
We are so thankful and completely relaxed. We'll be back.

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Helpful votes: 0 / 0

Review submitted: March 1, 2009   Date of arrival: March 1, 2009

From our written guestbook
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful home with us. Of all our trips to the mountians this will be one of our most memorable experiences. Your home design, decorating and attention to detail is truely fantastic. We enjoyed sitting on the deck with our favorite wine and soaking up the incredible view into God's creation. We are sure the warmth expressed by your beautiful home is only matched by your generosity and true southern hospitality.
We envy your creation and thank you again for allowing us to share it with you.

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Helpful votes: 0 / 0

Review submitted: March 1, 2009   Date of arrival: March 1, 2009

From our Guestbook
We came once again for a stay at the Pond. And, once again it was wonderful! Weather didn't cooperate for hiking, so we will just have to come back. Thanks for the gift certificate to Frog & Owl you left to honor my birthday. We had a wonderful, relaxing lunch there. As before, our stay was great. This time we were able to read, relax and enjoy The Pond house.

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Helpful votes: 0 / 0

Review submitted: December 25, 2008   Date of arrival: December 25, 2008

From our written Guestbook
Thank you for all you did to make our Christmas so magical! Your kind gesture and thoughtfulness to put up such a beautiful fresh tree and decorations in every room really exceeded our expectations to make our stay here so wonderful. Your home is just perfect and I wish I could have my morning coffee here forevermore.
Your southern charm is such a blessing. We hope we will be able to stay again. Many blessings for the New Year, with appreciation and thanks.

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Helpful votes: 0 / 0

Review submitted: November 9, 2008   Date of arrival: November 9, 2008

Written in the guestbook
Thank you for opening up your BEAUTIFUL home to us for such a memorable weekend. We could not have wished for a better way to celebrate our first anniversary. It is not often when you find a home as tastefully designed and decorated as yours, not to mention a couple who is willing to share this with others. No detail has been left out. Our favorite moments were spent drinking coffee or wine in the screened in porch with a fire going. We also loved waking up to the unbelievable view. The only disappointing part was realizing we should have rented your home for a WEEK instead of a weekend.
We will most definitely be back in the near future and cannot wait to share this gorgeous property with our family and friends.

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Helpful votes: 0 / 0

Review submitted: October 26, 2008   Date of arrival: October 26, 2008

Written in the guestbook
In all of our visits here to the mountains, we have never had the dilema of whether to venture out and explore, or to just stay at the residence - for the beauty of both being equal in lure and comfort.
Our visit coincided perfectly with the change of seasons and color with such a dramatic effect that it took our breath away while sitting out on the back deck.
Thank you so much for opening your house up to us and allowing us an experience of which we are now calling our second honeymoon.
We did get a chance to experience Whitewater Falls. We consider the best of all the Falls in the area. Thank you once again for allowing us to lose ourselves in this gorgeous area that call home, we will never forget.

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Helpful votes: 0 / 0

Review submitted: August 6, 2008   Date of arrival: August 6, 2008

From the guestbook
Thank you so much for sharing your spectacular mountain home with us. Your home is beautiful, the decorating fantastic, and you have the home stocked with everything one could ever want. Our favorite location was the screened porch where we had our dinners & breakfasts and evening and morning fires. It was a perfect spot for our "mini" family reunion!

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Helpful votes: 0 / 0

Review submitted: July 30, 2008   Date of arrival: July 30, 2008

From the GuestBok -
Thank you for opening your beautiful mountai home to us. We have soaked up the beauty of both your home and the mountains. You truly have a million dollar view here! We even got to experience a rainstorm one evening. Your home is gracious and we love the way the outside is a continuation of the living space. The fireplace on the screened porch would probably become a daily ritual for us. Being in the mountains refreshes the soul.

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Helpful votes: 0 / 0

Review submitted: June 1, 2008   Date of arrival: June 1, 2008

From the guestbook -
What a great escape from the hectic city. Your home is spectacular. The view and decor were perfect. Our children would like to move here! Thank you so much for everything.

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Helpful votes: 0 / 0