Swallow's Nest Guest Cottages

My husband and I have watched all our favorite charming little rustic northwest cottages disappear and be replaced by suburban-looking dwellings with all the amenities (and charm) of a hotel chain. We were therefore delighted to find a simple, cozy dwelling nestled in the trees overlooking Puget Sound with a postcard view of Mt. Rainier. As city dwellers, we WANT seclusion where despite being only a few feet from the road, we seldom see a car. We could venture into town (if we choose) and find a remarkable selection of food and restaurants (including the historic coffee roaster) but return to the seclusion of a tiny, cliff top "nest" and sit back and read. Yet, if we needed a soup ladle (my husband makes an amazing chanterelle cheese soup) we could walk next door and borrow one from the innkeeper. I would equate our stay to an immersion experience when traveling abroad . . . this was experiencing the charm of the authentic Vashon/Maury island . . . and we were captivated by the stories of the island's history the locals and the innkeeper were willing to share when we took the time to listen. If you are looking for a sanitized hotel quality experience, this is not the place I would recommend. However, if you see the charm in someone modifying a windows to work as a door and other elements that craftsmen of the past used when building their own living quarters, then you will appreciate the charm of the Nest Cottage. This is the cottage Sleeping Beauty would have lived in (minus the thatched roof) when growing up in the woods . . . not the palace she later returned to. For those of us preferring a cottage to a palace, this is a delightful getaway from the hustle and bustle of a impersonal world, where neighbors chat, lend soup ladles, and share their pride in a simpler way of life.

I had stayed at Edson House about a decade ago. It was rustic and cozy then. It's very run down now. But the reason for my specific review? Why? All the places looked like the worse motel 6 The linens were all worn Scorched pillows (from the baseboard heaters?) Having to transport my own firewood in my own car to for the wood stove. Broken knobs on the furniture Kitchen cabinets installed with no knobs. Bathroom window did not open. The place wasn't clean. Dirty dishes in the kitchen and best of all. The wonderful joke the manager made about us making porn when I told my wife we could watch our DVD (of the skydiving earlier in the day)