Our Isolated Mountain Memory Making Trip

Hi, friends! I am so excited to share our family getaway to the mountains with you. We were totally isolated in the Great Smoky Mountains, and it was a much needed weekend away, for our family of 5. We have been stationed in North Carolina for all of Raegan, Zarie, and Xander’s lives, and they’ve seen actual snow (maybe) twice.

We hadn’t explored the North Carolina mountains, and I was so excited about the possibility of waking up in a snow globe, and for our babies to experience that beauty. We are always down for an adventure! I’ll share our trip, and answer some of your frequently asked questions below.

This post and our trip has been sponsored by the Chinet® brand. I make it a point to only collaborate with brands that I truly enjoy and love. All opinions are entirely my own.

Where did we stay?

Our cabin was in the Great Smoky Mountains of Bryson City, North Carolina. We booked “Time Flies” through Airbnb and the Carolina Mountain Vacations company. You can find the exact listing HERE.

This was our first time using Airbnb, and the booking process was simple and straightforward. The vacation rental company went above and beyond to help, and answer all of our questions. Their message replies were prompt, and our check-in/out process was seamless.

I highly recommend this company, and the cabin we rented. It was perfect for our family. It sleeps 6, with a downstairs master, and upstairs loft area (where the girls slept). They had a game table, plenty of seating, great appliances, a laundry room, spacious showers, and the most stunning views. I wouldn’t change a thing. For a full tour of the cabin, and outdoor space, head over to my “cabin trip” Instagram highlight.

How was traveling during the pandemic?

It was fine. Our check in and check out was completely contactless. We entered the property with a pre-assigned door lock code. The property itself was also completely secluded. We didn’t see any other people during our entire trip. The rental was also held to Airbnb’s Covid-19 Safety Practices. Read more about what precautions they’ve put into place here.

Total transparency: We also brought along our own disinfecting supplies, and I did a wipe down of all our surfaces upon arrival. I’ve always done that during our travels.

What about food?

We fully planned ahead for meals and snacks. We wanted to make sure that we wouldn’t have to leave the cabin, so we ordered groceries ahead of time, and used a cooler to transport the cold items on the road.

We also came fully stocked up on Chinet® Cut Crystal® products, Chinet® Classic White™ products, and Chinet® Comfort Cup® Insulated Hot Cups and Lids. Thank heavens, because the absolute last thing I wanted to stress about during our getaway was washing a bunch of dishes. Mark and I got to spend our time soaking in our family, not at the kitchen sink.

The first thing the kids asked, was if they could roast hotdogs and s’mores in the fire pit. OF COURSE! We let the kids roast their hotdogs, but Mark and I went a bit fancier, and grilled mozzarella and spinach stuffed steaks. We served them, along with wild mushrooms and skillet potatoes, on our Cut Crystal® plates. We enjoyed a few glasses of our favorite Bordeaux in the Cut Crystal® stemless wine glasses. Fun Fact: When we were stationed in Germany, we traveled all over Europe and brought back a bottle of wine, and a Christmas tree ornament from each place.

After dinner, we sat around our fire, and roasted marshmallows for s’mores. So many sticky little chocolatey fingers haha. We also turned up the magic, by making a unicorn fire, with special rainbow fire packets. Our girls seriously had a fit, and Mark and I were equally impressed by the rainbow colored flames. You can snag the packets here.

Big breakfasts are a required when it comes to cabin getaways. I mean, there was no way I could bring my family to log cabin, without serving breakfast on a wooden board, right? They kinda go hand in hand. I brought my fav round serving board from home, and we had the yummiest breakfast. Between the one serving board and our Chinet® products, clean up was a breeze.

That evening we had one of our favorites: Crockpot Sausage Spinach Tomato Soup. Once again, keeping it simple, delish, and easy to clean up. So many delicious tastes during our trip. It reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite books A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway. “We ate well and cheaply and drank well and cheaply and slept well and warm together and loved each other.” Did I mention we had our fill of hot cocoa, several times throughout the day? Comfort Cup®Insulated Hot Cups and Lids kept our drinks hot while we took in the cold mountain air.

What else did we do?

Guys, we had these lofty plans of going on a hike during our weekend getaway. In full transparency, the warm cuddles were too good. It felt so nice to be intentional with this pocket for restful time. We totally took advantage of the views, from inside our cabin. Did I mention that I took a nap by the fire? I NEVER get to nap. It was so good, y’all. Was it totally absent of toddler madness and tantrums? Nope. Was it amazing nonetheless? Absolutely.

I also loved playing games as a family. We brought our giant game of Jenga, Family Charades, and Red Light Green Light with us from home. I highly recommend any of these games if you have younger kiddos.

Remember our Gingerbread House Decorating during Christmastime? Well, Raegan and Zarie did the most adorable Love Shack version while Xander was napping. We snagged an extra gingerbread house, and filled Cut Crystal® cups with conversation hearts, cookies, and Valentine’s Day candies. The nibbled, decorated, and created the cutest little edible version of our getaway cabin. So fun.

We also enjoyed the on-site hot tub, and a family movie night. Yes, we bought our well-loved air popper with us. Each of us got our own Classic White™ bowl of buttery goodness.

Did I mention that is SNOWED? I woke up to the most gorgeous nature scenes that my eyes have ever seen. It seriously felt like we were living in the middle of a snow globe. The snowy mountains were everything. Check out the most epic morning view here.

There was an entire book at the cabin that was dedicated to activities in the area. If you’re looking for a closer look at nature, we read that the area is also amazing for fishing, hiking, and boating Fontana Lake!

I hope you enjoyed following along on our family getaway. If you’re planning your own isolated trip, feel free to leave me any questions you may have. Don’t forget to leave the dishes to Chinet® brand, and visit MyChinet.com for more inspo.

xoxo
Shakira