Much Needed Getaway (Review)

At the beginning of the year, my boyfriend and I planned a two-week trip to London–a city we both have so many memories in and see as another home. This year, we both would have finally been able to attend Notting Hill Carnival and we had further plans to see other parts of Europe within the two-week timeframe. Obviously, this did not come to fruition or I would be there right now, but we still wanted to make use of this time off we had on our calendars. If you read my last post, you will know that I took some time off this past month and to close out my final week off, we headed two hours south of Dallas to LaRue, Texas to experience an overnight Getaway.

Getaway’s mission is to “give people time, space, and permission to be off. Our tiny cabins in nature provide a break from the city, technology, and work, so that you can recharge and reconnect to who and what matters most.” Many people have been receiving targeted ads from Getaway this summer, including myself, so we decided to take advantage of this because a time to disconnect was exactly what we needed. Why one night, you ask? Well, we all know times are weird right now, so we opted to save some money since it wasn’t a far drive. However, one night ended up being suitable due to how the day and night went for us–not necessarily in a bad way. For details and a walkthrough on the booking process, check out my YouTube video packing for this trip and while you’re there, go ahead and subscribe!! 🙂

During the drive and upon arrival, we ran into some rain. Because of this, I wasn’t able to get a proper picture of the outside, but here is a photo of what all the cabins look like:

Each cabin comes with a picnic table, two chairs, and a fire pit for grilling or if you just want to cozy up by a fire. Once we eventually got a break from the rain, we considered sitting outside and just enjoying a day without the sun beating down on us, but one of the curses of summer is bugs. And our tables and chairs were completely covered in millipedes…I wish I was exaggerating. Unfortunately it would be our only break from rain, so we also did not get to take advantage of the nature trails within the property or nearby parks either like we planned. Still, we made the most of just being away!!

As you can imagine, the cabin is very small. Now, imagine it being even smaller. When you see tags and photos of Getaway properties, the most common photo taken is on the queen-sized bed in front of the large window facing beautiful scenery. Part of that is because the rest of the cabin barely has room to comfortably walk around. We figured it was small, but I think we were both still a tiny bit surprised. I am 5’2″ and my boyfriend is 5’6″ and even we were a bit on top of each other when it came to situating our things, but we got used to it quickly. Each cabin comes with A/C, potable water, a kitchenette (no oven, of course), a small dining/sitting area, and a restroom complete with a shower and toilet, but no sink. They also provide provisions for purchase at extremely reasonable prices.

I have to give it to the designers because the actual use and efficiency of the space is spot-on. I absolutely loved the idea of space-saving with the magnetic strip for common kitchen items as pictured above. The ledge to climb into the bed doubles as bench seating for dining or sitting at the table. I even loved the stacked rack of towels in the bathroom which is a handy idea for small apartments. It is important to note, however, that the cabins do not have mirrors; there is a small handheld mirror in the kitchenette cabinet that we balanced on other items to use when we needed it. Also, to reiterate, the bathroom does not come with a sink, so you need to use the kitchen sink for everything which is not the most sanitary in my opinion. Just remind yourself any time you go in the bathroom, whether you are just changing or using the shower, be sure to wash your hands once you step back into the common area.
My favorite personal touches to the space, besides the water being potable, were the books, the cellphone lockbox, and the radio (complete with Bluetooth). These really added to that feel of a traditional cabin stay and reminds you why you are there.

I didn’t touch the books, but we actually listened to the radio for the majority of our stay instead of immediately connecting to our own music. Part of that may have been having listened to our music during the drive, but it just made me feel like I was in school again listening to old R&B hits from different decades. Something important to note about Getaway’s mission is that their location is placed in an area where there is little to no cell service and they pride themselves on not offering WiFi. While we had enough cell service to text, I actually found myself eventually putting my phone away and just enjoying my time. I didn’t go so far as to lock my phone away in the lockbox, but I love that that’s an option because it truly encourages you to disconnect.

After enduring a thunderstorm through the night all the way until checkout time the next morning, it was safe to say that one night was enough for us. If you watched my packing video, you will know that there are cabin options for families/groups and the standard size for two people. While I cannot speak to the size of the group-oriented cabin, I knew that I at least wouldn’t recommend traveling with more than one other person or even with a large dog if your dog does not sleep in the bed with you on a regular basis. Not to mention, dogs are an added cost of $40/night. I think it is extremely important to note two things: one, just based on the minimal space within the cabin and the size of the shower it did not appear to be size-friendly, Two, our cabin was down a steep hill which was quite an experience in the rain and you have to go up stairs to enter the cabin and further use a step to get into the bed as well as the bathroom since they are situated on the wheels; if you have issues with mobility or physical disabilities, this could pose a major challenge or hindrance altogether. I have not seen any notes about accommodating these needs on the website, so for clarification, I would recommend contacting the property.

Had it not rained, I truly believe this could have been the ultimate overnight stay complete with grilling some food, sitting in a quiet atmosphere, and walking the nature trails. It is also a great option at the moment due to its seclusion and absolutely zero contact with others during this time of social distancing. If you are planning to experience Getaway and you also live in a city where weather is unpredictable, I would recommend downloading episodes of a favorite show to be viewed offline (without WiFi) on Netflix and bringing games or other forms of entertainment that do not require the Internet. We brought our Nintendo Switches and I had episodes of Community and Dexter ready to go, so there was never a time where we felt bored despite our change of plans. My final note is that I believe visiting in the fall or winter (for those of us who have mild winters) would be a much better experience. Not only will bugs be dead (yay!), sitting by a fire with the cool night air and a glass of red wine sounds like a great time to me!

With how this year is going, who knows? Maybe I’ll need another Getaway before it ends. 🙂

xx, AE