Central Washington Getaway: Cozy Cabin Retreat in Cle Elum

Sometimes you need a vacation after your vacation, or a vacation after our “staycation“.  After choosing to stay in Seattle for Christmas and New Year’s gratefully hosting family and loving the extra time to enjoy the city without rushing away on an airplane, we were ready.

Ready for a quick getaway. We chose Central Washington’s Cle Elum area (just an hour and a half drive) because of it’s proximity to home combined with a complete change of scenery and opportunity to unplug.  Our wishes were to be close to some hiking trails and have a comfortable place return to and easily cook a few meals.

With this truly being a budget adventure, our usual desire to be close to town wasn’t an issue. We’d cook all of our meals rather than eating out) and make our own coffee, and all of our recreation and entertainment would be found in our immediate surroundings.

The vacation rental we found in the Teanaway Valley was just right for our needs.

The Home

The cabin is tucked away in the Teanaway River Valley about 30 minutes from downtown Cle Elum, Washington among a community of homes with some full and some part time residents.  The helpful owners live in the area, which not only makes booking easy because arrangements can be made last minute, but it was also comforting to know they were not far if something had gone wrong.

Entry into the cabin immediately takes you into the kitchen and living room area, which covers the front half of the house divided by a hallway leading toward the bathroom and bedrooms.  The kitchen is equipped with all we needed to cook a full breakfast and full dinner, and includes an oven, stovetop, microwave, large refrigerator, dishwasher, and several small appliances.

We were delighted with the living room’s fireplace (woodstove), and space to spread out and relax complete with twinkle lights to set the mood for a cozy evening.  The living room does have a small television as well as a library of 50 or so DVDs, but for our evening entertainment we chose to laugh the night away over our lack of trivia knowledge (thanks, Trivial Pursuit).

The cabin has 2 bedrooms: One master bedroom with a king-size bed and a second bedroom with a double bed.  Those bedrooms are located down the hall opposite of each other with a full bathroom equipped with towels and toiletries next door to the second bedroom.

While we can’t speak for the double bed in the second bedroom since no one slept in it (Bergen used his travel crib), the master bed was incredibly comfortable.  It’s was quite chilly during our visit and after freezing ourselves on our icy hike, it was so nice to settling into a cozy pillow-top bed with fleece sheets.

Outside of the warm walls of the cabin, there is also a spacious back deck, big fire pit in the front, and plenty of space to roam around on their 1 acre property. There’s even some peek-a-boo views of the mountains.  Since we were visiting when there was not a lot of snow fall, but A LOT of ice, we appreciated the owners putting down salt to keep us from slipping as we explored.

The Outdoors: Teanaway Valley

The surrounding area of the cabin is known as the Teanaway River Valley, and the property borders on the Wenatchee National Forest.  So needless to say, there are plenty of outdoor recreation activities get into.  We stuck with hiking, but depending on the season and snow levels, snowshoeing, fishing, skiing, mountain biking, and water sports (and of course more) are all possibilities.

Info to Know:

• Cozy Cabin Retreat on Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO): http://www.vrbo.com/367465
• Located in Cle Elum, Washington (30 minutes from town)
• 2 bedrooms, 1 bath (sleeps 4)
• Electric heating + Wood-burning stove for added warmth and comfort
• No cable, satelite or internet (truly unplug!)
• Plenty of board games and DVDs available
• Linens and towels provided
• Pets considered.  Our 35-pound terrier was welcomed.
• Owners live in the area.
• While the town of Cle Elum is a 30-minute drive away, lots of food and other essentials can be purchased at the closer, Teanaway Outpost.

Have you traveled to Central Washington? Where is your favorite place to unwind and unplug?

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