House in Bethel, PA

What makes you happy?

What makes you happy?

Photo gallery for What makes you happy?

Fall
Summer sunshine
Coffee in the morning sun
Living room
Fully equipped kitchen

Overview of What makes you happy?

5 out of 5 Exceptional
3 bedrooms1 bathroomSleeps 784 sq m

Popular amenities

  • Kitchen
  • Washer
  • Dryer
  • Pet-friendly
  • Free WiFi
  • Air conditioning

Check out the area

Bethel, PA
  • Popular LocationVraj Temple9 min drive
  • Popular LocationGhost Town Gulch12 min drive
  • Popular LocationKoziar's Christmas Village16 min drive
  • AirportHarrisburg, PA (MDT-Harrisburg Intl.)61 min drive

Rooms & beds

3 bedrooms (sleeps 7)

Downstream bedroom

Loft

Upstream bedroom

1 bathroom

Bathroom

Bathtub or shower · Toilet

Spaces

Porch or lanai
Kitchen
Dining Area

About this property

What makes you happy?

Looking for a tranquil place in the woods? Located on the Blue Mountain in rural pennsylvania a short walk downhill from the Appalachian Trail, this cozy little cottage invites you to sit down on the porch and listen to the creek burble. There's hiking, biking, fishing, canoeing, bird-watching, sight-seeing, but maybe you just want to relax and do nothing other than lie around chatting or reading. Either way, this is the place for you. All the amenities of home are here so you can drive up and instantly make yourself very much at home.

*Smoking is not permitted on or around the property.*

Note: GPS will get you only as far as the mailbox. The cottage is 3/4 of a mile down a winding single-lane dirt road and across a creek from Route 183.

Your vacation is more than an investment of money; it's an investment of your time and hopes. We take your investment very seriously. We want you to be delighted.

The cottage has a stone fireplace in the living room with firewood and kindling provided, AM/FM tuner, DVD/BluRay/CD player with iPod port, 22” flat screen TV, basic cable, and wifi. There are plenty of board games and a wonderfully eclectic library.

The kitchen is fully equipped with everything you need: electric stove, microwave, toaster, drip coffee maker, crockpot, full fridge, cooking utensils, pots and pans, flatware, dishes, glasses, and cups.  Basic staples like ketchup, mustard, mayo, butter, sugar, flour, olive oil, vinegar and spices are all onhand; not enough to make 17 dozen cookies or roast a horse, but enough to get you by for a week that you don't need to worry about the little stuff. A vintage, hand-cranked coffee grinder is just the thing for a home-brewed coffee to greet everyone if you're the first one up in the morning. Alas, there is no dishwasher. On the shelf to the right of the fireplace is a 3-ring binder of instructions on how to work basic home utilities (TV, cable, wifi password, thermostats, trash, etc) along with a long list of local attractions and activities, and map to the Secret Swing.

There are two bedrooms, each with a queen bed. The low-ceiling loft has a queen and a single bed. Bed linens, blankets, and an army troop of bath towels provided. There’s both a full size washer and clothes dryer.

The cottage is fully insulated, is warmed and cooled by a heat pump, and has individually controlled electric baseboard heat in every room.

Cabella's Sporting Goods is just 12 miles away.

Lancaster County Amish country is 40 miles or less.

Cottage is 163 miles from Washington DC, 130 miles from NYC, and 92 miles from Philadelphia. 82 miles from Gettysburg is 82 miles away, Knoebel's Amusement Resort is 30 miles away, and Hershey Park is 35 miles away.

Maps, brochures, and a custom-made notebook list hundreds of local activities, adventures, and amusements.

Much of the furniture was made by local craftspeople. The slab for the live-edge kitchen table, for example, is from a pin oak that was felled in Tulpehocken Twp by a pair of sibling sawyers, then kiln-dried for many months, planed, and finished by a furniture maker in Myerstown.

The cottage is 2½ miles north of the intersection of Routes 78 and 183 and about a mile from the Berks/Schuylkill County border.

Property manager

Mike Najarian
Premier Host
Premier Host

Languages

English, German

Amenities

Kitchen
Washer
Dryer
Pet-friendly
Free WiFi
Air conditioning

House Rules

Check in after 9:00 AM
Minimum age to rent: 18
Check out before 7:00 PM

Children

Children allowed: ages 0-17

Events

Events allowed: family gatherings, birthday parties, weddings

Pets

Pets allowed: limit 3 total

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Damage and incidentals

You will be responsible for any damage to the rental property caused by you or your party during your stay.

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Parties and events (including family gatherings, birthday parties and weddings) are allowed on site; maximum attendees: 10

We should mention

A car is required for transportation to and from this property

About the area

Bethel

Located in Bethel, this cottage is near theme parks and in the mountains. Koziar's Christmas Village and Conrad Weiser Homestead are cultural highlights, and some of the area's attractions include Berks Lanes and Slick Willy's Karts & Eats. Traveling with kids? Consider Reading Public Museum, or check out an event or a game at FirstEnergy Stadium. Water tubing and rafting offer great chances to get out on the surrounding water, or you can seek out an adventure with mountain climbing and hiking nearby.

What's nearby

  • Vraj Temple - 9 min drive
  • Ghost Town Gulch - 12 min drive
  • Mountain Springs Arena - 13 min drive
  • Koziar's Christmas Village - 16 min drive
  • Yuengling Brewery and Museum - 27 min drive

Getting around

  • Reading, PA (RDG-Reading Regional) - 27 min drive

Restaurants

  • Dunkin' - 12 min drive
  • McDonald's - 12 min drive
  • Lake Wynonah Lodge - 17 min drive
  • Trainers Midway Diner - 7 min drive
  • Kauffman's Bar-B-Que Chicken - 10 min drive

Reviews

5

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
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Rating 5 - Excellent. 128 out of 132 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Good. 3 out of 132 reviews" "
Rating 3 - Okay. 0 out of 132 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Poor. 1 out of 132 reviews" "
Rating 1 - Terrible. 0 out of 132 reviews" "

4.9/5

Cleanliness

5/5

Check-in

5/5

Communication

5/5

Location

5/5

Listing accuracy

Reviews

5/5 Excellent

Karen V.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Our Happy Place
Another awesome stay…cozy cabin with everything you need right there! 4th time roasting marshmallows in the best fireplace! Wonderful family get away!!! Thanks Mike!
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024

5/5 Excellent

Lori V.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
The perfect woodland retreat!
I knew as soon as we walked into this cabin that we were going to have the best week, and I was not wrong! The host made this property so incredibly inviting and covered every little detail that you could possibly imagine. I’m going to miss waking up to an amazing mountain sunrise every morning but I will not hesitate to book this property again.
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2023

5/5 Excellent

Jo S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Wonderful cabin on Blue Mountain
Very relaxing stay with a fully equipped cabin. Mike is an exceptional host. We are coming back next year to the place at the top of the hill. Can't wait! We all relaxed and enjoyed ourselves.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023

5/5 Excellent

Heidi C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
A beautiful and quiet cabin stay
We had a lovely weekend at the cabin! From the beautiful views to the crackling fireplace and fire pit to the cozy beds and antiques decor, we had a fantastic time! Everything was perfect and there were so many personal additions that really made our stay memorable!
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

5/5 Excellent

Christina B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Cabin in the woods
Must pay attention to his directions. Sits off the road about .8th of a mile. The dirt road was tight also turns. You had to look on the tree’s for the maple left there was two !! House was up on the hill. So let’s talk about the two bedroom/ loft . It was so cute it felt like home away from home they had EVERYTHING you can think of. They have a notebook giving you your do’s and don’t and if the power goes out. Plenty of towels and blankets full kitchen! Has a fire pit ! We have been looking around didn’t see any bears lol. They had a lot of books and games . We only stayed two day wish it was longer. Everything was great didn’t have to call the whole weekend!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

About the host

Hosted by Mike Najarian

Host profile image
Except for a short stint in Germany, I've lived my entire life in northern Berks County: first on a goat farm, then in a one-room schoolhouse in the village of Fetherolfsville (population 7!), and now in a nearby cottage elsewhere on the mountain.

Why they chose this property

Before you book, I'll send you detailed information on the amenities on hand, more photographs, a 14 page description of different activities in the area, a list of local grocery stores, and some restaurant suggestions. The blue binder in the cabin has even more information so that everything is covered. But that also means online payment is disabled. The folks that run Homeaway/VRBO have now decided that you should have less than a day to peruse this info. Guests really appreciate all this extra info and may take their time to read it before deciding whether or not they'd like to book. An alternative online payment method is available.

What makes this property unique

Peace. Quiet. Worry-free vacation. Everything is taken care of and ready for you. You'll feel your worries melt away and begin relaxing even just driving down the lane that leads to the cottage. But if you're looking for family fun and adventure, it's right around the corner. As one guest said, "You're in the middle of nowhere but next to everything."

Languages:

English, German

Premier Host

Premier Host
They consistently provide great experiences for their guests
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