Cozied up to the wild contours of Topanga canyon, nestled in the trees, and with a stream running through it, the birdhouse is poetry in motion. A rustic spot, beautifully placed in this valley with access to nature..its impossible not to escape and submerge into our natural selves; we deeply enjoyed our stay. With that being said there are a few things that guests should be aware of to have the proper expectations.
1. To cook there is only 1 hot plate, a toaster oven, and a microwave. So if you are planning on making an elaborate meal, you better be creative (not to mention there is only 1 pot and 1 chipping teflon pan). So you have to think of it more as glamping and multi-purposing in the kitchen. Moreover, you cannot cook and use the heat at the same time, as this will overload the circuit and you will loose power. The host says she is working on this issue. (Also bring your own garbage bags if you plan to cook, they were not provided).
2. We happened to be there in February of 2019, which was unusually cold, but the cabin was not warmed up ahead of time, and even with the space heater and wall heater unit, we had a lot of trouble getting warm. So dress warmly, be prepared to snuggle, and ask the host to please preheat the cabin for you and place extra blankets.
3. When we were there, there was no hot water in the bathroom sink. The host says that she has hired a plumber, but this was not fixed for our stay. We also noticed that the shower water exits to a pipe in the backyard, which she says is “greywater” and allows for hydration for underlying soil. As an an amateur environmentalist, I don’t know how soap products in septic fields could be good for the earth, but i also don’t know what i don’t know. For me, this was a personal issue, for others, you may not feel the same way.
4. The birdhouse is a cabin-like, so expect a cabinlike feel.
With all its particularities, the birdhouse is beautiful and very much worth a stay. Just remember that up in the trees you need a different perspective.