Alicia is an extremely thoughtful host! The cottage is super clean, and she has gone out of her way to keep it stocked with almost everything you'd need during your stay. The kitchen had many staples and appliances to prepare meals, there's great wifi and basic cable, and there are fresh towels and linens at your disposal. The photos really do not do it justice!

Contrary to other reviews, the bed was not comfortable for us. We noticed it felt like there was a busted spring our first night there, and we made do because we were staying over the Christmas holiday. Even tried sleeping on the futon rather than the bed one evening. Ultimately, we cut our stay at the cottage a little short because we couldn't sacrifice our sleep any longer. We did bring this to Alicia's attention and she was quick to get back to us with a small credit for our last night's stay. Hopefully she'll investigate this a little further so future guests don't run into the same issue.

A word about the location: If you've never been to Asheville before, River Arts District is artsy and creative and certainly unique, but it's mixed in with some industry and some "up and coming" areas. It's very safe, but if you're wanting to be in a location with a view and total peace and quiet, this probably isn't the place for you. It is located right next to the interstate and not far from the railroad. The bedroom is supplied with a white noise maker, which does help if you're a light sleeper and need to drown out road noise. The cottage is walkable to downtown, but the walk is not totally pedestrian friendly in some areas and it's about 15-20 minutes one way.

Overall, I'd say the cottage is a great place to stay if you're wanting to save some dollars to have proximity to downtown Asheville. It was an easy drive to get to other attractions such as The Biltmore, NC Arboretum, and the Blue Ridge Parkway too. If it hadn't been for the bed, I would have given this place 5 stars.