A college friend and I reunited for a retreat at Ellen's place. We were both pleasantly surprised by North Asheville. It is greener and quieter than West Asheville (where we stayed for a previous reunion), and is near a number of cute restaurants (such as an upscale Vegan restaurant named "Plant" that we both loved), and is not too far from downtown. By far, our favorite thing about Ellen's place was the porch, especially on rainy days. If you want to spend a substantial chunk of your vacation reading or relaxing (as we did), rather than out on the town all the time, then the garden/porch makes this a good option. The only downside to the place, in my view, is a disparity in the comfort of the beds: one of them is large and extremely comfortable, and the other three are smaller and less comfortable. So if you are planning on sleeping in separate beds, only one person can have a luxurious option.