With our one-year anniversary fast approaching, my husband and I were in search of a little cabin getaway not too far from the hustle-bustle of Chicago.  What we found is a time-capsule gem of a place, a true nostalgic’s delight, a wonderland of simpler times: Camp Wandawega in Elkhorn, WI, just two hours northwest of the city!

Owned by Tereasa Surratt and David Hernandez, the rustic lake resort was the site of David’s annual boyhood family vacations, and was purchased by he and his visonary wife; together they lovingly restored the property to a point beyond its former idyllic rusticity to its current nostalgic (im)perfection.

I’m so looking forward to canoeing, swiming, tennis, archery, campfires, bugs, hiking, beers, and more. The property offers a variety of whimsical accommodations, including a lodge, boy scout canvas tents, and several cabins.

We’ll be staying in A Very Modest Cottage, an 11 x 11 foot one-room cabin. I. CAN.NOT. WAIT. (!) The cabin was rescued from its old location nearby Surratt’s grandmother’s home in Illinois and moved to the Wisconsin lake resort.  Over the years it has served as a cabin court, a brothel, a truck stop, and a hunt club’s cabin.

here’s the cabin before rescue:

Read more about it:

Chicago Home Mag

Country Living

Apartment Therapy

Buy the book:

This Austrian mountain-lakeside abode features wonderful, whimsically rustic interiors, grand mountain vistas, adult books (yes), bicycles, a hot tub, vegetable garden, llamas, and much more (as if there was more to be desired). Rent all this for just $728/week!

See you in Carinthia.

Those shutters! that over-sized roof hat! (and llamas!!)

Ridiculously cute fortune cookie pillows!

A private alpine lake for skinny dipping!

The closest nod to civilization is three kilometers away–a pub called Gurk.

The next closest amenity is a ski slope, Flattnitz Hochrindl, at a distance of 15k.

Sounds like paradise.

I happen to be searching for a place to stay in New York this summer while I take some professional courses at NYU for my company in July. I also happen to look for awesome rental cabins when I need a mental escape (I think this will become a regular feature topic). The former is how I stumbled upon A Cabin in a Loft on this amazing travel website, http://www.airbnb.com.  Owned by Terri, an artist, architect, designer living in Brooklyn with the creatively achieved idea of renting out part of her cool home to guests by building a cabin within her industrial loft in a former textile factory building. She designed and built the spaces herself!

Inside the ‘cabin’ (above)  has windows that open out onto the main living space (below)

Here’s a view of Terri’s room, ‘the treehouse’ (above, which is also available for rent if you rent the entire loft) and from ‘the treehouse’ (below)

Terri actually lives in the loft, too, so I imagine things get a little cozy. It definitely would be too much for my husband, dog, and myself to share the space with Terri and her friendly cat for a whole month, but I could see it being very fun under different circumstances. Alas, the search continues, but you could stay in this awesome place (and tell me how great it was!)…

rates are $115/single $130/double per night or $2636 for a month breakfast included.

Needless to say, I LOVE this concept!