My husband and I visited Lake Lure and Asheville in October 2006. Overall, we had an amazing visit! The weather was beautiful. We stayed in 3 places: First, the Green Door Cottage on Lake Lure. Second, the Lodge on Lake Lure. And finally, the Richmond Hill Inn in Asheville.

The Green Door Cottage was the least expensive of our accomodation choices. That was our plan, as we were staying in luxurious rooms at both the Lodge and the Richmond Hill Inn. We were looking for a charming cottage on the lake where we could sit outside on the dock in privacy and melt into the beauty of the lake and it's surroundings. We had not stayed here before and it was not recommended to us. We found it online and thought it looked charming. We took a chance.

In some ways, the Green Door Cottage met our expectations. It was charming, spacious and sat directly on a pretty bay of Lake Lure. But this rental cottage has several issues: (1) There was a sewage problem, that we were not made aware of before we arrived. The odor from the bathroom shower/toilet was very unpleasant, and it permeated the first floor of the cottage. (2) The rental agent did not meet us at check-in. The cottage was unlocked and the key was left there for our use. (3) There was a bee hive located in the vegetation directly next to the front door, and the bees were casually buzzing about the front door. My husband is allergic to bees. Yikes! (4) We notified the rental agent of these problems and he offered no solution. He said the odor was coming from the shower and that perhaps we could cover the drain with something? We didn't hear from him again and he did not meet us at check-out.

Also if you're planning to stay here: This cottage appears larger than it is. It was absolutely fine for us, because there were only 2 of us. It has 2 bedrooms, a loft and 1 bathroom ... but the entrance to the cottage is through a very small bedroom. The bathroom is on a different floor from the bedrooms and is so small, that if you bend over at the sink to brush your teeth you'll probably need to open the bathroom door! It could also be very charming for two adults and children, but don't rent it if you need privacy in the second bedroom. Also, if you are staying here for more than a few days, there are no clothes closets.