What a great trip we took when we decided to ring in the new year at Ponder Cove. Such a wonderful, inviting landscape, accentuated by a warm, welcoming environment. Martha and Gary made our stay such a wonderful experience and made us feel as though we were the only guests...even though she had a full plate with a sold out house and a wedding to help plan for another couple. As long as they are there, we'll be back.

My husband and I started the seemingly impossible task of trying to find a speci...al place to have an intimate wedding ceremony. A place where we could get married in a beautiful setting and also spend a couple of days enjoying the surroundings. We'd almost given up and then we found Ponder Cove.. The owners, Martha and Gary took care of everything for us; the minister, the cake, flowers, champagne, a limo ride into town and dinner reservations at one of Asheville's finest restaurants. They even took pictures and video for us to share with friends and loved ones! Our Honeymoon suite was amazing and came with a beautiful bathroom and a big jacuzzi tub for two! We were hoping for something special... and we found something truly spectacular at Ponder Cove!See More

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We left this B&B with mixed feelings. We stayed in the stand alone cottage at the front of the property, not the main house that serves as the true B&B. Our accommodations were very welcoming. It is a beautifully appointed home with lots of very cute details. The cottage is well kept and very spacious. It is comfortable and inviting. Anyone traveling with a family would do well in it. It also has a small back yard for pets, just be careful with the slope! If you are looking to totally disconnect, this place is for you. For our purposes, it didn’t really work out the way we expected. At $250 per night + taxes, we felt that there were certain things that should have been different. Below are points that we felt needed to be mentioned. Most of them are within the control of the innkeepers, although a couple of the points, such as distance and maybe the neighborhood dog, are not in their control.

Distance – this place is very far from everything. The purpose of our trip and therefore our reason for choosing this B&B was that it’s right in Mars Hill, a ski area. We didn’t get any snow so there was nothing to do in the area, making it inconvenient to go anywere without making a 30 minute trek. Had it snowed enough for the ski area to be open, I suppose we would have been happy with the location. This is just something to keep in mind, since everything is very far.

Phone and Internet – There is no phone signal, none whatsoever in the cottage. There is also no internet. This was a HUGE problem for us, since we need to be reachable at all times. The innkeepers do have a phone in the cottage for the use of guests, however, you cannot make any calls outside of the local area code and even then some local calls would not go through. It was very frustrating to be incommunicable. At one point, we could not get the phone number to a local restaurant to make a reservation so we called the main house for their assistance and left a voicemail. We never heard back from them so we had to drive out to the main road to get a cell phone signal to get the number.

Safety – my husband locked himself in the master bedroom and could not get out. The door knob is broken and doesn’t work from the inside. Had we both been in the room with the door closed, we would have been locked it with no option but to break out. In the event of a fire or emergency, this would have been a scary situation.

TV Channels – there is Direct TV provided in the cottage but the channels are very limited.

Mystery Noise – The last 2 nights we were there, there was an incredibly loud crunching noise during the night. It almost sounded like a water bottle getting crushed over and over again. We couldn’t tell where it was coming from but it sounded like it was in the house with us. It wasn’t because we looked around, but it may have been in the basement, which was located right under our bedroom. Not pleasant.

Toiletries and Housekeeping – there was trash in the 2nd bedroom when we checked in that did not belong to us, which is a little icky. We also were only provided one roll of toilet paper and one box of tissue. For 2 adults staying 4 nights, it was a bit limited. By the 3rd morning, we were out of toilet paper and started to use the tissue. By the 4th morning, we were using kitchen napkins. For $250/night + taxes, we felt this was not appropriate.

Neighborhood Dog – this is by far our biggest issue with our stay. There is a dog who belongs to a neighbor but is ALWAYS loose and basically lives either on the front porch of the cottage or right outside the kitchen window. I will say that this dog is extremely sweet and seems very intelligent. Completely harmless and really wants love and attention. However, we were traveling with our intact 18 month old male dog who quickly becomes protective of his “home” and is not OK with other dogs hanging out on the front porch. The front door is glass, so having the dog sitting right outside created a nightmare for us. We had to block the front door with our dog’s crate so he would not be able to see out, forcing us to get in and out of the cottage by the back door during the whole stay. We also had to draw all the curtains shut. This dog would not leave. We called the innkeepers on the first night there and they tried to get him to leave but it didn’t work. It was frustrating to know that this dog was out there in the rain and cold while we were inside all cozy and comfortable. Where we are from, a loose dog is a poorly cared for dog, so there was an emotional component to having this dog sitting out there that we should not have had to deal with on vacation. As dog lovers, it really bothered us to see him out there day and night.

Just returned from a weekend at Ponder Cove Inn. The Inn is gorgeous. The rooms are so comfy with fabulous beds, linens, fireplaces and soaking tubs. Martha and Gary are wonderful. They make you feel so at home, give you terrific suggestions as to what to do and where to eat. The breakfasts are amazing. We took our dog and I think she had a better time than us...hard to believe. Ran all over the acreage and made herself right at home at the Inn. The fall colours were at their peak, the weather chilly in the evening and warm during the day. And it smelled like "fall". A perfect weekend for those who live in areas where fall is only a rumor.