Ilam House—Caanan Valley, West Virginia
Ilam House is a comfortable and stylish vacation home located in the best outdoor vacation area in the mid-Atlantic region – Canaan Valley, West Virginia. The spacious and sunny house sleeps twelve and was built for family group get-always – providing a wonderful base for deep relaxation, for exploring the woods, and for enjoying outdoor adventures in the West Virginia mountain highlands. In summer the cool weather and lush green forests are splendid; during Winter the area gets 150 inches of snow on average, and is like a transplanted piece of frosty New England.
Poshbrood loved this house because it's adjacent to the nearly 1 million-acre Monongahela National Forest and its miles of trails, which is less than five minutes from cross country skiing, mountain biking, nature trails, waterfalls, downhill skiing, and the cute and sleepy town of Davis, WV. The house and location are perfect for families with toddlers who want to explore the woods around the house, or teens who want to hike,bike or ski, or adults who want to do all of the above, as well as golf, or just read by the fire.
The house features large windows, high ceilings, bright maple floors, leather sofas, and a living room fireplace. The style of the house is tasteful and reserved – Scandinavian-styled fixtures, and pictures of the outdoors and modern prints – no tschotskes, moose heads, or snowshoes on the wall. (You know how we get about doilies, etc.)
The large outdoor deck is at ground level and you can step into the woods, or into the hot tub. There is also an outdoor fire pit which is perfect for roasting marshmallows.
The house has four second-floor bedrooms – two master suites with private baths, and two bunk-bed rooms that sleep three each. (Upper bunks have guardrails.) The first-floor family room has a double sofa bed. The first floor features an open layout from kitchen to dining to living room. The kitchen is built for social group cooking – with spacious soapstone counters, a large gas range and two ovens, and an island with a breakfast bar with three stools. The round dining table seats eight and is wonderful for games of cards and scrabble. (There is a high chair in the front closet.)
When you are not out hiking, biking or skiing, enjoy the large family room with a ping-pong table, large “Foof “ chairs, and a widescreen cable television. The house also features wi-fi, and a desk-nook in one of the master suites.
The setting allows for numerous outdoor adventures with kids of a range of ages– hiking and biking in the lush hills in the summer, and skiing cross-country and downhill in the winter; we especially enjoyed the funky Whitegrass Cross-country Ski center. Go visit the waterfall and nature trails at nearby Blackwater Falls State Park, golf and go whitewater rafting, and visit the nearby small towns of Davis and Thomas – which feature several antique and artisan shops, several nice restaurants and the folk-music magnet “The Purple Fiddle”.
Other details: attached heated garage; charcoal grill provided; house is non-smoking, and also non-pets. The house sleeps 12 and rents for a minimum of three nights, starting at $217 a night, or $950 per week mid-season.
800-624-4341