Editor’s be aware: Every month, we prefer to introduce one in all our fantastic Glamping Hub hosts and ask what impressed them to create a glamping website. This month, we’re showcasing Glamping Hub’s Host of the Month for November 2022, Rusty and Cecelia in Oakhurst California. This internet hosting couple started their glamping website by changing an previous caboose right into a visitor house and has since added an adventurous treehouse and mountain suite. This heat and welcoming duo is at present establishing three extra domes in Baja Califonia, New Mexico, so as to add to their enjoyable glamping websites.
Inform us a bit about your self
My spouse, Cecelia, and I’ve been doing trip leases since 2011, beginning with the caboose close to Yosemite. After 30 years of instructing, teaching golf, and being an athletic director, I hung up training for building. Through the COVID pandemic, I obtained my contractor’s license and began my very own enterprise specializing in serving to others begin their very own trip leases. We’re each educators, properly one in all us continues to be an educator. As soon as Cecelia retires we plan to increase our trip rental in La Ribera, Baja California, by including three domes we’re at present establishing to the property. Life has been one journey after one other, however we love all of them.
What attracted you to proudly owning a glamping property?
Truly, a good friend of ours had a double-wide cell dwelling as a trip rental and satisfied us to leap into the holiday rental enterprise. Sharing our distinctive and peaceable locations in addition to assembly new individuals is a superb expertise. Having the ability to share tales over a glass of wine with visitors means we be taught many desirable issues about individuals from locations across the USA and the world.
Each glamping website has a particular story, might you inform us about yours?
Our story begins with us buying a five-acre property that had an incredible forest of pines and oak bushes with a reasonably unremarkable home on it. Through the years we’ve got lived by the John Muir mantra: “Wherever you go, depart the place higher than while you got here.” So, with that in thoughts, we’ve got cleared brush and cleaned up our 5 acres to create a peaceable sanctuary the place individuals can get away to relaxation and loosen up. Together with tending the land, we reworked the home into our personal Oetinger design. All the building and design work was executed by my spouse and me. The one factor we subbed out was the drywall, we hate doing drywall.
While you dwell close to Yosemite, pals, and household are likely to migrate towards your private home, so we began having a whole lot of guests. Regardless of increasing the home, we simply didn’t have sufficient room, and I obtained the loopy concept to buy the deserted Santa Fe Caboose on the town. Earlier than retiring as a trip rental, the caboose was an deserted Mexican restaurant. I believed I used to be lowballing the proprietor after I provided him $2000 for the caboose. To my shock, he didn’t even haggle. I understood why later after I needed to rent a large crane, and two semi-trucks to maneuver the factor to my property. $7000 later, I nonetheless figured I obtained a cut price. I spent the following 12 months and a half, cleansing it out and refurbishing it. Within the spring of 2011, we opened the caboose as a trip rental and have by no means appeared again. Since then, we added a 300 sq. ft. treehouse. Initially, it was for my youngsters however they like their previous rooms and so the treehouse has joined our leases. It has been an actual journey ever since.
What are a number of the challenges you face and what have you ever realized since opening?
The challenges that we face are about learn how to preserve nice service whereas we’re touring. Now we have realized that this can be very vital to rent nice individuals to work with. The best problem is attempting to be too good. What I imply by that’s; it is very important notice that issues don’t at all times run easily or completely and that’s the nature of the enterprise. Most visitors settle for our particular place for what it’s and adore it as a lot as we do.
How was your first time internet hosting?
Our first-time internet hosting was excellent! We hosted a pair from Washington DC. We gave all of them the details about the place and the native information relating to Yosemite and the encircling space. The humorous factor was, that they got here again from their journey to Yosemite and simply frolicked with us, whereas we labored on our backyard planting tomatoes. We ended up getting invited to go to them in DC.
Are you able to inform us about your most memorable visitor expertise thus far?
Our most memorable visitor expertise was with two {couples} from LA. The household got here to stick with us to rejoice their birthdays. They have been an Armenian household and immediately, I knew we have been going to be good pals. As quickly as I checked them in, that they had me keep and inform me all concerning the caboose and its story. They shocked my household by cooking us a standard Armenian dinner the following night. They have been treating us as if we have been visitors. At dinner, I realized issues concerning the Armenian genocide that I had by no means heard of and had a number of the most superb meals I’ve ever tasted. How the ladies cooked a seven-course meal with a toaster oven, microwave, and a scorching plate, is past me. Wonderful! They left and made us promise to go to them in LA. Two months later we have been consuming extra Armenian meals of their home. We’re nice pals to today.
If you happen to might have anyone keep at your lodging, who wouldn’t it be and why?
I’d like to have Denzel Washington keep. It will be nice to get to know him as an individual reasonably than a star. We might hang around across the hearth pit and share tales over good meals and good whiskey. He comes throughout as an individual who embraces life and lives it to the fullest. I feel he would adore it right here.
The place is your supreme vacation vacation spot? Apart from your glamping property in fact!
Our favorites are Roatán in Honduras or anyplace in Thailand. Thailand may be our favourite. We love every thing about Thailand, the meals, the individuals, the surf, scuba diving, the nice and cozy water, and the stress-free vibe that simply appears to permeate every thing.
What do you like essentially the most about operating a glamping website?
We love the individuals. Undoubtedly assembly new individuals! We love sitting and sharing tales and listening to about all of the issues happening in several elements of the nation and the world. Having the chance to hang around with visitors is basically superior.
What recommendation would you give to anybody trying to begin or enhance their very own glamping enterprise?
The perfect recommendation we might give is to make your house distinctive and to deal with each visitor as if they’re household. Welcome them and make them really feel heat and comfy. Give as a lot native information as doable and assist them to have essentially the most fulfilling expertise they will. I can’t let you know what number of occasions we’ve got had dinner with visitors in our dwelling as a result of I occurred to be cooking one thing on the BBQ. So a lot of our visitors have written in our visitor guide about hanging out with us, reasonably than writing concerning the superb Yosemite Valley. It makes us proud to know that we made them really feel like locals for a short while.
Our group of hosts means every thing to us right here at Glamping Hub, which is why we like to share their tales in our Host of the Month characteristic. If you wish to be welcomed like an previous good friend and revel in a really native getaway, guide this treehouse close to Yosemite, California. Rusty and Cecelia are certain to make you’re feeling at dwelling while you lease this cozy caboose in Oakhurst. You’ll really feel similar to household while you keep on this cozy mountain suite close to Yosemite Nationwide Park. In Mexico? Benefit from the couple’s heat hospitality in La Ribera, Baja California.
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