Here’s the thing… I have a wee bit of an obsession with all things HGTV AND Airbnb. Why? Because HGTV has exposed me to so many different kinds of homes and Airbnb allows me to actually stay in them. Why aren’t they working together? Or…are they? Hmm…
I’ve watched more than my fair share of tiny home shows on HGTV – Tiny Luxury (my fave!), Tiny House Hunters and Tiny House, Big Living. From mini houses to Airstream trailers to shipping containers to yurts…my jaw has dropped, and my mind boggled as people have made such intimate spaces their permanent domicile.
And you know what…I want to stay in them all.
For…like…a weekend. So I am going to try and stay in every single kind of tiny and/or unique home that I possibly can. Thank you, Airbnb, for making that a possibility!
Last weekend I was able to experience my very first tiny home – The Yurt at Danville. It’s available via AirBnB here or via their website here. Admittedly, I thought Danville was a real town, but the yurt is indeed located in a town just outside of Orlando called Geneva.
“Danville” is owned and operated by Dan and Deborah Shaw on a thirty-acre property that includes their home. In addition to the yurt, they also have several other rooms available to stay – The Man Cave (how I initially found Danville), The Treehouse and the Danville Bed and Breakfast. After staying in the yurt, I can assure you that I plan on making return trips to stay in every room they have to offer.
Dan and Deborah are the consummate hosts. My best friend, Nicole, joined me on the trip. I arrived a couple hours ahead of her and Dan very kindly drove me around Danville to get the “lay of the land.” The tour included stops by the treehouse, the Man Cave and the location for a future yurt. At the Man Cave, I even took a spin on an electric bike. Thankfully there are no photos or video evidence of my clumsy ride.
Shortly, after that, Nicole arrived, and we settled into our beautifully decorated and very, very comfortable yurt. Dan had invited to his nightly Happy Hour in his Irish-style pub, so a little cheese and crackers were had in preparation for beer. Lots and lots of foamy, delicious beer.
We sat with Dan and Deborah for hours sipping beer, eating chips and salsa and chatting. Hours had passed, and phones weren’t picked up other than to view a video from Dan and Deb’s 50th anniversary back in December. We were joined a bit later by other Danville guests. More chatting and laughter ensued before we decided to call it a night.
More Danville highlights…
Meet the yurt neighbors! The alpacas, Gwynnie and RJ, and the cutest flock of fuzzy chickens.
A golf cart was made available to us to get around the vast property throughout our stay. It came in very handy when we became friendly with a couple staying in the treehouse.
There are numerous places around the property to sit, swing and relax.
Dan is a licensed pilot and for a nominal fee will take you up for a ride if the conditions are favorable. I am a chicken sh!t and suffer from gnarly motion sickness, so I passed. Nicole was game, so she flew the friendly skies with our friendly host.
And once Nicole landed, she went up in a gyrocopter. How brave is she??? (I’m still a chicken sh!t)
Shortly after Nicole’s two aerials feats, it was time to head on home. We packed up our things, got hugs from Dan and pinned the map in the yurt to represent that “we were here”.
Thank you, Dan and Deb, for letting us stay in your beautiful place. I can’t wait to come back.
Work Hard. Play Hard. Drink Chard. (Or beer from Dan’s keg)
Laurie
P.S. Rain on a yurt sounds divine.
P.P.S. This a non-sponsored post. I just really, really love using Airbnb.