Tips – How to Have a Cozy Cabin Getaway
“Oh, the weather outside is frightful! But a cozy cabin in the woods is delightful!” is my rendition of a classic holiday song to get you excited to have the coziest cozy cabin experience. Since I live on the California coast, nothing is better than having a weekend retreat to the mountains. In 2021, I took advantage of an early snowfall to have a cabin escape and feel hygge to the max with a fire, hot chocolate, and warm socks. Often I look for things to do in a destination, but during this trip, I realized that the cabin was the experience! And like always, I want to share ideas to help you have the best cozy cabin getaway.
Keep reading for my tips on booking a cabin, what to bring, and how to embrace the cozy lifestyle. Let’s get into it.
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Tip 1: Get the Cozy Cabin – Where to Look and What to Look For
The first step to having a cozy cabin getaway is booking the cabin! Here are a few suggestions of where to look and what to look for in a place. If you feel like I missed anything, please add to the comments at the bottom of this post.
Where to Look:
- Airbnb: Make sure to filter by “place to yourself” and other requirements that you desire from the section below. Here’s a link to the exact place we stayed in Truckee.
- VRBO: Also, be sure to filter for your desired requirements.
- Destination Cabins: Do a google search for rental cabins in your desired destination. Sometimes there are local cabin rental companies and may not list on Airbnb or VRBO.
- A note on FlipKey: I recently had a terrible experience with FlipKey in terms of getting a refund on a rental during the California wildfires. Eventually, we did get the refund, but it was an absolute battle. For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend them.
What to Look For:
In addition to the aesthetics cabin (exposed wood) and exterior cuteness, take a look at the following items for
- Location: Consider if a high-clearance vehicle is required to get to the cabin and how far it is from other activities you might be doing (or simply how far the nearest town/grocery store is).
- Woodburning Stove or Fireplace: Although you can have a lovely experience without a fire, I think a fire takes the coziness to the next level.
- Kitchen: Make sure the rental comes with what you need to make meals or warm beverages! I like to cook delicious vegan and vegetarian meals while traveling, so I make sure there is a FULL kitchen… only having a microwave is not enough for my meals!
- Hot Tub: For me, a hot tub is a nice addition but not a requirement.
- Wifi: Cabins do not always have wifi! No wifi might not be a bad thing if you’re trying to unplug entirely, but it’s better to know before going.
And finally, READ SOME REVIEWS to ensure you know what surprised other guests. For the cabin pictured, we needed to bring additional wood and knew there would be no strong wifi. Also, it would be a 10-15 minute drive outside Truckee, so going into town for a meal might be inconvenient. The description listed the drive and wifi, but it was good to understand how they impacted other guests.
Tip 2: Get the Groceries (Or Make the List to Purchase)
Part of the cabin experience is having late mornings and early evenings, which involves having a cozy meal at home. Here are some meal ideas:
Meal Ideas:
- A hearty stew that you make early in the trip, so you can eat it the rest of the time. I like this one from Minimalist Baker with the addition of tofu, regular potatoes (instead of sweet), and potato chips on top!
- Something quick and easy like veggie burgers for the days you come back starving!
- Add additional warmth by making baked potatoes or roasting veggies in the oven.
- Warm breakfasts! I forgot to do this, but a warm bowl of oatmeal or pancakes would have been delightful at the cabin for the mornings.
Don’t Forget:
- Mini Marshmallows, cinnamon sticks for garnish
- Hot Chocolate, coffee, teas – ALL the hot beverages!
- Firewood
Mountain towns do not always have specialty items for your meals. Keep this in mind when planning your list. If you’re driving yourself to the cabin, consider bringing the bulk of your groceries with you and not worrying about stopping to shop. Since we drove to the house in the photos, we brought everything with us!
Tip 3: Pack Appropriate Clothing
This getaway is your moment to wear the warmest, outdoorsy-est, cliche cabin clothes! Be un-abashed with your flannels, beanies, and gloves! Especially if you are driving, you can add all the bulky items your heart desires. More seriously, I recommend layers to keep you warm. Start with a tank top, then a flannel shirt, then a sweatshirt, and top it off with a puffy jacket or wind-resistant outer layer. On the bottom, bring fleece-lined tights to wear under jeans with SUPER warm socks.
Absolute necessities:
- Mid-Weight Flannel Shirts
- Sweatshirts
- Snowboots
- I couldn’t find my Sorel snowboots before we left, so I wore my hiking boots for most of the trip
- Beanies and Gloves
- COZY SOCKS (don’t you dare forget these)
- The ones I’m wearing in the photos are very close to these ones at Dicks Sporting Goods. They are FLEECE-LINED and oh so warm. If those are out of stock, check out these rolled ones or the other offerings by Northeast Outfitters. OR these Woolrich ones at REI seem similar.
- These Lucky Brand socks are soft and comfy. I originally got these at Costco (seriously, check out their boot socks the next time you go shopping because there isn’t much listed online, but I KNOW they have some in-store) and wear them all the time.
- These ones on Amazon are inexpensive and thick, but wouldn’t recommend them for hiking.
- And these are super adorable, but maybe not as warm/cozy. Also on Amazon
- I haven’t personally tried these ones from Bare Necessities, but I read that these have a looser fit, making them more comfortable for sleeping (controversial).
- And, you can likely find cute fuzzy socks where you are already shopping, like Target, Old Navy, or H&M.
- A puffy jacket or outer layer
- Obviously, my Patagonia Nano Puff made the cut!
- Or shop all the puffy jackets on REI to see what’s on offer.
- Fleece-lined tights for under your pants/jeans for extra cold conditions
- Cozy pajamas — do you have recommendations? Because my pajamas are severely lacking.
- Slippers or around-the-house sandals
- The Chaco Revel slippers have been very warm, with good arch support.
- Swimsuit (if there is a hot tub!)
- My go-to swimsuit resource is Cupshe
This is not an extensive list, so be sure to fill in the blanks with destination and weather-appropriate items. Depending on your location, you might need more rain gear instead of snow gear, etc.
Tip 4: Pack Coze-Specific and Activity Specific Items
Then, it’s time to pack any indoor or outdoor activity-related items. Keep in mind that you’re likely to have late mornings and early evenings at the cabin, so bring stuff to chill while the fire is going in the background. Our place had an entire cupboard filled with board games and a shelf of recent best-sellers, which was amazing! Not all cabins are well-stocked, so read through the listing again to see what is included and anything you might want to supplement.
Consider bringing:
- A good book.
- A journal for your thoughts.
- Crafting supplies.
- Deck of cards or other board games.
- Gear for snowshoeing, sledding (check to see if your Cabin rental includes these), skiing, or maybe hiking and biking gear, depending on the weather.
- Firewood – tending the fire IS an activity.
Tip 5: Get in the Mindset
And finally, before you leave, it’s time to get into the cozy mindset. There will be a lot of hustle, just to slow down and do nothing once you arrive. Once you unpack and start to warm up the cabin (if it’s not warm already), take a few deep breaths and slow it down. I have difficulty with this and feel like I always need to be doing something. If you have this problem, you can also busy yourself making the food and warm beverages or tending to the fire. I kept reminding myself, “the cabin is the experience,” and, “it’s okay to indulge in a guilty pleasure!” which helped somewhat. Ultimately, this is your vacation, so if you don’t want to relax, that’s okay too.
Overall Thoughts: How to Have a Cozy Cabin Getaway
A small cabin in the woods with string lights and a wood-burning fireplace is sometimes the best medicine. We happened to plan a trip to the Truckee area right after an early snowfall, which made for an exceptionally cozy experience in October. We found fall foliage contrasting the white snow in town and made our way back to the cabin at sunset each night. Overall, I recommend leaning into the cabiny-ness of it all: wear the flannel shirts and pom-pom beanies, drink every hot beverage with a handful of mini marshmallows, and don’t do anything except eat and tend to the fire for four or five hours after you get up.
While in the Lake Tahoe/Truckee area we did the following during our two short days:
- Fall foliage peeping
- Exploring Donnor Lake
- We went for the Monkey Rock Hike on Lake Tahoe’s North-eastern Shore
- My partner brought a gravel bike to ride around the area of our cabin
- Here is the link to the exact cabin we stayed at
What other tips do you have for a cozy cabin getaway?? Let me and other readers know in the comments so that we can all be better at having an adorable cabin getaway in the future.
Happy Travels,
Hanna
