Editor’s word: Each month, we prefer to introduce certainly one of our fantastic Glamping Hub hosts and ask what impressed them to create a glamping web site. 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 web site by changing an previous caboose right into a visitor area and has since added an adventurous treehouse and mountain suite. This heat and welcoming duo is at present developing three extra domes in Baja Califonia, New Mexico, so as to add to their enjoyable glamping websites.
Tell 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. During the COVID pandemic, I received my contractor’s license and began my very own enterprise specializing in serving to others begin their very own trip leases. We are each educators, effectively certainly one of us remains to be an educator. Once Cecelia retires we plan to develop our trip rental in La Ribera, Baja California, by including three domes we’re at present developing 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?
Actually, a buddy of ours had a double-wide cell residence 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 good expertise. Being capable of share tales over a glass of wine with visitors means we study many desirable issues about individuals from locations across the USA and the world.
Every glamping web site 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 timber with a reasonably unremarkable home on it. Over the years we have now lived by the John Muir mantra: “Wherever you go, leave the place better than when you came.” So, with that in thoughts, we have now cleared brush and cleaned up our 5 acres to create a peaceable sanctuary the place individuals can get away to relaxation and loosen up. Along with tending the land, we reworked the home into our personal Oetinger design. All of the development and design work was carried out by my spouse and me. The solely factor we subbed out was the drywall, we hate doing drywall.
When you reside close to Yosemite, associates, and household are inclined to migrate towards your private home, so we began having quite a lot of guests. Despite increasing the home, we simply didn’t have sufficient room, and I received the loopy concept to buy the deserted Santa Fe Caboose on the town. Before retiring as a trip rental, the caboose was an deserted Mexican restaurant. I believed I used to be lowballing the proprietor after I supplied him $2000 for the caboose. To my shock, he didn’t even haggle. I understood why later after I needed to rent an enormous crane, and two semi-trucks to maneuver the factor to my property. $7000 later, I nonetheless figured I received a discount. I spent the following 12 months and a half, cleansing it out and refurbishing it. In 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 children 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 few of the challenges you face and what have you ever realized since opening?
The challenges that we face are about find out how to keep nice service whereas we’re touring. We have realized that this can be very necessary to rent nice individuals to work with. The biggest problem is making an attempt to be too excellent. What I imply by that’s; it is very important understand that issues don’t all the time run easily or completely and that’s the nature of the enterprise. Most visitors settle for our particular place for what it’s and like 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 data 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.
Can you inform us about your most memorable visitor expertise so far?
Our most memorable visitor expertise was with two {couples} from LA. The household got here to stick with us to have fun their birthdays. They have been an Armenian household and instantly, I knew we have been going to be good associates. As quickly as I checked them in, they’d me keep and inform me all in regards to the caboose and its story. They stunned my household by cooking us a conventional Armenian dinner the following night. They have been treating us as if we have been visitors. At dinner, I realized issues in regards to the Armenian genocide that I had by no means heard of and had a few of the most superb meals I’ve ever tasted. How the ladies cooked a seven-course meal with a toaster oven, microwave, and a sizzling plate, is past me. Amazing! 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 are nice associates to this present day.
If you can have anyone keep at your lodging, who wouldn’t it be and why?
I’d like to have Denzel Washington keep. It can be nice to get to know him as an individual reasonably than a celeb. We might hang around across the fireplace 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 believe he would like it right here.
Where is your preferrred vacation vacation spot? Other than your glamping property in fact!
Our favorites are Roatán in Honduras or wherever in Thailand. Thailand is perhaps our favourite. We love every little thing about Thailand, the meals, the individuals, the surf, scuba diving, the nice and cozy water, and the enjoyable vibe that simply appears to permeate every little thing.
What do you like essentially the most about working a glamping web site?
We love the individuals. Definitely assembly new individuals! We love sitting and sharing tales and listening to about all of the issues happening in numerous elements of the nation and the world. Having the chance to hang around with visitors is de facto superior.
What recommendation would you give to anybody seeking to begin or enhance their very own glamping enterprise?
The greatest recommendation we might give is to make your home distinctive and to deal with each visitor as if they’re household. Welcome them and make them really feel heat and cozy. Give as a lot native data as doable and assist them to have essentially the most gratifying expertise they will. I can’t let you know what number of occasions we have now had dinner with visitors in our residence as a result of I occurred to be cooking one thing on the BBQ. So lots of our visitors have written in our visitor e-book about hanging out with us, reasonably than writing in regards to the superb Yosemite Valley. It makes us proud to know that we made them really feel like locals for a short while.
Our neighborhood of hosts means every little 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 need to be welcomed like an previous buddy and luxuriate in a really native getaway, e-book this treehouse close to Yosemite, California. Rusty and Cecelia are positive to make you are feeling at residence 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 National Park. In Mexico? Enjoy the couple’s heat hospitality in La Ribera, Baja California.
Have you stayed with certainly one of our unbelievable hosts lately and want to nominate them for Glamping Hub’s Host of the Month? Send us a message by way of Facebook or Instagram explaining who you’ve chosen and why!
If you have an interest in making a glamping resort, discover out extra details about how we might help you develop or begin a glamping enterprise via Develop with Glamping Hub.
