These Columbia Gorge cabins are the perfect combo of luxe and local

By Anne Erickson | Photos courtesy of Carson Ridge Luxury Cabins

The walk-in is the best part of any getaway: Opening the door and discovering the place that will be your new home for a night, or a week. The sparkling surfaces, tucked sheets, and towels folded like accordions all deliver joy.

We consider ourselves private luxury cabins. These cabins are perfect for hunkering down and hanging out." - Theresa Regnier, owner

The walk-in at Carson Ridge Luxury Cabins is a solid 12 out of 10 on the joy scale. Because not only are the usual things perfect, all 10 cabins here contain extra surprises, details that firmly ground this place in the Columbia River Gorge. Bed frames are locally harvested pine logs complete with burls and bark. Cozy wool throws come from Pendleton, right up the highway in Washougal. Some cabins have spa tubs encased with local river rocks. Other cabins have oval jetted tubs. Artistic metal work hand-forged by Lanette Grelle, owner of Forgeress Ironworks, can be found in the cabins and throughout the property. Even the guest books are hand-bound by Portland artist Sarah LoPresti. The Gorge is right outside your cabin door for sure, in all its glory. But it’s also inside this place.

*The 'Mount Hood' cabin has every detail you can imagine - a ridiculously comfortable bed with deliriously luxurious Egyptian sheets, vaulted ceilings and massive windows that frame majestic views.*

The 'Mount St. Helens, Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood' cabins feature a two-person hydrotherapy spa tub surrounded by river rock. Enjoy a soak then slip into the plush robes for the ultimate relaxation experience.

“We consider ourselves private luxury cabins,” explained Theresa Regnier, who purchased the piece of property in 2015 with her husband Richard Albert. “We call them our 10 tiny little homes. These cabins are perfect for hunkering down and hanging out.” This is an adults-only getaway, guests must be over 16, and each cabin sleeps two. Each of the 10 cabins is unique, two of them are dog-friendly, and all of them have fireplaces and covered front porches with bistro tables and hanging swings. These cabins are not merely places to crash between days filled with the Gorge adventures that Theresa will happily custom tailor for you, these cabins invite settling in and slowing down.

“We look at our property as romance at its finest,” said Theresa. It’s an ideal place for anniversaries, honeymoons and elopements, and romance packages that include everything from roses to local wine, to in-room couples’ massages are popular. There’s even a ‘Bucket of Love’ package for folks who don’t do flowers: It’s a take-home bucket stuffed with jerky, truffles and made-in-the Gorge soap, with the options of adding a utility knife made by local company, coffee, beer gift cards and pint glasses, or whiskey tumblers.

Both Richard and Theresa are lovers of fine wines, and have built a custom wine rack featuring many boutique Washington vineyards. You can choose from 18 varieties - on their honor system. Just tell them what you indulged in when you're checking out.

This is also a welcoming place to go solo – as I did when I visited during a rainy March weekend. “We get a lot of personal retreats. I have a woman who just came and studied for her medical board exams, I have a local romance writer that comes and writes books,” said Theresa.

Do not miss breakfast. It’s a 3-course gourmet meal that will fuel whichever outing you choose for the day. Richard cooks, Theresa does the baking, and it’s all delicious, served at two-tops in the lodge or delivered to your cabin in a basket. Here’s what I had the first morning I was there: Honey Greek yogurt and homemade granola with fresh fruit. Followed by sweet potato hash with potatoes, bell peppers and sausage and 2 poached eggs. And then, a gigantic orange walnut coffee cake (that came back to my room for snacking later). Thanks to Theresa I am now a firm believer in dessert with breakfast. Life is too short to do otherwise.

*Relax within 9 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens.*

*Enjoy the relaxing hammock as you while away the day.*

Strolling the 9-acre property is the next logical course after a breakfast like that. There are Adirondack chairs to sit back and enjoy the view of nearby Dog Mountain, a pair of hammocks, a wood fire pit and a gas fire pit on the spacious grounds. I saw signs of both deer and elk on my walk, and Theresa told me that occasionally in the fall, a black bear might show up to help harvest apples. I asked who took care of the landscape “Yeah, it’s me, Richard and a few of our staff members,” Theresa chuckled as she picked up a tree branches during our ramble. She said that one of her favorite things is taking care of the grounds, and added that in the spring and summer, when everything’s in bloom, the place looks like a botanical garden. It looked pretty good in winter, with white barked birches and bright green bamboo adding glow to a damp day.

This place occasionally makes tiny Carson (whose population is a little under 3000) an international hangout; flags from other countries fly here whenever a guest comes from abroad. It’s a tradition that started when Richard and Theresa housed exchange students. They’re up to 50 flags and counting, as they continue to welcome the world to their cabins.

Carson Ridge Luxury Cabins are sumptuous in that way that seems effortless – everything you need is right there, even if you didn’t know you needed it. But this place offers much more than pampering. Once you do your walk-in, settle in, and soak it all in, you’ll find yourself feeling both right at home and Gorge-ready, whether the agenda is extreme watersports, wildflower hikes or just sitting with your sweetie – or yourself - by the fire.