Mr. San Diego and I celebrated four years of marriage this February 11th! We don’t do the roses-and-romance thing - nope, we always plan an adventure and we LOVE IT. We’ve been to so many fun places, but we were worried that COVID might make travel hard for us this year. Luckily, we stumbled across Getaway House and knew it would be the PERFECT place to have a socially-distanced anniversary adventure that was local and PUP FRIENDLY!

keep reading for $25 off your own trip!

a tiny cabin

Getaway has twelve outposts throughout the country, with one just 90 mins south of Dallas in LaRue, TX. For my California friends, there is one in Big Bear, which is their Los Angeles outpost. Most are on the East Coast, with two on West Coast and three in Texas. They all have a collection of tiny cabins nestled in scenic areas that are absolutely perfect for disconnecting from the regular bustle of life and enjoying time off the beaten path. The Dallas location has 40 tiny cabins spread throughout their outpost and each of the cabins are adorably named after a grandparent of a staff member.

What really makes these cabins special is the floor-to-ceiling window. You get to appreciate your gorgeous surroundings while lying on a cozy bed with a cup of pour-over coffee. It’s the ultimate glamping spot with all the benefits of being in nature and all the comforts of home. Plus, it makes for AWESOME photos!

Our cabin had one queen-sized bed, but there are eight cabins that have a bunk-style setup with two queen beds to accommodate four people. I believe there are also wheel-chair accessible cabins but I would check with them first. All cabins are between 140-200 sq. ft., which is small, but not toooo small.

Pricing and Availability

Since our trip was mid-week, the rates were lower than the more expensive holidays and weekends. Rates seem to range from $109 to $299, and holiday weekends seem to book up quickly. It’s not the cheapest but honestly, you can tell they put money into the cabins and the upkeep. Our trip was $119 per night, plus $40 for bringing the pups and taxes. I used someone else’s $25 discount code, and our two-night stay totaled $279. It was our cheapest anniversary adventure yet!

COVID protocols

They disinfect the cabins, check-ins are done digitally, and if you encounter a staff member, they wear masks and gloves. All cabins are spaced between 50-150’ from each other, so it’s naturally socially distanced and each cabin has its own fire pit.

on the inside

Let me start by saying that I am a high-maintenance over-packer who overly plans and prepares for all things when traveling. The concept of “traveling light” is a hilarious notion, and there is always a spreadsheet involved in my travel preparations.

With that in mind, I was IN LOVE with the fact that I didn’t need to bring much, and planning for this trip was super simple. All I really needed to prepare for were groceries and clothing. These tiny cabins have practically EVERYTHING you could need. The Getaway website has a complete list of what is inside, which I absolutely appreciated and referenced while planning.

The cabins are set up to be efficient AND beautiful, and honestly, there wasn’t a single thing I would change. It’s an Instagram dream but also a dream for the ridiculously high-maintenance glamper such as myself. We happened to be there during a rainy ice storm, but being stuck inside was NO PROBLEM thanks to the gorgeous view and heater!

Helpful Links

Since they do such a great job on their website with listing what they have with suggestions of what to bring, I’ll save myself the effort of listing the details and just post their links below!

Complete List of What is Inside: journal.getaway.house/getaway-cabin-design-whats-inside
Packing List Suggestions: journal.getaway.house/the-ultimate-getaway-packiang-list
Guides for Dallas: journal.getaway.house/category/local-guides/dallas
Exploring Piney Woods (Dallas Outpost): journal.getaway.house/explore-getaway-dallas
FAQs: getaway.house/faq

The only thing I couldn’t find anywhere was whether there were electrical outlets and what kind of coffee they sold. There were two outlets in the kitchen area, one above the small table, and two behind the toilet (don’t know why). They sold Kuju Pour-Over Coffee and I was so impressed with how smooth it was. I bought some on Amazon because I wanted more! Link: amzn.to/3tQwhwC

What Else to Bring

Aside from the obvious (groceries, clothing, toiletries, pup stuff), we only needed to bring a few things from home:

Plastic wrap and aluminum foil
Cast-iron skillet and tongs for cooking over the fire pit (you can’t use the ones inside for outdoor cooking)
Small hand towels for drying my washed face at night
House flip flops/slippers
I’d also bring a bag of charcoal next time for easier outdoor grilling

Other thoughts

Here are some other random details you might want to know if planning your own trip!

Showering: the water pressure was pretty good after a couple of minutes (it took a while to get going)! The water never got cold while I was in there, and it was relatively spacious and super clean.
Bedding: the bed was comfy and we didn’t need any extra blankets since the heater worked really well.
Lighting: there was ample lighting and reading lights above the bed.
Storage: there were a few storage areas for bags and shoes.
WiFi and Cell Service: there was no WiFi but moderate cell service. They have a phone on a landline in case you need to make an emergency call.
Valuables: they provide a “lock-box” for your cell phone, but it’s meant as a way to lock up the distraction rather than as a safe to protect your stuff.

for the pups

As if this place wasn’t perfect enough, it was DOG FRIENDLY. We got to bring Kenobi and Koufax with us and only paid $40 extra for it. I think they loved it just as much as we did. They had a blast sniffing around our campsite, and I think they loved being present with us without our laptops or other distractions. When we arrived at our cabin, we had a complimentary Smores Kit for us, and a bag of dog treats for them. It made the trip all the more special. Under the kitchen sink were two dog bowls, two small towels (presumably for paw cleaning), and some poop bags. We brought our own pup supplies, but it was nice to know the option was there!

All they ask is that you keep dirty paws off the linens, so we brought a portable paw washer (link below), baby wipes, and towels to clean them up every time they came back inside. I’m glad we did since it rained so much and the grounds were muddy. We also brought our own throw blanket for them to lay on while in bed but it wasn’t big enough and didn’t work as well as I hoped. I wish we brought a lint roller since black dog hair on white linens is super obvious.

Here are some of the extra items that made it easier for us while traveling and while there:

Travel Collapsible Dog Bowls: amzn.to/3jNBnFs
MudBuster Portable Dog Paw Washer: amzn.to/3rSICyn
Dog Collar Lights for Night Walking: amzn.to/3d9mWdy
RUFFWEAR Front Range Dog Harness: amzn.to/37bf0V7
dooloop Hands-Free Poo Bag Holder: amzn.to/2N0JSRq
Dog Seat Cover with Big Mesh Window: amzn.to/3jRnQMX

* AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE, I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES.

Note: All pups should be kept on-leash when outside, but we briefly took a few photos with Kenobi off leash since he has an excellent recall that we worked really hard on and he is super responsive to commands. Koufax is still learning, so we didn’t chance it with him.

on the outside

We planned to go hiking with the pups, explore the local paths, and relax by a roaring fire - but it rained almost the entire time we were there and it was SOOO COLD. Of courrrrrrse we planned an outdoor adventure during a friggin’ ice storm in TEXAS of all places. Therefore, I have no insight or feedback since we spent most of the time inside the cabin. We plan to go back when it warms up and take advantage of the fire pit and picnic table.

We did manage to light one fire when we first arrived and it was very convenient that we didn’t have to bring our own firewood or starters. It was $6.50 for a bundle of wood and $2.00 for the starters. It began to rain HARD about five minutes into my carne asada grilling, so our firepit time was cut short. I tried to use an umbrella to protect the fire and our dinner, but it didn’t last long. I was VERY happy that we had a stove and cooking pan to finish it up inside.