https://evolve.com/vacation-rentals/524370

This day has been a long time coming but it is finally here, Posh Cottage is open for business! It started as an idea conceived on a girl’s weekend trip to Napa Valley seven years ago. Once we decided to make the move to Palisade, I created a business plan. We purchased two-acre property and moved in last fall. There was no structure on the property for me to turn into an Airbnb, so we built it from the ground up. Fast forward twelve months and the cottage is finally finished.

Posh Cottage is petite in its footprint, only 500 square feet but it makes up for it in height! It is a single-story structure, but the high ceilings make it feel spacious. It is open concept with the full kitchen and living space combined. It has a full bath with a walk-in shower, and a single bedroom with a queen size bed, two nightstands, closet and killer views of the Grand Mesa. The kitchen also shares these amazing views! Although it is a bit chilly for it right now, the Cottage also has a nice outdoor patio space with a pergola, bistro table and chairs for two and a gas grill. The exterior landscaping is not finished but over time it will be and will make for a beautiful outdoor oasis with flowers, shrubs, fruit trees (plums) and grassy lawn. I hired a landscape architect to draw up the plans, 2025 we will strive to get the irrigation in and continue to seed the lawn. Then in 2026 and funding permitting, the plan is to bring in landscapers to do all the planting around the Airbnb.

I spent last weekend testing out the cottage as a guest, it did not disappoint! The cottage is light and airy both with natural light that streams through the large windows and the lighting within the cottage itself. The three pendent lights over the kitchen island echo the slant of the roofline and create a unique visual effect especially when it casts a shadow in the evening. I’m going to remember this design element when it comes time to renovating my kitchen in the main house. Truth be told the Cottage kitchen is a million times nicer than my current kitchen! The ample counter space acts both as a place for food prep and dinning. I ate breakfast at the counter both mornings and enjoyed the view of the Grand Mesa and our neighbor’s cows. You know you are vacationing in the country as the Cottage is surrounded by farms that collectively have donkeys, chickens, rosters and cows. The Grand Mesa, Mount Garfield and Mount Lincoln are visible in the distance! We brought pizza in on the first night and I cooked dinner the second night. I had everything I needed to make a gourmet pasta dish accompanied first by a charcuterie board. We enjoyed local wine with generous wine glasses. The stove top is a reduction stove so clean up was super easy. I’ve always been a fan of gas stoves but I think I’m starting to come around to reduction tops, they are so much easier to keep clean and are much better for the environment!

The living space has enough furniture for two people to sit and comfortably watch TV or in the case of Andy and I enjoy a pizza and stream a movie. The love seat was comfortable but the stand-alone leather and wood chair next to it was my favorite place to sit! The back curved just right, and the seat was wide enough for me to sit cross legged in it, something I do often when lounging at home. After Andy went back to the main house, (he couldn’t stay because of the dogs – Posh Cottage does not allow dogs), I stretched out on the love seat and worked on my laptop. It was equally as comfortable; I just enjoyed the feel of the chair for some reason. The round coffee table was large enough to accommodate our two plates and two glasses of wine with room to spare!

My next favorite part of the cottage was the bathroom and the rain shower head! I’ve never showered with this time of head and it was pretty cool! The shower was more spacious that ours in the main house with a half glass wall that keeps the water in while allowing elbow room. The shower head really does make it feel like you are being rained upon only with wonderfully warm water. When I remodel our bathrooms in the main house, I’m definitely going to include this kind of shower head. My other favorite thing in the bathroom was the makeup mirror. It was both big and had a magnifying side. I cannot tell you how many Airbnb’s I’ve stayed at that never took this necessity into consideration! Granted not all women wear makeup but for those of us who do, having a mirror that is conveniently located with good lighting and magnification is super helpful… I don’t view it as a luxury but a necessity which is why I made sure I had a good one in my Airbnb. Using the toilet as seating and placing the mirror on the bathroom vanity it was the perfect height. The mirror tilts so it will work for guests of varying sizes.

In the bedroom the mattress was super comfy, and it had ample pillows. I personally love sleeping with more than two pillows as sleep better with my head elevated. Again, I can’t tell you how many places I’ve stayed that only had the minimum of pillows and I’d then have to search all over the place for extra pillows OR in some cases, fold up a blanket or towel to get that extra elevation! The curtains did a great job of blocking the night sky and early morning light. Another touch I appreciated was the ceramic bowl that was on one of the nightstands. I used it to hold my jewelry which was an added comfort knowing it was all in one place and not likely to be brushed to the floor and lost. The closet had two luggage racks but as I was the only one staying at the cottage, I only used one.

All in all, I don’t think Posh Cottage will disappoint. When it comes to an Airbnb I’m a seriously high maintenance kind of guest and I took all the things that I look for and want in an Airbnb and made sure I included them in mine! So if you are interested in staying at Posh Cottage you can book your stay by going to https://evolve.com/vacation-rentals/524370. You can also find it on all of the following vacation rental sites, again searching for Posh Cottage:

Palisade gets a little sleep during the winter months, however we have downhill skiing at Powderhorn which is near by, both cross country skiing and snowshoeing at the Grand Mesa (also close) and most of the wineries are still open! So you could ski, or snowshoe in the morning and spend the afternoon at one of our amazing local wineries! Getting here is also easy peasy as you can take the train, it’s about an eight-hour ride from Denver and you depart from Union Station in Denver and depart in Grand Junction. There is a rental car place just down the street from the train station. You can also fly into Grand Junction; the airport has a rental car place too. Or you can enjoy a drive through the mountains. It takes about four hours depending on weather and traffic from Denver to Palisade and the views are beautiful. So even though we are opening in what might be considered off season, there are still tons of things to do… Welcome to Posh Cottage!

Posh Cottage is Open for Business!

Home for the Holidays

French Onion Soup