My husband and I and 7 of our friends were in the Blanding area for a multi-day ATV trip with our club. We much prefer staying at B&B's or VRBO's to being isolated in a hotel room, and since you can do most of the cooking yourself, you save money and eat just what you like! We found the Juniper Ridge Family Cabin on VRBO and stayed for several nights. It was a gorgeous house, 3 levels, with a wraparound deck and a panoramic view of the nearby Abajo Mountains to the north and all the way to Shiprock, NM to the south. Hosts Allen and Leonie Hunt are the most charming and friendly couple, and their home reflects their wide interests and gracious style. When a rock fall on the trail caused a last minute ride cancellation, Allen came to the rescue by showing us some alternate routes we could follow. The resulting next day's ride was memorable for all. The home itself is warm and inviting, decorated in southwest motif with musical accents (the owners are accomplished musicians) and nods to Leonie's Australian roots. You can even play the marimba upstairs!
There are five bedrooms (4 queens and a bunk room), and the house has everything guests could want, right down to the ready-made pancake mix in the fridge. The large kitchen is a breeze to work in, even with lots of "helpers", and the big dining table with built-in lazy Susan avoids those awkward reaches across your neighbor's plate. Access is good, with a number of outside doors on each floor, but the spiral stairway between levels is VERY narrow, and handicapped or large guests will have to walk around the outside of the house to one of the other stairways. However, that just gives you more opportunity to cross paths with the many little cottontail rabbits that form the welcoming committee, and scamper about in the driveway morning and evening!
There is a full bathroom on each of the main floors. Supplies are well stocked and the Wi-Fi worked perfectly. A word of caution - the hot water system won't accommodate more than one person showering at a time, or you'll alternately freeze and boil! But it's a small drawback for such a lovely home. There is plenty of parking - our group easily found room to park FIVE truck-trailer combinations. The owners have even compiled a notebook with extensive ideas for nearby day trips.
Our little bunch of friends had a delightful time at the Juniper Ridge Family Cabin, and highly recommend it for large families or groups, or even a romantic getaway.