We were supposed to go to Palm Springs in April but the kids weren’t vaccinated yet and we also realized we weren’t ready for an airplane trip with kids and a dog in tow. Instead we decided that there is still so much close to Seattle that we want to see and if there is ever a year to do it, this is it. So the Olson Kundig tiny homes at the Sagecliff Resort and Spa (which you might also know as Caveb Inn, I think the name changed recently but the winery is still called Caveb) have been on my radar for a while. I came across many designs by Olson Kundig when we built our cabin in Snoqualmie Pass and I love the way this architect makes you feel like you are outdoors while you are inside. So I wanted to try and stay at the tiny homes and you can book directly through the Sagecliff Resort website which is how we booked, but I also noticed that you can book some of these tiny homes through Vacasa, Airbnb or VRBO too.
And how gorgeous are these Olson Kundig Tiny Homes?
I love the modern, industrial design of these tiny houses and they are perched on a bluff above the vinyards so they are gorgeous to look at too. From some of them you can see the Gorge where there are usually almost-nightly concerts at the Gorge Ampitheatre in the summer months and the weather is oh so hot.
When we visited there were no concerts but the winery was open so it was busier than I expected but still fairly empty. It was difficult to choose which tiny home to stay in (and we are more limited because not all of them allow pups) but I think you might get a better view from the ones in the front and the ones with higher numbers. April and May also seem like good months to visit. When we went, the days were warm but not too warm and the nights were chilly but not usually too snowy. But we were actually slightly delayed in our trip because of one last April snowstorm in Snoqualmie Pass.
The whole front of these Olson Kundig tiny homes are glass and I thought privacy might be an issue but they are spaced in a way where you aren’t directly looking at any neighbor. The one we stayed in had electronic shades that covered all the windows and I would love to install them in my house because they were so easy to use too. The kids liked that they could see all the stars from their pull out sofa bed at night. I liked having a kitchen and dining table for easy in room meals. And we were able to bike from our doorstep to the biking trailhead or walk to the winery so it felt really convenient to not have to use a car.
Hiking, biking near the Sagecliff Resort
We were here for biking and hiking but we also wanted to see the petrified wood at the Gingko Petrified Wood State Park. We went to both the Forest Interpretive Center (which was closed when we were there but we could walk around it) and the Interpretive Trail a little further away. The Interpretive Center has a gorgeous view and we even saw a mountain goat peering down at us when we went down to the Wanapum Recreation Area. The Interpretive trail has a cool solar powered eletricical vehicle charger in its parking lot and we spent a short time wandering the trail to see the different petrified wood specimens on display.
For biking we just did the bike trail near the pool at the Sagecliff resort. The drop-in for this bike trail is quite steep and I’m still a bit wary of my guys on trails like this-we walked our bikes down the first 5-10 minutes of the trail until we got to where the trail flattened out. I’m not sure how I would do this with younger kids but for my 12 year old guys this was a fun biking adventure. These trails are also hikeable and we saw a few families hiking in this area too.
Things we pack when we stay in places like the Tiny Homes
The tiny home we stayed in had a kitchen so we brought things like pasta and sauce, bread and cheese for grilled cheese, yogurt and cereal for breakfast and fruit and vegetables. I knew there would be a stove but I couldn’t tell from the picture if there was going to be an oven (there wasn’t but you could probably make a frozen pizza in the toaster oven) and there was even a washer and dryer which we weren’t expecting at all. This tiny home was quite well stocked with spices and olive oil and vinegar and most of the house rentals we’ve been to this year have had these things too. I usually pack a small container of olive oil or butter if I think we might need these things to cook are meals because the one time you don’t bring it is usually the one time you need it. We don’t cook fancy meals when we travel, mostly taco or burrito nights, veggie burgers (this is where keeping extra chick fil a sauces and ketchups come in handy), hot dogs, soup and salad and easy breakfast items and then we order out (or go out) for other things if they are available.
And would we stay in the Olson Kundig tiny homes at the Sagecliff Resort again?
Ultimately this stay more than exceeded my expectations of what it was going to be like staying in one of these tiny homes that I had hyped up so much in my head. I think my family really appreciated being able to be in such a beautiful area in a way that felt like we were enjoying the outside even on the inside of these homes. We were lucky for good weather and the wifi was strong here so we were able to watch movies, play video games and keep connected with work too. With the hiking, biking and scenery we all felt like three nights here was a good amount of time and we all thought we would like to come back again.
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
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