Lodging

We offer an eclectic variety of accommodations from standard indoor guest rooms in the Lodge to camping, with lots of options in between. Electricity is available in the Lodge, the Hermitage, the Treehouse, Oconaluftee, Frodos, the Balihouse, Amitaba and GardenView. In addition to the toilet & shower in the lodge, we have an outdoor composting toilet and shower. Each of the outdoor shelters include a portable potty for night use and beds with foam mattresses and pillows with guests bringing their own linen, blankets or sleeping bags. For the most recent photos of each accommodation, go to our Facebook album

Amitaba (electricity – unheated)

Amitaba – one of the many names for Buddha – is a Sanskrit word meaning “infinite light’ and represents discernment, pure perception and a deep awareness of the illusion of 3D phenomena. It is a 14×16 shelter accessible via a short boardwalk from the Haiku Terrace. It is modeled after a Japanese Teahouse, featuring a full size canopied bed and a futon with stain glass windows and two glass walls offering beautiful forest views with an open air fourth wall overlooking a small seasonal stream flowing beneath the room. It has a small portable potty for night use. Average donation $60 per night. Capacity 3 people.

Balihouse (Electricity – unheated)

This 10×12 shelter has three walls with the fourth side opening on to a large deck overlooking the river. It has a queen size bed and an additional folding cot available upon request. It also has a small refrigerator, microwave and a small portable potty for night use. Average donation $60 per night. Capacity 2 people.

Bamboo Room (Electricty – heated)

The Bamboo Room, which we recently reopened, is the largest of our accommodations. Located at the Lodge and featuring a queen size four poster canopied bed, it has six French doors that open directly on to our sun deck. Adjacent to Lodge living room and kitchen, and just a few steps away from the indoor toilet, it is very convenient. However, being between the living room/kitchen common areas and the sun deck it isn’t the most private accommodation. It is also the only accommodation for which we provide linen. All of the rest are ‘bring your own.” Average donation $100 per night.

Banana Patch (No electricity – unheated)

A little bit of the South Pacific in the Blue Ridge Mountains is the way one guest described the Banana Patch. With steep tropical roofs and sitting on stilts, the five full size beds are named after the Pacific islands of Bora Bora, Moorea, Kauai, Rarotonga & Samoa. Set in a semi-circle, each bed is curtained with burlap made from coffee sacks from around the world which provide both privacy and an exotic ambience. With the nearby sound of the mountain creek it’s easy to imagine the ocean surf on a tropical island. Average donation $20 per peson per night.

Drumbledorf (solar lights – unheated)

Drumbledorf is our new 8×12 “Wizard Wagon,” the first of three that will constitute our soon-to-be Wizard Wagon Village. With gothic stained glass windows, whimsical zodiac wall murals, a full size bed and a nice porch overlooking the Sanctuary, it is a great venue for an individual retreat or a couple. Average donation: $60 per night. Capacity 2 people.

Enchantment (solar lights – unheated)

Enchantment is a 12×14 shelter built along side the river with an exquisite view of the national forest. It is the first shelter on the left – and the most accessible – after your cross our old wooden bridge. With three bamboo walls and the fourth side open to the river and forest, it is truly enchanting. It features a full size bed and comfortable chairs for the ultimate getaway. It is also has easy access to parking. It has a small portable potty for night use. It’s an excellent choice for those seeking alone time or privacy. An additional folding cot is available upon request. It is off the grid but does have solar lights. Average donation $60 per night. Capacity 3 people.

Frodo’s (Electricity & small fireplace)

Frodo would feel very much at home in our underground stone cottage built beside the river. Stone walls, slate floor, sod roof, small stone fireplace, gothic stained glass window – you get the picture. Stepping into Frodo’s is like stepping back in time – about 1000 years. There is electricity and a portable potty for night use. It is small, featuring a twin size bed, a night table and chair and large shutters which open up to an utterly magical view of the cascading river. It has everything but the round door which Frodo might prefer. Note: the rustic stone steps down to Frodos are very challenging for those with knee problems. Average donation $60 per night. Capacity 1 person.

GardenView (electricity – unheated)

This is a spacious 12 x 24 second floor room built directly above our Haiku Terrace. It has three walls with the fourth size open and overlooking our Japanese Garden. It features a queen size canopied bed and an antique twin bed along with two comfortable rocking chairs. Average donation $60 per night. Capacity 3 people.

Gypsy Wagon (solar lights – unheated)

Our small ‘Gypsy wagon” features a 3/4 size bed and a small pull out bed for a small child. Conveniently located about three hundred feet from the lodge, it is a great option for one adult, one adult and a child or two not-so-large adults who are madly in love. It is off the grid but does have solar lights and a small portable potty for night use. Average donation $40 per night. Capacity 2 people.

Hermitage (Electricity – heated)

The Hermitage is a small two story cottage with a nice porch overlooking our cascading mountain stream. It has a small outdoor kitchen area with coffee maker, small refrigerator and microwave. It has electricity and jugs of fresh spring water and a small portable potty for night use. It features a full size bed downstairs and two twin beds in the open-air, unheated loft.

. Average donation $80 per night. Capacity 4 people.

Narnia (solar lights – unheated)

Located next to the river, Narnia is a 14 x 16 ft, two level shelter with three walls, the fourth open to the cascading mountain stream and the national forest. Sleeping up to five, it features a queen size bed on the first level, and a queen size and a twins bed on the second level. It is off the grid but has solar lights and a small portable potty for night use. It is perfect for a family or small group. Average donation $80 per night. Capacity 5 people.

Oconaluftee (electricity – unheated)

The name, in Cherokee, means “beside the waters” – a most appropriate name for this rustic shelter built just a few feet above the creek. It features a sleeping platform built into the hillside and enclosed on three sides, with a full size bed and a small deck extending out over the water. Isolated and rustic, you can’t get any closer to the creek than this. It also has a small portable potty for night use. Note: the rustic stone steps down to Oconaluftee are very challenging for those with knee problems. Average donation $40 per night. Capacity 2 people.

Rivendell (solar lights – unheated)

Named after the Elfin village in the Lord Of The Rings & Hobbit movies, Rivendell is 12 x 16 ft shelter and features three walls with two gothic stain glass windows and the fourth side open to the creek. It has a full size bed and a folding cot available for a third person. It also features a small covered platform overlooking the river which is perfect for meditation, writing or your morning coffee. It is off the grid but does have solar lights and a small portable potty for night use. According to Wikipedia, “Despite its semi-isolation and seeming fixation on the past, Rivendell was never fully cut off from other peoples or their troubles. For outsiders it proved to be a refuge for the weary and the oppressed, and a treasury of good counsel and wise lore, and was visited by peoples of all races seeking sanctuary, healing, and wise counsel.” Average donation $60 per night. Capacity 2 people.

Treehouse (electricity – heated)

Our Treehouse is the best of both worlds. Entered at ground level it features a comfortable 12×12 enclosed bedroom with electricity, heater, a full size four poster bed and a glass wall facing the covered deck built around three trees and extending out over the creek, 50 feet below. A ladder to the loft gives access to additional sleeping space with two twin size foam mattresses. A folding cot for sleeping on the covered deck is also available upon request. It includes a small refrigerator and microwave as well as a small portable potty for night use. It is the epitome of rustic elegance and the ultimate getaway place. Average donation $80 per night. Capacity 4 people.

ZenTao (solar lights – unheated)

The ZenTao is a two story shelter nestled in one of our bamboo groves. Both levels are 8×10 open air rooms opening out on to a large 8×16 deck. The lower level features a full size bed and the upper level has two bunk beds. Both levels give you the feel of being in a tropical treehouse. Average donation $60 per night. Capacity 4 people.

Camping

If you prefer the privacy of your own tent, you may camp at the Sanctuary. Camping is limited to two weeks and we normally accept no more than two sets of campers at a time. All Sanctuary facilities are available to campers. Average donation $40 per tent per night with up to three people per tent. We have limited space for van camping at the same average donation of $40 per night.

Common Areas

The Sanctuary offers a number of common areas for guests to use, either individually or as groups. These include our living room and kitchen in the Lodge; our meeting room and library,upstairs in the Lodge, gazebo, our Haiku cafe and Terrace, sun deck, Jade Mountain pavilion for yoga, meditation and meetings, the Council House with built in benches for up to 25 people, with our fire pit in the middle and Quan Yin, our massage hut right on the river. We have two indoor bathrooms, an indoor shower and an outdoor composting toilet and an outdoor shower