When booking direct, you avoid paying the "guest fees" that the 3rd party platforms charge you on the total "stay" price. For example VRBO has a dynamic fee around 15% that is an additional charge on your nightly rate, housekeeping and taxes! The owner is not charging that. It is the online booking company that is charging you. Save at LEAST 15% by booking direct with the owner.

SImple! You are renting an entire house which means more room, more amenities, a kitchen, private hot-tub and a home-like experience. Not to mention, up close and personal views of nature in the surrounding woods. You won't be paying the higher "fees" and taxes that hotels charge for a "room".

The cottage address is 22148 CR 89, Mentone, Alabama 35984. The cottage is located on the more private, north side of CR 89. We are on the section of the road that has been maintained and paved by the county. From 89, you will see a farm gate and a long drive into the woods to the front of cottage. We are on 4 private acres with no other cottages or cabins on the property.

Check in is any time after 3:00 PM Central time and check out is before 11:00AM Central time. Mentone is very close to the border of Central and Eastern time. If you are coming from Georgia, please be aware our cottage is in Central time.

We often have guests checking in on the same day that another guest may be checking out. The housekeeper needs several hours to clean and sanitize the house between guests. For this reason we do not allow early check in or late check out. IF we do not have guests check in or out on corresponding days and the housekeeper is able to clean the cottage then you may pay $45.00 to check in at 12 noon or to check out at 2PM.

Everything is cleaned, washed in hot water and sanitized according to the Alabama state Health codes for hotels. ALL linens including the duvet cover are washed. The hot tub water is dumped, the hot tub is cleaned and refilled with fresh water after each guest. We also use a bromine sanitization system as well.

YES! We provide all linens, towels, eatting and drinking utensils, pots and pans. Our kitchen has a toaster, microwave, stove, refrigerator, freezer, along with a drip coffee maker and a Keurig coffee maker. We do not provide coffee or pods however we do have condiments such as sugar and creamers. We also provide a 2 days supply of toilet paper and plenty of towels and microfiber cloths.

We do not have "keys" ,but instead will send you the code for the electronic lock with your check -in information 3 days prior to check in.

Yes! We have a gas grill and propane is provided.

We do not have internet as it is not available to us at this time. We DO, however, have good cell service through AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. What most guests do is simply use their phone as a hot-spot to access the internet on their devices.

Of course! We have DISH satellite in the living room and a digital TV in the bedroom for local stations. We have a Bluray player in the living room.

The loft is accessible by a fixed ships ladder which is a cross between stairs and a ladder. Toddlers under 7 may have difficulty climbing the ladder. The loft does have railings howver it is not advisable to leave children upstairs alone without an adult. You know your child and whether he/she can be safe upstairs. Older adults or people with physical limitations may also have difficulty getting up and/or down the ships ladder.

We provide a Ragalo toddlers cot. This would be for toddlers from around 2-5 years of age. We do not provide other baby items for sanitary reasons. Games such as Monopoly, chess, scrabble, Clue are in our game basket in the living room and upstairs in the loft.

We have flashlights in the chalkboard cabinet, an emergency radio with a flashlight, solar powered battery and a plug to charge your phone.

Call or text Claudia at 904-612-7542

All we ask is that you load the dishwasher with dirty dishes and start it, take the garbage out to the can at end of drive, turn the thermostat either to 80 in the summer or 65 in the winter. During mild temps you can turn the thermostat off. There is no need to pull sheets off the bed. The housekeeper will do that.

PLEASE make sure you double check drawers and closet for all items before you leave, especially electronic devices or chargers. The nearest shipping store is a 65 mile round trip for the housekeeper and she has other cabins to clean during the week so she may not be able to get to the shipping store for a couple of weeks. A 25.00 handling charge fee plus the cost of shipping will be invoiced before the items are shipped. We ONLY use the UPS store in Fort Payne.

92 School Street, Valley Head, Alabama 35989. It is approximately 3 miles down the mountain on SR 117 from Mentone in Valley Head. It is convenient and close to all the sites like Desoto Falls , Desoto State Park , Little River Canyon , Cloudland State Park in Ga and the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga. From the Caboose, Mentone and it's shops are about 3 miles up the mountain. The Fort Payne area is a short distance down CR 137.

Claudia's Caboose is a genuine, Southern Railways Caboose that was built in 1970 and rode the rails of the southeast until 1982. The caboose was due to be scrapped when a man, who owned an rv park in central Georgia, bought it and used the caboose as an office. The rv park later sold and the new owners wanted the caboose sold or scrapped. Sadly, they didn't appreciate the history that was part of the now defunct Southern Rail train car. (Southern was taken over by Norfolk - Southern) Claudia and Robert bought the caboose, moved it to Alabama, spent over 2 years renovating it so others could appreciate the unique opportunity of staying in a real train caboose. Story of x243

The caboose is approximately 290 squae feet. It has a kitchenette, a living area, dining table, bathroom and a "master bedroom". The outside has a large deck, firepit area and a park-style charcoal grill.

The caboose sits on a specially laid track section that the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum built for us. It was built in the center of the property between SR Highway 117 and the Norfolk Southern tracks about 175 ft at the back of the property.

Yes! The caboose has a ductless mini-split that both heats and cools for 4 season comfort.

Max occupancy is 4 people. Ideally, 2 adults or 2 adults with 1 or 2 children. The master bedroom has a queen size bed and the couch in the living-room folds out to a full size bed.

Yes! The caboose has a kitchenette, which has a microwave, a toaster oven/air fryer, a small refrigerator and freezer, and a double Keurig/drip coffee maker AND a dishwasher. The freezer will hold one bag of ice with a small amount of room to spare. We provide plates, cups, drinkware and utensils. For safety puposes and and to save space, we do not have an oven. You are close to casual dining spots like Tigers Inn and Mentone Market where you can pick up breakfast and lunch.

Of course! The caboose bathroom is inside! Our bathroom was one of the most challenging rooms to design but it ended up being the star of the show. The stand up shower is approximately 24 x 48 inches, we have a full size toilet and a small sink. The door to the bathroom is one of the original elements we kept in the caboose. It is most defintiely a "first class toilet"!

Yes! The caboose has free high speed internet for your use.

Yes! We have a Smart-TV that will enable you to stream your own services like Netflix, Amazon, Disney +, etc. If you don't have your own streaming services, there are several loaded apps that will provide hundreds of free shows.

Yes. We have a park-style charcoal grill. We do not provide the charcoal however the deck box may have leftover charcoal from previous guests. We ask that whatever you use, just replace for the next guest.

Yes, our "railroad shanty"just beyond the deck is actually a wash house that has a washer and dryer. Guests staying more than 2 nights may access the key for use.

When we refurbished the caboose, our first priority was to mitigate as much noise as we could. The inside of the caboose is insulated and completely clad in wood. The windows are laminated glass and we have extra panels on a few of them for sound mitigation. The active railroad track is about 175 feet behind the caboose and is not considered a "mainline" therefore you may hear the train horn at the crossing only a few times during the day and/or night. Quite frankly, it only adds to the "ambiance" of staying in a train caboose!

No, I'm sorry. This is an "animal-free" rental and there is no smoking on the property. IF you wish to bring your pets there are many rentals in Mentone that can accomodate you.

The door of the caboose has an electronic lock. You will receive the lock code along with the check in instructions 3 days prior to check in.

The caboose is not a home with a foundation however it is secured to the tracks. That said, we advise the same safety precautions as if you were in a mobile home. If a tornado warning or watch has been issued, we recommend you make plans to immediately go to the shelter in Valley Head, just down the road. The address of the shelter is 9600 Al Highway 117, Valley Head, Al. (across from the park). Turn right from school street and drive less than 1 mile. You will see the shelter on the right. Emergency instructions for various weather threats are inside the caboose information book.

The caboose is not handicap accessible. There are 7 steps to climb from the deck to the train platform.