The Sandy River Chalet - Brightwood, OR

such a beautiful space. every detail is thought out. decorated to match its vintage style, yet so comfortable. east access to outdoors and trails. plenty of space for a big group or a small family. can’t wait to come back!

The Chalet remains a gorgeous, relaxing rustic destination that boasts modern amenities and no shortage of outdoor activities. Would happily recommend to friends and family!

We enjoyed the location and the funny 70s A-frame vibe

Pros:
4 bedrooms,
3 bathrooms
Spacious with lots of room for our group of 8
Comfortable beds, and bedding
Pretty view of the river from the back patio
Quiet neighborhood
The sound of the river with doors or windows open
The house was clean when we arrived
Basic kitchen amenities

Cons:
No internet (though they did send someone to look at it but he was unable to get it fixed during our entire stay). The connection up there is very scattered and intermittent. I know you don't go someplace and need cable and wifi but in this day and age, it is somewhat necessary.
No cable (there is Netflix but we couldn't watch it because there was no internet
The steep pathway down to the river is not maintained well. Someone elderly or larger would not likely be able to make it safefly.
The pool is NOT close as one might surmise by the advertising. It is about a 5-minute drive to get to it.
Most places have basic information typed up on the fridge like passwords/codes, how to use TV etc. They do send you the password in a text/email but it would be nice to have it available at the house as well. We were told by a maintenance person to put a scoop of shock into the hot tub before using but the box containing it was locked and we had no code. We were able to eventually get it.
Written directions to the pool on the fridge would be nice.

My family stayed here with my parents and my sister’s family, and we had plenty of room to spread out. The kitchen was well-stocked with cooking utensils and the grill works, so we ate many meals at the house (we got groceries in Portland, but there is a Safeway and a Fred Meyer in Sandy 20 minutes away, as well as a small general store in Brightwood that stocks the basics). We ordered takeout from the Zigzag Inn one night, which was tasty, and they have some fun souvenirs in the restaurant.

The house exudes quirky retro charm, and we enjoyed watching a movie in the upstairs TV room one night. The kids also got a kick out of the game room (fyi it’s up a flight of spiral stairs with no bathroom). The backyard is the true gem—we enjoyed a fire pit one night and used the hot tub several times. It’s plenty hot, and with the market lights and trees and sound of the river, it’s just magical and very private. We strolled along the river one day; there’s quite a nice path. I had hoped to swim in the Sandy River behind the house, but it’s too swift. However, we found an awesome swimming hole along the Salmon River in the Wildwood Recreation Area, which is five minutes up the road and really lovely, with paved paths through the woods and a unique window looking underwater into the creek. We also used the community pool, which is about a 10-minute drive away and rustic and charming. We had to find ways to beat the heat because temps got up into the high 90s, and the house has no AC and did get very hot inside.

We had a few small issues—several light bulbs out, one ceiling-fan remote needed new batteries, the fridge is missing shelves in the door, there were only two box fans for eight people, the upstairs bathroom was missing the plug, and a table leg fell off when we pulled out the leaf. The biggest problem was the Wi-fi wasn’t working. An employee from Vacasa came out and was able to rectify most of the issues, but the Wi-fi never did get properly fixed; we kept having to reconnect our devices multiple times a day, and it didn’t reach into the the bedrooms. That was frustrating.

Some fun things nearby include the Fruit Loop drive up to Hood River (about an hour away; we visited the Mount Hood Lavender Farm, which was AWESOME, as well as Wy’East Winery and Kiyokawa U-pick cherries—such a great day); the Columbia River Gorge (also about an hour away; the Bonneville Dam fish ladder and hatchery were fascinating, and you can swim in the base of Horsetail Falls); and hiking to Little Zigzag Falls (about 20 minutes from the rental; the hike is only 0.8 mile round-trip). We also checked out the historic Timberline Lodge, which was awesome! Really nice walking paths there with views of Mount Hood, where we found snow in July!

We had a wonderful week in the Mount Hood area and only scratched the surface of things to do. (The Zigzag Ranger Station is a great resource for area hikes.) We’ll be back!

Perfect place to get away! Has all the comforts of home! We loved this place!

Our stay was amazing! The house is beautiful, the hot tub is so nice and the walk down to the river is beautiful!