Quiet Waters at Natural Bridge

I was pretty impressed with this place! It was spacious, quiet,had a wonderful view and the hot tub had some powerful jets!!We had three families staying at the same time and there at least two beds to spare in every room. Not to mention the three couches down stairs.The place had some of its own board games so the kids got to learn a few new games like pool, mancula, and apples to apples. There was a fire pit,hot tub, and a pretty nice grill out side. The whole place was built on a ledge that overlooked the tree filled hills of the red river gorge region . There was also a huge wrap around porch. It was cool but be careful leaning on the edge there might be a few places it's weak. Draw backs... there really weren't many. The first draw back was the place is set up a long steep stairway. It looks small until you are trying to bring your groceries and suit cases up it. Still it's not a big deal if you aren't elderly. The other draw back was the shower, it had a little mold in the corners but over all it was a spacious bathroom with towels and working facilities. We have decided we will be returning to this place and we hope it will be as great as this weekend!

Jonathan is the owner and very pleasant to work with. My friend and I had planned to stay at Hunter's rest cabin, another place he owned. When we got there after our 4 hour drive, we learned it wasn't ready due to hot water issues. Visually,we weren't too impressed. It was much smaller than I had imagined. It was raining and dreary. The cabin is placed atop of an old shower station I think - almost like a place a non-electric camping ground would have where guests would utilize. There were old shower stall(s), a toilet, and washing machine below that seemed rather dingy. Inside the cabin, there was a tub, and clean toilet. I don't think they imagined the door to the lower portion would be open for guests to see. Because of that, It did not appear to be worth $115 per night. We paid $25 for early check in but the rep (Glenda) said she wasn't sure if it'd be done since someone was driving 20 minutes into town to get this valve they needed. So, we drove 30 minutes back to a city near Louisville to hang out for few hours to see if they could fix it. I spoke with Jonathan who was very pleasant. He offered to find us another place but it was a holiday weekend and the odds were slim. So he offered to have us come back another weekend for free. Ok, not ideal but stuff happens. We ended up staying in Cinci for the night and it was a blast as well. I always try to make the most out of any situation.On our second attempt back, we stayed at the Chalet and it was a great experience. I did see some ants, but c'mon, it's a cabin. Nothing to worry about. Hot tub was clean. Bed was ok because I didn't expect a tempurpedic mattress either. Perfect for two people. The only surprise was I wasn't expected it to be a part of a 'compound' of cabins. I had heard it was close to other cabins and 'grouped.', but upon arrival, I saw that it was all interconnected. I guess to me, I thought 'grouped' meant it was separated by more than 100 feet. There is cabin called the tree house up the hill placed all in it's own that looked amazing. If you have a extreme heart condition or physical limitation, I do no recommend the tree house unless you plan to rarely leave the premises during your stay. Essentially, there is 1 large cabin that houses 12 people next to you and they could (if they wanted) look out their window and patio and see everything you're doing in your patio area. I could tell there were bamboo sticks they put up trying to block it out, but you could still through them. I'm not too gun shy, but for those who are, this may be important to you. A couple of other things to note if you'd like specifics:I loved the octagon patio. I think there were 30-40 steep steps up to our cabin. Close to natural bridge site seeing area. So many places to see near the Gorge so you won't be disappointed. Lots of families around. There's a lake nearby where you can rent kayaks and a pseudo swim hole near the highway over-ramp. whuh? That's right, near the over-ramp. Looked a bit sketch but it's there if you're interested. They had clean sheets and clean pillows. Bring your own sharp cooking knife if you need it. Fridge (medium size and not a full fridge) gets cool the day after you put your food in it. Dish soap and bathroom soap was definitely watered down. We used it all up in 3 days. Maybe Jonathan was in hurry to get the place ready? No fan in the bathroom in case you or your guest tend to stink things up. Some cob webs but not a big deal to me. Charbroil Brand grill is kind of old but did the job. I closed it one night after cooking a steak and re-opened it to find a tiny mouse staring at me as if I was in his domain. I thought it was funny and wasn't a big deal. If you do think this is a big deal, then I think your standards for a cabin in the woods [with garbage pick up included] is much higher than mine.I recommend this place. I look forward to going back. Thanks, Jonathan!

While staying at Quiet Waters for an interview with Jonathan Hicks. I was asked to assist with laundry. I ended up picking up BED BUGS from either the laundry rooms or the cabin. I noticed they use a tennis ball with Lavender Oil for fabric softener. Lavender Oil is used to keep bed bugs away! I also noticed mattress covers wrapped in plastic. This was a red flag and unfortunately I ignored being so excited to have this opportunity.I still accepted the position not knowing how bad the bed bugs were!I moved there in August 2020 where I AGAIN picked up bed bugs. They were even in my car and the rental trailer I leased. I purchased pesticide and worked very hard to get rid of the bed bugs. I am highly sensitive and allergic to bed bugs. I was bitten inside the cabins when cleaning.I tried to come to some kind of agreement for preventative measures with Johnathon Hicks. He had my internet connection turned off then pretended he didn't. Even telling me to unplug and reboot KNOWING it was disconnected. I was 16 miles off the grind all alone with no connection.I had to drive in town to make a call to him. He told me to call their advocate Sharon Keefe to talk the issue over regarding the bed bugs. He told me to call her that day bc she was leaving for vacation the next day. He told me to go back home and unplug to see if I would have a connection. Again, while he ALREADY knew he had it turned off.So I went back to town to call Sharon when he sent a text saying he knew Sharon already left for vacation and they hired someone else! I have NEVER known any employer who would be this cunning and DECEITFUL. Why not just tell me instead of lying and having me run around. He did it on purpose! What immaturity! I was devastated! I had to move again after uprooting my life for this job! I moved back and ever since been fighting bed bugs since August 2020! I have now lost 3 beds and couches and so much more. Jonathon Hicks has denied any issues with bed bugs and completely ignores me.I now have a visible manifestation of the bed bugs. They have spread from the basement (where my br is) to the upstairs.BEWARE of bed bugs and take preventative measures. They do not effect everyone the same. But with people like me who are very allergic are tormented by bites.

Jonathan Hicks owns several cabins that are grouped together at Natural Bridge State park. He was helpful; he is the kind of owner who comes to get the trash himself, I like that.My wife and I stayed in the Tree House Cabin which is secluded from the rest of them. The cabin is great for a couple in reasonable shape, you might rethink taking a large cooler since you will climb a couple hundred stairs up the side of a steep hill to get to the cabin. Things that aren't currently included in the web listing: There is nice outdoor fire ring. The indoor fireplace is gas. There is a TV with DVD.There is WiFi available but no phone service. You will need to climb a ladder to get to the bed. If you are expecting a large, house style rental then you will be disappointed. This is a cabin in the woods. It is small and rustic but it has everything you need.

Bed bugs -- Beware! We were so disappointed to discover bed bugs in the Chalet, and we were forced to cancel a 3-night, special weekend away. We had booked online over a month in advance, and we were really excited about visiting the Red River Gorge. We were fully refunded, without any problem, the following day--we took that as Jonathan's acknowledgment of the bed bug problem. Upon our arrival, it became evident that there were unwanted residents in this small cabin near the Red River Gorge. We had carried our belongings up the 3 flights of stairs (about 30 steps), only to discover that the heat was--strangely--turned up to about 120 degrees. We couldn't even breathe and only 2 windows would open, so it was slow to cool down to a reasonable temperature. That should have alerted us that something serious was amiss. (Jonathan told us the thermostat was broken, but it appears he had removed it in order to set the heat above the thermostat's allowed maximum.) Then we inspected the beds. The mattress on the lower level had clear evidence of bed bugs, along all the seams! In fact, all over the mattress. The mattress upstairs looked cleaner, and Jonathan denied that they had ever had that problem there. He proposed that he would move out the bed that looked worse, and move down the cleaner bed from the loft. That seemed a very odd offer, at about 9:00 p.m. and did not seem an acceptable solution. There was fake leather furniture in the sitting area, and no way to inspect that for bedbugs, so we knew we wouldn't relax at all. Also the whole place is built of unfinished wood planks, giving bed bugs innumerable cracks and crevices in which to hide... So we had to leave. The name of the place, Quiet Waters Retreat, had sounded so great to us. But in fact, the cabin is surrounded by deck, not woods. The chalet has other cabins immediately adjacent to it on 3 sides. Very little privacy. More like Manhattan than our own urban home. There was a hot tub as advertised, but it was right by the stairs leading to other cabins. Also it smelled of mildew, was filled with debris, and a very faded sign posted by it read, "This hot tub does not meet health department standards. Enter at your own risk." We were so disappointed, because we have teenagers and this was to be a special weekend for us, a rare event. It was clear that Jonathan was aware of the problem, but had not informed us. So we not only lost our chance to get away, we spent a lot on gas, schlepped all our stuff, and had to drive 6 hours round trip for NOTHING. We couldn't find an alternative (not even a hotel in Lexington) on such short notice, due to the Veterans Day holiday weekend--everything was fully booked. So we ended up driving back home. VERY discouraging.