The Cottage Guest Home is located in Canyon, TX and offers the similar amenities of a hotel with the extra space of a two-bedroom home. A short 15 minute drive from the top of the canyon and about 20 minutes away from Amarillo, The Cottage Guest Home is conveniently located near West Texas A&M University and the Panhandle Plains Museum.
James and I decided last year that we wanted to be more intentional about investing in experiences and travel, instead of spending money on toys for the kids. I read an article a while back that said family vacations create “happiness anchors” for kids. The article said that “reflecting on our happiest memories of joyful time spent together as a family can be extremely powerful in bringing relief and respite when faced with the darker times that life can bring.”
In that spirit, we decided to book a quick family vacation over spring break to Palo Duro Canyon. Our stay at The Cottage Guest Home was exactly the re-charge our family needed!
My mom had found this cute little cottage near Palo Duro Canyon years ago and we were thrilled to discover it had availability in the latter part of the kids’ spring break. For the price of a mid-range hotel, we were able to rent an entire two bedroom, one bath, house with a full kitchen and spacious backyard.
The Cottage Guest Home in Canyon, Texas is located only 15 minutes away from Palo Duro Canyon; about 45mi south of Amarillo. We dropped of the goats with our goat sitter (aka our sweet breeder) and Emme with my parents on the way to the Panhandle. (The Cottage is not pet-friendly. Though that didn’t stop a few neighborhood cats from making themselves at home in the front bushes and backyard haha.)
The Cottage boasts a full kitchen- complete with pots and pans, dishes, cups, and silverware- which enabled us to buy a few cold groceries, like milk, yogurt, our favorite coffee creamer, and some dry snacks like cereal, granola bars, etc. Amy, the owner, graciously stocks the pantry with several varieties of k-cup coffee pods, sugars, and International Delight creamer.
I prefer plain cream while James likes the Coffee-Mate French Vanilla so we were happy to have the refrigerator to store our goodies. (Even if we ended up wasting some because we couldn’t use it all up during our short stay… having coffee that tastes like home is SO worth it.)
The guest home is conveniently located near both of the main streets in Canyon with many restaurants and attractions, but with that comes the noise and lights. The master bedroom is the front corner of the house and we definitely saw and heard the cars at all hours. We live in a rural area of less than 1500 people, so take into consideration that it may have bothered us more than someone who lives in a big city.
The first night the girls shared the second bedroom and we set up Ian’s pack-n-play crib in the living room. The girls complained about sharing a bed (insert eye roll for sisters that have never had to share a bedroom), so we moved them to the living room for the remainder of the trip. Isabella slept on the couch and Sophia slept comfortably in one of the over-sized chairs.
This ended up working out even better because then Ian had a separate space to nap and the girls could quietly watch TV while the rest of us slept in. (The Cottage has a Blu-Ray player and there is a small movie collection in the hall closet.) The TV is connected to Netflix (and Pandora) so we were able to log-in and watch shows that way as well.
Staying at The Cottage Guest Home has ruined me from staying in a hotel with my (early rising) kids on vacation ever again if I can help it. Having all of that space (plus a backyard) really spoiled us!
One afternoon the guys took a nap in the bedrooms and the girls and I lounged on the couch together reading. I browsed through the cookbooks from the book swap nook in the dining room while the girls played cards. It may have been the first time I really relaxed on vacation!
Well, other than the time on the cruise when Ian and I napped together in a beach hammock between two palm trees on Castaway Cay Island… but, let’s all agree that a vacation where you are waited on hand-and-foot by Disney staff is not the norm when it comes to family vacations.
On our last night, after we spent the day hiking at Palo Duro Canyon, James and I tucked the kids in and snuck out to enjoy the hot tub. It was a brisk 60 degrees out and the hot jets were just what our sore muscles needed! We queued up a little Thomas Rhett Pandora station and enjoyed looking at the stars. Our days were jam-packed (and it was SO windy) that we didn’t get a chance to borrow the bikes that Amy provides or play any yard games. Next time!
I would highly recommend staying at The Cottage Guest Home in Canyon, TX next time you are in the Texas Panhandle. Amy was very responsive via text and checked on us throughout our stay. Just a quick skim through the reviews confirms that Amy is a wonderful hostess!
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and look forward to visiting again! (When the kids are a bit older and James doesn’t have to carry the two little ones (aka 80lbs) on his back for several miles through Palo Duro Canyon.)
You can see a video tour of The Cottage Guest Home on my Instagram Story Highlights. (Feature available on mobile devices only.)