A cabin in the Smokies with scoobie and scout

Friday, November 11, 2005

My husband and I want to rent a private cabin in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina for a week next spring, and would love to take our two dogs. Can you recommend how to go about this?

-- G.B., Union

The mountainsides of western North Carolina are full of cabins, and enough of them are pet-friendly that you should be able to find a suitable one for you and your furry companions without much trouble. But plan on checking with individual properties about dog policies; few of the many guidebooks to pet-friendly lodging offer much help with cabins.

Among cabin properties that do accept pets, some are easy-going, all-hounds-welcome places; others want a deposit, often of $10 to $25; others simply want to be advised in advance so they know what to expect. For properties with Web sites, you sometimes can find their pet policies on the site, but it is best to confirm the policy in a phone call or by e-mail before booking.

Rustic-cabin operators tend to be most accepting of pets; fancy cabins with Jacuzzis and Oriental rugs will have more restrictive pets policies.

A good source for finding North Carolina cabins is the state's official tourism site, www.visitnc.com. From the home page, click on Where to Stay, which takes you to a search page. Type "cabin" in the search field, then below that click on Accommodation, then select Vacation Rentals in the "for" column. (When I tried it, the "for" column didn't fill with choices; if that happens, go back to the "look in" column and click on "attractions," then click again on "accommodation.") On the far right, deselect all but the Mountains region. When you click search, you'll get scores of possibilities. They can be narrowed further by sorting by city.

A company called Western North Carolina Lodging in Fletcher, N.C., offers a free booking service, with some cabins among the properties it represents in more than a dozen areas. Its site is at www.mtnlodgingreservations.com.

Another good site for locating cabins is Virtual Blue Ridge, www.virtualblueridge.com, where the Trip Planner section lets you select specific stretches of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia and view cabin rentals.

The Insiders' Guide to North Carolina's Mountains, by Sara Pacher and Constance Richards (Insiders' Guide, 7th edition, 2004), is packed with details about the region. A book for planning outdoor activities is the Adventure Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains, by Blair Howard (Hunter Travel, 2nd edition, 2001). It notes that in all three Smoky Mountain states it is illegal to leave pets in your vehicle.

A Virginia site for searching for cabin lodging is at www.virginia.org. Click on Accommodations, then Cottages & Cabins on the drop-down menu. You'll also be able to sort by regions such as the Blue Ridge Highlands.

My 18-year-old daughter and I will be visiting family in Fife, Scotland, next year. I have heard there is a tour boat that sails out of Dundee for the Norwegian fjords. Do you have any information about such a tour?

-- C.L, Manville

There are indeed fjord tours departing from Dundee, Scotland, although the timing may not fit a summer travel schedule. Six-day cruises to the Norwegian fjords during the apple blossom season are scheduled to depart from Dundee on April 26 and May 1, 2006, aboard the MV Funchal. The ship leaves Dundee at 5 p.m., spends the next day at sea, arriving the following day at Flam at 7 a.m. and at Gudvangen at 3:30 p.m. The fourth day there is a port call in Bergen, and on the fifth day in Lerwick, Shetland Islands. The ship returns to Dundee at 8 a.m. on the sixth day.

The price from Dundee starts at about $875 per person, based on double occupancy. Other tours of the fjords aboard the Funchal depart from Newcastle and Hull, south along the English coast.

You can find out more about the cruises through www.holidays.scotsman.com; search for "Dundee" to locate the tours.

The Funchal is a 222-cabin, 524-passenger ship that, according to Berlitz Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships, "was built as a dual-purpose mail and passenger ship, but was rebuilt as a one-class cruise ship in 1972-73 and has since undergone regular refurbishments. Its interior has lots of fine woodwork and heavy-duty fittings." The ships guide says the "Funchal is best suited to couples and single travelers seeking a first cruise aboard a small ship of vintage character and charm, with few facilities, but at a low price."