My children and I enjoyed a wonderful stay at Tom's cabin over Spring Break. The pond was a fun place for my kids to play and enjoy themselves. The cabin was clean and perfect for the four of us. We really enjoyed ourselves.

Quiet but very close to the city - cute/clean/homey

Cabin was a very cozy quiet spot. Loved the arcade machine and owner was very relaxed. You are within 5miles of beautiful hiking over at giant city state park. We will definitely be trying g to return. Only criticism was the cabin could use a good deep clean. Wasn't dirty by a normal person's standards, but if you are a neat freak you'll probably not be pleased

So much to say...Communication with the owner went well. He was very nice and knowledgeable about the area. He gave a lot of suggestions for where to go and what to do although he seems to be a bit scattered in his thought processes. The cabins are located close to town, tucked away in the trees. If your not careful you will miss the drive to get to them. Once you turn into the road leading to the cabins, cabin one will be on your left. This is the cabin we saw online and booked but when we got our email, we were told cabin three. So, we continued down the drive. Here you will find a lot of junk laying aside the road, really unkept and "hillbilly" style. Once we got to cabin three, the deck and exterior could use a lot of cleaning up, if you plan on sitting outside, know the table, chairs etc. will need to be cleaned unless you want dirt on your clothing. Once inside the cabin however, you will find an eclectic mix of furnishings and decor. The cabin interior is clean and well kept.

Easy - no problems

Nice little cabin that was great for launching out for day trips into Shawnee and the surrounding areas.

Loving dog friendly environment, we have two big huskies who enjoyed nature as much as we did . Highly recommend hidden gem escape from city .

Good

If you are looking for a quiet cabin in the woods then this is a good place. Noting fancy but clean and comfortable!

Lovely group of cabins, great property and ponds, and a great host!

Tom is awesome and all his cabins are great. I'm going to visit regularly!!!

Tom was a gracious host who was nice enough to introduce himself and being us more firewood when we needed it! I give this little secluded piece of heaven a 10/10! Thanks Tom!!

Our host were available, friendly and helpful. We visited/ toured all of the cabins on the property during our stay. Each unique and cozy in their own way. Quaint, quiet and relaxing. We will stay there again.

We will definitely be back to Cabin #2! It is in a good location to be able to get to places and things to do. Secluded, but not out in the middle of nowhere. We didn’t get to use the little pond, but that would have been fun to float around on a bit! Thanks for sharing your place Tom & Martha!

Close to lots of great hiking, wineries, orchards. Felt remote but close to town, convenient. Loved the cabin decor

The cabin was clean and had everything in it we needed! The firepit outside was nice too for in the evenings. The property was big with a nice pond!

We arrived very late on Thursday, and Tom came and helped us find our cabin. The lights and air were already on, everything was beautifully decorated, and the beds were very comfy. Tom checked in often, and was quick to bring wood whenever needed

This cabin was terrible, we have never been so disappointed. The interior smelled of mold and urine. There were black spots on the air vents, dust, cobwebs, and grime everywhere. I killed two spiders, there was a dead moth in the bathroom upon arrival, and I counted at least 3 more spiders as we were trying to leave. We cut our vacation short due to the conditions-- the smell was so bad it woke us up during the night. We only stayed one night as we arrived very late, our children were tired, and there are no other options nearby. I have tried contacting the owner several times with no response. In addition, VRBO is only willing to help me try to reach the owner, they will not take action on the issues either. I have never, ever had such a bad experience. Do not stay at this property. Do not use VRBO-- if you have trouble they will not help. The fact that this property is still available for others to book is indicative of their level of responsiveness. I have offered pictures of what we saw and have described the conditions. They will only offer to reach out to the owner again.

We stayed in cabin 2. Although we did indeed have access to the pond there are two other cabins closer to the access and although the other renters were very nice and gracious it is a very small pond and rather awkward to share. The grounds are cluttered and unkempt. The beds were nice with good linens. We had a good laugh over '1' steak knife and shared it! The boys enjoyed the pinball machine. We all enjoyed the fire pit but everything outside was grimy. Not bad for the price but a bit short of expectations.

This was now our 7th stay with Tom at Cabins By The Pond. our third stay in cabin 2, it is always wonderful, we love the ease of check in and the lengths that Tom goes to ensure we are comfortable.

property was great, only complaint,late at night dish t.v. reception was horrible,maybe clean the growth from the antenna on roof and by dish itself. thank you

Toms wooded cabin was perfect for us. I love being in the woods yet yet having the conveniences this place offers! It was very close to Giant City which I believe is the best State Park in Illinois. We hiked there numerous times and also golfed at Keller’s Crossing which is a scenic golf course on the edge of Shawnee National Forest. Loved the pinball game on a rainy day! The place was clean and cozy.

The cabin was very nice and clean. Comfortable beds and lovely setting. Close to restaurants and shopping. Enjoyed some southern Illinois wineries!

Rustic charm, quiet and homey. Looking forward to staying here again.

If your looking for peace and quiet. This is where to go.

Quiet location, very near university. All basic necessities. Owner responsive to requests. Washer and dryer were nice to have. Dog friendly.

Tom was a great, welcoming host - and responded quickly to clear downed trees after storm. Nice to be in the woods but quickly could be in Carbondale. Glad we could have our dog with us.

We expected to have more of the essentials for cooking. Could have used some cooking spoons. There were no all-purpose glasses for water or juice and no wine glasses. (Fortunately we brought some.) The property description stated that there was a DVD library (none) and DVD player which was not hooked up to the Television. We cleaned the outside table when we arrived so we could sit outside. It was so hot so we didn't stay long - not your fault. You also stated that there was a gas grill but there was no fuel for it and it was too dirty to use which was a big disappointment. The bed was comfortable and nice bath towels. Thank you for that. We dud reboot the satellite receiver which helped the television reception a lot. It also might help to trim the bushes around the dish. We did have a nice time. Thanks for everything.

Great place and location..our dog loved it too!!!

Cabin # 2 had everything we needed. The location was very peaceful and private but close to lots of things to do. Tom was very welcoming and helpful. We had a great girls' weekend!

I have a special needs son, and he often makes noise and bothers other guests when we stay in hotels. It was really nice to have our own cabin with some space around it. The decor is nice, but not too fussy, we didn't feel like we had to be careful all the time not to break anything. It felt like we were staying with family. Tom was very accommodating, we called him on day one about a few things and he came right over, he also swung by every day at some point to see if we needed anything. Cabin two has the farthest walk to the pond, I think next time we'll stay in cabin one or four so we're right on the water. There were a few things here or there that could use some work, but nothing major, it all added to the rustic atmosphere. I would suggest a map of the property be added to the website, it's rather large and it took us a while to find the pond.

The location is outstanding in regard to easy access to Carbondale, Giant City and other Southern Illinois attractions! We really enjoyed being off the beaten path and enjoyed the natural setting.