OMG, I Want to Rent That House: Boulder, UT

Bedrock Homestead Cave, Boulder, UT (Airbnb): This home is a little smaller than our usual features, but it gets a mention because it may just be one of the most unique homes we’ve come across, especially as those of the outdoorsy persuasion start gearing up for summer travel. Located eight miles outside of Boulder, UT, this isn’t just a holiday home and its not just a cave—it is a work of art!

Natural caves leave so much to be desired. They don’t always have the right proportions, the right cozy nooks, the most modern of temperature controls. But the beauty of staying in a work of art like this is that it employs natural materials — a real, live rock — but it was made by man. This is a custom cave created by the owner, who lives in the attached cave home.

The guest portion of the cave is completely private, with two bedrooms that each have a queen bed and a couch, which means you can sleep up to six if you so choose in your 2022 vacation-cum-Flinstone fantasy.

Just because you’re staying in a giant stone doesn’t mean you have to live like a member of the Stone Age. Not only do you have a kitchen to use, but, more importantly, there is a grill on the private visitor’s patio where you can cook up all the meat you hunt…at the grocery store in Boulder.

Despite appearances to the contrary, this isn’t an open-air cave. The openings were walled in with glass, all the better to view the Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument. The owner describes the effect as “like sitting in a painting!”…which has the added bonus that there was no need for him to buy any art to decorate the walls. (The cave and its surroundings are the art — duh.)

Have you ever seen a more mouthwatering table full of heirloom tomatoes? In order to enjoy an endless supply of caprese salads (editor’s note: neither heirloom tomatoes nor caprese salads are included with your stay), you will have to embrace the concept of an off-the-grid vacation. While this stay does come with modern electricity and plumbing, it does not offer wifi or general cell service (unless you have Verizon and are interested in holing up in the kitchen to scroll away your vacation).

Staying in this home is like traveling all the way back in time to the early 1990’s. You can view that shelf to the left of the TV as your own personal Blockbuster, or choose to spend your evening in a jam session in the music room before heading outside with a blanket and a cocktail to do a little stargazing.

“Unique” is the only word that truly describes the Bedrock Homestead Cave, but it also is the perfect word for the cave’s backyard. Here, you have full access to the gorgeous views and state parks of southern Utah. Or, as your vacation home likes to call it, of all of their rock relatives.

Care for a dip? After a day spent hiking—which you can do up to the roof of your own house, on trails accessible by foot from your front door, or through the wilderness only a short drive away, you will be ready to take a dip in the natural pool available to all cave guests.

This may look like a gorgeously cultivated homestead, but don’t let it’s beauty fool you — you will need 4-wheel drive to access your vacation lodgings. You know that song that goes “over the woods, through a river, and down a long dirt road”? You may not be visiting grandma, but getting here is like a very gentle game of Oregon Trail, without all the dysentery and wagons breaking apart in the fast moving waters.

While there is a fireplace in your cave, you will not be required to chop your own wood for warmth. The cave home gets all of its power courtesy of the very green hydro electricity, which means there is both hot running water and climate control inside. #paradise

We have it on good authority (from more than one first name-only reviewer, of course — this is serious journalism we’re doing here!) that you can see the gorgeous sky full of stars from the comfort of your own bedroom. But when the sun is out, you can watch someone else’s garden grow and relax in the knowledge that you will be spared from any weeding or hoeing.

This house is consistently called “cool” and “comfortable.” But one other word that’s bandied about is “rugged.” We’re not talking camping in a tent in the middle of the wilderness rugged, but here you will be ensconced in the wide open spaces of horses and gardens and nonexistent wifi. Plus, one of the most divisive four-legged creatures around: the house cat. Because the kitties are allowed to roam freely inside and out, this is not a vacation stay for the afflicted of allergies, the watery of eyes, or the tender of noses.

Who cares if you have to skip out on a little Instagram scrolling or TikTok’ing when you can wake up and go to sleep each day with this view. Just snap those videos and take those selfies and save them to post later — we would never want to deprive you of basking in the glow of your followers’ envy.

The last two years have been traumatic as a whole, but, on a day-to-day basis, they have also been profoundly boring. Who wants to be stuck inside with just a restricted quarantine pod all the time? Going back to the time of the Flinstones may not seem like the perfect antidote to the Covid-era hangover, but we think it just might be so given all the reviews that talk about the opportunities for exploration and adventure here. It’s about time you indulge in another holiday escapade unlike any you’ve been on before.

Book Your Stay: Bedrock Homestead Cave, Boulder, UT: $340/night via Airbnb