Experience a Fairytale at WildSpring Guest Habitat in Southern Oregon
By Diane Hayden, PhD I
magine you have just entered a fairytale land with a beautiful canopy of 100 foot trees, rustling ferns, an ocean breeze and the only sounds are the leaves softly blowing in the wind and an occasional owl hooting in the distance at night. You have arrived at the WildSpring Guest Habitat in Port Orford, Oregon.
This place to me was almost beyond words. You have to see
it to believe it. WildSpring is a small, eco-friendly resort 60 miles north of California. Private and secluded, on five acres of a lovely residential forest, a bluff overlooking the ocean, with a zero carbon footprint, it offers comfortable luxury in a naturally beautiful envi- ronment. From here, you can explore Oregon’s spectacular South coast or you may not ever want to leave WildSpring! In which case there are art galleries, a lighthouse and a few restaurants in town to investigate. During the day, you can walk the labyrinth in the forest or just find a hammock and read. At night, float in the open-air slate spa, listen to the surf and watch the Milky Way. This place is pure relaxation.
When you arrive at WildSpring, you retrieve your Registration
packet and information for the keyless deadbolt lock on your cabin from a mailbox at the parking area (or you can call on the intercom for help to the cabin if you wish) – you can’t get more privacy than that. There are only five cabin suites and each are built like small homes, with radiant-heated floors, vaulted ceilings, and separate sleeping and living areas that can be divided by pocket doors. They’re nestled in the forest about 50 to 100 feet apart, with green- ery and artistic fence sections placed to ensure privacy. Each cabin is filled with artwork, antique and vintage furniture, luxury towels, spa robes and lush chenille throws. You’ll also be delighted to find a refrigerator, massage table, a 28” LED TV/DVD combo, Sony CD/iPod stereo, a special WildSpring CD, wine glasses and cork screw, hiking guide, candles and lighter. The large cabin, Annwyn, has a lovely old Vermont Castings woodburning stove, is already set up to light, and all your wood and starters are provided. The bathrooms are works of art with oversized walk-in slate showers, brushed nickel fixtures and natural Gilchrist & Soames bodycare amenities.
The owners, Dean and Michelle Duarte, spent many years looking for the perfect place to build WildSpring, and there is no doubt they found it! For years before opening to the public, the house on the property that they currently reside in was rented to Tibetan Monks as a vacation rental before they moved here – and you can feel the sacred energy that still runs through the property.
24 Essential Living Maine ~ November/December 2016
It is truly a blessed place. The intent at WildSpring is to remove you from the interruptions and distractions of your daily life and provide a serene place to heal, relax and renew your body and soul.
The Guest Hall overlooks the ocean with radiant heating and
floor-to-ceiling windows and, along with the expansive deck, tends to be the favorite guest hang-out area…a perfect place to eat, read, play games and whale watch. This is where breakfast is enjoyed every morning and it’s unlocked all the time so you can always make yourself a cup of coffee or tea, pop yourself some popcorn for a movie in your cabin or grab some chocolates.
The spacious open-air, slate hot-tub/spa is the only one of its kind in the south coast. It is in a glade surrounded by 100 foot trees overlooking the ocean. Large and comfortable, it’s four feet deep in the center and it’s built high enough above ground to en- able you to sit and watch the ocean while soaking up to your chin in steaming water. The property itself is strangely protected from the famous Port Orford winds - imagine the surreal experience of looking out at a sea whipped by 80 mph winds while your hair is barely ruffled.
Probably the most wonderful aspect of WildSpring is the
artwork. As you wander the grounds, you will find some amazing sculptures.... some playful, some profound... some larger than life, some tucked away in the ferns that only reveal themselves after they see you walk by a few times. As I was strolling through the property, I came around the edge of the pasture and looked up to find an 8-foot sculpture of the “Shaman of the Benediction” by artist Bill Worrell. My jaw dropped because not only do you rarely see his pieces (I found his work in a gallery in Sedona and was fortunate to purchase a small sculpture entitled, “Invisible Forces”), but to come face to face with a larger than life size one will take your breath away.
As for being ecofriendly – they went above and beyond!
WildSpring used responsible local contractors who understood the need to be kind to the land within their own community. They were able to place the cabins and dig deep enough for the infra- structure while only removing two living trees during the entire development. All the cleaning products are nontoxic, pH-neutral and scent-free. All the appliances are low energy and low-flow, and they use low-watt and energy-efficient and CFL bulbs inside whenever possible. There are containers to collect water and
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