Founded in 1810, But What's New at The Mast Farm Inn?
Below you will find the latest news and information about projects and special events. You can review recent Feedback & Testimonials from guests by clicking here, you can find New Specials by clicking here, and New Packages by clicking here.
"We just launched a major new Mast Farm Inn website devoted to gift certificates, gift packages and specials"
We finally "got'er done" as our friend Wade Reece would say. After a tremendous amount of time and effort our new Gift Certificates and Gift Packages site is online and operational. You can review it here: http://www.mastfarminn.com/giftcertificates/index.html; and here https://www.mastfarm.net/mfi-gift-certificates/index.html. We believe you will find it quite beneficial to take a close look at the packages and pricing there. Needless to say, that is introductory pricing which will more surely profit the early birds than the wooly worms. We describe it below as "benefit from truly outstanding, even astounding special pricing" and one in-depth look at the site will demonstrate this is not hyperbole. It may even be an understatement. Only you can judge, but the mathematicians among us know where we will be doing our shopping.
A Gift Certificate or Gift Package, for Lodging, Lodging & Dining, Dining, TLC (Tender Loving Care), or Activities, at The Mast Farm Inn, is a proven success as a gift for many special occasions: birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, elopements, graduations, thank you, Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Sister's Day, Brother's Day, Grandparent's Day, Thanksgiving, Easter, Spring Break, Labor Day, Memorial Day, other Holidays, and countless other personal special occasions where you would like to really please a person close to your heart with something truly unique, while not necessarily expensive.
Our luminous porches and equally sunny dispositions, VIP treatment, and a truly monumental collection of gift certificates and gift packages, await delivery to the beneficiaries of your Gift Certificate or Gift Package.
Certificates and packages benefit from truly outstanding, even astounding special pricing, are a great value, offer extremely generous free upgrade opportunities, provide significant savings, and many services are available exclusively through gift packages. Hint, hint: "From me to me" certificates and packages are legal in the state of North Carolina. So while you are there you may also want to choose a gift for yourself. If you are offering someone a gift, You may well deserve a gift. Food for thought.
Click on any of the the ssl secure server links on this page to purchase a Gift Certificate or Gift Package. They are available for immediate online purchase and immediate use. These Certificates and Packages are not available by phone, e-mail or at the Inn.
Besides the pricing and content, the site is a bit a feat of technical prowess. Not bad for some country boys, yes we did it ourselves. This new site on an SSL secure server certfied by GeoTrust enables us to offer you Gift Certificates in a highly secure encrypted environment.
The secure payment area of The Mast Farm Inn websites https://www.mastfarm.net uses Secure Socket Layers (SSL), an advanced Internet security system, to protect the data you provide. For security purposes, all your ordering information (including your name, address and credit card number) is encrypted using a secure audited server; as a result, your credit card and billing information is secure. Digital certificates encrypt data using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology, the industry-standard method for protecting web communications developed by Netscape Communications Corporation. The SSL security protocol provides data encryption, server authentication, message integrity, and client authentication for a TCP/IP internet connection. All transactions within The Mast Farm Inn SSL Site at https://www.mastfarm.net are encrypted according to the internationally accepted SSL standard, used by the vast majority of Internet payment systems in the World, including banks and financial institutions.
https://www.mastfarm.net uses GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium which includes the dynamic site guaranty seal above. This GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium site seal guarantees online visitors they will receive the highest level of encryption possible and assures that credit card numbers, account numbers and other confidential and sensitive information cannot be intercepted or altered. GeoTrust provides the highest assurance of trust to all its customers. GeoTrust maintains compliance with WebTrust, a comprehensive third-party auditing process which signifies that GeoTrust meets the highest standards for issuing and managing digital certificates. Yep, we are just simple country folks. Well, we may be country, but we still know how to rock-n-roll.
"We just completed a new outdoor terrace around the pond and it is spectacular"
Returning guest will be floored by the transformation of the pond area. We created a new natural space for outdoor reading, dining, picnicking, and just relaxing, with some pretty incredible stone work. Yes, massive aptly describes the floor stones. They are each about the size of a small raft and about 4 inches thick. It was fun. Our neighbor Mr. Yates even drove by and complimented us heartily because he can see its profound rustic majesty from his house. Since we lust in our hearts for that property we no doubt shot ourselves in the foot by seriously enhancing its property value. Or is that dropped a rock on our foot. Yes that too. Those stones are heavy. We decided that while we were so heavily in the thick of things we would also build 3 small waterfalls in the stream which runs from the pond, between the Wash House and The Loom House, towards the front of the inn. We can tell when we have done a "good thing" at The Mast Farm Inn; people slow down on Broadstone to look. On a good week we get a few thousand pausing motorist. In the trade they call it curb appeal. We sure have curb appeal. Besides being a delight which created three mini-ponds, soon to be graced by mini-trout, the soothing sounds of the three mini-waterfalls have greatly contributed to the serenity of our guests, to ours, and seemingly to that of passing farmers. This is a wonderful place, in a wonderful place, surrounded by wonderful places. And the people in place are quite wonderful as well. Who could ask for more? We recommend it highly. But you need to come to relax. We have recently been debating the wisdom of creating a few "Tom Sawyer" packages by charging folks to come help us do all this work. What do you think? In the mood for painting?
"Our new feedback page also helps us strive for greater excellence"
After receiving a number of testimonials from clients we decided to publish them online, in part so we could give you an idea of what a stay at the inn is like, but also to remind ourselves of the standards of excellence we hope to uphold at all times, for all guests. You can view some of the comments here: http://www.mastfarminn.com/feedback.html. We appreciate the positive feedback as we are indeed quite serious and dedicated, so please do tell us what you think by sending feedback. Both positive feedback and constructive criticism with recommendations are equally welcome. We also got slammed by a few folks who gave us a piece of their minds. A few of those were quite worthwhile and they helped too. But as Marcel Pagnol once said: "If a business person was obliged to present both sides of the truth, there would be no commerce". Tell us about your stay, what you enjoyed, where we fell short, what you would like to see improved, what we can add, or where we hit a grand slam home run over the Mast Farm Barn into The Watauga River. Please feel free to write us directly at the addresses below by removing the spaces on both sides of the "@"
Sandra Deschamps Siano
sandra @ mastfarminn.com
Danielle Deschamps
danielle @ mastfarminn.com
Gaetano Siano
gsiano @ mastfarminn.com
Marie-Henriette Deschamps
mhd @ mastfarminn.com
Henri Deschamps
henri-deschamps @ mastfarminn.com
"Home Sweet Home"
Today we got the snow we've been waiting for since quite a while now, and it reminded us, that often, the more we wait for something, the better it gets, and the more we appreciate it. Was it Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha who praised the virtues of anticipation or was it Kahlil Gibran's Prophet? In any case take a look at the pictures below and you may well think you are in heaven. We do. Come on up, the weather's fine.
"It's nice to start the New Year Right"
This afternoon we received the following e-mail from a guest who checked out a few days ago:
"Thank you, we had a wonderful time and have raved to everyone we know about the trip. We will most definitely be back and hopefully soon. I have actually been looking at homes up there on the Internet since we have been back. Thanks again, TD"
And then to top that off, a guest who had checked out at his regular time this morning, to go to a wonderful "world-renown" place in Asheville, walked back in the door this afternoon after having driven to Asheville, the place and back, and said he and his wife had decided to come back and re-check-in to the Gazebo Cottage, because they loved the cottage and inn so much, that tomorrow was their 21st anniversary, and that they wanted to spend it here.
Not a bad way to start the new year. Thank You to all our wonderful guests this year. You have made it an outstanding year for all of us. We know you have a multitude of choices, and you did us a great honor by choosing to spend your time here.
Below is the text of a card we distributed to each guest at dinner on December 31st which we hope adequately expresses our sentiments to you as well:
December 31, 2006
Dear Friend,
We hope you have enjoyed your New Year Celebration at The Mast Farm Inn. You
have done us a great honor by celebrating such a special occasion with us at The Mast Farm Inn. We
would like to offer your something old and something new.
Something Old
We are in the process of renovating the Inn and our hope is to make it more and
more a living museum of Western North Carolina History, Life on the Farm, and of
the simpler past. As such we have been compiling for some time now, and at
somewhat considerable expense, a vintage magazine, books and film collection, as
well as collections of a wide variety of collectables, such as vintage
postcards, plates and art, which we hope will help transport our guests and
visitors to simpler, more serene and peaceful times. We are offering you one of
our vintage magazines. There is more to these old
magazines than meets the eye. Among other things, In one there is a vintage
postcard of some value, and the magazines themselves have collectible value. If
you find the postcard it is yours to keep and frame, if you find the detached ad
for boots, endorsed by Chet Walker of Cheyenne fame, You have won your dinner and
drinks this evening on the house, or is that "on the farm".
Something New
We have also provided you with a gift certificate enabling you, a family member or
friend to benefit from reduced cost for a stay at The Mast Farm Inn. We hope you
or a loved one will enjoy the opportunity to savor the New Old Mast Farm Inn in
the future.
New Year's is also a time for resolutions:
As Jay Leno says:
"There are now more over-weight people in America than average-weight people.
This means that over-weight people are now average-weight. Which also means that
you've now automatically met at least one of your New Year's resolutions."
Or perhaps more seriously as Oprah Winfrey says:
"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us all to make it right."
From Something Old, The Mast Farm Inn, Our best wishes for your Something New...
the New Year, and a newfound chance for all of us to make it right.
The Mast Farm Inn, The Deschamps & Siano Families
Enjoy This New Year's
Eve Celebration
"The Best of The
Old, The Best of the New"
at The Mast
Farm Inn in Historic Valle Crucis, North Carolina
Your
five-course meal will be prepared by renown Chef Ed Winebarger and his team, and
includes a bottle of fine wine, and a glass of champagne to toast the happy
memories of 2006, and look forward to the new beginnings of 2007. We are
preparing a few pleasant
"Old & New"
surprises to help you start the New Year right.
Dinner seating
starts at 5:30 and the latest seating will be at 10:30.
Tickets are available at $125.00 per person.
Early reservations are essential as seating is limited.
You can reserve by calling (828) 963-5857 or by writing us at
stay@mastfarminn.com.
We look
forward to celebrating
"The Best of The Old, The Best of the New"
with
you at The Mast Farm Inn
is the first Fleet-Sharing Club in the World
composed exclusively of the legendary Porsche Automobiles."
"Three surprisingly affordable membership options,
enable members to benefit from the free use of the club's
Luxury Sports Car Fleet of new Porsches,
using a reservation and points system which assures equitable-share
usage of the fleet by all club members."
"Explore North Carolina behind the wheel of your collection
of new Porsches and discover a whole new level of freedom."
We hope you will take a moment to review the site and to forward this message to family, friends, and associates you feel may have an interest in Club Ferdinand.
Best Regards,
III
ClubFerdinand
1644 Broadstone Road
Historic Valle Crucis
Banner Elk, North Carolina 28604
Telephone: 828-963-5857,
828-963-2626
Fax: 828-963-6404, 626-608-3594
Toll Free: 1-888-963-5857
www.clubferdinand.us
info@clubferdinand.us
III
Resources
& Links
www.mastfarminn.com
www.vallecrucis.com
www.blowingrock.com
www.highcountryhost.com
www.banner-elk.com
www.townofbeech.com
www.lakenormanregion.com
www.visitnc.com
As the
new owners-managers-innkeepers of The Mast Farm Inn
we have been wondering for some time why business travelers make such little use
of Bed & Breakfasts and Small Family Owned Inns. In principle Businesses,
Business travelers and Inns, who are also businesses, have great mutual interest
in working more closely to design packages which suit their needs. From the
Inn's perspective that is key for two primary reasons: to help improve weekday
occupancy, and to help assure repeat clients. Industry wide most B&B stays are
weekend stays and this assures a relatively inefficient use of facilities often
idle mid-week. From the businesses and travelers perspective we believe the
"rest experience" is by far superior and more homelike in an Inn setting than is
possible in any other way. The whole premise of the B&B, Country Inn, Boutique
Hotel Industry is to provide lodging that is a "Home Away from Home". It seemed
to us that by failing to take advantage of opportunities both Businesses and
Inns end up losing out in many ways.
So we studied the problem a bit and decided to try to help rectify that to the
best of our abilities by creating a single night, single occupancy package
specifically designed with the business traveler in mind. We are simple mountain
folk :-) so it is called, not surprisingly, the
"Business
Traveler" package to keep it simple, and
we invite you to view
the proposal by
clicking here. We would greatly appreciate any
feedback or suggestions you might have on how to improve the package by
writing us at
henri-deschamps@mastfarminn.com. Besides that as you may well imagine we do
not have the type of advertising clout required to make a dent in that problem
so any word-of-mouth help you could provide helping us spread the good word is
truly welcome. Thanks.
Recently we have begun to design a series of Getaway Packages with a specific
purpose, theme and set of objectives. Some are educational in nature, some
are designed for specific groups with specific needs. Three examples of this new
approach are:
"Step Back in Time"
Besides being a scenic wonderland, Western North Carolina has a very rich
history, as unique, deep and wide as the history of the American West. The Step
Back in Time package is designed to transport you back to those as challenging
yet simpler times. As much as we can read about history, nothing beats
experiencing a bit of it live and first hand.
"Discover Eagles Nest"
The region is developing in highly creative and innovative ways. While
progress cannot be stopped it can be designed to respect tradition, heritage,
legacies and nature. Eagles Nest by John Turchin is well worth exploring as
highly creative manner to provide an upscale community with the best of the new
and the best of the old.
"Just You & Me Kid"
The objective of this package is to provide an opportunity for parents and
relatives of ASU students to spend some special time with a student designed
around a specific learning opportunity. ASU is a major asset to the Western
North Carolina Region and as such, we feel, deserves great community support.
Also for those of you who have had college students you know how challenging
college can be, and this package hopes to create what for want of a better word
is a "memory of caring" whose objective is to provide moral support to students.
When we say the
Mast Farm Inn is devoted to personal attention of the highest caliber we mean to
deliver on that promise, and part of that is designing a vast array of new
getaway experiences. Stay Tuned for More to Come.
Outdoor Renovations Underway at Cottages and Cabins
We are completing a major renovation of the outdoor areas around Maple
Spring Cottage, Gazebo Cottage, and Raspberry Hill, by building hundreds of feet
of dry-stacked stone walls and planters and planting upwards of 1000 new
evergreens. 120 tons of rocks. Who knew rocks were so heavy. We also spent well
over a month cleaning out the acres of woods in the area so we are looking
mighty spick-and-span. That was about 200 pick-up truck loads. Who knew wood was
so heavy. It was back-breaking work which probably employed a significant
portion of the Mountain City Tennessee work force, and we half-expect a good
neighbor award from Mountain City for having significantly decreased the
unemployment rate during October 06, but we cannot wait for the snow to see how
our pristine forest looks in its new duds.
Fall Decorations
Sumptuous excess is the word that best describes our outdoor fall
decorations this year. We wanted to take "the few bales of hay, ears of corn and
pumpkins" concept to a new level and ended up doing a very creative and
extensive outdoor display the likes of which no one has ever seen in the area.
Instead of the usual approach we used the property as an artist canvas and
really spread out the display over a major area. It probably covered a couple of
thousand square feet and looked like no one else's. It was scary to undertake,
ended up being fun and quite a display. The good news is that maybe a
thousand people stopped in their tracks to take pictures, the October and
November guests loved it, and last but not least, the Select Registry Inspector
who checked in like John Smith to do his surprise undercover inspection a few
days later absolutely loved it. The bad news is that we are completely stumped
on how to best that for Christmas.
The Mast Farm Barn
We recently undertook and completed a significant renovation of the Mast Farm
Barn and its surrounding area, this included major restoration, cleaning,
fencing, stonework, landscaping and lighting. If you did not know the Barn
before you need to know the Barn after. We do believe we have the absolute
coolest barn we have ever seen anyplace bar none. It is not a Disney barn, it is
a real barn from a long time ago. It now stands on it's new natural pea gravel
frame/terrace/pedestal in all the glory and majesty it deserves as a matriarch
of the valley and we have been using it a lot for Musical Events, Parties and
Weddings. It was also used recently as backdrop for a Photo shoot by a major
fashion brand. It was a bit hectic as Manhattan descended on Valle Crucis but
the team of 10 or so photographers and models certainly stopped as much traffic
as our beloved fall decorations above. We have to say though the Barn seems made
for weddings. The last couple who had a wedding there a few days ago were so
happy with their wedding that they hugged and wept tears of joy with our special
events unit at check-out and left a tip well above what is required for said
unit to purchase a complete set of the finest Michelin winter tires for the
corporate Porsche Boxster S. We love weddings at The Mast Farm Inn because they
are such a gloriously happy time in peoples lives. We have had weddings at which
we were the only participants, as witnesses, besides the bride, groom and
preacher. And obviously in such an intimate setting we all ended up weeping like
fools and becoming the best of friends. And we have had weddings that were major
blowout parties at which the local constabulary would have attended with
backwoods frowns and horsewhips if we had any constables in the area.
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