Aunt Susie's Country Vacation Rentals is owned by Heather and Chris Bonillas and is located in Hesston, Pennsylvania. They have seven separate lodgings, settled all around Raystown Lake, a large reservoir that draws in an abundance of people annually. The various units are mostly cabins or have a cabin-esque style and sit on acres of private property consisting of trees, hills, rivers, and mountains. The cabins can be ideal for large group gather as some can sleep up to twenty people. Aunt Susie's is open year-round.
Aunt Susie's Country Vacation Rentals has seven individual lodgings. The Crown Jewel Vista, the Grand Old Lady, Mary's Place, the Sandy's Lake Chateau, the Sportsman Cottage, The Hideaway, and the Wildwood Chalet. Each property offers basic amenities such as microwaves, High-Speed internet, Wi-Fi, cable TV, coffee maker, bath towels and linens, etc. Additionally, they all feature an outdoor firepit, boat parking, a deck with a grill, and a fully stalked full-sized kitchen complete with a dishwasher and dishware. However, beyond these similar attributes, each of the seven lodgings is unique in its layout, build, design, location, overall space, and other amenities. Because of this, guests can stay in whichever of the units most fits their personal needs.
The Crown Jewel Vista is the largest of all the vacation rentals that Aunt Susie's offers. Able to house 20 people among its five bedrooms and four bathrooms, the owner has described the modernly designed cabin as the most popular of all of their lodgings. It is often reserved for large groups who want to have a spacious place to host family reunions or wedding venues. On 142 acres of land, the cabin sits atop Terrace Mountain with a large deck and outdoor living space overlooking the surrounding mountains, trees, and Raystown Lake below. It boasts two living areas, one with a bar and a spacious sitting area, the other with a pool table and foosball table. The cabin also features a wood-burning stove and a steam room sauna its guests can enjoy. Nearby, guests can also go fishing in the Juniata River or explore nature on the large property. After staying at the cabin, one guest said the Crown Jewel Vista is a "very nice house in a private setting. Close to the lake and trails."
The Grand Old Lady is a white brick two-story house with a red roof and matching trim that can accommodate up to 12 guests. Built in 1860, it was once a general store, and railroad stop on the old railroad that used to pass right in front of it. Now converted into a vacation rental home, guests can still experience the lodgings past through the many historical pictures and other memorabilia that reside on the property. One guest supported this by saying, "this house provides a feeling of simpler times - far away from the stresses of the city life." Among its three floors, there are five bedrooms and three full bathrooms, in addition to a great room and a large deck outside.
Mary's Place is located in Holiday Hills of Raystown and sits on three acres of wooded hillside. This rustic-styled cabin can house six to ten people among its three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Additionally, it has a large wrap-around deck and a stone hearth with a gas fireplace. One guest said, "the house was well furnished, and the fireplace made cooler nights just right." It is also located near the Allegrippis Trail.
Close to Mary's Place is the Sandy's Lake Chateau. Boasting a variety of features such as an ice machine, a wine bar, and an updated "French Country" kitchen, the Chateau has a total of six bedrooms and two full bathrooms. One unique thing about the home is that two of its bedrooms are fully airconditioned glamping rooms separate from the main house. Reminiscent of small cabins, they each have a private entrance and a set of twin beds, allowing the property to house a total of fourteen people. Additional rooms on the property include a furnished sunroom, two surround-sound TV rooms, and an outdoor living area complete with a hammock, swing set, and a firepit. The head to the Allegrippis Trails is located on the property, making this lodging perhaps more optimal for those who want to do some hiking and mountain bike riding.
The smallest of Aunt Susie's Country Vacation Rentals is the Sportsman Cottage. A quaint two-story white house, the property has one bedroom and bathroom, in addition to a living room, full-sized kitchen, and a loft. Despite only having a single bedroom, the house can still accommodate up to five people with a pull-out bed in the living room and a daybed in the loft. One guest's review reads, "Small and cozy setting and perfect proximity to the lake." Stepping off the back porch, there is an outdoor living space and fireplace, as well as a large grassy field guests can explore.
For those guests looking for more private lodging they might want to stay at the Wildwood Chalet. Located in a wooded area next to a stream, one guest said that his stay at the cabin "gave me a chance for a peaceful break from the outside world, due to the secluded location of the cabin." With three bedrooms and two bathrooms, up to ten people can stay on the premises. Additionally, those guests staying can spend time in any of the two separate living spaces, which include a bar, dartboard, and tv room.
Finally, there is The Hideaway, which is located on three acres of wooded property in the Lakeland Pines neighborhood. Complete with a large wrap-around porch, the house is built in an A-frame style to create a cabin-esque feel. It can sleep eight people in its two bedrooms and loft area, with an additional full-sized bathroom, living room, and kitchen. Outside guests might enjoy the nature of the grounds, including a private pond within walking distance and a large outdoor living area.
In the area around Aunt Susie's Country Vacation Rentals, there are a variety of places that guests can go to and various activities they might enjoy participating in. Perhaps the most prominent of these is Raytown Lake itself. Only minutes from each of the lodgings, many people during their stay might spend their time boating, water skiing, tubing, fishing, swimming, playing on the beach, and other marine activities. Nearby there is also the Lake Raystown Resort Marina. It caters to those who wish to spend time on the lake, offering boats, jet skis, kayaks, and paddleboards for rent, as well as a lakeside restaurant. Similarly, the Seven Points Marina offers additional lake services, houses a small beach area, and has several hiking trails and mountain biking trails—something guests can also find at Allegrippis Trail close by, which has more than fifty miles of trails.
Depending on the season, guests staying at any of Aunt Susie's Vacation Rentals might find themselves hunting wild game, such as deer or geese. In winter, there are also various skiing slopes on the surrounding mountains. During football season, patrons might catch one of the Penn State football games an hour away at Penn State University.
As Aunt Susie's is a vacation rental company, the experience they strive to give their guests is just that—a vacation. Each of the lodgings is either a cabin in and of itself or has a very cabin-esque design. Heather tells how this rustic wooden cabin style provides a nice home in nature and tries to create a comfortable space where guests can relax or go out and play. Also, as they are close to the lake, they strive to cater to those who want to live the "lake life" on their vacation. One guest mentioned that his stay with Aunt Susie's "gave me a chance for a peaceful break from the outside world, due to the secluded location of the cabin."
The various cabins can also house up to 20 guests at a single time. Because of this, the demographic of guests that come and stay are often large groups of family and friends. Heather also mentions that they serve a fair amount of bachelor parties (because of the many activities to do in the area) and hunting groups (since nearby various hunting grounds). Regardless of who is staying, Heather and her husband, Chris, aim to make sure their guest's needs are met, their accommodations are comfortable, and their stay is enjoyable. Talking about the owners, one guest said, "the host was very attentive, responsive, and flexible. Truly felt like home."
Aunt Susie's Country Vacation Rentals was established more than 25 years ago in 1995, though many of the buildings that make up the group are older. In the case of the Grand Old Lady specifically, there is a fair amount of historical significance. Heather and Chris Bonillas are the current owners of the business after buying it in 2019. Though they are new to the lodging industry, they have been real estate investors for the past ten years. Much of their experience comes from flipping houses, residential rentals, and selling real estate—something Heather still does full-time.
Before they purchased the business, Heather and Chris had been thinking about buying rental houses by the lake for quite some time. They loved the area and would vacation on the lake themselves reasonably often. Then, while looking into real-estate up in Raystown, they met the previous owner of Aunt Susie's looking to sell the company and purchased it from them. Since then, they have acquired more lodgings bringing their total to seven and fully plan to expand even more moving into the future.
12393 Maple Lane
Hesston, Pennsylvania 16647
United States
Bed and Breakfast
Heather & Chris Bonillas
