The 7 Best Writer’s Cabins on Airbnb

These days, budding writers tend to cluster in coffee shops with custom neon signs and Spotify playlists that alternate between Tame Impala and Anderson .Paak. But every writer worth their salt secretly hankers for a quiet writer’s cabin, the kind where literary legends once cranked manuscripts far away from the noise, in spartan retreats they treated like chapels.

George Bernard Shaw, for instance, worked in a rotating hut in St. Albans, England. Throughout the day, he’d walk outside and give the shed a nudge in order to make sure he was always writing while facing sunlight. Mark Twain wrote in an octagonal “study,” which now makes a nice collegiate gazebo. Virgina Woolf, Hunter S. Thompson, Roald Dahl — all proponents.

The draw of these cabins was silence, solitude and unhindered inspiration. The idea was to have an uncluttered space that facilitated creation, where the outside world was left at the threshold. That definition, it’s not lost on us, could be found in the “About” section of any off-grid retreat developed in the last decade. And that’s exactly why we think writer’s retreats shouldn’t just be for writers.

If you actually are working on a novel — great. But maybe you’re a painter. Or a UX designer. It’s easier than ever now to source a cabin somewhere quiet for an extended period of time, where you can bring a creative pursuit to the finish line. Most listings on Airbnb have discounts for booking a stay for a full week, and when you book for a full month, you can expect up to 20% off.

It’s also easier than ever to find a cabin you legitimately want to stay in — one that doesn’t have rusty rakes in one corner and scuttling mice in the other. We recently scoured Airbnb for seven different cabins that we’re calling the perfect writer’s cabins. One’s in North Carolina, one’s in Texas, and all are affordable (especially when the long-term stay discount kicks in). And they all balance enlivening exteriors with all-you-need interiors: bed, bathroom, kitchen and, yes, wifi — for research and checkins only, so people know you weren’t mauled by a bear.

Below, find our favorites. If you can’t swing a sabbatical to pursue a beloved pastime … bring your significant other for a special weekend. They’ll do just fine on that front, too.