In the Trees Provides Natural Retreat in the Heart of Spa City

By Heather Baker with additional reporting by Sarah DeClerk // Photos by Ryan Parker

Hot Springs is known for being a relaxing getaway in central Arkansas and a place of wonderful adventures and entertainment. Now Spa City is home to a stunning new lodging escape too. In the Trees provides cabins and tree houses with luxurious features, breathtaking views and every amenity one needs to escape the stress and demands of modern life.

I had stayed in tree house developments in the past, and so thought I had seen everything when I was invited to treat my husband to a weekend getaway for his birthday. Was I ever surprised! The sumptuous touches and peaceful setting of In the Trees went way beyond anything I had ever experienced.

Luxury bedding is just one of the sumptuous perks at In the Trees.

Our one-bedroom treehouse included all the perks of a luxury resort, including a hot tub, outdoor fire pit, electric fireplace, vinyl record player and even a heated bathroom floor, which we were told were installed in every unit.

The thing that stands out about In the Trees is how a stay here is completely customized to the individual guest. Even our shampoo and conditioner were customized to smell like the woods when you are washing your hair. Our hosts had definitely thought about every detail. Our hosts also went the extra mile to ensure a quality experience by providing Caraway cookware, Kassatex bedding and fluffy bathrobes. The goal here, as we would learn, was for everything the guest touches and feels to be the best stuff they have ever used and I’m here to tell you they have succeeded.

Here are just a few of the delightful extras Ryan and I enjoyed during our stay: A charcuterie board was waiting for us upon arrival. Chef Alex Zumwalt, owner of Your Culinary Solution in Hot Springs, cooked us a private in-room meal of pan-seared salmon, followed by his signature lemon pound cake with blueberry compote. It was incredible.

Chef-cooked salmon was one of the highlights of the stay.

People who know me know how much I love Arkansas adventures, and we found them while zipping along the mountain bike trails in nearby Northwoods and Cedar Glades. The only thing better than these two nationally recognized biking areas was the in-room couple’s massage we got afterward.

One of the things to love about In the Trees is its proximity to Hot Springs’ Central Avenue, a ribbon of entertainment, dining and libations running down the heart of the city’s historic district. The street connects Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, Superior Bathhouse Brewery, The Pancake Shop and Deluca’s Pizzeria making it easy to visit these landmark spots, after which we went back to lounging in our luxurious tree house.

Luxurious amenities at In the Trees include firepits and electric fireplaces.

A small touch that really lent to the ambiance was the eclectic assortment of vinyl records available to be played in the rental. We were particularly taken with an old Andy Griffith album that set an excellent mood. In today’s world of digital music, many people have forgotten how romantic a vinyl record can be. As we sat by the fireplace and listened to the rich music, we could also hear nature all around and behind us. It was peaceful and quiet and relaxing and altogether perfect.

We asked the owners, Sarah and Lee Medley, how their vision for In the Trees began. The couple said they had stayed at something similar and really enjoyed the experience. It so happened the couple was just getting into the Airbnb business, and it did not take long to combine the two.

“The whole experience was really unique,” Sarah said. “What started out as this almost funny dream morphed into, ‘Oh, we can actually do this, and we can actually build some really cool tree houses.’”

The loft provides a great place for kids (and dogs) to hang out.

The Medleys are mountain bikers who had fallen in love with the Northwoods and Cedar Glades trails in Hot Springs. When a 540-acre patch of land near the trails and the bustling downtown area opened up, they decided to purchase the property.

At the time of our stay, five tree houses and cabins were available and two more were nearly finished. Sarah said the additional units should be open in time for the Güdrun Northwoods Mountain Bike Festival in November. Phase 1 will include 16 cabins and tree houses ranging from one- to five-bedroom units, and then the couple will work on the wedding venue, followed by more units or the restaurant. Other plans include the spa, a swimming pool, a garden and community hubs where guests can meet, shop and exchange records and books.

The couple has a background in real estate and property management, and they sold their short-term rental management business to focus on In the Trees. They also moved their entire family to Hot Springs from Texarkana, charmed by Spa City’s lively year-round atmosphere and because they realized its mountain bike trails rival those in northwest Arkansas.

“People are going to come just for these mountain bike trails, and this is where we wanted to do our Airbnbs because we believe in this town,” Sarah said. “We had known of Hot Springs, obviously, before that and had visited plenty of times, but that’s when we kind of shifted to really falling in love with the town and exploring the town more and more.”

The Medleys chose David Murphy, owner of David Murphy Construction in Hot Springs, to build the fantastic creations, having worked together on previous projects.

“A project like In the Trees wasn’t anything I forecasted. The mere size alone of this project compared to previous projects we had performed for them was vastly different,” Murphy said, adding that he first visited the site when the trees were bare in winter. “Every direction you looked had amazing views. I’m a creative person, so my head was spinning with ideas on how to make their conceptual vision for the property become reality.”

Murphy selectively removed trees to make as small of a footprint as possible at each building site. The result, as Ryan and I noticed immediately, was a landscape and view that remained natural and encouraged exploration.

“I wanted to create something that would provide a unique experience for guests that captured the beauty of the property,” he said. “Each tree house is located along a high mountain ridge that provides big views at treetop level. … Accompanied by high ceilings that would allow for large windows, it makes the tree houses feel as spacious as the views that surround them.”

The couple also worked with Amy Baker, owner of Amy Baker Designs in Hot Springs, to create an atmosphere in which guests feel like they are immersed in nature, even when they are indoors.

“The whole idea was to feel like you were at a luxury cabin in the woods,” Baker said. “We wanted huge windows for the gorgeous treetop views. We wanted to bring nature inside and for the structures to be modern in form but blend in with the nature around it. We wanted the whole feeling to be modern luxury.”

She added that the landscape’s colors and textures drive the interiors, which feature natural wood tones, rough-cut benches, barn doors and granite the color of river bottoms.

“We wanted it to be a place to cozy up, relax and unplug — a very comfortable feeling — a place for adventure or to relax and enjoy the mountains,” she said. “This was a dream project, and I was honored to be chosen to be a part of something so exciting in my own community.”

No luxe getaway is complete without fantastic food, and here too, In the Trees delivered. Charcuterie boards and s’mores boards are amenities guests might not expect from a typical resort, and the forthcoming restaurant is set to be as fine as the lodgings. Sarah said the restaurant will cater to guests throughout the day. At breakfast, guests can grab a homemade muffin or granola bar on their way to the trails or downtown, or they can stay for brunch, which will feature menu items such as mimosas and eggs Benedict. Then the restaurant will transition to light sandwiches and beer for guests who want to mingle in the early afternoons, after a day of exploring. At night, the restaurant will dim the lights and light the candles for formal dinners.

“We have a lot of plant life on the mountain that can be used in foods — something like eight to 10 different herbs,” Sarah added. “We definitely want our food to use those in the dinner menu, at least.”

Future amenities are even more exciting. Situated near a creek and pond, the 150-person wedding chapel and event venue will have clean lines and large windows that allow the beauty of nature to shine, Sarah said. The space will host weddings on the weekends and corporate events and meetings during the week, Lee added.

The forthcoming spa will offer a full range of services, including indoor and outdoor massages, to guests who are 18 and older, Sarah said.

“We are definitely going to be looking for talent outside of us to help us collaborate with that and help us with the vision there, people who have more experience in that area,” she added.

Also on the property is the foundation of an old house that was one of former President Bill Clinton’s childhood homes, Lee said, adding that Clinton recently confirmed for the couple that he lived there five or six months.

“We want to do something with that,” Sarah said. “We talked about that being where the garden is. We just think that’s a cool story and something people would want to visit.”

The couple also hopes to add a range of activities such as yoga classes, art classes, guided bike tours, guided hikes and more. Lee said he once attended a beekeeping experience and honey tasting that he may replicate.

“Keeping your mind open to new experiences is, to me, a key to happiness, and food is a really good way to do that,” he added. “We’ve had some experiences ourselves that have been kind of special in that manner, and we want that brought back to In the Trees.”

In the Trees is a family affair. Not only did Sarah’s father help provide design and business input, the couple’s children have met guests, helped with chores and tested some of the amenities at the property. Sarah hopes the youngsters will make plenty of memories there. The guests certainly have.

“The other day, we happened to be there when a husband was surprising his wife for her birthday. They pulled up and she was blindfolded and didn’t know where she was, and so he walks around the car and takes off the blindfold, and she just can’t believe it,” Sarah said. “Catching those experiences is really fun, and I hope to do that even more.”

All in all, In the Trees is a spectacular project providing a lodging experience unlike anything Spa City has ever seen. Do not miss your next opportunity to experience all Hot Springs has to offer with this unparalleled luxury experience.