Getaway House Cooking Guide: Kitchen Setup, Must-Pack Essentials, and Easy Fire Pit Ideas
Quick Answer: Getaway cabins feature a compact kitchenette with a two-burner electric induction cooktop, a mini fridge (no freezer), basic cookware, dishware, and pour-over coffee gear. There is no microwave or oven. One quick note before we get into it: Getaway changed its name to Postcard Cabins in late 2024, so you may see either name when you book.
The best way to cook is over your cabin’s private outdoor fire pit grill grate or by tucking heavy-duty foil packets, such as sweet potatoes and buttered corn, right into the hot coals. To make your Getaway House cooking completely stress-free, pack cooking oil, extra heavy-duty foil, your favorite seasonings, and pre-prepped ingredients from home.
One of the sweetest parts of a Getaway House trip is cooking a simple, soul-warming meal together in the middle of the woods. The crisp mountain air, the smell of burning oak, and the gentle sizzle over the fire pit have a way of melting away a long week. It’s a totally different mood from our beach trips, where it’s salty wind instead of oak smoke. Here’s how beach camping with dogs in Southern California went for us.
After our stay at Getaway Big Bear with my husband and our three dogs, I learned that cooking at a Getaway cabin is a little different from your standard cabin rental. We loved it so much that we already want to try another Getaway location. If you are planning a trip with your pups, be sure to check out my honest review of staying at Getaway House with three dogs for all our space-saving tips. Because these cabins are designed around mindful, minimalist living, a bit of prep work at home goes a long way.
| Cooktop | Two-burner electric induction |
| Fridge | Mini fridge under the counter, no freezer |
| Not in the cabin | Microwave, oven, toaster, cooking oil, butter, sauces |
| Cookware | 1 small pot, 1 medium skillet, cutting board, chef’s knife |
| Coffee | Pour-over kettle and dripper |
| Outside | Private fire pit with an adjustable cast-iron grill grate |
| Pack from home | Heavy-duty foil, oil and butter, seasonings, long tongs, heat-resistant gloves |
| Best for / Good to know | Best for simple grilled dinners and foil-packet sides over a fire. Good to know: there is no oven or microwave, so plan your meals around the fire. |
Inside the Getaway Cabin Kitchen Setup
The indoor kitchenette at Getaway is sleek, cozy, and super efficient, but it is small. Here is an honest breakdown of what you will actually find and what you will want to plan around before packing up the car.
What’s Included
- Appliances: A two-burner electric induction cooktop and a compact mini fridge tucked under the counter.
- Cookware: One small pot, one medium skillet, a cutting board, chef’s knife, can opener, and bottle opener.
- Dishware & Tableware: Enamel bowls, plates, mugs for two, forks, spoons, and knives.
- Cleaning Supplies: Dish soap, a fresh sponge, paper towels, and a trash bin.
- Morning Brew: A pour-over kettle, pour-over dripper, coffee packets, and tea (available complimentary or for a small fee depending on your booking). Sipping a fresh pour-over while listening to the birds is one of my favorite parts of my mindful morning wellness routine
What’s Not Included (Keep This in Mind)
- No microwave or toaster: To reheat leftovers, you will need to warm them in a skillet on the cooktop or over the outdoor fire pit.
- No freezer: The mini fridge keeps perishables chilled, but there is no dedicated freezer section for ice cubes, ice packs, or frozen items.
- No cooking oils or special seasonings: Beyond tiny salt and pepper packets, you will not find olive oil, butter, cooking spray, or sauces waiting in the pantry.
What to Pack from Home for Easy Cabin Meals
Because counter space and the sink are petite, doing a little meal prep at home saves you serious time and cleanup effort at the cabin.
If you need a complete packing checklist beyond kitchen items, take a peek at my packing guide for car camping with dogs to make sure you do not leave anything behind.
- Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil: The thing I would never leave home without. Lay it over the outdoor grill grate for an instant clean cooking surface, or wrap food in two to three layers to roast straight in the campfire coals.
- Pre-Prepped and Marinated Proteins & Veggies: Wash, chop, and marinate your meats, seafood, mushrooms, or asparagus in zip-top bags before you leave home. That way, you never even have to take out the cutting board at the cabin. Just toss everything straight onto the hot grill.
- Foil-Roasted Fire Pit Goodies:
• Campfire Sweet Potatoes & Russets: Wash them clean, wrap them in a slightly damp paper towel, and wrap tightly in two to three layers of heavy-duty foil. Once your fire settles into glowing red embers, tuck them into the coal bed for an incredible slow-roasted treat.
• Buttered Sweet Corn: Slather ears of corn generously in butter, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt, and double-wrap in foil. As they roast in the embers, the butter melts into every single kernel. - Cooking Oil & Butter Portions: Pack a small travel bottle of olive oil or cooking spray, plus pre-portioned butter slices.
- Long Barbecue Tongs & Heat-Resistant Camp Gloves: The fire pit puts out serious heat. Long tongs and sturdy gloves make handling hot grates and pulling foil packets out of coals completely safe and easy.
- Your Favorite Seasonings & Dipping Sauces: Pack steak seasoning, garlic powder, hot honey, or your favorite dips in small reusable jars to elevate simple outdoor food.
- Wet Wipes & Extra Paper Towels: Invaluable for wiping down the outdoor picnic table before and after dinner.
Fire Pit Grilling and Campfire Cooking Tips
Every Getaway cabin comes equipped with its own heavy-duty fire pit, an adjustable cast-iron grill grate, and a firewood storage box right outside. Cooking over open wood embers is truly the highlight of the whole cabin experience. I put everything we’ve learned about cooking over wood into a step-by-step post on fire pit cooking.
Grilling Over Live Oak Embers and Easy Foil Sides
The sweet spot for grilling is right after the high flames settle into a bed of glowing, red-hot embers. Place your seasoned proteins, squid, or veggies directly on the grate or over a sheet of foil. The subtle wood smoke infuses everything with an authentic campfire flavor you simply cannot get indoors. The same rule about waiting for embers applies at a regular campsite too, which is how we got through three days of cooking every meal on a campfire grate without a stove. On the breakfast side, one cast iron griddle on that same kind of grate made four different mornings easy, and I wrote those up in our easy camping breakfast post.
While your main dish sizzles on top of the grate, tuck your foil-wrapped sweet potatoes and buttered corn into the perimeter coals. They will roast slowly and be piping hot right in time for a post-dinner treat. If the dogs are staring at the coals too, keep one sweet potato plain with no butter or salt, and peel it before sharing. Here’s how I cook sweet potato for dogs at home.
The Sweet Campfire Waffle S’mores Routine
Cabin nights are never quite complete without gathering around the fire to toast golden-brown marshmallows. Instead of traditional graham crackers, try sandwiching chocolate and toasted marshmallows between thin, crisp waffle cookies. The waffle texture adds the perfect crunch to warm, gooey melted chocolate. Wrapping up in a cozy blanket with warm tea and freshly made s’mores under the stars is my favorite way to end a cabin night.
Sample One-Night Getaway House Dinner Menu
If you are packing your cooler and wondering how to pace your evening, here is how one simple, zero-stress cabin dinner comes together:
- In the perimeter coals: Place your foil-wrapped sweet potatoes and buttered corn into the hot embers first so they can slow-roast while you cook.
- On the fire pit grate: Grill your pre-marinated meats, seafood, and seasoned mushrooms directly over the glowing embers.
- On the indoor cooktop: Sauté pre-trimmed asparagus in the skillet with a drizzle of olive oil for two quick minutes to serve as a fresh side.
- For dessert: As the fire winds down, toast marshmallows and make waffle cookie s’mores paired with a warm cup of herbal tea.
No cutting boards to wash, no dishes piling up in a small sink, and every part of the meal feels intentional and cozy.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you only pack three things for a Getaway kitchen, make them heavy-duty foil, a small bottle of oil with some butter, and your own seasonings, because the cabin has none of those and no microwave, oven, or freezer either. Prep and marinate at home, and the fire pit does the rest.
If you are bringing dogs, here is our honest review of staying at Getaway House with multiple dogs, with the current pet rules and how our three fit in the cabin. And if you like this kind of slow trip, our coastal camping stories at Leo Carrillo State Park and San Clemente State Beach are a good next read. What is your go-to fire pit dinner? Tell me in the comments.
