Guests are asked to sign a guest book and also asked for their permission to use their comments on our web site. You may notice the repeating of adjectives to describe a relaxing and peaceful retreat. Some people like to read many comments so I have included them all, but as of October, I am starting to add the most recent comments at the top of this page.
February 12-15
What a wonderful place for writers to get away. I had a lovely time and will be recommending this as the perfect retreat to my collegues.
Danielle Allen, Rochester MN
February 12, 2012
This was the most perfect way to spend our first night away a new parents. The loft had all the amenities a person could ask for. Thank you soooo much for a well-needed night away. Iwill miss the fantastic soaking tub. I can't wait for our next stay. What a perfect way to relax.
Adam and Rachel Rothering
St. Paul, MN
February 11, 2012
Thanks for the great place to stay. We know Harmony is a fun little town and these accomodations make it even more special.
Tom and Sue
Lakeville, MN
January 29-February 2, 2012
'Cati from Northfield'
January 25-28, 2012
We have thoroughly enjoyed our 2nd stay at the Asahi Loft. This time we were able to ski and walk the trail spotting 3 Bald Eagles along the way, touring Mystery Cave, dining at the Crunchy Side and Quarter/quarter. We took in The War Horse at the Jem Theater tonight.
We appreciate all the amenities you incorporated to insure that we could feel right at home. We are looking forward to shopping at Asahi Antiques before heading back to the Twin Cities.
Thank you both for your kindness, generousity and attn to detail. They have NOT gone unnoticed.
Brent and Katie
Twin Cities
December 16-17 2011
Thank you very much for a wonderful evening. Looking forward to staying here again when I come into town.We loved the Loft, very relaxing! You did a wonderful job on the place.
We will see you next month
Nicholas and Robin Roberts Woodbury MN
December 3-5
We cheered the snowfall because it meant we would have to stay in for the night at the Asahi Loft!
Let it snow
Let it snow
We hate to go!
25 years Chip and Val Giannettino
November 18, 2011
In the spring, Asahi Loft of Harmony offered a two night stay to the Bodacious Broads Relay for Life team. This weekend we were pleased to host the winners.
Thank you very much for the relaxing experience. Found it hard not to be calm and relaxed. The space is lovely and we had everything we needed. It's definitely a strange find that we will be recommending to friends.
Thanks again
Jason & Andrea
Rochester, MN
November 6, 2011
The Asahi Loft is undoubtedly on of Minnesota's hidden treasures. The perfect retreat away from busy city life. The quiet and peace of the space sets in to your soul the moment your walk up the stairs. Here we found the breathing space we both needed so much. We're able to leave only because we're making plans already to come back.
With much appreciation
Angela and Sol, Minneapolis MN
BTW..for the first time in 6 years my cell phone was off and out of reach, thank you for making this possible.
October 26-27, 2011
This visit was our first from a Buddhist monk, Thay Phap De
Cindy and Doug
Thank you for sharing this treasure: Asahi Loft! It's a temple of stillness, peace, and beauty- a magnificent blend of the exquisite and delicate beauty of Japanese culture and skillful American craftsmanship with native wood.
Ecce quam bonam et quam jucundum habitare fratres in unum. Ps 133
Behold! How good it is when brothers dwell together in HARMONY!
Thay Phap De AKA "Younger brother" Adrian Stier
October 22-23
We had a wonderful stay in Harmony and at the Loft for our anniversary and my birthday! It was great to get away and had a very relaxing stay.
Justin and Lisa Mellmann
Storm Lake Iowa
October 21
Cindy,
What an amazing gift in our lives, to meet you in the Harmony Visitors Center and then to learn of your Asahi Loft had an opening that night.
For our 25th Anniversary we had wanted to bike-bike-bike (They were our first tandem-riding guests) and trust that our sleeping accommodations would emerge as our time unfolded. Indeed Asahi Loft is a place of peace, beauty and stories. We realize that the development of your welcoming space and all the elements of Japanese and Amish culture are loaded with stories. We had so many delights and questions as we relished each piece of art, the chairs, the dishes, the lighting...the old trunks, drawer pulls, beautiful pottery sink.
Filled with stories of tender lives, of people who created all of these items/offerings of beauty and function.
We will most definitely be back and will spread the word.
Jo Montie & Carl Besser
Minneapolis MN
*******Below you will find the comments from June 2010-September 2011******
June 23-25, 2010
Jan and Marthe from Netherlands
"It was a privilege and a pleasure to be your first guests on the beautiful loft! The Japanese styling of the place proved not only to be very efficient but also created a slice of tranquility and -indeed-harmony. And then, outside the silence all around you.....great!
Many thanks for your hospitality."
July 2, 2010
Ben from Mexico City and Susan from the Twin Cities
"We really appreciate the Asahi Loft's beauty and craftsmanship.It's our Japanese-Minnesota retreat! We will definitely be back."
July 5-6, 2010
Deanne and Steve Bryce, Springfield MN
"Thanks for creating this lovely retreat. We enjoyed our meal at Quarter/quarter and the Jem movie theatre and the popcorn. I will be sharing our unique little find on our blog."
July 10-11, 2010
"We've been coming to the Lanesboro area for many years for biking. But, this trip was an all new discovery (for us) with this wonderful place to stay and the great new Quarter/quarter restaurant. Staying here also gave us a new appreciation for Harmony. We'll be back!!"
Gary and Mary
St Paul
July 26-27, 2010
" We had a wonderful stay on our second anniversary. We enjoyed the beautiful town of Harmony, canoeing on the Upper Iowa River at Harvest Farm, touring Niagara Cave and biking in Lanesboro.
This is a wonderful loft, and we look forward to a future visit."
Tory and Andrew
Elgin
July 29-30, 2010
" We had a terrific stay here at the Loft. The space is welcoming and relaxing as is the tub! We enjoyed getting socks/feeding the goats at the Austin Goat Farm. Ada is a hoot!
We hope you enjoy your stay as much as we did, a place for rest and sanctuary."
Peace,
Peter and Michelle
Twin Cities, MN
August 8, 2010
Cindy and Doug
"You have created a beautiful and peaceful space-a sanctuary! We thoroughly enjoyed relaxing here and found it a welcome change from our hectic lives! I wish we could have stayed longer and look forward to staying here again in the future. We will definitely recommend it and help you spread the word!!"
Kaiya and Rob Witt
Hastings, MN
August 13-15, 2010 ( Our first guests travelling on a motorcycle)
We had a wonderful time staying in the loft. It's so peaceful. We really enjoyed HARMONY, the Amish tours, and Niagara Cave. Our weekend went by so fast! We can't wait to come back again. You have created a wonderful retreat.
Connie and Corey
Bay City, WI
They came again in August of 2011!! Our first repeat customers. This time they stayed three nights!
September 5, 2010
We had a very wonderful time at your unique, awesome "nest". The stars last evening were beautiful. Thank you!!
Jody and John
Rochester, MN
September 11, 2010
We discovered and chose to stay at your lovely lodging, only because all the other options were booked when we started looking on September 10. My sister, Barb, came to visit us from Camos, WA and we have wanted to take her biking on the Root River Trail for years.
Our stay has been one of astonishment and appreciation for the beauty and comfort so carefully planned. I have never had the opportunity to stay in such a lovely setting. Will promote the Asahi Loft with our friends.
The beautiful art work and antiques incorporated add to the pleasure and peace of this space.
Barb, Bruce and Bev
October 8, 2010
Doug and Cindy,
Thank you for providing a beautiful place to stay for our wedding night. We could feel the hospitality all the way from Japan.
Jane and Steve
October 16 & 17, 2010
Doug and Cindy
We had a very beautiful weekend in the Root River Valley! The weather was perfect for biking and the loft was a peaceful place to "come home to". Although my husband is Japanese American, we have never been to Japan! So it was very special to drive two hours north of Ames, IA and feel like we were in Japan
We will come again.
Peggy and Paul
In response to a later email.
Go ahead and use my comments; the loft is very special! The craftsmanship is remarkable and so rare in this day and age!
October 24, 2010
Doug and Cindy
Your serene and tranquil loft brought back memories of our recent trip to Japan. Thank you.
Our son is a student at Luther College and we will keep your inn foremost in our mind
Elsie and James Osmera
Illinois
December 24-28, 2010
Your wonderful loft allowed us to spend time with our son who is on the Gopher Basketball team. We have not been to Harmony for years and we added a wonderful memory this week.
Lorna, Jay, Elliott, and Spencer Eliason
Chadron NE
For some people the loft provides a private time, just for themselves
January 1-2, 2011
You have created a wonderful space filled with peace and love. The design is articulate, the Japanese art is beautiful and the pottery dishes are excellent. The bathtub eased the tension from the holidays and the fireplace mesmerized me.
On a quiet winter weekend I wanted nothing more than to read and write and relax. I did it all.
Many blessings to you in the new year and thank you for opening up your loft.
All my best
Stephanie
Minneapolis
February 20, 2011
We enjoyed having a nice getaway from the kids. The bathtub is amazing and thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the loft. We hope to come again in the future. Thank you!
Kelly and Ian
Minnesota
March 19, 2011
A nice, serene and sophisticated ambiance.
It was a wonderful alternative to the usual variety of B & B and motels. Quarter/quarter was a treat and a compliment to our stay here. While the tourist season was still 7 weeks away, we enjoyed the solitude and lack of crowd. It was interesting to observe the melting snow and the rushing of the streams, rivulets of the Root River-- a real sign of spring.
Even thought our stay was only overnight, it felt like we had a "real" getaway from our busy work in the cities. We are definitely recommending this to our friends.
Mari and Jim
St. Paul MN
* Mari made an excellent suggestion to have the headboard secured so that they could read in bed and we have solved with the help of a skilled local craftsman. She also recommended a Toto heated toilet seat and though we have that in our house, we were not sure our guests would like it.
May 11, 2011
The Green Wedding Honeymoon Couple
Thanks so much for the get-away honeymoon after our Green Wedding at the Living Green Expo. We really appreciate all the work you put into using building supplies and design from the local community.We loved the Japanese decor and touches, it had a calming effect after a busy month.
We loved the solitude of the Loft and the mix of the tours. Lauren was a wealth of information about the local Amish community.
The first night we went to the Quarter/quarter Restaurant. The food was so delicious, not to mention mostly local ingredients!! What a treat to celebrate Willie's birthday dinner.
Willie and Katie
P.S. Love the Toy Story jigsaw puzzle.
June 29, 2011
Our first visitors from Japan!!
Cindy and Doug
The Asahi Loft is Fantastic!
At every turn and upon every minute inspection of a finishing detail we are amazed and surprised:what a place!
The blending of Amish woodworking and Japanese shoji screens is both brilliant and natural. It's how we would like to live everyday-we don't want to leave.
The art and furnishings are worthy of careful inspection.
Mark, * Junco and Maya Felstehausen
*Junco adds, "I felt that I was in my home country."
July 2-4. 2011
Thank you so much for creating the Asahi Loft. The peacefulness and serenity that you have in this place is amazing. Having the kitchen is great, I look forward to putting it to better use on a future visit. Having a full size refrigerator was super handy. Love the bathroom! There was so little light pollution that the time spent on the deck enjoying the stars was amazing. Thank you again for providing such an amazing sanctuary.
Nikki Todd
Los Angelos, CA
July 7-10 2011
We really enjoyed our stay at the Asahi Loft! So peaceful and relaxing both inside and outside on the deck. Many thanks for your hospitality. We will be sure to mention this place to others.!
Kind regards,
Bob and Cheryl
Delano, MN
July 22-24, 2011
We had a fabulous stay in your peaceful loft. Everything we needed was available. You thought of very little detail. The loft is close to all the adventures we wanted to explore: Niagara Cave, tubing in Lanesboro and bike trails.
We look forward to our next visit to Harmony MN.
Love and Light
Todd and Wahneta Dimmer
Cedar Rapids, IA
wahneta@myhih.com www.myhih.com
August 29-31, 2011
Thank you so much for offering your beautiful loft to help support the Boys and Girls Club. The entire package was such a delight!
Your space is relaxing; so well equipped for a lover's getaway. We loved the bath. What great hospitality of you offer, understated elegance for sure! Our hearts are recharged!
We will be telling everyone about your sweet space and great town. We will BE BACK
The Sampsons
September 12, 2011
This was a last minute booking and it appears they enjoyed even the one night.
Thank you very much. Enjoyed our little free time!! We'll be back and stay longer. Very peaceful and serene.
Jake and Penny
September 17, 2011
Another last minute booking after deciding it was too cold for camping. They also completed the new jigsaw puzzle of the Gold Pavilion in Kyoto.
To think.......we had planned to camp last night (but wimped out with the cool temps)-then on a whim, found your wonderful place ! :)
Thank you so much for your graciousness in making a last minute accomodation for us.
We enjoyed all the special touches you incorporated to make your place stand out. The full kitchen was a joy! You've done an excellent job of fine tuning all the details to insure a pleasant stay.
We will be talking about the Asahi Loft of Harmony to many friends and family and hope to return some day.
Thank you again for the memorable "camping" spot. :)
Brent and Katie
Twin Cities, MN
September 30-October 1
Cindy and Doug
Thank you for the wonderful weekend. Your loft felt like home and we will be recommending it to our friends and family. Our friend saw your place on facebook and told us and we are so happy he did...
YOUR PLACE IS AWESOME
Jamie and Diane
October 7-8, 2011
We really enjoyed the loft this weekend. It was so realaxing and gave us time for reconnect without having to deal with everything in our day to day lives.Thank you for your hospitality and we hope to visit again.
Jared and Katie Steiger