I do find Metolius appealing, sunbum, but their policy of charging the entire stay at the time of booking is a little offputting.
PeaceOut, I have heard good things about Blue Lake, so just looking for a bit of a comparison. I really appreciate your suggesion of Devil's Thumb, even DH was taken by the photos of the property. Wow.

I agree charging for the entire stay is not very customer friendly!

well I will put on thinking cap and try to come up with some other ideas

I appreciate it. These responses are so helpful. Keep 'em coming!

Hi, cmcfong -- Have you been to the Ketchum/Sun Valley, Idaho area? Stanley, to the north, is fabulous, not so luxe. That entire area, however, has great hiking access, killer restaurants....in town or out-of-town accommodations. When you say seven other people, do you mean 7 bedrooms?

Hi Katy, we went to Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch in Stanley a few trips back. It was fantastic and we loved the area. We are four couples so I only need four units. We prefer a vacation where there is not only time for group activities, but real couple time as well. IRMR was outstanding.

sending a link to some houses ( not exactly cabins) close to Sunriver Oregon- but not actually part of Sunriver
Have not stayed here but property manager is a friend of mine
Think it would be a beautiful spot, close to Bend, Sunriver if you chose to visit and lots of great hiking.

http://deschutesriverside.com/

You certainly can't beat the price, sunbum. Bargain rates for a very complete package. At the risk of sounding incredibly difficult, this is ususally the only "couple" time we get,too. While sharing a house makes sense in terms of budget and facilities, we usually try for separate cabins for the privacy advantage.
Thank you for the suggestion and I will put it in the mix.

Hey, I'll meet you there too, especially for a hike. I second Nora_S' hike recommendations. Maple Pass Loop is lovely.