Minutes from downtown Gatlinburg, Dog friendly, WiFi and more

Each person in our party said the same word as we walked through the front door of this mountain chalet: Wow.

It's a beautiful home with very comfortable furniture and incredible views from every deck. We had occasion to see both sunrises and sunsets during our August stay, Beautiful colors in the sky.

I love to cook, and I was very happy with the kitchen. The quality of the pans and utensils was very good. There is a dishwasher, but we didn't use it. I have a dishwashing crew. ;) You should know that there are no food staples in the chalet (oil, spices, etc), so you'll need to bring your own or buy them locally. I just bought cooking oil, garlic salt and pepper, and that was really all we needed for all of our delicious meals. (Not to toot my own horn.)

I'm a virtual assistant, and even on vacation I'm on the computer a lot. The wifi was perfect, and we didn't have any problems. We didn't do any streaming video. I also had good cell phone signal from the cabin (Sprint).

We were traveling with our dog, who felt very at home in the cabin. There are lots of bears very close by (we saw four during our stay--once one was looking in the front door), so we kept the dog on the leash when we took him out to go to the bathroom. We didn't feel safe to walk on the road because there are no shoulders, and visibility is low because of all the twists and turns. We did walk him on the one dog-friendly trail in the national park, and we all enjoyed that. We had no problem finding dog-friendly restaurants.

To the owners: Thank you so much for opening your home to us! We loved our stay.

My family and I had a wonderful and relaxing vacation. This house was a perfect location on the mountain and less than 10 minutes to town. The house was nice and big for the 4 of us and our dog. The hot tub and game room was nice to have. We didn't go the clubhouses at all because we were off exploring the areas.

We wish we had mountain views but we took walks and drives to take it all in. A few houses down from this one and along S. Baden had awesome views.

We had a few bears wander by. Our last night there was a big black mama with her 4 cubs - so awesome to see. Our dog thought it was play time! It was so cool! They did try to get into the car so make sure they are locked!

Some tips for travelers and hopefully the management company:

- It did come with starter supply of some supplies but wish I would have known to bring hot pads for stove, kitchen towels for drying dishes (they supplied one kitchen towel) I did bring more trash bags, paper towels, and toilet paper, dish soap, hand soap

- There were no cleaning products so I just used soapy water on the sponge I brought to clean up counters

- make sure you bring or buy saran wrap, foil, baggies, condiments, spices - there is nothing there. Usually such things get left behind from other renters but it's like they total remove all of those items.

- beware of upstairs bathroom sink drawers. The drawers stick and there is a cutout in the back where the drain comes down and items will roll down and land under the cabinet.

- there were only 3 or 4 hangers per closet as well

- main floor A/C doesn't cool as well as top and bottom floors but we were fine due to mid 70's weather

- the bear proof trash bins were not there. We were told to call when we needed trash picked up but stored it in the powder room on main floor until we checked out.

There is so much to do! Definitely check out the SkyBridge and the Village Shops. Very quaint and cute. Gaitlinburg trail is the only dog friendly one which is disappointing but beautiful. Do not let your pups drink the creek water - was told there are giardia (parasites) that can make you sick. Found that out on our last day.

This property is gorgeous. Beautifully furnished and fabulous for 2 couples. Both master suites have their own private decks allowing for privacy and solitude. A mama bear nursed her 4 cubs in front of the driveway every afternoon so you won’t have to drive far to experience wildlife. This property is a gem.

The cabin is beautiful. Three floors, two full rooms, two full baths, a half bath, and a full kitchen. The hot tub and game room were a nice touch though we didn’t use them. Property managers very responsive. Loose door handle and first floor AC was out of Freon and they were out the next morning (AC wasn’t a problem since that’s a floor without bedrooms). Location was perfect. 15 minutes from downtown Gatlinberg, 35 minutes (depending on time of day) from Pigeon Forge. On to the important topics. There are BEARS everywhere. We counted 3 mother bears (combined 10 cubs), one big daddy bear, and one juvenile. We saw the families daily. The recommendation is to stay as far away as you can but you’ll find that it’s difficult. Cubs were 50 feet up in trees maybe 30 feet from our deck. Couple of PSA statements:

1) Do not every leave your car doors unlocked or windows open. We left the windows down for 30 minutes when we went in to shower and the big daddy bear climbed in our car. We popped the lift and he strolled out. Next day, the mother bear used her mouth and paws to try and open the car doors! No damage. But could have been really bad. Don’t leave food in your car.

2) Don’t walk on the deck or down the street without paying attention or looking. We saw multiple tourists listening to headphones and not paying attention while bears were within 20-50 yards in the forest or around corners. Good news is all the neighbors are watching and will let you know!

3) Don’t take your trash out until the morning of trash day. The bears don’t care about the bear proof cans. They bend back the metal and grab it anyway. Just take it in the morning.

4) Bring your cameras and enjoy! This place is like heaven on earth for nature lovers or those that love amusement parks. Recommend indoor sky diving, alpine coasters, Pirate dinner show, and the sky bridge in Gatlinberg. My family could not believe how beautiful it was coupled with the proximity to nature. The cabin, the location, the bears, the responsiveness, the amenities. Just a great trip. Would highly recommend!!!

Super easy to work with. The staff were wonderful. Happy to help with any question we had. Highly recommend these people