Cherokee Mountain Cabins — Hotel in Andrews

Perhaps you will have a better experience with Cherokee Mountain cabins, than we had. In early Feb we booked the "Paws Up" cabin for our 40th wedding anniversary in July. After a week or so, I secretly changed the reservation to the "Sanctuary" in order to surprise my wife who loves to exercise. You see, I had noticed pictures and advertising that mentioned the Sanctuary had a home gym (treadmill & elliptical) in the cabin. My wife would love it!

Well, we get there in July and the home gym is completely empty. All the exercise equipment that had specifically been pictured and advertised as part of the cabin rental, had been taken out (see pictures). Then to add insult to injury, we go down to see the hot tub area and there is a sign on the fireplace that it was out of order (see pictures).

A gas fireplace can fail unexpectedly, but the removal of the gym equipment is false advertising in my opinion. I specifically mentioned my reason (home gym) when I called to switch cabins. No one ever called to warn me of the removal. We should have been notified in advance since it was advertised (the gym is still in a pic on the website)! Even when we arrived at the cabin and I called to complain, there was never an apology, only an explanation that the owner had decided to remove the equipment in March. I was given a 10% discount, but that does not equate to the difference in prices of the two cabins.

While this did ruin the special surprise I had for my wife, I will say the views from the Sanctuary are fabulous. The reason we are not sure we will ever return is the fact we simply have lost all trust that what we reserve is what we will get.

I will add there were a few other annoying examples of maintenance issues that were surprising for high-end cabins, but I guess some should be expected when renting individual owned cabins as opposed to a true hotel owned and operated facility. Here are the minor maintenance type issues. The gas grill was supposed to have an auto-start, but we had to remove the greasy grates and then reach down into the bottom of the grill with a butane lighter to start it, which was dangerous. Another maintenance issue was the gutters over the doors out to the grill and the hot tub area. The gutters were clogged to the point vegetation was growing in one. When typical mountain showers popped up, the clogged gutters would create rainfalls at the doorways which made it a difficult to get out to the two areas. The HVAC keypads flashing that the HVAC filters needed changing, the water dispenser on the fridge did not work (probably needs a filter replacement) and all the clocks being hours off in all sorts of directions which we reset (HVAC, microwave, stove, coffee system).

In closing the major issue was fact the Sanctuary cabin was advertised as having a home gym when in fact it did not. That's not only misleading advertising but really false advertising in my opinion. The other major issue for me is when I called to complain and spoke with the general manager, he was very professional, but not once did he utter a direct apology. He only gave defensive explanations (gas fireplaces will fail, owner decided to taken gym out in March, he must not have been the one I talked to when I booked my reservation, etc etc), but never did he say "I'm sorry". I don't know for sure, but it's possible this is the expected downside of renting from a place that is primarily focused on selling/developing cabin properties, instead of one that is solely focused on cabin rentals (hotel only business). Perhaps the formal training of upper management is in real estate development or real estate contracting rather than hospitality management. A really apology rather than weak excuses would have helped. Of course the ideal would have been to call and notify anyone who had booked the Sanctuary that the gym had been removed. That would have been more appropriate. When that didn't occur a refund of the full difference between the two cabins would have been more...

My husband and I went to Cherokee Cabins on a whim. I had never gone to the mountains or anywhere near a forest of any sort, and I found this place online. We went in on Sunday and left on Thursday, and it was absolutely beautiful and relaxing. Being petrified of the winding roads, I didn't get to drive much, but I didn't need to. The Paws Up Cabin was so beautiful and serene, I needed nothing else. After all, I had my favorite guy and piece and quiet, who would want to leave? The staff was awesome, and we were able to get a discount on our upcoming stay. There are no nearby grocery stores, so I made sure we got everything we needed on our way to the cabin. The view from our deck was beautiful, looked almost like a painting. The air was crisp and clean, and I did not see one part of that forest that was not clean and beautiful. We got to ride horses just a few miles away from the cabin, and we spent so much quiet time in the hot tub on the deck, of course with the fireplace lit. I did miss having a television in the bedroom because I'm so used to it at home, but that was the only thing I would change if I could. We will be taking our 7 children and 2 grands in August, and we simply cannot wait. Our marriage was suffering, and we never got time at home to work on it, but Paws Up had a little magic about itself, the calmness, the distance from outsiders and the undeniable romantic atmosphere gave us time to share our thoughts, feelings, time and space that no one else could interrupt or share. This was the only trip I've ever taken that I didn't go out on excursions, but I must say, IT WAS THE BEST TRIP I've ever taken. I would recommend this to EVERYONE. I already have recommended it to those I love, just so they can experience nature and the surprise of the beauty this place has to offer! If I could give it 10...

We’ve lodged at Cherokee Mountain Cabins many times over the past nine years. It is truly our favorite place for a family vacation. The staff is warm, friendly, helpful, and attentive. They strive to make your stay comfortable and fun. We’ve stayed in four of the cabins, and none of them have disappointed us. The cabins are private and surrounded by beautiful woods and a stream. Even though we’ve been there at times when all the cabins are booked, we’ve hardly known any other guests were around! You have peace, quiet, and that lovely stream sound to relax and enjoy. The cabins are clean and well stocked with quality appliances, dishes and utensils. I usually cook dinner each night, so I’ve used many of their items. The cabins are a bit removed from nearby restaurants, so we like to go on adventures and eat out during the day, then come back to eat dinner at the cabin by the stream. I often make and freeze dinners ahead so that it’s easy to pop them in the oven while relaxing on the porch. If you want to grill food, you’ll need to bring charcoal. If you are staying longer than a night or two, you’ll need to bring your own supplies of soap, paper products, etc. as they only supply a couple day’s amount. Some cabins have a steep drive in and out while others are easier to access. Ask the staff about this if it could be an issue for your vehicle. While there we enjoy driving (thirty minutes plus) to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, hiking, white water rafting, birdwatching, and trout fishing with a local guide company. The cabin staff can help you arrange these things, or you can go off adventuring on your own. We’ve already booked again for next year, and we can’t wait to return. ...