White Oak Lodge & Resort — Hotel in Gatlinburg

We arrived at our cabin only to find that it was located in the middle of a construction zone - an open foundation was next door and debris was strewn everywhere - even in the trees - it did not appear that the property was full so we went back to the office to ask about being moved - we were very rudely told that yes it was a construction zone and we could expect noise first thing Monday morning as her husband was the contractor - A move was not offered - but she did say that the noise might be somewhat lessened by the fact that they hadn’t received the logs for the cabin next door as yet - we then met her husband a little while later and he said that a cement dump truck would be coming first thing Monday morning a few doors down - so we should expect to be woken up ( at least he was polite) - the cabin itself was beautiful but this situation ruined any peace and tranquility that we could have had - one day they actually came and started drilling into the side of our cabin while we were in there to build an enclosure for the air conditioning unit - This went on for hours - and that entire day was nothing but drilling and the sounds of power saws cutting wood - I have never seen the like of it - we paid full price to have this cabin for a week and should have been told that this would be happening and given the choice of canceling - but we didn’t find out any of this until we had already driven 6 hours to get here - I am sitting on the porch as I write this listening to yelling workers - power saws and trucks coming and going - I even had to stop writing because two workers were climbing up on the deck using a ladder like peeping Tom’s right next to where my 12 year old daughter was sitting painting some rocks (she started doing that because they were drilling into the wall where she was doing her homework) - they wanted to take measurements for something else they were going to build on the deck - I was actually stunned at how bad this got - to his credit he did ask if he was bothering us when I got up to confront him and proceeded to promptly leave - I’m wondering what time tomorrow he will be coming to work on the deck - this whole thing was like watching a train wreck - if you want to enjoy nature and peace and quiet - then this is definitely not your choice - we will never be coming here again...

My review was taken down (which I think is dishonest), so I'll hold back a little less with this follow-up review, and go into slightly greater detail... Personally, I rely heavily on reviews in order to help me make educated decisions. Noticing all the 5-star reviews on here (with little-to-no comments), and the FACT that my review was taken down because it wasn't 4 or 5 stars makes me slightly suspicious. All that aside, here's my honest review, once again.

This place isn't all daisies and roses. For starters, pests are starting to eat away large sections of the cabins, they're absolutely infested with carpenter bees. We had sawdust in our hair everyday as the bees tunneled through the wood, and dumped their shavings on everything below. This place offers no additional activities (other than a tennis court and pool, which is closed for a longer period of time when compared to surrounding resorts).

DO NOT USE THE HOT TUB. I can't speak for all the cabins, however, the 3 members of our party who used the tub developed horrible hives and skin rashes - goodness knows how poor the hygiene is in there.

The front office is infrequently staffed and tardy. We were at the resort for 1 week, and really struggled to get assistance. They're normally there in the afternoons, so expect to bump your whole day forward, and just stand aground waiting for them to show up.

Finally, the incessant dog barking. There are households located around the resort (within 1000 feet) and they don't silence their animals. We heard several (large) dogs barking ceaselessly day and night - it felt like we were camping out in an animal shelter. Don't get me wrong, I love my dog and some barking is fine, but when it's 3AM in the morning and all you hear are dogs violently barking, nonstop, it really ruined our vacation. We had little to no sleep. In final conclusion, don't delete my review, at the very least people need to know about the barking so they can bring earplugs or a noise generator - you're doing patrons a great disservice (such as myself) by covering up this...

BEWARE! The 'property manager/HOA enforcer' is unhinged.

I booked one of the cabins on this property for a long weekend, and since I was bringing a dog, I'd made sure to book a pet-friendly rental. Come to find out, this place doesn't allow dogs at all; the small cabins on the property are independently owned and rented out, and the owner of the unit I rented didn't know about the pet policy and listed the cabin as pet friendly. Hey, mistakes happen, I get it.

The problem is the way this was handled by the property manager, who lives on site and (apparently) rides around on a golf cart making sure everyone follows the rules. When he saw my young son and I walking our dog, you'd think he had witnessed the crime of the century. He zoomed up on his golf cart like he meant to run us over and immediately began berating me, saying no dogs are allowed on "his" property. There was no attempt to be civil -- it was aggressive and hostile from the start.

I explained that the listing for the cabin I rented stated very clearly that it was pet friendly, but he didn't seem interested in that fact. The encounter soon escalated to shouting and cursing (at 7:30 in the morning, btw). Bizarrely, the guy eventually said he would 'let it slide this time' (presumably because he has no actual authority) but demanded I keep the dog locked inside the cabin, threatening to call the cops if he saw it again. Needless to say, I opted to leave instead, forfeiting a rental I'd already paid for.

To the owners: that guy is a liability. It's only a matter of time before something more serious happens. To prospective guests: the property is nice, and if you like aggressively-enforced HOA rules, this is the place for you. For everyone else, I'd steer clear until they get rid of the...