Backhome Log Cabins — Hotel in Pigeon Forge

We spent a four-day weekend at Alexandra's Log Heaven. We wanted a cabin with a pool, and comfortable sleeping for 6 adults and 2 kids. The movie room seemed like a great idea, especially if it rained. And the photos made it look like a really nice place. So let's get on with the details...

The good: The cabin is advertised with sleeping for 14, with a pool, hot tub and movie room. All of this is pretty accurate. There are five bedrooms, three on the main floor with one upstairs and one in the basement. There is a loft with additional sleeping for kids. You could easily sleep this many people, plus a couple more using the sleeper sofas and futons. Having a pool available all the time was a huge hit with the kids. And the hot tube was nice. We looked forward to the movie room, but didn't use it much (see below). There was a good selection of movies, which is encouraging. We also really enjoyed the huge covered porch. The trees growing up through openings in the deck and roof were super cool. With a couple of exceptions, the property was in good repair. When we reached out for help with a few issues, they were mostly addressed by friendly staff. We tacked on a third night at the last minute, and got it at a discounted rate, which was nice. And the cabin is advertised as pet friendly, which we intended to need (but, see below).

The bad: While the cabin will theoretically sleep a bunch of people, the main living area is ridiculously small. There is just enough room for a couch, two chairs, and a small coffee table. And there's an alcove to the side that could seat six people snugly. That's it. So if you fill this place up, don't expect the whole group to spend time together inside unless they sit on the floor. Also, several of the bedrooms were filled with extra furniture to the point of being cramped. For example, the basement bedroom has two couches and a table wedged into a space that leaves no room for people's legs in-between. The king bed in that room barely fits between the walls without room to walk around it. The photos in the ad show the rooms staged nicely. But the cabin wasn't furnished like that when we arrived. The lasy-susan corner cabinet in the kitchen was broken. When we tried to use the movie room, we found that all of the A/V equipment had been unplugged from each other. We spent the better part of 45 minutes getting the TV and some of the sound system connected and working. We managed to watch a couple of movies, but without surround sound. It would have been nice if there was a diagram, or if someone checked it as part of the cleaning routine. Lastly, there were no paper goods or trash bags in the cabin at all. We had to call and get some brought to us. Again, the staff were polite. But this stuff should be stocked.

The ugly: This cabin hadn't been cleaned since someone else had stayed in it before us. We turned down the sheets in our bed to find food crumbs in the bedding. Others found stains on pillows, hair, etc. Yuck! The grill hadn't been cleaned, either. I had to scrub rancid meat off the grates before we could use it. Also, while we paid a pet deposit in anticipation of one of our group bringing her dog, when she canceled, we didn't get a refund of our pet fee. ...

First of all, I would like to say that I am only trying to give an honest review to save others from wasting their money on this cabin. Our first impression of the cabin was that it was very spacious and cute. There was plenty of sleeping room, and the separate dining area was perfect for family game nights. HOWEVER, the heated pool is closed during the winter, and the pool area is in a state of disrepair. The outside was very junky, and all the outdoor pillows were dirty and torn. Also, the bedding seemed dirty, and when we removed the sheets we found nasty stains on the beds. The upstairs shower and main level large tub were also moldy and dirty. Like, black thick mold in the jets and white fuzzy mold above the shower. The shower head also looked like it had never been cleaned. You could also tell that it was not regularly dusted. The ceiling fans and vents were covered in dust. The ice maker on the fridge was broken. The doors to some of the bedrooms did not close. The maintenance person was very nice and a bag of ice was provided. They also sent someone out to place roach boxes when we complained about the roaches. We discovered them when we turned the lights on in the kitchen at night. They scattered. They admittedly had problems with it before. The theater room was lots of fun, but had a disgusting pop corn machine with ashes and trash in it and holes in the carpet. The downstairs shower knob was barely attached. Dryer was full of lint. When we expressed our concern over the uncleanliness, we were told they would not refund our cleaning deposit. I would attach pics, but I don't see that option...

So we're still staying here for the week at Shelby's place. I was super worried because the house was my idea, and I was the one who booked it, so the expectations were high. Here's my review:

The AC is great - central temp is lovely, and it works perfectly. The bedrooms are massive, clean, and the whole place is warm and inviting. The TV's all work, and one bedroom even has a tanning booth. The kitchen has two ovens, two coffee pots, and a new washer and dryer. There was plenty of space for my whole family. The downstairs bathroom has a huge jet tub, and the water pressure in the other bathrooms was really nice. We have yet to run out of hot water, no matter how many people were showering.

The poolhouse is open and the pool is clean, and has a great PH balance - there's not so much chlorine that you can't breathe, and I hate when that happens. The grill was set up and ready, and the yard was manicured and well cared for.

The booking was easy as well - I would just email Stanley to charge a payment to my credit card and he'd send a receipt. There was no drama. The drive is about 15 minutes to Dollywood.

Overall, we couldn't have been more pleased...