Mountain Rest Cabins And Campgrounds — Hotel in Walhalla

Our stay was from 12/17 - 12/19, so a short visit. The owner was extremely accommodating since we booked the cabin at the very last minute, yet it was a nonissue. When we arrived, we were greeted by Socks, the campground's dog, and the owner. She was pleasant and friendly, so we chatted a bit while checking in. We're from up North where the people we're used to aren't so personable or cordial, so a welcomed change of pace from the start. We stayed in Cabin 25. A pretty light teal-colored cabin nestled into the woods. It had a nice large front deck with a grill and a few matching colored patio chairs. The cabin was quaint with rustic character, with beautiful forestry views from all windows. The kitchen was of a modest yet appropriate sizing to achieve whatever cooking needs you may have while up in a mountain cabin. The vaulted ceilings made the place feel like you were in a large cabin home with pretty wooden beams running across it. There was a lovely little sectional couch tucked into the corner by the windows so you could sit and enjoy the views while sipping your morning coffee. There is a small TV with an antenna, but it will be spotty. However, there was a DVD player in the cabin. So if TV is a must-have convenience for you while staying in a rural cabin, it may be wise to bring along a few movies rather than look at the region's natural beauty. The bathroom was clean and well-stocked with towels and washcloths. The interior decorations of the ocean and palm tree scenes were a nice touch since we are admirers of the southern Florida region, so you could tell the owner has the same fondness too. We were fortunate enough to receive a phone signal in the cabin, but I understand that only some can get reception so far up. The owner let us know this far in advance. I've read the other reviews on this place which are egregious and downright unrealistic; therefore, I find it prudent to spell everything out in a clear, concise manner. I want to remind people reading that this is a rural cabin, so there aren't state-of-the-art expensive HVAC systems. Instead, we were provided two rollable space heaters and a fireplace heater in the main room, and with all three of them on, it heated the cabin quite well. However, if you are a person who tends to run cold, be sure to bring a nice pullover sweater. The cabin was warm, but you're out in the elements, so don't expect a balmy 78 degrees interior temperature. I can't speak to everyone who rents a cabin, but when we think of a cabin, we tend to think of remote living. So if I wanted to be in a place where I had high-speed internet and crystal clear cable with 200+ channels, I wouldn't have trekked up a mountainside just to be disappointed. I also find it odd that many people complained about not having Wi-Fi or cell service. This is remote mountain country. I would never come to such a place and think it feasible or even logical that the owner immediately erect a cellphone tower to better convenience myself. Please have an adequate car to get you up here. It isn't finely paved roads; they're pretty bumpy, steep, and windy. All I can say to the people with such negative reviews is if you expect pure perfection with surgical-like execution for your short-term transit stay, then book a room at the Four Seasons. Please don't come to a person's small business and trash them because they don't come from the same high-end fast-paced city life that you've grown accustomed to but yet decided to drive hours out of the way from and still expect that form of standard. The people in this area I found are good people who are easygoing and not so high-strung and have a meltdown over minor inconveniences. It may have more to do with the fact that these people who live out here have real problems that they can't simply summon a maintenance specialist through their phone to solve all of their problems. We had a beautiful time here and found it hard to muster the will to leave. We definitely will be returning. Thank you so much for such a tranquil stay. We can't wait to come...

My husband and I looked forward to exploring a new area of the state & heard this place was an ideal accommodation. That recommendation was far from accurate. The lady who booked us was very kind by phone, however, we were led to believe we needed to book a cabin well above the rate we were comfortable with because the site was largely booked. It turns out there were empty cabins all over the property. Many of the people coming in & out of the property seemed to be permanent residents.

The office was closed when we arrived & remained closed throughout our stay. A sign on the office door indicated staff was on-site & provided a phone number -- but that proved fruitless because patrons cannot call staff when patrons don't have cell service. This is significant because there is no cell reception -- at all -- here. While we didn't mind being unplugged for the weekend, we were concerned about how we would reach emergency responders if anything transpired during our stay. Luckily, no emergencies emerged. Among all the many signs posted related to charges, a sign should be erected to indicate whether there is a landline accessible to patrons in the event of an emergency.

This site does not have central air -- PERIOD. There were widow units installed that were too small to actually cool the cabin. There was also a box fan that did little to assist in that regard.

We stayed in Cabin 3. While that cabin is billed as being able to accommodate multiple people, none of the beds or seating were comfortable. We immediately were greeted by a moldy smell in one of the rooms. Pet hair covered everything -- despite signage stating patrons would be charged for pet hair cleaning. Speaking of cleaning -- our cabin was not clean. The dishes in the cabinets had food remnants on them. The coffee pot didn't work. And the microwave had food splatter from previous guests. Speaking of splatter -- I was forced to clean the bathroom -- let's just say food splatter wasn't the only thing left behind by former patrons. While I always travel prepared to do some light cleaning -- I was not prepared for the cleaning required. The refrigerator had not been wiped down in ages. The ice trays & ice bin had bugs in them.

If you suffer from allergies, I would skip a booking here. Not only were there smells of mold, the curtains & fake flowers had dust & spider webs that by a conservative estimate were months old -- at least.

If you're seeking quiet, the site is fairly quiet. We appreciated that. The cabins are in proximity to many beautiful sights. That said, unless you plan to be out all day & just come back in the evening to sleep then this is not the place for you. We wanted to enjoy the cabin as much as the sights. It was frustrating to bring food, etc only to have to deep clean everything before using it. We didn't use the stove because we feared it wouldn't work. We did use the grill, but we had to clean it before using it because food remnants from previous guests were built up there as well.

I don't think every cabin has to have modern furnishings, but if you're going for rustic then those pieces should be cleaned and maintained. We could feel the springs in the mattress of the bed we chose to sleep in. We didn't try the other beds because the mold smell was hard to take in one room & the vaulted ceilings in the loft made the portable A/C unit useless.

This property could be a phenomenal retreat. It definitely needs upkeep & regular cleaning...

RUN!!! DO.NOT. WALK. I don't even know where to begin. Me and my three kids booked this cabin (#25) to celebrate my birthday and as a summer vacation for the kids. The cabin was described as having air conditioning and WIFI. The MINUTE we walked in I knew we'd made a huge mistake. Not only was the place filthy (the ceiling fan was CAKED in AN INCH of dust and the bathroom looked like it hadn't been cleaned in weeks) so we immediately went to the Walmart for cleaning supplies. But when we got back we found that there were MOUSE DROPPINGS in all the silverware and utility drawers. Since it was a holiday week and we didn't think we could get in anywhere else, we decided to rough it, buy some mouse traps and just eat out for the duration of our trip. To make things worse, there WAS no Wifi. She told us if we wanted to use the wifi we needed to come down the road and "sit in front of her office." We did that to try and check the essentials, emails, etc., and even THAT didn't work. The "air conditioning" was a single window unit that only blew warm air. We were MISERABLE. But to add insult to injury, when we got into town on the second day and got a cell signal we had a voicemail from our neighbor that there had been breakings in our subdivision, that several houses had been hit and that we needed to get home and check on our house. I explained to the owner who runs the campground what happened with our house and that we would need to leave two days early. She said she was so sorry to hear what happened and that she would refund me for the two nights we didn't stay. Despite multiple calls and emails the refund never came so I disputed the two nights with my credit card. She disputed the dispute and sent them a copy of their "no refunds" policy. ZERO humanity. This was the WORST experience of my life. Not only did we have to return home to find our house vandalized but she found a way to make a traumatizing experience for my kids even worse by adding insult to injury. How this place stays in business I will never understand. Filthy, run down and zero empathy or concern. I'd sleep on the street before I would ever stay in your run down slum again....