blackcat256

My husband and I recently returned from a trip to beautiful Costa Rica. We haven't left the state of Florida in nearly 20 years, so we are not seasoned travelers, but we seem to have caught the travel bug and are ready to hit the road (or air) again.

This time we want to stick a little closer to home. A few of the things we loved about CR were the mountains and views, the fog and mist, the steep/stair hiking and streams/waterfalls.

I'm looking at the Great Smoky Mountains. I'd like to fly into Charlotte NC and would like a lodge or cabin within a 2-3 hour drive of the airport. Ideally, I would like a lodge that would pick us up at the airport. Renting a car and driving would be no big deal, but I would love to be picked up. That's one thing I loved about CR, having drivers get you around unfamiliar territory. Takes the stress out of traveling...for us anyway.

The perfect place for us:

Secluded/Private Cabin, or Lodge that is off the beaten path with great views, hot tubs or jaccuzis and great hiking

Near a creek/river/waterfall

Geared more toward couples than families.

We don't want to shop.

This location would either feed us every meal (like a lodge with meals included or full restaurant, or be a cabin with a kitchen. We'd love not to have to drive anywhere during our 4-5 day stay.

We are planning this trip for the Spring...April or May. Of, if that is too early for the weather to be warm enough? (I am totally unfamiliar with how cold it gets Spring up there) June would be OK too.


Any recommendations would be appreciated!

SAnParis2

You'll be in the Mts. so it will be chilly until May/June. I know of no such place that will 'pick you up & ferry you about'. You are at least 1.5 hours from the beginning of the Mts. I would suggest renting a car & driving to someplace around Asheville. We typically use vrbo.com, however for more Lodge type places, try - www.selectregistry.com If you want to go top shelf, "the Swag" is the place.

blackcat256

Thank you for your reply! I'll check those places. So far Google searches haven't netted much. I might postpone the trip till June to have warmer weather.

gmoney

If you are going to the Smokies you will be much better off flying into Knoxville or Asheville. Renting a car will be a must. There is a trolley that runs throught Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg but that is about it for public transportation. There are hundreds of cabins in the area depending on what you are looking for. We love the cabins at:

www.oakhavenresort.com

They are off the beaten track and fantastic.

Gretchen

I would go to the "other end" of the Smokies near Cherokee and Bryson City. You will need to rent a car. Look at teh Fryemont Inn in Bryson City.
Pigeon Forge is a HUGE shopping mall, and Gatlinburg isn't much better.

Gretchen

another possibility is Cashiers, NC. The hotel there is beautiful, and the scenery lovely.

SAnParis2

I agree w/Gretchen, steer clear of the PF/Gat area, it is a mess. In addition, in order to fly into Knoxville or esp. Asheville, you'd likely connect in CLT anyway. So it would save you little, if any, time.

blackcat256

Thank you for the tips. Most of the cabins/lodges I've been looking at via searches have been around PF/Gatlinburg and it does indeed look WAAAAYYYY to crowded for what we are looking for. I'll check these these other areas.

mouseRD

You could check with The Swag to see whether they would pick you up from Asheville airport. Their prices do include all meals/snacks.

My husband & I stayed at a lovely cabin/house with the most amazing spa-like bathroom for a couple that we found on homeaway.com (listed as 1 BR under Boone, NC listings) that was on a creek & very private in Leatherwood Mountains resort (but rented out privately by owner.) Negatives (if you could call it that) were that there weren't any restaurants close by, so you really do need to bring your own food (which was fine with us; we barely left the cabin in 4 days; went to Blowing Rock the day we checked out!)and that the cabin was so gorgeous & peaceful, we didn't really want to go anywhere!
Definitely would need a car - it would be ~ 2 1/2 hrs from Charlotte airport.

spirobulldog

For something different, you might consider a hike and overnight at Mount Le Conte

http://www.leconte-lodge.com/