Fox's Den Chalet

Even though we have been to Gatlinburg many times (probably close to 10), we've never stayed in a cabin or chalet. Well, this time, I wanted to focus on family (and not mini golf), so I found the Fox's Den Chalet. I did an initial Google search for "gatlinburg cabins" and found that most of them are rented by companies that charge a whole lotta fees on top of your nightly rate. I stumbled across vrbo.com, the vacation rental answer to fsbo.com.

Aly and I looked at most of the cabins that slept 4-6 and allowed pets. We created a spreadsheet that listed the amenities we were most interested in (hot tub, internet access, fireplace, grill, etc), and scored each cabin accordingly. Yeah, I'm a little type A. We narrowed it to two cabins, and it came down to whether we wanted a hot tub or a pool table. We chose the hot tub.

We booked online, and got a great deal ... pay for three nights and the fourth night is free! It turns out that the owners of the cabin were from Indiana, near the tiny town of Milan which was made famous by the movie Hoosiers. There were no extra fees, other than for the dogs, and we were all set.

The cabin was easy to find, but pretty deep in the woods, up the mountain and down a one-way, one-lane road. It was not isolated .. there were a couple of other houses on the road, but definitely quiet and wilderness-y.

You can read about the cabin, and see photos, at the website, but I was impressed with all the little touches that made it feel like home ... so much more than a hotel room!

• It was so clean! According to the guest diary (yes, a little diary just for us to record our stay), a couple with a dog had checked out of the cabin only hours before we arrived. The cabin felt like it was brand new, not just clean.
  
• It was family friendly. There was a little bookshelf that had several chapter books and there were about 30-40 DVDs and videos. There was even a doggie food dish under the sink. Oh, and a Nintendo Gamecube with several games.
  
• The furniture was new or like new. The owners had a photo album that showed the cabin when they bought it. It was furnished in "early goodwill". They replaced the beaten down living room furniture, added gliding chairs to the deck in place of the plastic stuff and took down the migraine-inducing wallpaper.
  
• It was stocked. There were supplies we didn't expect, such as coffee, dish detergent, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, small shampoo packets, candles. The light switches were labeled. There were plenty of hangers and hooks for our coats, and a cooler/backpack to use for picnics.
  
• The decor was lovely. Rustic but not overdone. From the stained glass welcome sign to the country bedspreads, it was done just right. The master bed was devilishly comfy, though the satin-backed comforter kept sliding off the bed.
  
• It was techno-equipped. In addition to the DVD/VCR attached to the flat screen in the living room, the master bedroom had a wall mounted flat screen with built in DVD. The wireless internet was blazing fast. I did giggle over the phone (free long distance, but the phone was wall mounted and set to "pulse").
  
• Giant, fluffy towels. Not that holiday inn see-through stuff.
  
• Extra pillows and blankets. Now, this cabin was advertised to sleep six, so the extras were probably for the pull out couch, but I still thought there were more than really necessary.
  
• Motion lights on the porch and driveway. And colored rope lights around the deck - so festive!

Our recommended improvements:

• A cable channel listing! I thought it was odd that they didn't have one, but maybe we overlooked it somehow.
  
• Cable for the kids upstairs. Ok, so our kids are spoiled having cable in their bedrooms. They had to play DVDs all night.
  
• A back door. Ok, maybe not, but all those steps up the front were killing us! Especially with luggage.
  
• A pool table. Yes, we picked the hot tub, but having another activity would have been nice.

Clearly, these things are things we could have planned for, and nothing that was really "wrong" with the cabin itself. All in all, our stay was perfect. We loved it and even Mike says he'll never stay in a Gatlinburg hotel again. I would really like to go back with a larger group, say my sisters and/or cousins, and get a giant cabin that sleeps 15-20. We're already planning our next family trip - maybe a few days this summer.

Our thanks to the owners and if you are looking for a place to stay, we'd definitely recommend this chalet!