Be Careful!

I wanted to post this now, since this is the time of year when a lot of us will begin thinking about what to do for vacation next year, and possibly even booking a location. I put it on this forum because there are so many cabins and chalets for rent in Tennessee, particularly in the Smoky Mountain area.

My message is: Be VERY, VERY careful when you book a location. I speak from experience. Back in 1992, long before the internet made these things so much easier, I saw an ad in a national travel magazine advertising cabins in the Smokies. The price seemed too good to be true-red flag number one! I called the owner, a woman who lived in Knoxville, and she proceeded to tell me a long string of lies about the cabin, at which point I stupidly booked it. Well, suffice it to say that when we arrived at the cabin months later, it was a nightmare! Slugs in the shower, bugs in the toaster, 1960%26#39;s paneling on all of the walls, terrible beds, and black smudges around all of the antiquated electrical outlets. It was virtually uninhabitable, mainly because we were concerned about our kids%26#39; safety with the electrical system being so outdated. We called the owner and tried to explain to her in a rational way that the cabin was nothing at all as she had described it and that, furthermore, there was no way that it would ever pass any type of electrical safety inspection, at which point she swore at us and hung up. We packed up and went to a nice hotel, and we and the other people with whom we were traveling each lost $200.00.

Here are my tips so that the same thing doesn%26#39;t happen to you. Hopefully you are smart enough not to need them, but here they are, just in case:

1.) NEVER rent a place sight unseeen. Nowadays with the internet available to all of us, there is no excuse not to request pictures of the exact unit that you will be renting, and STAY AWAY if the owner refuses or gives you some lame excuse, such as not having the internet, etc. Even though my nightmare happened back in 1992, I should have still requested that the owner supply me with pictures. That way, you have proof if the unit you get and the pictures do not match.

2.) Be very wary of cheap prices. That is how I was sucked in. If it is cheap, there is a reason why. The only way that I will book a very below-market price now is with one of the online discount travel services such as Priceline, Hotwire, etc. because they stand behind the places that they book for you and will only book places that are up to their standards. We have used both of these services extensively, and we have never been burned once.

3.) If you do make a mistake like I did, and you find something terribly wrong such as black smudges around all of the electrical outlets, mold on the ceilings, etc. REPORT it to the county health department or other appropriate authorities. Maybe you will get out without having a fire, but the next people might not be so lucky.

I know that the vast majority of resort property owners in the Smokies as well as in other areas are decent, honest people who deliver what they promise, and we have been back to the area three times since our unfortunate incident and had a wonderful experience each time. I just don%26#39;t want any of you to get burned like we did. We all work hard and deserve a wonderful vacation, and I wish that for each and every one of you.

Be Careful!

lots of them in tennessee.

been to a few around gatlinburg and pigeion

forge tennessee. some great to not so great.

Stay away from pinhook plantation bed and breakfast in Calhoun TN.