"Bear Foot Hide-Away"Cabin with Panoramic Mountain View Bryson City, North Carolina Vacation Rental by Owner Listing 187584
Get away from it all in this secluded cabin on 6 acres of unspoiled wooded mountains with breathtaking views of the Great Smoky Mountain . The 2,300-foot elevation makes you feel like you’re on top of the world! Access: one lane gravel road with two (2) sharp uphill curves and gradual incline towards the top of the mountain. Then drive onto a cement paved drive. Cement all the rest of the way up to the cabin . Paved drive way- no 4 wheel drive needed.

Sounds a little too good doesn’t it? I even asked several times before I rented the cabin from this guy, if the driveway was ok, or was it too steep for my SUV and one-bike trailer? He assured me that it was no problem and that guys with two and three bike enclosed trailers “go up it all the time.” But, what the owner didn’t tell me and doesn’t tell you in the ad for the cabin is that the road and driveway leading up to this cabin are almost too steep to navigate with a car or SUV, let alone trying to haul a bike or bikes up there in a trailer. I cannot begin to get across just how steep this road is. We slipped and spun the tires of my RX 350 all the way to the top, barely making the climb. There is no way I could or would take a street bike up and down the road to this cabin, especially with my wife on board. And, before the keyboard commandos tune up, let me just say that I have been riding since I was 10. That was 48 years ago, so, I know what I’m doing on a bike (on dirt or otherwise.) It has nothing to do with being unskilled or lacking confidence. I’m saying that this cabin is at the top of the steepest quarter mile long switchback gravel driveway I have ever seen! One of my buddies, also a very skilled rider (dirt and street) went up it on his bike and barely made it. He said he would not attempt to do it again because he almost wrecked and agreed that there was no way to routinely go up and down the drive, especially two up! We go to cabins all the time in Arkansas that have steep dirt road or gravel road access and we don’t have a problem. But, they are dead level compared to this cabin driveway.

Anyway, not being able to get up the driveway led to us having to rent a motel room for the week. As soon as we knew we were not going to stay in the cabin, I called the owner and got his very full voicemail box for two days. When he finally called me back and I explained the problem and how pi$$ed I was about him lying to me, he reluctantly agreed to refund my $840 in full. However, when I called my credit card company later. No refund. So, I called him again. He says “sorry, I’ll get it right to you.” Well, about a week or so later after we had returned home, an envelope shows up in my mailbox with $200 in CASH in it!!! I called him back and told him that $200 was NOT a full refund and I wanted my money. He says, “oh, it was a big mistake,” and agreed to refund the remainder right away. Two weeks went by and nothing. I called again. He says his wife’s been in the hospital and he has had health issues, hospital expenses etc. and can he write me a check at the first of the month? I said “ok, but, dammit, I want my refund by then for sure or I’m getting my attorney involved in this.” He says no problem, he’ll get it to me. The first of the month rolls around and I get another envelope from him and in it is a check for the remaining $640, POSTDATED to the 31st of the month!!!!!!! I call him and guess who doesn’t answer or call me back. I had no choice but to wait three weeks until I could deposit the check in my Credit Union and then, I had them birddog the check to make sure it cleared his bank. I finally got word today that the check was good and that I finally got my money back. I had to make sure I got my refund first, before I could get on here and warn y’all about this goofball.

Again, WARNING, WARNING, WARNING, do not rent the Bear Foot Hide-Away Cabin in Bryson City on VRBO. You’ll be sorry you did.

 

Makes ya wonder just how in the hell they are able to get lumber trucks and such up some of those roads to build the cabins. I've stayed at a couple TN cabins near Gatlinburg and Wears Valley and both had very hairy roads leading up to them - switchbacks and STEEP. Couldn't make one of the switchbacks going down the mountain the first time with my F-350 crew cab and thought I was gonna go off the edge. Put 'er in 4-wheel, slapped it in reverse and punched it...barely got it backed up enough to make the turn.

 

I have no doubt it was a white knuckle evolution to get there but, Pictures would help.

 

I don't see your review warning others who might be doing the same as you?
You might want to add one.
http://www.vrbo.com/187584#comments

 

I found these:
http://www.vrbo.com/187584#photos

 

Looks beautiful. Would just go without a bike and trailer.

 

We only rent from carolina mountain vacation... all the cottage have a motorcycle logo for the ones that are bike friendly. Beautiful cottages we rented this spring, even had a garage for the bikes...

 

Wow! I guess I'm so used to it i don't even think about it. I guess folks that aren't from around here might have a hard time on some of the "roads." Suck about your $ though, and thanks for the warning.

 

Easy, they have people from Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina drive them up, not flatlanders. It's like people from Florida driving in the snow and such - hard if you are new to it.

 

You're lucky. At least you got your money back. I had that happen to me in Wisconsin one time. I rented a "Beautiful Cabin" which turned out to be a lodge pole shack. I went to the owner to get my money back it got heated. I asked the woman I was dealing with to send her husband outside and he wouldn't come. I almost had to fist fight with a woman.

Buyer beware. I lost $200.00 on that deal. I'm happy that it worked out for you.