It had been a couple of months since I returned from my last adventure, and I was beginning to get itchy to go somewhere. Anywhere. It didn't have to be far from home, I just needed a quick getaway. Plus, I knew I would eventually need to do something alone.
Ever since Margaritaville Island Resort in Pigeon Forge, TN was built, I've wanted to stay there. I thought mid-week in January would be the perfect time to go. I made the reservation on Monday for a stay that Thursday for a room at the Margaritaville Inn. Not the hotel, but the inn. I thought The Inn was older but it's not. It is, however, described as being the budget-friendly sister location to the 4-star Margaritaville Hotel. For $50 more, I could have stayed at the hotel but since I was already booked at the Inn, I stayed there. Looking at the pictures of the room, the hotel is definitely nicer. Another difference is that there are more amenities at the hotel, such as a rooftop pool and "chill bar". But it was winter, so that wouldn't have made a difference. The hotel is right in the 'thick of things', I had to take a short walk over the bridge to visit the shops at The Island. Parking at the hotel will cost you $10 if you self-park a short walk from the hotel; and $25 if you use valet. That's per night, not for the entire stay. The Inn has free parking behind the hotel. More about the Inn later.
On the Way
I drove about an hour to get to Pigeon Forge. My first stop (which was actually in Sevierville) was The Apple Barn complex. There are 2 restaurants, a winery (with only sweet wines except for 1 dry wine), cider mill, Christmas shop, creamery, candy shop, and a couple of other shops. All of the products they sell are made from local apple orchards. There is an orchard on site, but they have to use apples from locals to keep up with the demand.
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| The Desert Wine Shop is a fairly new addition; there is also a Winery |
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| A small orchard in the front of the buildings |
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| Larger orchards are located in the back of the buildings |
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| The Pigeon Forge Trolley makes it easy to get around the town. An all-day pass is only $3 for over 200 stops. |
My next stop was
Tanger Outlets. Because that's where you go in the Sevierville/Pigeon Forge area to escape all of the tourist traps. Not that there were very many tourists there. In fact, I've never seen the town so dead. The shops were taking inventory of their stock to prepare for the upcoming busy time of year. The shows are only open on the weekends, so unless you're interested in the tourist traps, there really isn't much to do.
Lodging
From there I went to the Inn to see if I could check in, even though it was a little early. I drove to the Hotel first since that's where I thought I was staying.
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| Margaritaville Island Hotel |
When I went into the lobby of The Inn, the air freshener was overpowering. I waited a good 10 minutes for someone to come to the desk, and when he did, he was on his phone. There was no acknowledgment that I and a man were waiting, and when we were acknowledged, he thought we were together even though we weren't standing together. I told him I thought I booked a room at the Hotel, so he said I could go over there and see if they had availability (like they wouldn't during a winter week???). If they did, I could book a room there, go back to the Inn, and they would give me my money back for the room. I started to, but then I decided to just stay there. The young man told me to park in the parking lot at the back of the building; however, I found out that I could have parked in front of the hotel.
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| View of the back of the Inn from the parking lot |
The Room
So, Mistake #1 was that I didn't book a room at the Hotel. Mistake #2 was that I booked a room at the Inn on the Parkway side. Which meant that the outside door was right on the main road. It wasn't a big deal that time of year, but Pigeon Forge has a lot of different car shows. I would hate to have one of those rooms when one of those shows was happening.
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| The balcony-Parkway side |
The elevator ride to my room was a little frightening. There were sounds and bumps along the way. I went around the corner, to the end of the hallway, and found my room.
So far, so good. Adorable signs that kept with the whole island theme. When I opened the door, I found a room that reminded me of The Keys, although I didn't find it very inviting.
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| View as I walked in the door |
When I walked into the room, the air conditioner was on and it was very cold. It was an unseasonably warm winter day but did not necessitate the air being on. I went over to the unit under the window but couldn't do anything to change it over to heat. I called what I thought was Guest Services, but was put through to reservations. The poor guy tried to help me but no one would answer at the front desk. I went down and the young man (not the same one who checked me in) explained to me that the control was on the wall. (See above) They really should tell you that (for those of us who are not very observant) when you check-in.
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| View from the balcony |
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| This was unique: the desk could be pulled away from the table and moved to another part of the room. |
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| A makeup remover center complete with facial soap |
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| I think this is pretty standard for most hotels these days. Instead of providing the guest with individual soap/shampoo/conditioner, there is a supply of the products attached to the shower wall |
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| The hooks outside of the shower are a very nice touch. |
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| A very interesting closet door that also serves as the bathroom door |
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| Closed closet door opened up the bathroom |
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| More hooks! These are across from the closet; perfect for hanging up jackets and coats |
The smell that I mentioned hitting me in the lobby was also in the room. I'm usually not sensitive to scents, but this one left me with a slight headache. I'm not sure why hotels think they have to use air fresheners. Perhaps if they feel they must use them, they need to look at the bigger problem!
Here are a few more views of the hotel:
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| The Lobby |
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| The Lobby |
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| The outdoor pool |
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| The breakfast dining area |
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| More seating/dining |
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| The Fitness Room |
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| The Indoor Pool |
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| The Fireplace Room |
Breakfast is included. The choices were the usual: a waffle area, instant oatmeal, bread, yogurt, fruit, scrambled eggs/bacon/potatoes, etc. The breakfast staff was very attentive and friendly, although one woman's voice was a bit loud.
The Island
Once I was settled in my room, I walked over the bridge to The Island. It's a cute area with shops and rides.
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| The bridge from the Inn to The Island |
The main attraction is the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel. I've been on it before so I skipped it this time. It gives you a good view of the area.
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| The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel |
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| View of the street shops |
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| Another view of the shops |
There are other amusement rides at The Island but I didn't go into that side of the area. There are also attractions in the area (more of what I call "tourist traps"). Visitors have their choice of a few restaurants as well. I narrowed my decision down to 2: Paula Deen's or Margaritaville. Since Paula Deen's is "family style" and I was by myself, I opted for Margaritaville.
I knew what I wanted before I went in: Mahi Tacos. Here was Mistake #3: I expected it to taste like the ones I had in The Keys.
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| Mahi Tacos, rice and beans with habanero cream sauce on the side plus a LandShark draft |
My server (who was awesome, by the way....very attentive!) suggested the cream sauce on the side after I asked if it was spicy. My guess is that someone in the kitchen forgot as they were plating. I say this because the last bite of the first taco set my mouth on fire. I suspect that he/she started to put it on, then scraped it off upon the realization it was supposed to be on the side. As I said, it was a mistake to order this. The mahi was scarce and oversalted. My $24 would have been better spent somewhere else.
And then came Mistake #4: Ordering a slice of Key Lime Pie to go.
I would have been better off going by Publix and getting some pie from there. This had very little Key Lime taste. Definitely go to Publix if you want a good Key Lime Pie!
Overall, my dining experience left something to be desired, but that's okay. I've "been there, done that" and can move on. The atmosphere was good; Jimmy was on the TV, as well as the whole island theme throughout the restaurant.
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| Outdoor bar |
In Conclusion
Overall, I was disappointed with the whole Margaritaville experience. The upside is that since it was off-season and mid-week, I didn't spend the regular amount of money I would have if I had gone either on the weekend or during the high season. I can say I've stayed there. I learned that I need to research a little better before doing this again. If I had realized the Inn was "budget-friendly" I wouldn't have stayed there. I didn't find the room very inviting, so that was a huge disappointment right from the get-go. I mentioned that my room was at the end of the hallway. What I didn't mention is that it was right next to a storage room...that someone went into after 10:00 pm and made an enormous amount of noise. For the positives: the location was excellent, parking was free, and the bed was comfortable. Because of the air freshener, I was ready to leave as soon as I could.
Would I stay here again if given the chance? I would say without a doubt, no. I might try the Hotel, but it would have to be at a very good rate to even consider it.
