livin it up

We booked Livin' It Up for our anniversary weekend, hoping for some quiet time away from everything, and this place delivered beyond what we imagined. Yes, the mountain road up is steep and winding (definitely had a few white-knuckle moments!), but once you reach the cabin and see that view, you completely forget about the drive.

Everything inside was in excellent condition. The kitchen setup is fantastic—plenty of space to work, a big fridge, and all the cookware you'd need. We appreciated how well the AC worked during the warmer afternoons, and the bed was surprisingly comfortable. Slept better than we do at home! The outdoor grill looked really nice, though we ended up not using it.

Fair warning: black bears are common here. We saw two on our first night wandering near the deck. They climbed up a tree, grabbed whatever they were after, and left. A little startling at first, but they genuinely didn't care about us at all. If anything, it made the experience feel more authentic and memorable.

What really stood out was how isolated the cabin felt. No neighboring properties in sight, total peace and quiet. We spent one night in the hot tub just taking in the mountain air and stars—honestly one of the best parts of the trip.

The location worked well for us too. We drove to SkyBridge one day (maybe ~30 minutes), which was close enough for a day trip but far enough that we still felt tucked away in our own little corner of the mountains.

Bottom line: this cabin is the real deal. Clean, private, well-maintained, and exactly what we needed. We're already talking about when we can come back!

Absolutely amazing and we look forward to coming back!!

Second time renters with Elk Springs Resort and couldn’t be more happy. This cabin certainly met and exceeded our expectations. The view was spectacular, the cabin was cozy and had everything we could need for our stay. We actually enjoyed staying in more than going out and doing the “tourists” things. Definitely will be returning!

There were a few up and downs to our cabin stay and Elk Springs Resort went above and beyond to accommodate all of them. First we got a text on our check in day that our initial cabins hot tub was not heating properly. We expressed our disappointment and the staff upgraded us to a beautiful new cabin with a breath taking view immediately, our check in time wasn’t even delayed. Next there was an error with our door code and maintenance came very quickly and resolved it. Lastly, we managed to get snowed in on our check out day. Staff set our check out time to the afternoon and promptly sent maintenance on a snow plow and ATV to dig us out! Thank you to Dwayne and the other two gentlemen with him that not only cleared the cabin’s driveway, they proceeded to ride one in front of us on the snow plow and the other behind us on the ATV to be sure we made it down safely. This was all on top of a beautifully maintained cabin that was clean and comfortable. Even the bed slept fantastic. Thank you to all staff and maintenance that fixed every hiccup we met so we were able to celebrate our anniversary. We will definitely be back in the future.

Private getaway in the mountains. Gorgeous view and beautiful home. We were even blessed with some wildlife. Your friendly local bear.

Well kept and we were given very clear instructions for rental. 20 minutes from downtown Gatlinburg. A few more basic amenities would have been nice. A box of kleenex, a notepad and pen, grill instructions. Overall gorgeous place!