Sidney James Mountain Lodge, Gatlinburg, TN

Although this is probably the most I have had mixed feelings about a place to stay while vacationing, I’m going to do my best to make this review as honest, informative, and helpful to the visitors of Gatlinburg as I can. 

We booked our room months in advance which was a wise thing to do. Everywhere in town was packed and the Sidney James was no exception. We arrived early hoping to check in before the required 3 pm and the staff was very nice and willing to start our check-in process before our room was ready. They even offered us the use of the pool and cafe while we waited. More details on the pool and cafe later. We decided to come back in an hour and finish checking in, which we did. 

A tip for booking: whatever card you use for booking the room they will charge the morning of your arrival. Therefore, if you want to use a different method to pay for your stay call ahead and make arrangements. They assured me that they would work with you. It took a week for them to straighten out switching our payment methods once the charges were made, so it’s better talk to them beforehand. Once again, the staff was friendly and accommodating during this time. 

Once we checked in we went to our room, just as soon as we entered we could smell that someone had just cleaned it and it did look very clean even if it was quite outdated. The room was spacious for the price and it did have a balcony view of the creek. Unfortunately, we couldn’t open the window to hear the creek while we slept and the passage door to the balcony did not have a screen either. Even if it did the people staying in the building across the creek could see right in. Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly the romantic view I saw in the advertising. Also, the walls are paper thin. You could hear the people talking in the rooms on either side of you. If you are a very social person this may not bother you. Finally, concerning the room's thin walls, if your neighbor is like ours who partakes of marijuana, you can expect a second-hand buzz yourself. Again, this may not bother some people. If you bring leftovers home from the Dolly Stampede to have them for a midnight snack there is a working fridge but you will have to eat your snack cold because they do not provide a microwave in the room. You have to take the rather long trip to the lobby in your boxers for a reheat. 

We went to shows every night we were there which leads me to the parking situation. Although you are given a parking permit so that you can prove you are paying guest it may not matter because after 9 pm you will have a hard time finding a parking space. When I brought this to their attention the next day (and after parking down the street) they assured me that there is plenty of parking across the street in their other establishments parking lot. We did not find that to be completely true. I recommend Ubering or using the trolley that conveniently stops in front of the Sidney James if you want to stay out late. We could not find a parking spot on either property two of the three nights we were there. 

The cafe is a convenient place to grab a decent breakfast and bar/ concession stand-type food for the rest of the day. I had pancakes for breakfast in it was good. I was also satisfied with the wings. We did have to wipe down our own tables before sitting down. Vending and ice machines are provided throughout the property. 

The pool area is one of the nicest part of the motel. It has two heated pools, one outside and one inside. The one inside also features a hot tub, grotto and a waterfall. 

Let's be fair, we did pay less than the average cost of the average room in downtown Gatlinburg and we got just that.