I've had mixed experiences in the past with VRBO so I was a little hesitant to book a new place with no reviews. Turned out to be the best decision I could have made. A lot of rental properties in the Smokys are older and most are run by a hired rental manager or owned by a rental company. I read hundreds of reviews of these properties and many of the complaints were about less-than-well-maintained or dirty cabins. A lot of supposed 'secluded and private' cabins turn out to be only semi-private when you look at their locations from the Google earth satellite view and that wasn't the vibe I was looking for.
I needed a place for a larger family group (and our dogs!) with nice amenities in a private setting. We settled on Hellbender after a lot of research. Kate was fantastic starting with the communication after the booking. We arrived to a beautiful fully refurbished secluded cabin that might as well be new construction. Well-equipped kitchen, new furniture and appliances. Nice large & comfortable beds. Plenty of space for everyone to retreat to. Great dining room for meals for the group. A really nice touch was the little mat with dog bowls in the kitchen. My dogs are family too.
Perhaps most impressive to me was the forethought for the little things that can irritate when on vacation - the backup generator, reliable WiFi, the on-demand water heater so everyone could shower, the large six burner gas range for cooking for a larger family, and the extra propane tank by the grill in case the first one runs out. Little things can make a big difference.
We loved the privacy and explored the grounds on a daily basis. Every morning a bald eagle was perched in the trees, we found salamanders in the pristine mountain streams, we saw numerous box turtles, picked ripe raspberries, and even had a meal of rainbow trout caught from the pond.
It's a little over a half hour to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge and well worth the short scenic drive on the mountain roads. Peace and quiet, privacy, and space to explore is what we were looking for and Hellbender didn't disappoint. Kudos to our hosts for great communication and beautiful place. Highly recommend and I can't think of a single negative on this one.