Cabin (Santeetlah 2)

Cabin Santeetlah 2 sleeps three guests with 1 King Bed and 1 Twin Bed. Both beds have pillowtop mattresses and premium bedding. It suits a couple travelling with one more person, or three friends who don't mind one sleeping in the twin.

The cabin has a private bathroom with a shower/bathtub combination. It is stocked with designer toiletries, towels and a hair dryer. The tub makes it easy to soak after a day on the trails or the river.

The cabin is soundproofed and air-conditioned. It sits on a 120-acre woodland property beside the Cheoah River in Nantahala National Forest, away from town. Robbinsville is about 15 miles away, so the setting is peaceful.

You get daily housekeeping, free bottled water, a coffee/tea maker, a TV with digital channels, a desk, and an iron and ironing board. WiFi and parking are free. Breakfast is not included. It is available on-site for a surcharge.

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM and runs to 10:00 PM. The front desk is staffed from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM, and there is no after-hours check-in. Check-out is before 10:00 AM. Bring photo ID and a credit card. A $50 damage deposit is collected on arrival and reimbursed within 7 days of check-out. Cancelling less than 72 hours before arrival forfeits the deposit.

Pets are allowed only in rooms designated as pet-friendly, with a $75 cleaning fee. Pets must be leashed outside the guestroom. Only two cabins at the lodge accept pets, so request a pet-friendly room specifically when you book.

There are two on-site restaurants. The Cheoah Dining Room serves breakfast daily from 8 to 11 a.m., with limited terrace seating over the river. The riverside Tapoco Tavern serves lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (tables are seated until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, per one third-party listing). It serves steaks, burgers, brick-oven pizza and local Carolina Mountain trout. The Laurel Lounge, just off the lobby, serves cocktails, beer and wine in the evening. Reservations are recommended at the Tavern on (828) 498-2800.

The property has hiking trails, fishing, kayaking, biking, tennis/pickleball and axe-throwing. It also has firepits, a games room, a library and the Tapoco Tin Can Theater, which shows movies most Friday nights. The Mountain Spa is open Fridays to Sundays from 10 AM to 6 PM. The Cheoah River in front of the lodge has scheduled whitewater release dates. Farther afield are the Tail of the Dragon, the Cherohala Skyway and Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, about 13.5 miles away.

Tapoco Lodge Resort has no swimming pool. Yellow Creek Falls on Tapoco Road is a popular swimming spot, though the water can be cold. WiFi is free and needs no password, and it works well across the property. Cell service in the surrounding mountains is limited once you leave the lodge.

May, June and September are the most pleasant months in the area. Autumn foliage and spring wildflowers are especially beautiful at the lodge. Summers are warm and humid, with July highs around 83°F. Winters are cold, and the area is one of the wetter parts of North Carolina, so pack for rain.