"Bees blew like cake-crumbs through the golden air, white butterflies like sugared wafers, and when…read moreit wasn't raining a diamond dust took over which veiled and yet magnified all things." ~Laurie Lee, Cider with Rosie - Rarely have I found... Rarely have I had such a magnificent experience. Yes, it was the experience, not just any one thing but the compilation of and the consistency of all of the things. I remember the pastoral beauty of the Farm when we arrived. I remember being greeted and escorted to the lobby and being welcomed with a glass of champagne. I remember the ease of the check-in process. I remember our cozy, spectacular room with heated bathroom floors. I remember our beautiful, delicious breakfasts and being almost able to reach out and touch a forest leaf. I remember our sweet conversations with Kelly, the assistant manager. I remember laughing with Blake the charming bartender in the beautiful bar. I remember Paige, the manager, checking in on us making sure everything was extraordinarily. I remember the beautiful reflections off the peaceful water of Apple Lake. I remember the quaint, beautiful garden. I remember hoping to see the mother bear and her cubs. I remember our experiences fondly, you see, and that should tell you everything.

There is not a negative word that can be said about this property. Some of the best customer…read moreservice I've ever experienced. The food was absolutely amazing. My mother and I stayed over Thanksgiving and had the pleasure of having a 3-course dinner of Thanksgiving Day. Wow is all I can say! The room was so incredibly cozy that it was difficult for me to wake up in the mornings. The property could not have been more picturesque. I felt like I was in a snow globe. Will definitely be back MANY times.

Fire Mountain Inn Cabins and Treehouse is a great stay. I wanted to relax in a place with the…read moremountain outlook, and this place offers a stress-free getaway due to Scaly Mountain and Blue Ridge Mountain. Parking: One-way trail after you hit a certain point on the property. Easy to navigate. Plenty of parking in the accommodation area. Service: Matthew and Hiram follow strict COVID-19 protocol here. Guests must wear masks around the property and maintain the 6-feet social distancing. They do not enter booked rooms 2 days before and after the guest's stay. Guests must go to the front desk to get service (extra toiletries, towels, etc.), as there is no maid service currently. No complaints about the service. WIFI: It's non-existent, even though there is "free" WIFI. Connection was not great. Some cellular service may come through, but it was nice to escape from the tech world. Location: Perfect! It's about a 15-20 minutes drive into downtown Highlands. Great distance away from great hikes and views. They have an easy trail throughout the property here, if you do not want to leave Fire Mountain. Massage 1-hour (3/5): Very nice lad but wasn't the best I've had. Great view when you enter though. Clean, high windows that will let the blazing sun through, so it can get a bit hot. The lady followed COVID-19 protocol. Fire & Water Restaurant Dinner (3/5): 1. Watermelon Gazpacho (2/5): It was refreshing with the watermelon. However, the flavor was lacking for me. Bland overall. 2. Cornmeal Crusted Trout (4/5): I cleaned most of this plate. Trout was crusted perfectly without too much cornmeal. Carrots with the sweet glaze were a nice touch. The other 2 veggies were OK. 3. Peach Cobbler (3/5): I'm not a big fan of cobbler. This was just OK for me. Matthew and Hiram are genuine and knowledgeable. They do try to keep up with this place. Matthew is a great cook, as he changes the breakfast and dinner menu up here and there. Would I come back? Yes. Only thing is the restroom.... the space is kind of cramped in our room, especially the shower. I did not like that.

Fire Mountain is a quiet inn nestled deep in the Nantahala National Forest. From arrival, co-owners…read moreHiram and Mathew's passion for the experience is apparent. I was greeted by Mathew and their adorable dog Lily, given a tour of the grounds, and handed maps of local hikes, waterfalls, and excellent places to eat in the nearby town of Highlands. The inn itself is thoughtfully decorated, a combination of rustic and posh which is typically a difficult balance to strike. And yet, they've achieved it with aplomb. I stayed in the Nantahala room at the Inn, drawn to the extra-large soaking tub that I used numerous times. I never expect these large tubs to fill adequately, and yet there was plentiful hot water to soak my cares away. The first thing you notice about Fire Mountain is the lack of modern distractions. There are no televisions and no radios. I had about two bars of LTE (Verizon) that kicked in right as I drove up the hill, allowing me to text my partner upon my arrival and feel like I could be "connected" if I chose to. The Inn also has guest WiFi which allowed me to do basic internet stuff as I pleased. It probably wouldn't support any streaming service... then again, why anyone would want to watch Netflix up here is beyond me! The other thing you notice is the air, which is a few degrees cooler than the nearby town of Dillard down the mountain (and a proper 10+ degrees cooler than the Devil's Doorstep I came from!). The humidity is low, even in mid-July. For this reason, Fire Mountain does not have air conditioning and doesn't need it. Despite being a lifelong Southerner, I'm quite sensitive to heat, but the temperature was comfortable my entire trip. Following Mathew's recommendation, I closed up my room in the morning and opened it back up mid-afternoon, leaving it open all night so I could rest peacefully serenaded by the crickets and tree frogs. I'm no stranger to this area, so the eight or nine mile drive into town was nothing to me. In fact, the winding mountain roads, two scenic overlooks, and abundant rhododendrons made each trip delightful. Hiram and Mathew's recommendations for food, shopping, and sights helped me reconnect with the Highlands region in blissful ways. Breakfast at Fire Mountain is substantial. Each breakfast started with a plate of fresh fruit. Mathew additionally provided boxed lunches for me, perfect for carrying up a mountain or down one of the area's many waterfall trails. I only wish I could have enjoyed dinner at the Inn, which was unfortunately not available during my stay. Such is life; I'll just have to return another time! I'm running out of space, so I'll just say that Fire Mountain was a 10/10 recommend from me. I can't wait to return!

We came to Highlands NC for my son's wedding. Shameless plug for his place of business; The Old…read moreEdwards Inn, where he is a chef. It's a wonderful resort, just out of our price range. Mitchell's Lodge fit the bill perfectly! Located in one of the only actual temperate rainforests in the Continental United States, you can imagine just how green and beautiful this place is. The grounds are well maintained. Parking is right outside your door. The rooms are not fancy by most standards, but very "mountain cabin" like and have plenty of room. Ours had a desk, small sitting table with chairs, a microwave and typical hotel size refrigerator. The staff was very polite and professional. We didn't have any issues during our stay so can't speak to how they deal with problems. They did offer a "continental breakfast" per se, but it was underwhelming. The fresh coffee was very good and always available. Just moments from downtown Highlands and minutes from the Cullasaja River, Bridal Falls, and other photo-worthy spots, at a very reasonable price point make this a great place to stay when you head this way!

Quiet, out of the way, yet just a half mile from downtown Highlands. And they have a cute pond, as…read morewell as a little creek, and some walking paths. The rooms, while older, are well maintained, and quaint. Rooms are spacious, have both heating and AC, with a nice desk, refrigerator, and microwave. It is quiet, restful, with friendly staff. I would stay again anytime.

Pax loved it and so did we! Amazing hotel, I can't say enough great things! Centrally located, the…read moremost pup friendly place I have ever been, room was spacious, staff was super friendly, and we all loved the courtyard and the balcony. It just so happens we had the most incredible weather too. Pax loved relaxing in the courtyard, and no one bothered us, which was amazing! Breakfast consisted of lots of local pastries (muffins, scones, etc that were delicious). The bed was extremely comfortable and large, perfect for a dog or two and two humans. We had the perfect stay in the Highlands for our Anniversary!

My husband and I, along with our fur baby, loved staying here! We were celebrating our 13th…read morewedding anniversary and we felt like royalty! Special attention to detail is at every turn, and this hotel is just so darn charming! Perfect place to stay if you have pup, but just as nice even if you don't. Very convenient to all the attractions and restaurants. Staff was just lovely!

I'm not a B&B type person, I generally prefer modern accommodations, but I really liked this place…read more Very charming. I was told the new owners (not sure how long ago) updated the decor. We stayed in #10 and it was a very tiny room and had a very tiny bathroom and yet I liked it. Great for 1 or 2 nights. I was told by a frequent visitor that some of the other rooms are bigger. We enjoyed the live music at night.

We absolutely loved our stay here! Great atmosphere and amazing location. Everything was clean and…read morecomfortable and staff were extremely friendly. Drinks and lunch were wonderful as well. Can't recommend enough and would love to stay here again!

Love this gem in Highlands. The Oak Steakhouse was amazing. The steaks, service, and atmosphere…read morewas 5 star. I highly recommend this resort and steakhouse.

The lodge was old and showed a lot of wear. Walls are thin which made for interesting night…read more Expensive for conditions... but great location made up for a lot By the way the fall they show you can't get to path is gone

My parents and my niece and nephew had a lovely weekend stay in Miss Rebecca's Cottage at the…read moreColonial Pines Inn. The cottage on it's own was lovely and it had even been decorated for Christmas! Donna was fabulous in helping set up this weekend get away for my parents, and they had a marvelous time. 5 stars!

My husband and I just made our 3rd trip to the Colonial Pines Inn, and love it more every time!…read more The inn is charming & cozy, and very convenient to town. It is quiet, with a lovely wrap around porch with swings to relax, read or just look at the beautiful views. Many pretty birds around - encouraged by several bird feeders. The rooms are so comfortable and private. Donna & Chris are such magnificent innkeepers - they are very helpful with local attractions and what's happening at the moment. But this review would simply be incomplete without a rave review for Donna's most delicious breakfasts that she serves daily. Yummy! That's about the best word I can use to describe the variety and quality. She also puts out homemade goodies each afternoon, it's such a treat! Thank you, Donna & Chris, we can't wait to come back!!!

Came here as a guest of a member while visiting highlands. We started playing pickleball (shout out…read moreto JT who was an awesome instructor). We got about 15 minutes into playing when there was thunder and we had to leave the courts. We ended up at the restaurant and were waiting out the rain. I appreciated their dedication to safety. Our waitress was nice but didn't mention they were out of multiple items until we tried to order them, which was frustrating. And then we found out the bar was still serving the items we tried to order. It was a bummer but in general a small annoyance in an otherwise pleasant afternoon

Wowza, what an experience!! We just left this morning and are already missing our friends at HH!!…read moreEvery detail was perfection- from the gorgeous decor and rustic, sumptuous rooms, to the stunning scenery and myriad of activities, and of course the absolutely perfect meals!! To top it off, every person on staff made us feel like family. The spa experiences and wine tasting are not to be missed! Kelsey does an incredible job with the perfectly curated beverage program! This place is a hidden gem but I doubt it will stay hidden long!