Enota Mountain Retreat

Troy Lavender

Amanda Guerrero

Rob Sch

R WIllis

Campground Response

Gorgeous location, that is absolutely correct. YES, WE HAVE A GORGEOUS PROPERTY. Its not on our Christian lifestyle to fight fire with fire as this reviewer truly had a very mean intent. We will take the high road in replying to each and every situation they noted. This review is outrageous and we know most people will feel the same when they have the context we will now provide. First, the reviewer notes a “child” identified as 15; he was chain smoking on the property and had a full sleeve of tattoos. Its illegal for children to smoke. In fact, we found out he was 19 by one of the honest people in your traveling group. We are one of the few campgrounds open in our area during cold months because very few people want to camp in freezing winter temperatures which means if you expected as many guests as the July 4th weekend, you would be crazy. For this reason, most campgrounds in the area are closed but we remain open to care for our animals and to be of service to the Appalachian Trail hikers who need a respite. This winter, we had torrential rains and extensive flooding which means it is not possible to recover until the weather shifts. The laundry room at the bathhouse has a sign noting it is closed. Again, it’s off season so we do annual maintenance on equipment. The pictures of cabins were taken from off limit areas which means this person had to climb under, over, and squeeze between no trespass and under construction signs. We periodically shut down water during low temp days to avoid pipes freezing and bursting. You visited in an RV which means you did have fully functioning facilities. Finally, the soap dispenser did not have mold, it had bubbles of soap. All of these things will be pretty obvious to average people. We are a conservation facility where visitors can fish in our pond, which we stock with trout for children to fish in, and enjoy the experience which often times results in kids catching their first fish. We wouldn't be good stewards to people visiting downstream if we allowed thousands of guests to fish on our property because it would cause extensive erosion. It is only a 3-minute drive off of the property for world class fishing in the national forest. Our land is in a land trust and the conservation is a non-profit. Our refund policy is similar to other properties and fully posted-agreed to before a reservation is created which means either you ignored or choose not to read the details. We aren't a giant corporation that can absorb your poor planning because on busier times, it means others aren't able to get a reservation to enjoy our piece of paradise with incredible mountain views, fresh air, and rushing streams. We offered a credit when you realized others in your group were staying a couple days less. Additionally, we went above and above our typical policy by offering the half cash refund because we really wanted to please you as a guest. We provide a discount for 8 nights and the conservation fee allows people to become members our non-profit and it is tax deductible. You did save money by not having to pay sales & municipal taxes that private campsites charge. We source our wood similar to others and the wood is grouped in 5-piece packs like convenience stores. The difference many people tell us our pieces are is longer than those locations. We apologize for damp wood but our arid mountain climate can be challenging. In most cases, guests understand proper kindling will get it started after very little time. In closing, we went above and beyond in so many ways, including a refund. This customer was not rightfully due and we still received this type of outrageous review. If poorly managed means I got out of bed suffering from a kidney infection, after being screamed at on the phone because you didn’t like our policies, I guess I’m guilty as charged.

Julie Gilmour-Penzone

Campground Response

Yes, its beautiful. The property trustee will stop you from abusing us. If you break our rules, you will not be able to enjoy this gorgeous nature experience on our 60 acre piece of paradise which contains huge waterfalls, beautiful mountain views, clean air, and rushing streams. The guests are not always right. These individuals let their dogs off leash, didn’t pick up after the dogs which other guests stepped in, were belligerent to staff, and stole wood. When you consider a nominal fee to have pets on the property vs the large expense leaving them home at a kennel without your family, the choice is yours. Their review is filled with lies as the non-profit property is held in trust, all of this region’s land dates back to Cherokee heritage, and we have 21 years of organic farming practices. These guests made comments about the cabins when they stayed on the best RV location on the property next to the streams; no guests were in the cabins during their time on the property. The land is in rest this year which is a requirement every 7 years. During the year of rest, it is covered in clover and it can’t be certified organic during that time. The guests tried to test us the next day on GMO’s, Genetically Modified Organisms, while highly intoxicated. When you come out of season, the property is winterized, please do not expect the same level of services in terms of the restaurant and items for sale in the lodge. We are in the North GA Mountains and we shut down water in the off season to avoid freezing pipes. While other properties completely shut down during the winter, we do not because we have animals to care for. We are rated by the Huffington Posts as one of the Top 9 properties in the United States and 80% of our reviews are spectacular. We are a very inclusive property with a focus on serving families and children to provide a true nature experience missing in today’s smartphone society. If you are kind and respect our property, we would love you to visit and while becoming part of our family. We are a rustic experience. However, if you are mean and need everything in nature to be perfect, please find other arrangements. While we can’t 100% prove it, we think this review was written by a competitor or fostered by a disgruntled former staff member. We wish everyone blessings.

monty butler

Campground Response

Good Morning Monty - We are sorry about your experience as we had a very rough stretch of weather which meant it took longer to refresh the property equipment. As for the trout pond, all of the rain will change the color from it's normal crystal clear color. We are attaching a link to pictures which show a recent catch as well as just some of the people who have been fishing there. https://business.google.com/photos/l/10709235895373880524

Timothy J Graham

Campground Response

Good Day Timothy - Thank you for the kind review. Did you see the baby horse which was recently born on the property. SO SWEET!. We have so many creeks on the property that the calm sound of rushing water will relax any guest wherever they are. We look forward to serving you again in the future.