Read The Belle Aire Motel Review
Gatlinburg has plenty of lodging choices from the highly touted resort of Margaritaville to the smaller family owned locations like Carr’s Northside Cottages and Motel. However, with all the choices it is best to make an educated choice on where you are staying. If you are on a budget the lodging dollars you spend often means cutting out other parts of your Gatlinburg vacation. Since that is the case, we have found a budget friendly motel and decided it was time to do our review of the Belle Aire Motel.
Video Of Belle Aire Motel
Location Of The Belle Aire Motel
When you are trying to find this location you will find it is actually fairly easy to locate. The address for the location is here:
405 Historic Nature Trail
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
To reach this location you are going to go into town through and you will go past the aquarium. When you go down Parkway, you will see Historic Nature Trail and you need to turn left onto the street. This will take you up the mountain towards the nature trail, but before you go to far up you will see the Belle Aire Motel on the left hand side of the road.
Belle Aire Motel
Features Of The Belle Aire Motel
Just like our other hotel reviews we are going to cover a lot of the features of the hotel. I mean Gatlinburg has a ton of hotels to select form and finding the perfect one can make the difference between a great trip and one that you regret. Since that is the case we are going to break this down into the exterior features of the hotel, the property features, but also the room features as well.
Exterior Features
The exterior features of the Belle Aire Motel are definitely ones that you are going to take in a first. The main feature that you are going to enjoy is the peaceful location.
By the peaceful location I mean this is a place that is not located on the Main Street. Granted, it is on a road that a lot of people travel on to get to the Historic Motor Nature Trail, it is not overly busy or loud at night or early in the morning.
Something else that is nice is the views you get from the hotel. With the motel on a road that is going up the mountain side, it starts to give you a good view of the surrounding areas. Now, this view is not as nice or relaxing as having a mountain stream it is one that makes for some decent pictures of the mountains.
Belle Aire Motel
Property Features
The property features are sometimes considered amenities. I do have to say compared to a lot of the other hotels and motels for that matter in Gatlinburg they are somewhat lacking. Still, you have to keep in mind this is a budget minded motel and will not have all these features some of the higher priced locations have available.
One key feature that I think everyone will love is the free parking. Parking is costly in Gatlinburg and sometimes finding a parking space is nearly impossible. With the free parking you are able to locate a spot and walk down into Gatlinburg. I would recommend the trolley if you have issues walking since you are in the middle of the hill.
One item that I think has become a lot more common among all motels and hotels in the United States is free WiFi. Thankfully, the Belle Aire Motel is another location that has ended up following the same suit as most locations and has free WiFi available to use.
River Terrace Resort & Convention Center
Breakfast is an invaluable way to start the day off. However, paying for breakfast and waiting in a restaurant can sometimes ruin your day of beating the crowds into the mountains. The location does have the “Easy Start” breakfast which does make it easier to get a quick start to the day and in general beat the crowds to the mountains.
Depending on your level of physical fitness and your Gatlinburg vacation plans, you may want to take advantage of the bike rentals. These rentals are for bikes that you can use throughout the day and to get around town quickly and easily. The downside is when you go to bike back up to the motel it is uphill and in most cases is a steeper hill than what you bike up at home.
Room Features At Belle Aire Motel
The individual rooms are where you will stay and most likely spend the nights at. Since that is the case, it is important to know about the features your room may have. Please note that some of the rooms could be different and will depending on which room you booked.
One thing that is seen in all the rooms and in the hotel itself is air conditioning. This is a creature comfort that is common in most hotels and motels in the United States. So while the rooms all have this it is not really something that I would consider a feature unless you are used to International travel.
Depending on the room a seasonal fireplace is available. This is typically found in the higher end rooms, but it is definitely a place that you can enjoy because nothing is better than coming back from the mountains on a chilly Spring morning or Fall Day and warming by the fire place.
Belle Aire Motel
With how large some of the food portions are in the restaurants you may end up having food to bring back to the hotel. Well, the motel here realizes this and you have a microwave and refrigerator in each of the rooms. This makes it easier for you to bring back your food and reheat it if you want to eat it later on in the evening.
While watching television is not something that I do when I am on vacation often it is available. In this motel they have flat screen televisions for you to use. One thing that I do try to catch when I am on vacation is the local streaming weather. This way I know how to plan my next day and where I will head. It is important to note if you are going into Great Smoky Mountains National Park to check the weather for the region you will be in. For example, Cades Cove is not in the same county at Gatlinburg and just like some of the other places local to all of us the weather can be completely different based off of a couple of miles.
Belle Aire Motel
What Others Are Saying
I know that I do provide you quite a bit of information, but I do try to provide other information as well. One of those bits of information comes from various reviews on TripAdvisor.
One of those reviews comes from Kathy W who left it a 4 out of 5 star review. “Overall, a nice older motel. Would be nice to have, pop machine & ice.” So this is a review that was left and said the place is older, but still nice. However, as you can tell by the review you need to consider drink issues and ice for cups.
Another review from Dean G on TripAdvisor says this. “Location was good. The place was old but reasonably clean.” So this is another person who mentions the age of the motel. However, like I have said before it is an older location and considered a clean place. Still, as I have said before if you are looking for a place that has all the modern amenities you may want to check out other places.
Pros And Cons
- The location is nice and easy to walk from.
- Free parking means no fighting in the parking lots.
- Is a budget friendly location.
- Air conditioning in the property makes a cool place to stay.
- Free breakfast for those who want to go out early.
- Is an older and dated location.
- According to multiple reports does not have a pop or ice machine.
Belle Aire Motel
What Restaurants Are Near Belle Aire Motel
The log cabin pancake house is one of the first locations you can find close to Belle Aire. That is because it is located right next to each other. By next to each other I do not mean the buildings are connected, but it is a short walk down the hill until you reach the pancake house.
If you are in the mood for a more filling meal, then you may want to check out Smith & Son Corner Kitchen. This is a location that has a variety of food available. However, you may find the food does not really match up to what you are looking for and if you want a higher end dining experience then you may want to check out the next place on our list.
The next place is a little bit longer walk, but not horribly longer at 6 minutes. That is Cherokee Grill which is a steakhouse type of location with a lot of food options. The food is generally higher quality and the water wheel in front of the restaurant is a great place to take pictures at. Now, if you are not interested in Cherokee Grill then you may find that one of my favorite spots is right next door and that is Calhouns in Gatlinburg.
What Attractions Are Close By
Saint Mary’s Catholic Church is one of the closest attractions to Belle Aire Motel. You may be asking yourself how can a church be an attraction? Well, the main attraction here is it is a little mountain church in an older stone building. The church does have a little gift shop, but it does have some great picture taking places and the stone work on the church is simply beautiful.
I know this is not so much of an attraction in the traditional sense, but the Historic Motor Nature Trail actually starts off of the road the motel is located on. To reach this you would just have to turn left out of the motel’s street and away from Gatlinburg. Then you can go up into the mountain and enjoy the quietness and stillness of the mountains if you get their early enough.
The Gatlinburg Space Needle is another attraction that is located on the same street. For this one you could easily walk down into Gatlinburg and it will be on the right side of the street. Now, the walk to the location is not that long and you would actually pass another great attraction in the Gatlinburg pinball museum as well.
Belle Aire Motel
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Minimum Age For Checkin?
To check into the motel you have to be 21.
Are Pets Allowed?
Service animals are allowed, but pets are not allowed.
What Is Included In The Breakfast?
The breakfast varies on availability but in general has coffee, tea, yogurt, 4 flavors of oats, fruits, Orange Juice, Donuts, Brown and Raisin Bread. Peanut butter and butter are also available.
Our Final Thoughts On Belle Aire Motel
The Belle Aire Motel is a budget friendly location. That means you are getting what you pay for and often means amenities are limited. So if you are on a budget and want to have less in the way of comforts or amenities in the hotel then this is a great place. However, if you are looking for a place that has everything you can want or need then you may want to consider other Gatlinburg hotels. Overall, for a budget minded family the place is a great option and has good value, but for people wanting to spoilt themselves and their family on vacation they will want to select a different location.
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If the Belle Aire Motel does not suit you please check our other Gatlinburg hotels.
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