Chetola Resort offers a serene luxury experience in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, featuring a lodge with lake views, condos, and various amenities. Its dining options, primarily Timberlake's restaurant and a pub, provide a relaxed mountain lodge ambiance with scenic views of Chetola Lake. The resort emphasizes fresh, local ingredients in its dishes.
Customer Perception
Customers generally praise the beautiful setting, attractive grounds, and lake views. The food, particularly at Timberlake's, is often described as great, with an emphasis on fresh, local ingredients. Service, especially from bartenders, receives high marks for attentiveness and hospitality. Some guests have noted mixed experiences with dining room service during staff training periods or specific operational details like restaurant hours or ongoing construction. The resort is considered a lovely setting for a special dinner or a relaxing stay.
Additional Details
Chetola Resort is a full-service resort offering various accommodations, including hotel rooms and condos with full kitchens. The property features a small lake, swans, and outdoor activities. Some areas, like the patio, have undergone construction. Guests should be aware of a resort fee and specific policies regarding amenities and dining hours.
The resort and its restaurants are popular during holiday weekends (e.g., 4th of July) and can be enjoyed before major seasonal changes like the first big snow. Dining in the bar area is highlighted for excellent casual food and service. It's advisable to check current operating hours, as the main restaurant may have specific opening days (e.g., opening on Wednesday).
We were not guests at the resort but stopped in to visit the patio for an appetizer and beverage not realizing it was under construction. The restaurant also did not have availability but the bartender in the little pub was amazing. I hate I didn’t get his name but he was working alone The Fourth of July. He went out of his way to ensure we had a great experience. He walked us outside to show us the construction, went through the menu items that were available at the bar and set us up in the little area just outside. It is so unusual this day and time to find employees in any way invested in the guest experience. The pub got busy, but he continued to cheerfully make sure everyone was taken care of. I can’t stress how much his hospitality completely elevated our experience there. Also the olives and pimento cheese were heavenly!
We stayed at Chetola the weekend before the first big snow storm turned this place into a winter wonderland! Our kids love the breakfast each morning (especially the crispy bacon!) before we explored the grounds and town. We walked everywhere including this great hike around a lake above the property.
A few highlights were feeding the swans, finding a salamander in one our crocs, and cooking smores around the large fire pit after a long day. Our girls loved it!
I heard they are under new management and have a new chef. We can’t wait to go back!
5
We ate at Timberlake's over the 4th of July weekend and honestly it was such a nice way to spend part of the holiday. The place had a calm, easygoing vibe and the view of Chetola Lake was gorgeous, especially with the evening light hitting the water.
The food was great across the board. You could tell they were using fresh, local ingredients, and every plate that came out looked as good as it tasted. Nothing felt rushed or thrown together.
Our server was really attentive without hovering, and took the time to walk us through the menu and point us toward some good options.
It had that relaxed mountain lodge feel that makes you want to just sit back and enjoy the evening instead of rushing off. It ended up being one of the highlights of our trip.
We're already talking about going back next time we're in Blowing Rock. If you're staying at Chetola or just visiting the area, definitely worth checking out.
4
This review reflects dinner over two nights during recent stay on the property. First night ordered the charcuterie which was lovey, the lamb bolognese and the filet. The filet was flavorful, very tender but a tad over the temp ordered. The lamb bolognese tasted good but wasn't the typical texture of a bolognese sauce and instead was more of a chunky sauce with lamb chunks, mushrooms, etc. so unusual but not bad. But a couple of things were off putting the first night. They were training new staff and the manager's voice giving the group instructions was distracting (took place in the servers area/kitchen but we could hear from our table). Second was when we asked if we could take two wine glasses to our room to go with the bottle of wine we had not finished, room was above restaurant, we were told no and were offered plastic cups, and that would had been fine but the explanation was an off putting tale that letting one couple would soon lead to 40 glasses missing. He didn't mean it but the interpretation was we would steal the glasses. When I stay at a resort at this price point and am paying for a special dinner this isn't what I expected. Second night was a totally different experience. Instead of dining room we ate in the bar area. Bartender was absolutely delightful. Had the burger which was excellent and the hot ham and havarti sandwich was spectacular. Loved the fries. So we would go again to eat bar food but skip the dining room until they get more settled in with new management and chef. I completely understand start of season new staff training just wish a couple of things had been handled differently the first night. The female server that first night did a great job
1
Beautiful scenery and courteous service. Restaurant opens on Wednesday but didnt know until we arrived. One out of two ice makers work. Hallways smell like pee. Our balcony smells like pee. No dog park. Spent money on uber eats because restaurant is closed. Have a balcony but no smoking. Paid $2500+ $600 -Pet friendly -charge $50 per pet per night. We booked our stay from 07/12-07/19, but we are checking out tomorrow, 07/15. Welcome to Chetola Resort.
