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Paradise in the mountains! The most amazing home you can stay in on Sugar Mnt

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A stone building with a red roof, two red garage doors, and a sign indicating it is the Balboa Cabin.
A wooden-finished interior with a double door, a patterned armchair, a chandelier, and a framed picture on the wall.
A cozy living room with a stone fireplace, wooden ceiling, and a television mounted on the wall.
A spacious living room with a stone fireplace, leather sofas, and a television mounted above it.
A cozy cabin interior with a stone fireplace, wooden ceiling, and large windows offering a view.

Reviews

9.8 out of 10
Exceptional

Highlights

  • Family fun awaits
    Top-rated for families.
  • Arcade/game room
    A rare find - fun for all ages with on-site arcade/game room.
  • Centrally-located
    You're never far from where you need to be with this convenient location.
  • Discover nearby landmarks
    Walk to Sugar Mountain Resort

Popular amenities

  • Balcony
  • Spa pool on site
  • Dog-friendly
  • Arcade/game room
  • Barbecue
  • Air-conditioning

Explore the area

View map
Sugar Mountain, NC
  • Place, Sugar Mountain Resort
    ‪18 min walk‬
  • Place, Grandfather Mountain
    ‪19 min drive‬
  • Place, Beech Mountain Resort
    ‪23 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

7 bedrooms (sleeps 17)

Bedroom 1

1 King Bed

Bedroom 2

1 Queen Bed

Bedroom 3

2 Queen Beds

Bedroom 4

1 Queen Bed

Bedroom 5

1 King Bed

Bedroom 6

1 Queen Bed

Bedroom 7

1 Single Bed and 1 Single Bunk Bed

5 bathrooms

Bathroom 1

Bathtub or shower · Toilet

Bathroom 2

Bathtub or shower · Toilet

Bathroom 3

Bathtub · Toilet · Shower only

Bathroom 4

Toilet · Shower only

Bathroom 5

Bathtub or shower · Toilet

Spaces

Deck or patio
Kitchen
Balcony
Separate dining area
Dining area

Add dates for prices

Similar properties

Open Floor Plan--- with Double Sided Gas Logs
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  • Spa pool
  • Kitchen
  • Washing machine
  • Pet-friendly
9.8 out of 10, Exceptional, (14 reviews)
The Lodge at Twin Rivers-Luxury, accommodates 16 guests, Hot Tub, Pet Friendly

About the area

Banner Elk

Located in Banner Elk, this holiday home is in a rural area and in the mountains. Sugar Mountain Resort and Hawksnest Tubing Park are worth checking out if an activity is on the agenda, while those wishing to experience the area's natural beauty can explore Grandfather Mountain and The Blowing Rock. Travelling with kids? Consider Land of Oz, or check out an event or a game at Blowing Rock Auditorium. Take in the nearby slopes with skiing, or try out other outdoor activities such as ice skating and sledging.
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Map
Sugar Mountain, NC

What's nearby

  • Sugar Mountain Resort - 18 min walk - 1.6 km
  • Hawksnest Tubing Park - 18 min drive - 19.1 km
  • Grandfather Mountain - 19 min drive - 19.3 km
  • Beech Mountain Resort - 23 min drive - 19.6 km
  • Appalachian State University - 29 min drive - 31.0 km

Getting around

  • Tri-Cities, TN (TRI-Tri-Cities Regional) - 88 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪McDonald's - ‬7 min drive
  • ‪Blink Elk Tap Room - ‬12 min drive
  • ‪Town Tavern of Banner Elk - ‬13 min drive
  • ‪Banner Elk Cafe - ‬13 min drive
  • ‪McDonald's - ‬18 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is Paradise in the mountains! The most amazing home you can stay in on Sugar Mnt pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows dogs (limit 1 total).

How much is parking at Paradise in the mountains! The most amazing home you can stay in on Sugar Mnt?

On-site parking is available at the property.

What time is check-in at Paradise in the mountains! The most amazing home you can stay in on Sugar Mnt?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Paradise in the mountains! The most amazing home you can stay in on Sugar Mnt?

Checkout is at 10:00 AM.

Where is Paradise in the mountains! The most amazing home you can stay in on Sugar Mnt located?

This family-friendly Banner Elk holiday home is located in the mountains, within 3 mi (5 km) of Sugar Mountain Resort and Sugar Creek Gem Mine. Grandfather Mountain State Park and Watauga River are also within 6 miles (10 km).

Reviews

9.8

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
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Rating 10 - Excellent. 23 out of 26 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 2 out of 26 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 1 out of 26 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 26 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 26 reviews

9.4/10

Cleanliness

9.4/10

Check-in

9.2/10

Communication

9.8/10

Location

9.8/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Beautiful house with a great view.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2026
Response from VrboOwner on 27 October 2026
Thank you for choosing Sugar Mountain and for your kind review! We are glad you enjoyed your stay and the view, we hope you come again soon!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
The home was clean and very accommodating for our large family! The kids loved the game room and the host was so quick to respond and answer any questions we had!
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2026
Response from VrboOwner on 13 October 2026
Thank you for choosing Sugar Mountain! It was a pleasure to host you, and we are so glad that you enjoyed your stay! Please come again!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
We thoroughly enjoyed the home, excellent location and amenities.
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 6 January 2026
Thank you for choosing Sugar Mountain! It was a pleasure to host you! We are so glad that you enjoyed your stay and hope you come again soon!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Wonderful house with BEAUTIFUL views. Everything was well stocked and as pictured. I would stay here again!
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Ski weekend

Great location and amenities.
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 21 February 2025
It was a pleasure to host you! Please come again!
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
We had the perfect getaway with friends and family. The house is nestled in the mountains and ideal for people who want to enjoy nature. We will want to come back again to this home. Thanks for an enjoyable stay
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 13 October 2025
Thank you for all of your kind remarks! It was a pleasure to have you at Sugar Mountain! Please come again!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great trip!

Really enjoyed the whole experience! Great place great service!
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Awesome Home

Location was great - House was roomy - Everyone had their own space!!
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 22 February 2025
Thank you so much for the 5 star review! We are so glad that you enjoyed your stay and hope to see you again.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, communication, location, listing accuracy
Beautiful house, beautiful view
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 4 August 2025
We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay! It was a pleasure to host your family! Please come visit us again!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the balboa luxury cabin over Thanksgiving! The home was large and extremely clean and comfortable. The views were stunning, the internet fast, and all of the kitchen appliances worked! (As a group that travels every thanksgiving, working ovens and stovetops are a big deal!) I highly recommend this cabin for large, multi- age groups.
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Balboa

Gorgeous place & very close to everything, skiing, tubing, stores, etc. Would definitely book again!
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 29 February 2024
We are delighted you enjoyed your stay !! We look forward to your next visit. Thank you for the positive review.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Big family vacation

It was a perfect house for multiple families . Bedroom separation was very good, playroom perfect for kids
Stayed 5 nights in Jan 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 31 January 2025
Thank you for the kind review. We are glad the house worked for you and look forward to seeing you again soon.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Paradise in the mountains

Our family had the best time during our stay at Balboa Cabin. It was the perfect relaxing and gorgeous home for our family vacation. The views are spectacular. The home is easy to access, extremely clean, comfortable, and thoughtfully arranged. The light switches and cabinet labels were so helpful. Highly recommend Balboa as it lovely to stay while visiting and exploring the surrounding area.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 22 July 2025
We are so pleased that you enjoyed your time at the Balboa House in Sugar Mountain! Thank you for all of your gracious compliments and glowing recommendation! Please come visit again! The views are beautiful in the fall and winter as well!
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Home away from home

Rating Details: The property manager was very helpful. The vacation rental was very clean. I was very happy with the location. I was very satisfied with the condition of the vacation rental. Overall, I recommend this vacation rental. Reviewer Comments: Love The Balboa cabin!! Enjoyed our trip as always. Can't wait until next year!
Response from VrboOwner on 27 February 2024
We are delighted you enjoyed your stay. Thank you for the positive review and we look forward to your next visit.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Had a blast!!

Rating Details: The property manager was very helpful. The vacation rental was spotless. I was very happy with the location. I was very satisfied with the condition of the vacation rental. Overall, I recommend this vacation rental. Reviewer Comments: As always we had a blast at The Balboa house. House is well maintained with plenty of room for all to have their own space to relax
Response from VrboOwner on 20 March 2025
We love it when our guests have a blast! Thank you for your gracious comments! please come again!
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Great Memories

Rating Details: The property manager was very helpful. The vacation rental was spotless. I was very happy with the location. I was more than satisfied with the condition of the vacation rental. Overall, I recommend this vacation rental. Reviewer Comments: We've stayed for several years at this home and love it every time. The views are amazing, and the house is warm and welcoming. The staff was very helpful and friendly.
Response from VrboOwner on 16 December 2023
We are so very glad that you enjoyed your stay. We hope that you will visit with us again soon.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Great place to stay for big families

Rating Details: The property manager was very helpful. The vacation rental was spotless. I was very happy with the location. I was more than satisfied with the condition of the vacation rental. Overall, I recommend this vacation rental. Reviewer Comments: The house was beautiful and had everything we needed. The only thing that I would say was bad were the beds, they are very hard and old wasn’t able to get good night sleeps. Other than that everything was perfect
Response from VrboOwner on 16 December 2023
We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your stay. We will share your comments about the beds with the owners. We hope that you will visit with us again soon.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Beautiful

Rating Details: The property manager was very helpful. The vacation rental was spotless. I was very happy with the location. I was more than satisfied with the condition of the vacation rental. Overall, I recommend this vacation rental. Reviewer Comments: My family and I rented this home for my birthday! The views are absolutely beautiful. The rooms are spacious and quiet. The house was just big enough to allow every couple have their own peace and quiet if it was needed. The game room was a nice touch and everyone loved the jukebox. I couldn't recommend this property enough. Definitely recommend the Wilderness Alpine Coaster as well. We will be back!
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Beautiful Luxury Home on Sugar Mountain

Rating Details: The property manager was very helpful. The vacation rental was spotless. I was very happy with the location. I was very satisfied with the condition of the vacation rental. Overall, I recommend this vacation rental. Reviewer Comments: We had our three generation family vacation here and picked the perfect home and location. There were plenty of amenities for everyone to enjoy without leaving the home. Everyone had a wonderful time. Any issues we had were addressed quickly by the rental company. Highly recommend.
Response from VrboOwner on 19 September 2023
We are delighted that your family enjoyed your stay. It is so special that you were able to have 3 generations vacation together. We hope that you will visit with us again soon.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Sugar Mountain Escape

Rating Details: The property manager was very helpful. The vacation rental was spotless. I was very happy with the location. I was very satisfied with the condition of the vacation rental. Overall, I recommend this vacation rental. Reviewer Comments: Our annual Labor Day family getaway took us to Sugar Mountain, NC this year. The Balboa Luxury Cabin was a very nice cabin with plenty of space for our 13 people. The cabin was clean and everything seemed to work properly. The view from the cabin is also beautiful. Another nice feature is that you have plenty of privacy. Some cabins we have stayed in over the years are close to other cabins but not this one.The area of Sugar Mountain is also very nice.
Response from VrboOwner on 24 September 2025
Thank you for all of your compliments for the Balboa Luxury Cabin! Family time is the BEST, AND It was a pleasure to host your family at Sugar Mountain! The views are beautiful with every season! We hope you come again!
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Great family vacation house!

Rating Details: The property manager was very helpful. The vacation rental was spotless. I was very happy with the location. I was very satisfied with the condition of the vacation rental. Overall, I recommend this vacation rental. Reviewer Comments: What a fabulous home for a family to share Thanksgiving! The kitchen was a fabulous place to prepare a large dinner. There was plenty of dining areas to seat all 15 of us. The favorite area of the house was the downstairs playroom. The kids played there our entire stay so that gave the adults a quiet place to have conversations and watch Carolina basketball! Thank you for allowing us to make more family memories!
Response from VrboOwner on 16 December 2023
We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed your stay and had a happy Thanksgiving. We hope that you will visit with us again soon.
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful home for a large group

We had a great stay in a beautiful home near Sugar Mountain. We were a group of 4 families and the space was perfect for us with stunning views. The kids in particular loved the game room arcade that was full of games they enjoyed during our stay. Subtracted 1 star due to sparse communication with the property management company. We reached out with a few questions and never heard back. We also really wished the check-in could have been a bit earlier than 4 and the check-out a bit later than 10. Overall, though, fantastic property for a large group.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 6 January 2025
Thank you for the review! We are glad that you and your crew enjoyed the house. It is perfect house for kids to play in. We hope you will visit with us again soon.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

One issue

Steps to basement are very slippery and my brother slipped and hurt his back
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 20 June 2024
We are glad that you enjoyed your stay. We hope that your brother is okay. We have never had any complaints about the steps.
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Location, listing accuracy
Disliked: Cleanliness, communication

Great view but stinky

The view is amazing but there was smell in the property. When we entered the garage there was trashed piled on the floor plus trash loaded on the back off the golf cart must of been there for days. I called the emergency number of the property management and was told the maintance people would come on Thursday and when know one showed up I found the local dump and took the trash there. When I left on Monday trash was still on the golf cart. The money I spent for the 5 days wasn't worth it.There was ton of flies because of the trash. We where up in the area for my son wedding and although the view was amazing everything else was stinky
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 12 July 2024
Dear James, We sincerely apologize for the condition and inconveniences you were caused during your stay. We strive to ensure every guest has the most enjoyable stay possible. This was a major overlook by staff that we do not take lightly. We have addressed your concerns with our staff and implemented additional measures to ensure that this doesn't happen again. As a gesture of goodwill, we have issued a refund to your card. Again, our sincerest apologies. Sincerely, RRR Team
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Family Retreat

Rating Details: The property manager was very helpful. The vacation rental was spotless. I was very happy with the location. I was very satisfied with the condition of the vacation rental. Overall, I recommend this vacation rental. Reviewer Comments: All of our group (Ohio, Florida, Virginia, and Georgia) are back home after a fantastic week on Sugar Mountain at the cabin. We had a family reunion and the adults loved the upper porch, fireplace, grill and kitchen. The kids took over the game room and had a good time.All the bedrooms worked out well. Very comfortable and great space for those that wanted some quite time. I was surprised how well the internet work with dozens of devices and TVs going on at same time.The kitchen was very well stocked and we took full use of the two ovens, grill, two fridges and the electric griddle. Also a couple of huge soup pots that came in handy.Great location for Blue Ridge Parkway and Grandfather Mountain. Also enjoyed Elk City. Local grocery and ABC stores came in handy.
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