Highlands at Sugar
2173 Sugar Mountain Dr, Banner Elk, NC 28604-9858
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#3 of 10 Specialty lodging in Banner Elk
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HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Mid-range
Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Fitness Centre with Gym / Workout Room
Vending machine
Billiards
Table tennis
Kids stay free
Parking
Wifi
Hot bath
Indoor pool
Heated pool
Sauna
Books, DVDs, music for children
Children's playground
Kids' outdoor play equipment
Highchairs available
Spa
BBQ facilities
Non-smoking hotel
Outdoor fireplace
24-hour check-in
Self-serve laundry
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Room features
Dining area
Fireplace
Sofa
Coffee / tea maker
Kitchenette
Flatscreen TV
Complimentary toiletries
Hair dryer
Dishwasher
Microwave
Oven
Refrigerator
Stovetop
Kitchenware
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Room types
Mountain view
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Location
Contact
2173 Sugar Mountain Dr, Banner Elk, NC 28604-9858
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248Reviews6Q+A41Room tips
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Adequate accomadations, a little tired and dated, but in a great location. Late Feb was not good for skiing since thw snow was icy was slushy. Staff was friendly and responsive. Great location for site seeing activities with good resteraunts nearby.
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Review collected in partnership with RCI
Date of stay: February 2023
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Lisa Benfield, General Manager at Highlands at Sugar
Responded 3 weeks ago
Thank you for taking the time to post a review. I agree we are a great location for many things. I am sorry that this February was not good for skiing. Generally it is a good time to come. We will be doing some upgrades this year that I think you will enjoy when you come again. We will be upgrading the living room furniture, internet and tv service as well as paving the property. I am super excited about what we have going on this year. We look forward to your return. Sincerely, Lisa Benfield
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Beautiful area! Resort was at the top of the mountain. Staff was great. Unit could use some updating. Staff was very accommodating when we needed to change units due to an issue with stairs. Very peaceful and relaxing!
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Review collected in partnership with RCI
Date of stay: November 2022
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Lisa Benfield, General Manager at Highlands at Sugar
Responded 28 Nov 2022
RGH711, Thank you for taking the time to post a review. I agree the we have beautiful area. I will be sure to share your comments with my staff. I am glad we were able to accommodate the no stairs. Thank you again for the review. Looking forward to your return. Until then safe travels on your next adventure. Sincerely, Lisa Benfield
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Our second time going to The Highlands at Sugar Mt. It is fast becoming our favorite vacation spot! The staff are personable, accommodating! Lodging is rustic, perfect, great things to do in area.
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Date of stay: November 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Lisa Benfield, General Manager at Highlands at Sugar
Responded 7 Nov 2022
Elaine, Thank you for taking the time to post this review. We are so proud to know that we are becoming your favorite vacation spot. It means all of our hard work is paying off. We really are trying to make our resort an enjoyable place for families to come and make memories. Thank you again and we look forward to see you again soon. Sincerely, Lisa Benfield
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The Highland are near the top of Sugar Mountain. We enjoyed our stay during Oct. 15-22 with only a few issues. One of the staff was Heather who was very helpful and considerate and addressed all of our concerns. Our top-floor unit had perhaps the best overall view of the mountains. From the windows and deck was a view of Grandfather Mountain and with binoculars we could even see the Mile High Bridge due to the leaves which had fallen from the only tree that could block our view. The unit itself was mostly acceptable except for a few items: the floors squeak and slope somewhat, the door to the deck had no screen which allowed bugs in, the bedspread was old, the king-sized bed was hard, and all the furniture needs to be replaced. On the plus side each unit has a fireplace and there is firewood for sale in the main office. The unit was clean and there were some updates with new windows, new sinks and cabinets in the bathroom and kitchen, new floors and the walls have been painted recently. If you want this same view ask for unit 105i, otherwise ask for the top units in building 100. The lower lever units have a shared deck which is also used as the entry into these units. All other buildings except 200 offer a northern view of mainly Beach Mountain. Building 200 has the majority of any mountain view blocked by trees. Most units are 1-bedroom with a few 2-bedroom townhouses. There is no air conditioning in any unit. There is an indoor pool and sauna which we did not go to.…
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Date of stay: October 2022
Location
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: Request a top unit in building 105 (501i has the best view) of Grandfather Mountain, or the top...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Lisa Benfield, General Manager at Highlands at Sugar
Responded 30 Oct 2022
Dear Michael, Thank you for taking your time to post this review. I agree that we have some pretty spectacular views. I will be sure to let my staff know of your comments. We appreciate the honest feedback. It allows us to see where we need to improve. Just so you will have information for your next adventure to Sugar Mountain we will be replacing all of the living room furniture in the spring. I am sorry that the screen door had not gotten replaced. I will see that it is taken care of. I hope you will come and stay with us again. Until then safe travels. Sincerely, Lisa Benfield
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The family and I stayed at the highlands at sugar in 2018, and we turned our eye toward the mountainous views and less at the accommodations at the time. We let the opinion that “outdated was charming” remain. As such we decided to go back and enjoy the mountains again. Sadly this time we had more time to focus on the place and once you saw one thing it just spiraled as you looked around. The carpets appear to have had multiple things be spilled on them since the 70’s when they were installed. I hope it was just coffee and not a hunter gutting his various kills on the floor - Either way you didn’t feel comfortable walking barefoot on carpets. Nasty. The place has two bedrooms and two pull out couches. The couches are stained almost to the point of not wanting to touch. Beyond their outdated unappealing look and smell - they are the least comfortable couches to sit on as you sink in some places and are stabbed by others. But wait it gets better - the pull out bed does not come out or go back easily at least the one on the bottom floor and the ‘bed’ is a mattress that they borrowed from a homeless shelter that had been stained and stomped on. Unuseable without having brought our own egg crate cushions and extra blankets. Since last we were there the owners removed the blinds on the large windows - so the person sleeping downstairs would rise with the morning sun, no sleep in for you! They neglected to remove the tie points for the curtains so they just mysteriously remained on the walls for no reason. The issue is more the light coming in for the guest downstairs. Let your mind attempt to hide from the numerous visual cracks in the walls and ceiling - go outside and enjoy the view instead? Yes good idea… except the vertical blinds you have to walk through to get to the deck are dust covered and broken. Attempting to open the blinds and pieces just fall out of the incomplete set. Awesome. Recent kitchen renovation was 1/2 way decent- except the crack in the kitchen ceiling is where we would later find the upstairs (renovated) shower would leak and water would strewn down into the floor. Entertainment was an lcd tv with previous burn in and barely local channels. This is a bring your own entertainment kind of place. Went out and bought another Roku stick to try for something to watch on the off hours. It was great until the other condos filled up and we could no longer get enough WiFi to run the Roku stick. Small but annoying. The janky electrical set up for the tv and DVD player had loose boards hiding the dusty electrical power which we had to uncover to use. Stairs leading up to secondary room and sofa bed are the loudest ever. Could you fall through .. not sure but we won’t risk it again. Bedroom (master) is tall and short, ceiling with crackS, lights that don’t hide their opening on the ceiling, and ensuring bathroom door which was ‘repaired’ but cutting a chunk of plywood up and screwing it to the face of the door. Dusty vent fans, closets missing doors and more. Cracked electrical plates, uneven floors, thin sheets with lint balls and the best of all , lift the toilet seat to see the underside still contained the precious renters explosive bm. Yes , it may be slightly less expensive , yes the views off the top of the mountains are fabulous. That’s where the good ends for these places, renter beware. Set your expectations according and you won’t be disappointed. For us it’s $h1th0l3 and we won’t go back. I’m sad it would only let me post 10 picks - the public deserves to see them all. Good luck…
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Lisa Benfield, General Manager at Highlands at Sugar
Responded 3 Oct 2022
Dear Theendvision, Thank you for taking your time to post a review of our resort. I am sorry that you found us not to your liking. We are an older resort with lots of charm and some things that need updating. Which we are doing. We have just had our pool and hot tub renovated. We are in the process of doing our workout room. We have done all of our units but 9 and they will be done in the spring. We will also be replacing all of our living room furniture come this spring. We are also trying to upgrade our WIFI package so that our speeds are better. Please the next time you stay some place and it has as many problems as you seemed to have bring it to the attention of the manager. As I want to make sure each of my guests has a wonderful stay. I hope you have safe travels on your next adventure. Sincerely, Lisa Benfield
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This complex is at the top of Sugar Mountain between Boone and Linville. We had a four-room apartment with a full kitchen. The towels and linens were not of the highest quality, but the unit was neat as a pin with a balcony that offered an amazing view of Grandfather Mountain.
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Date of stay: July 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: No AC, but a box fan is provided. Take food and drinks up the mountain with you. Plan on a four-...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Lisa Benfield, General Manager at Highlands at Sugar
Responded 12 Jul 2022
Thank you Ms. Karen for taking your time to fill out this review and the 5 star rating. As the new General Manager, my staff and I have really tried to turn things around and make changes that are noticeable. It does us good when it noticed. So thank you again. We hope to see you again soon. Sincerely, Lisa Benfield
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Dirty, horrible furniture, gross carpet, felt like you might fall through floor. Stained linens, poorly equipment, non working outlets broken appliances. Staff was pleasant and efficient to their ability
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Review collected in partnership with RCI
Date of stay: May 2022
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Lisa Benfield, General Manager at Highlands at Sugar
Responded 1 Jun 2022
Mrs. Brown, Thank you for taking your time to post this review. I am glad you found my staff pleasant. I apologize again that you found the outlets in your unit to be not working. I am glad I was able to find an electrician who was able to put us in there schedule as quickly as we did. We are working on getting new furniture in the near future. I will share your comments with my staff. I apologize that we did not meet your expectations. Hopefully we can take your comments to grow and better our resort. Safe travels to you and your family, Sincerely, Lisa Benfield General Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Everything here was "Fine" Nothing more or less. No one was overly friendly and there was an issue with indoor pool. The coffee pot broke 2nd day and was replaced. The washing machine did not agitate or drain so load had to be hand wrung out & dried in small batches while packing. Location is great, views are great. I wish there was some snow while there, but that is up to mother nature.
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Review collected in partnership with RCI
Date of stay: March 2022
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Lisa Benfield, General Manager at Highlands at Sugar
Responded 6 Jun 2022
Thank you for taking your time to fill out the survey. We appreciate your honesty. We really do have some of the best views on the mountain. I apologize that you had several issues during your stay. I am glad that my staff was able to take care of most of them. I am sorry that the washer was messed but glad that we had another unit for you to use. Hopefully when you all come again Mother Nature will give you some snow. Thank you again for staying with us and we look forward to your return.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I am 10 I don’t have high standards but this sucks. I had no control over vacation so I was very disappointed ☹️. the pull out couch was the worst sleeping experience of my life it felt like I was sleeping on a fence and don’t even get me started on the furniture. We switched rooms because the first was horrible and it had moldy, expired cookies on top of the fridge. Worst experience ever never come and smells like my grandma left a dump some where . But the view was outstanding
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Date of stay: January 2022
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Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Lisa Benfield, General Manager at Highlands at Sugar
Responded 11 Jan 2022
Thank you for taking time to comment on your stay with us. On behalf of my entire staff, I would like to apologize for failing to exceed your expectations. Being so young, you have an excellent grasp at sharing your opinion. Thank you and your family for staying with us.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I’m 11 and I don’t have standards for houses but this place sucks. We had to switch places because our first one was disgusting. We found a sheet of cookies on the fridge. Pull out couch is terrible had to move our mattresses off all couches and sleep on the floor. 😬🤨It felt like sleeping on a fence. Sheets are covered in crumbs. Smells like granny pants. WiFi absolutely sucks. Even our cellular isn’t working. Skating rinks our extremely expensive. TV is extremely glitchy. We even had to drive 20 minutes away to go to a different resort to ski.😯 Curtains are falling off rails. I would call this the lowlands not the highlands. Live and learn not staying here again. Only thing awesome is da views ☺️
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Date of stay: January 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Lisa Benfield, General Manager at Highlands at Sugar
Responded 11 Jan 2022
Thank you for taking time to comment on your stay with us. On behalf of my entire staff, I would like to apologize for failing to exceed your expectations. Being so young, you have an excellent grasp at sharing your opinion. Thank you and your family for staying with us.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
PRICE RANGE
US$125 - US$170 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
United StatesNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina MountainsBanner Elk
NUMBER OF ROOMS
57
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Frequently Asked Questions about Highlands at Sugar
Which popular attractions are close to Highlands at Sugar?
Nearby attractions include Grandfather Mountain State Park (7.8 km), Linville Gorge Wilderness Area (4.0 km), and Linville Falls (7.6 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Highlands at Sugar?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include an indoor pool, free wifi, and a fitness centre.
Which room amenities are available at Highlands at Sugar?
Top room amenities include a kitchenette, a flat screen TV, and a refrigerator.
What food & drink options are available at Highlands at Sugar?
Guests can enjoy barbeque facilities during their stay.
What are some restaurants close to Highlands at Sugar?
Conveniently located restaurants include Artisanal Restaurant, Stonewalls Restaurant, and Bayou Smokehouse & Grill.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Highlands at Sugar?
Yes, guests have access to an indoor pool, a fitness centre, and a sauna during their stay.