The Truth Behind Our Stay at Margaritaville in Pigeon Forge

Last Updated on October 22, 2021 by Allison Lancaster

Each year my mom and I try to take a few days to get away somewhere. Sometimes we head to the beach, but this year we headed to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Growing up in North Carolina and living in Tennessee now, we visit the Pigeon Forge area a few times a year. The recent trip I took with my mom and my little one to Margaritaville in Pigeon Forge was truly one of the best visits I have ever had to the area.

I received a product(s) or service(s) in exchange for this post. All thoughts, words and opinions are my own. 

The Location

We stayed at Margaritaville Island Hotel in Pigeon Forge. I have heard amazing things about the Island at Pigeon Forge but haven’t been until this visit. We were certainly in for a treat! The Island is located right in the heart of Pigeon Forge, which was so convenient. It was easily accessible to great shopping, restaurants and downtown Gatlinburg.

The Island itself has so many amazing shops, restaurants and things to do. You really don’t ever have to leave there during your stay!

A few of our favorite places on The Island in Pigeon Forge were:

The Island General Store

The Paula Deen Store

Cinnabon

The Great Smokey Mountain Wheel (althought we didn’t ride it, it looked amazing)

Tip: Check out the Island’s website for some great coupons before your visit. 

Margaritaville Hotel Pigeon Forge

When we first arrived at the hotel, we decided to utilize the hotel’s valet parking. It is $12 a day and completely worth it if you are traveling with a little one, or if you just want the luxury of valet parking during your stay. If you chose not to do the valet parking, there is a shuttle that shuttles you back and forth from the parking lot to the hotel free of charge.

Tip: I highly recommend doing valet parking during your stay, completely worth it and the valet staff were wonderful!

When you first walk into the hotel, you feel like you are on an island. You are greeted by friendly staff in the gorgeous hotel lobby. There are even live birds in the lobby (and throughout the Island)! Check in was seamless. We arrived early and decided to check to see if our room was ready. It was! This was so helpful, especially after a long car ride with my little one. The front desk staff were wonderful, friendly and check in only took maybe 5 minutes because the staff were prepared for our arrival.

Tip: If you arrive early, give the hotel a call to see if early check in is a possibility.

Walking into our room was amazing! Again, we felt like we were on an island somewhere. The headboards have “License To Chill” on them, which was such a cute touch. The room was equipped with a Margarita Maker (recipes included), Keurig Coffee Maker (stocked with coffee and tea for our stay), a fireplace, a safe (that was large enough to fit my laptop, my mom’s tablet and several other valuables), an alarm clock with an Iphone dock, and more.

Our Room at Margaritaville Pigeon Forge

Our room was a river view room. The view from the balcony was beautiful and so relaxing. The hotel also has ‘street view’ rooms that overlook the shops and fountains at the Island. I talked to several other hotel visitors who had street view rooms and they said their view was amazing as well.

The bathroom in the hotel room deserves its own post. I know, that’s weird, but seriously. The bathroom was gorgeous. Each bathroom has a rainfall shower, which was so relaxing. This momma takes all of the relaxation she can get!  The bathroom was also stocked with Bath and Body Works toiletries, a fun little perk.

Does Margaritaville Pigeon Forge have a pool?

The hotel has a gorgeous rooftop pool which has an amazing view of the Great Smokey Mountain Wheel. You can also watch the Island Show Fountain from the pool.

The next time we visit Pigeon Forge, I will definitely stay at the Margaritaville Island Hotel Pigeon Forge. I highly recommend it if you are visiting the area. I was also excited to learn that there are several other Margaritaville hotels in different areas, we hope to visit one soon.

The Spa

The hotel was just a part of this wonderful stay. I was able to visit St. Somewhere Spa at the Margaritaville Island Hotel during our stay. I cannot say enough good things about the spa! Each and every staff member that I encountered during my visit to the spa was not only professional but so friendly and nice. I had a massage, manicure and pedicure at the spa. Let me tell you, I left feeling like a new woman! It has been years since I had a massage, and I remember now why I used to get them quite often. I honestly have not felt that relaxed in months. Even if you aren’t staying at the hotel, you can still visit the St. Somewhere Spa. We live about an hour and a half from Pigeon Forge and I am already making plans to return to the St. Somewhere Spa very soon. 

The Area

We had a wonderful time during our stay in Pigeon Forge. We had some amazing food and did what most girls love to do…shop!

The best food we had during our visit was at Billy Goat Tavern in Pigeon Forge. The service was excellent and the food, amazing. All of their food is locally sourced and is ‘farm to table’. I highly recommend the pimento cheese appetizer and the Maui chicken.

other recommendations when visiting Pigeon Forge:

• Visit the Christmas Place. It’s a fun year-round Christmas shop that is a Christmas-lover’s dream.
• Check out the Tanger Outlets. We usually visit them a few times a year and there are some great deals there.
• If you like pancakes, there are many great pancake houses in the area, make sure to try one during your stay.

Have you ever been to Margaritaville in Pigeon Forge? What was your favorite part?

Thank you to Margaritaville Island Hotel, St. Somewhere Spa and Billy Goat Tavern Pigeon Forge for participating in sponsoring parts of our visit. As always, all opinions are my own.