Hotel Black Bear Inn & Suites (Gatlinburg, USA)

You can quickly tire of free hotel breakfasts, where the same selection of cold pastries, and, if you're lucky, some fruit, appears time after time. Perhaps that's why guests are so enamored of the breakfast here, which offers hot waffles and made-to-order omelets. Now that's a free brekkie to write home about.

Whether you're after rugged adventure in the great, mountainous outdoors, or you're looking for fun, family activities to keep the kids entertained, Gatlinburg is a great destination, and this Clarion Inn & Suites is right in the center of it all. You're within walking distance of all the main attractions in town.

Rooms have either a balcony or patio, and guests say that it's well worth requesting a room with a good view of the mountains to add that extra wow factor to your stay. When you've taken in the majestic views, you can enjoy the home comforts of your room, like a coffee maker and cable TV.

Some of the freebies offered at this hotel, like parking, don't seem quite so free when you're hit with the hotel's resort charge on check-in, which adds a fair daily whack to your total bill. Guests can't really see what they're getting for the extra money, and it's not necessarily clear upfront.

Especially if you're traveling as a family or group, you may find the rooms a bit cramped, with the furniture squeezed in, and not so much room to move around in. Guests also say that many of the rooms are in need of some updating, since they're starting to look a bit worn and tired.

There's no restaurant or convenience store onsite at this hotel, so if you need a quick snack or something to quench your thirst, you'll have to take a trip down the road to the nearest store. It's not far, but not having anything inside the hotel is a bit of an inconvenience.