Want to know what it’s like to stay at Hilton Vacation Club’s Sunrise Ridge Resort in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee?
We recently took a weekend getaway to the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg area, where we stayed at Hilton’s Sunrise Ridge Resort.
It is perfectly situated near popular attractions like Dollywood, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, The Island, and Downtown Gatlinburg.
But, it is also tucked away in a quiet spot in the mountains.
We stayed in a standard one bedroom unit on the ground floor, overlooking the pool (and the mountains).
You can see our full room tour video below.
Don’t worry, it’s only 2 minutes long.
Sunrise Ridge Resort Review
Sunrise Ridge is a timeshare resort formerly owned by Diamond Resorts, who was bought out by Hilton Grand Vacations a few years ago.
The resort hasn’t undergone any major renovations since the switch, so it has really only changed in ownership.
What I love about Sunrise Ridge is that it is one of the timeshares that is almost always available, and can usually be booked at a discounted rate if you book it less than 60 days out, which is what we did.
Click Here To Book Your Sunrise Ridge Resort Stay In Pigeon Forge Today!
One Bedroom
We booked a standard one bedroom unit for our stay since we didn’t need anything larger than that.
It comes with a full kitchen, in-unit laundry, and close proximity to all of the resort amenities.
Living Room
The living room definitely looks aged, but everything is in good condition.
Nothing was dirty or broken or torn.
I’ve noticed this is pretty common in the more rustic, woodsy destinations, with pretty much all of the timeshare companies.
I like that the whole living room, kitchen, and dining area is open.
Dining Room
There’s not really a formal dining room, but there is a dining table tucked to the side that seats 4 people.
It’s a pretty light table, so you could shuffle it around towards the center of the room if you wanted to, since it is so close up to the tv.
Kitchen
Having a full kitchen is so nice when traveling, especially the longer you travel.
We tend to do a lot of work-cations, so being able to cook healthy meals while traveling is essential.
The kitchens come fully equipped with all the standard kitchen utensils and appliances, including pots and pans.
If something is missing, you can always call housekeeping to bring you something.
Plus, there’s a dishwasher for easy clean up.
Bedroom
The bedroom was decent sized and I like that the bed is tucked into a nook.
It’s nice to have a ledge to set down phones or a bottle of water since there is no night stand.
We didn’t use the closets at all since we were only there for a couple of days and didn’t bring that much stuff with us.
I didn’t like that the window for the bedroom was right in the walkway of all of the rooms, but there’s a blackout curtain, so it’s not so intrusive, just noisy.
This room is connected to the only bathroom in the unit.
Bathroom
The bathroom can be accessed from the bedroom and from the hallway.
It has a jetted tub combined with the shower.
Then, separating the tub from the sink is an in-unit washer and dryer.
They always leave laundry detergent for you to use, but you can also bring your own stuff if you want.
At some resorts you have to get at least a two bedroom unit to have laundry included.
It’s really hit or miss, so it’s great that this one had it.
Pricing
Nightly rates here range wildly!
The lowest I’ve seen is about $134 for one night, but several nights a month, rooms go for up to $344.
So you really have to time it right to get the most affordable rate.
This pricing also includes prices for the 2 bedrooms.
They usually are less than $50 more than the 1 bedroom units.
Click Here To Book Your Sunrise Ridge Resort Stay In Pigeon Forge Today!
Booking Your Stay With Timeshare Points
For those that are timeshare owners, here’s the breakdown of the points we used for this stay.
We actually purchased our timeshare through Diamond Resorts back in 2020, before Hilton bought them out, so our point system is still the old Diamond system.
For some background, we have 7500 points a year, which they tell us is good for 7-10 nights a year, but we’re averaging 25 nights a year with these points.
The average price per year for our timeshare is $3,900 when we factor in the original purchase price plus the annual maintenance fees.
But once we factor in the freebies they give us (like gift cards, attraction tickets, experiences, etc) it’s more like $2,900 a year.
So for this stay, we stayed for 2 week nights in June for 900 points for 2 nights.
The price breakdown of this is $468 for the total stay, or $234 per night.
This is pretty much exactly what it would’ve cost to pay cash around that time of year, so it definitely was not one of our most affordable timeshare stays.
Most of the time we only use points when they come out to less than the equivalent of $150 per night.
If we factor in the freebies we’ve been given, it actually comes down to being as cheap as $348 for the total stay, or $174 per night.
We banked our points for this year and had to burn through last year’s points, so we splurged a little for this stay, but is was a reasonable splurge.
Resort Amenities
The pool and hot tub here are situated for perfect views of the mountains.
The set up actually reminded me a lot of Disney’s Boardwalk resort because of the architecture of the building and the way it surrounds the pool.
Hot Tub
The hot tub is quite large for your typical resort.
We went out here each night during our stay just to enjoy the views and enjoy being outside.
Pool
The pool was also a good size, but it didn’t have any extras.
The pool deck has plenty of space to either sit at a table or lay out in a chair.
We didn’t go into the pool since it was already night time and the hot tub was a much better choice, but there were quite a few kids playing in there each night.
Overall Experience
Overall, this was a great trip.
I didn’t like that it cost us a little bit more points than we’re used to spending and that the room was really outdated, it felt like it wasn’t worth the increased price.
But because of the location and all the things to do in the area, we would still stay here again anyway if we were using timeshare points.
The resort is quiet since it’s tucked away, but it also doesn’t take too long to get to any of the popular spots, so the convenience is also nice.
I don’t recall having any wifi or data issues while we were there, though I’m sure it wasn’t the strongest signal.
Also the parking is free and close by, so that’s a good benefit.
Click Here To Book Your Sunrise Ridge Resort Stay In Pigeon Forge Today!
Conclusion: Sunrise Ridge Resort Review
Sunrise Ridge Resort is Hilton’s most centrally located timeshare property when you’re visiting the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge area.
It’s a little outdated, but not worn down or dirty.
The prices range wildly, so sometimes it’s pretty affordable, while other times it’s quite a splurge.
Considering the condition of the resort, I’d try to stay on the cheaper end.
But for the convenience, you could justify some higher prices.
Click Here To Book Your Sunrise Ridge Resort Stay In Pigeon Forge Today!
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